Noticias de Puerto Rico, informacion de ultima hora y multimedia - El Nuevo Día

La iguana es una especie no nativa de  Puerto Rico, que causa problemas a nuestro medio ambiente. Foto Superchicos.net

Vecinos revelan sus técnicas de control y protección de huertos

Por Gerardo Cordero

Nota del editor: Décimo de la serie Amenaza Verde sobre la creciente población de la Iguana iguana y los daños que se atribuyen a esa especie invasora, entre otros temas relacionados.

La penetración de la Iguana iguana o gallina de palo a espacios domésticos ha activado el ingenio de los ciudadanos para alejar o aniquilar esos reptiles.

La Iguana iguana ha representado un dolor de cabeza para agricultores, así como para personas que en patios desarrollan con éxito sus huertos caseros.

Milton Oliveras, quien propone la caza organizada de las iguanas, dijo a ELNUEVODIA.COM que para proteger los huertos y evitar que la gallina de palo consuma lechugas y otras hortalizas parecer eficaz un repelente casero cuyo ingrediente principal es cayene en polvo o ajíes.

La iniciativa consiste en diluir en agua varios ingredientes y regar sus plantas u hortalizas. El efecto, según aseguró Oliveras es que los reptiles descartarán la ingesta de esas plantas y ya se ha experimentado con éxito relativo.

“En una licuadora combinas una proporción de dientes de ajo con jalapeño o ajies picantes y riegas las plantas. El polvo de cayene funciona también”, sostuvo Oliveras.

Colocar planchas de zinc en torno al huerto es una medida adicional muy efectiva porque las igualas suelen resbalar y se les dificulta entrar, agregó.

Esas medidas, garantizan alejar la especie invasora de sus cultivos, pero en ciertos casos el objetivo de los ciudadanos es aniquilarlas y en un sector metropolitano de San Juan lo han hecho sin utilizar armas.

En la urbanización Los Paseos, en Río Piedras, vecinos se han quejado de forma creciente por la entrada de gallinas de palo a sus patios, donde destruyen jardines y causan otros contratiempos.

Por ejemplo, algunas gallinas de palo se lanzan a piscinas de las casas y defecan en el agua, según denunció una residente de esa comunidad. La mujer, que prefirió no divulgar su nombre, explicó que como no obtuvo respuesta de las autoridades para remover los reptiles que entraban con frecuencia a su patio, optaron por exterminarlas ahogándolas.

Reveló que utilizando la red de limpieza de la piscina controlaron el movimiento del animal y al mantenerlo sumergido al menos por 45 minutos lograron exterminarlo. Explicó que si entran al agua, las iguanas deben buscar aire unos 30 minutos después de sumergirse, pero se ahogan si no pueden salir a la superficie en promedio después de 45 minutos.

En un sector de Los Paseos donde las visitas de iguanas se tornó cada vez más frecuente, vecinos han repetido esa técnica de control y exterminio de la especie invasora, que es considerada una plaga por el Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, cuyo Reglamento 6765 permite matar estos reptiles.

En Fajardo, por otro lado, poblaciones de reptiles que se acostumbraron a compartir espacios frecuentados por personas, demostraron ajustes en su dieta natural herbívora al consumir arroz, habichuelas y carne descartada por algunos ciudadanos.

Una fuente narró que en una marina del área, cuando la concentración de reptiles se tornó problemática, exterminaron decenas al arrojarles “arroz con tres pasitos”, el popular veneno para ratas que se vende en comercios diversos.

El director del Negociado de Pesca y Vida Silvestre del DRNA, Miguel García Bermúdez, por su parte, recordó que en el pasado, con apoyo de vigilantes del DRNA, en el aeropuerto internacional se utilizaron rifles de caza para exterminar parte de la población de gallinas de palo en el canal cercano a la pista principal de esa instalación, por razones de seguridad portuaria. Sin embargo, la agencia no tiene en vigor iniciativas de caza con armas de esos reptiles, aunque no descarta evaluar una propuesta de la entidad de Cazadores Verdes para controlar poblaciones de alta densidad.

De acuerdo con García Bermúdez, el problema de las iguanas se traduce en llamadas semanales de ciudadanos que reclaman intervención de los vigilantes del DRNA para sacar esos animales de sus propiedades. “Con la densidad de iguanas que hay aquí no hay manera que el DRNA pueda atender sólo el control de esta población que se reproduce bien rápido”, recalcó al señalar que la propuesta de Cazadores Verdes sería evaluada a tenor con la experiencia de la operación de exterminio que se llevó a cabo cerca de la pista principal del aeropuerto internacional.

En casos de situaciones domésticas, por otro lado, dijo que en circunstancias extraordinarias en las que un reptil haya penetrado a una residencia, si se confirma un riesgo para removerlo y los moradores no han podido sacarlo, personal del DRNA podría tomar acción, pero en general se orienta a las personas para que ellos mismos procedan a manejarlas. Sin embargo, no es la norma proceder con alguna movilización de personal para sacar iguanas de las casas.

Residentes en pueblos del noreste han reportado que la Iguana iguana suele comer orquídeas y amapolas, entre otras flores que parecen sus favoritas. Pero las preocupaciones trascienden a otros asuntos no claros como conocer si existe riesgo de enfermedades al penetrar a una piscina visitada por iguanas. “Encontramos que defecan en el agua y como son portadoras de salmonella no sabemos si el cloro y el sistema de limpieza de las piscinas neutraliza el daño de la acción de esos animales”, dijo una ciudadana preocupada por la proliferación de esta especie.

Vigilantes del DRNA, por otro lado, han afirmado que han observado a las iguanas devorar pájaros, lo que pone nuevamente en entredicho sus hábitos de alimentación. García Bermúdez, mientras, mencionó que un estudio científico en la isla caribeña de Monserrat documentó que las iguanas devoraron huevos de garzas. Mientras, aquí los estudiosos del reptil reconocen que es oportunista, por lo que no descartan que coman insectos y hasta coquíes.

El doctor Rafael Joglar aclaró que no ha realizado estudios a fondo sobre la alimentación de la Iguana iguana. “Aunque nuestro equipo de trabajo no ha trabajado con la dieta de esa especie, hemos revisado cuidadosamente la literatura científica que documenta que la dieta de esta especie aunque es mayormente herbívora, también ingiere proteína animal, caracoles, insectos y hasta algunos vertebrados”.

Joglar sostuvo que tienen en agenda realizar necropsias para conocer mejor los hábitos de alimentación de la especie aquí al presente. Mientras, descartó que el coquí se encuentre amenazado por la gallina de palo, aunque sí por otros factores ampliamente documentados.

El educador y autor de libro La Biodiversidad de Puerto Rico, por otro lado, anticipó que el mes próximo se llevará a cabo un foro científico en el que se discutirán los problemas que ha causado la Iguana iguana en Puerto Rico y la Florida, entre otros asuntos. El evento, que tendrá lugar el 17 de septiembre, en el Instituto de Dasonomía Tropical, en el Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras, será abierto al público en general.

 

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July 30, 2010, 1:17 pm

Why We Can’t Eat Slaughtered Geese?

By ISOLDE RAFTERY

Rob Bennett for The New York Times

Kind of like chicken.

The Canada goose, according to those in the know, tastes like a dark, tender cut of smoked chicken.

That’s Canada goose from elsewhere in the country, mind you, where birds killed as part of government plans to shrink the goose population are plucked, frozen and distributed to food pantries. Food banks in Pennsylvania, for example, received 900 pounds of goose meat this year. Geese were also donated this summer to food banks in Maryland and Oregon.

But in New York State, geese that were killed this month were double-bagged and thrown in landfills. Among them – the total numbers have not yet been released – were nearly 400 geese from Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

The mass goose kill in Prospect Park — the idea is to keep them from flying into the engines of jet planes — set off outrage on City Room, where many comments railed against the killings, but others wondered: If we must kill them, why don’t we feed them to the homeless?

The official answer to that question came from Farrell Sklerov, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. He said that the state doesn’t have a way of testing the geese for toxins and has not figured out how best to process the meat.

New York, Mr. Sklerov wrote in an e-mail, doesn’t have “sufficient guidelines that pertain to the oversight of the safe preparation or donation of geese to food pantries or soup kitchens.”

A high-level official at the federal Department of Agriculture elaborated, saying that city and state officials have waited six years for the New York State Department of Health to report on the safety of New York bird meat.

“We’re looking for a letter somewhere along the lines that says Canada geese are safe to eat, or that one should consume only a certain amount of Canada goose a month, kind of like the state does with fish,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Other states, however, haven’t had a problem with slaughtering the geese for food.

In central Oregon, the Bend Park and Recreation District convened public meetings on ridding Canada geese from city parks.

There, officials ultimately decided to kill 109 geese with carbon dioxide, which is how New York geese were killed this month. The gas doesn’t make the meat unsafe, according to a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, who said it was often used to stun poultry.

Don Horton, the executive director of the Bend park district, said the geese were sent to a slaughterhouse, where they were processed and smoked, at $15 a bird.

“For us, the cost was not exorbitant, but if you’re killing 2,000 birds, the cost gets interesting,” Mr. Horton said.

He said he was confused by New York’s stated concern that the birds might not be safe to eat. “These are the same geese hunted by hunters all the time,” he said.

In Pennsylvania, wildlife killed because it has been deemed a nuisance to crops or parks must be donated to food banks.

“The state permit states that the geese shall be donated to a food bank or a shelter – that is a requirement of the permit itself, so they have to abide by that, or they lose the permit,” said Jason DeCoskey, who oversees special permit enforcement for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Mr. DeCoskey said the Department of Agriculture had a contract with a plucking house in southern Pennsylvania.

Deer make up the bulk of wildlife killed, he said, and when they are, “the U.S.D.A. will automatically call to find out if there are any needy families nearby to get them the meat.”

But for some, donating the geese to food banks doesn’t make up for their deaths.

In central Oregon, where the killed geese provided more than 1,000 hot meals, residents lashed out against the food bank director for accepting the meat.

Patrick Kwan, the New York State director for the Humane Society of the United States, also disagreed with the gesture. “What they are trying to do is make an unnecessary act seem charitable,” he said.

In Oregon, Mr. Horton saw it another way.

“We knew all along that there was a lot of opposition and that taking the meat from the geese and using that meat to feed the hungry by donating it to these two food banks would temper the opposition,” he said.

Why We Can’t Eat Slaughtered Geese - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

 

 

Univision pagara 1 millon por PAYOLA/Empleados LEGALES de univision quiebran la ley! - Univision Foro / Forum

Univision pagara 1 millon por PAYOLA/Empleados LEGALES de univision quiebran la ley!

el 07-28-2010 08:20 AM - se editó por última vez el 07-28-2010 11:53 AM

Univision pagara 1 millon de dlls. por PAYOLA/Empleados LEGALES de univision quiebran la ley mientras la gente indocumentada honesta sufre.

martes 27 de julio, 03:38 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Univision Communications Inc. acordó pagar un millón de dólares para resolver acusaciones de que sus radioemisoras y sus empleados aceptaron pagos secretos en efectivo para difundir con más frecuencia a los artistas de una ex disquera de Univision.

La Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones (FCC, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Departamento de Justicia anunciaron acuerdos separados el lunes por la noche sobre los cargos relacionados con la llamada "payola" _pagos por reproducción y difusión masiva_ con la empresa de medios en español.

Las dos agencias federales habían acusado a Univision Music, un sello discográfico en español, de haber sobornado entre el 2002 y el 2006 a los directores de programación de las estaciones propiedad de Univision Radio para que reprodujeran la música de ciertos artistas en español, sin revelar tales pagos al público, lo cual viola las leyes federales y las normas de la FCC.

En el sector musical de Estados Unidos, la payola es una práctica ilegal que consiste en ofrecer dinero u otros incentivos a una estación de radio o disc jockey con el fin de garantizar una difusión prominente de un disco o una pieza en particular.

El gobierno dijo que los directores de programas en estaciones radiales en San Antonio y El Paso, Texas; Los Angeles y Sacramento, California, presentaban facturas falsas a Univision Music por servicios que nunca fueron prestados. Entonces Univision Music pagaba las facturas y los directores de programas se embolsaban los pagos, que oscilaban entre 1.000 y 10.000 dólares.

La confabulación concluyó en septiembre del 2006, dijo el gobierno.

Univisión vendió su sello discográfico a Universal Music Group a principios del 2008. El sello había sido parte de Univision Services Inc.

Bajo el acuerdo con el Departamento de Justicia y la fiscalía federal por el distrito central de California, Univision Services Inc. se declaró culpable de un cargo de asociación ilícita para cometer fraude postal y acordó pagar una multa de 500.000 dólares.

Univision Radio también acordó pagar 500.000 dólares bajo un arreglo paralelo con la FCC. El acuerdo además limita el valor de los boletos para conciertos y otros regalos que las estaciones radiales y empleados de Univision pueden aceptar de sellos discográficos.

En un comunicado, Univision dijo que el ardid de payola involucró a "un grupo aislado de empleados" que actuaron sin conocimiento de nadie fuera del sello discográfico. La compañía no emitió comentarios en torno a la participación de Univision Radio.

Universal Media Group no respondió de inmediato a llamadas para comentar sobre el asunto.

elnefasto

 

Univision Receives Largest Fine in FCC History - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Published February 25, 2007 by:

Joseph Speranzella

The FCC is preparing to hand down the biggest fine in it’s history. The fine is being leveed upon the nation’s largest Hispanic network, Univision.
Univision is being fined for broadcasting a show three years ago identifying it as an educational children’s program. The show "Complices al Rescate" ("Friends to the Rescue") was a show similar to "The Parent Trap",

about 11-year-old identical twin girls who swapped parents and lives after discovering they had been separated at birth.
The FCC will fine Univision $24 million dollars. The fine is the largest the Federal Communications Commission has ever imposed against any company. The penalty will also send a strong signal to broadcasters that they will be expected to meet their required quota of shows that educate and inform children. This is coming after years of permissive oversight in this area.
Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said in an interview that the commission has decided to impose the heavy fine as a tough rebuke to Univision for falsely claiming to meet its obligations regarding educational children’s programming.
The penalty is nearly three times the previous record fine of $9 million, imposed against Qwest Communications for violating telephone interconnection rules in 2004. It is part of a settlement that will allow the company to proceed with an existing buyout deal.
The penalty reflects an aggressive enforcement of the 1996 regulations that interpreted the Children’s Television Act. Those regulations imposed more substantive requirements regarding educational programming on the networks. It mandated networks to broadcast at least three hours a week of programs of intellectual value to young people.

The Univision complaint dates to the summer of 2005. The United Church of Christ had raised concerns about Univision’s programming lineup, stating that it had failed to provide adequate children’s programs. By  repeatedly rebroadcasting reruns of the same episodes of the show, the network claimed it was meeting its 3 hour a week obligation .

The commission’s investigation uncovered 24 stations that had violated the programming guidelines over a two-year period. Angela J. Campbell, who represents The United Church Of Christ in this matter and is a telecommunications expert at Georgetown University Law Center , seemed stunned by the decision. "Assuming it’s true, I’m pleased to see the commission finally taking action and I hope they will take action soon on other petitions we have filed in this area, Broadcasters need to know that they have to take these obligations to children seriously.", she said.

  

Los “Guardian Angels”, grupos de voluntarios civiles, y el consulado de México en Nueva York también anunciaron el despliegue de personal en la zona ante el incremento de los ataques, principalmente contra mexicanos

Nueva York, AFP- Una ola de agresiones de carácter racista contra hispanos se está registrando en algunos suburbios de Nueva York, indicó este miércoles la policía y el consulado de México, que tomaron medidas.

La policía anunció que a partir de la noche del martes al miércoles se aumentó el número de patrullas en State Island (sur de Nueva York), tanto de agentes en uniformes como de efectivos en civil.

“Nos complace que haya más ojos y oídos, vengan de donde vengan”, comentó a la prensa el jefe de policía de Nueva York, Raymond Kelly, tras indicar que la Fuerza de Tareas contra Crímenes de Odio está “investigando agresivamente”.

La última víctima fue el oaxaqueño Fidel González, miembro de una familia numerosa asentada en el condado Richmond de Staten Island, brutalmente golpeado en Faber Park el viernes pasado cuando regresaba a su casa, según el consulado.

Las autoridades precisaron que este año hubo 21 crímenes motivados por el odio racial en Staten Island, de los cuales 11 fueron contra latinos, contra solo dos hechos de esa índole perpetrados contra hispanos en 2009.

Refuerzan vigilancia en Nueva York por violencia contra los hispanos - Reporte 360

 

3 NJ Teens Charged in Videotapped Beating Death of Salvadoran Immigrant Abelino Mazaniego

Samantha Henry

AP

SUMMIT, N.J. (July 28) — Dusk fell around Salvadoran immigrant Abelino Mazaniego as he sat on a bench on a promenade in an upscale New York suburb after finishing his restaurant shift. As night encroached, so did a group of teenagers, including one with a cell phone videocamera at the ready.
Then, authorities say, they beat him unconscious, with the camera rolling.

Days later, the 47-year-old father of four was dead - but not before the video had been circulated among teenagers in Summit, N.J., authorities say. And not before a nurse in the emergency room where he was taken the night of July 17 was accused of pilfering several hundred dollars from his wallet.

Samantha Henry, AP

A photo of Abelino Manzaniego, an immigrant from El Salvador, is part of a shrine on the bench where he was attacked July 17 in Summit, N.J.

The attacks on Mazaniego’s body and dignity resulted in days of escalating court actions that culminated Tuesday in murder charges against three young men, ages 17, 18 and 19. A fourth teenager believed to have videotaped the attack hasn’t been charged, but authorities weren’t divulging details on the teen’s involvement or potential culpability.

In Summit on Tuesday evening, a young girl sobbed, trembled, and clutched the waist of an older woman as they stood in a group of five people in front of a shrine of sunflowers, votive prayer candles, handwritten notes and a photo of Mazaniego that had been placed on the bench where he was attacked. Speaking quietly in Spanish, a woman with red-rimmed eyes said she was Mazaniego’s wife of 29 years, and the rest were family members. She declined to give her name, saying she was too upset and scared to speak about the attack.

Mazaniego was “a hardworking, punctual, friendly employee,” said Colin Crasto, manager and chef at Dabbawalla Indian restaurant, across the street from where the attack took place, and where the victim had worked for three years as a cook’s assistant. A photo of Mazaniego was taped to the front window, with a message saying he had been the sole supporter of his family and asking patrons to donate money to help his family.

Along Summit’s main thoroughfare, a place of upscale clothing and jewelry stores, real-estate brokerages advertising million-dollar homes, and luxury SUVS parked along the street, merchants and residents said the attack was an anomaly for the town, a vibrant mix of nationalities that considers itself welcoming of immigrants.

“I know bad things happen all the time, everywhere, but it’s unusual here,” said Neil Rodriguez, the manager of The Wine List, who knew Mazaniego, as he worked a few doors down. Recalling Mazaniego as a “genial, really nice gentlemen,” Rodriguez said that, as a Hispanic, he was bothered that the incident was being portrayed by some as racially motivated.
“It’s a random act of violence, there’s not a lot of racial strife in this town,” he said. “I’d like to see the parents that produced such monsters,” he added, referring to the alleged attackers.

Khayri Williams-Clark, 18, and an unidentified 17-year-old, both of Summit, were arrested Wednesday on manslaughter charges. Williams-Clark pleaded not guilty to the charge Friday.
Now they’re charged with murder, along with Nigel Dumas, 19, of Morristown. A spokesman for the public defender’s office, which is representing Williams-Clark and the 17-year-old, declined to comment Tuesday and said the office hadn’t yet received an application to represent Dumas.

The 17-year-old is being held in the Union County juvenile detention center, while Williams-Clark is being held at the Union County jail on $100,000 bail, prosecutors said. Bail for Dumas, at the same jail, has been set at $250,000. Authorities wouldn’t say how many teens were in the group or whether there would be more charges. They also weren’t discussing theories on the motive for the beating - whether it was Mazaniego’s background, a thrill killing or some other reason. But it apparently wasn’t an attempt to get the $640 in cash that Mazaniego was carrying.

Police found the victim after the beating and took him to the hospital, where, officials say, nurse Stephan Randolph, 39, of Flemington, took the money out of the unconscious victim’s wallet.
Family members noticed the missing money and told authorities, who charged Randolph with third-degree theft Monday, six days after Mazaniego died. Randolph could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press this week; a phone listed in his name rang unanswered.

 

Gracias Señor por devolvernos el joven secuestrado Carlos Serrano quien fue liberado en la frontera de Guatemala con México. ¡Gloria a Dios!

 

Tengo la triste noticia que nuestro amigo Juan Manuel Granados, director de mi orquesta en Mexico, murió ayer victima de un derrame cerebral. Su cuerpo sera velado en Velatorios Jardines del Tiempo, Colima 254, Col. Roma. HOY  (Domingo 25 de julio). Que en paz descanse.

CANCELACIÓN DE LONDRES

Después de tantos años he aprendido que uno no puede estar buscando el empresario en su propio país y pueblo para cobrar.

Por eso cuando un cliente deja de hacer los pagos de la manera en que acordamos en el contrato cancelamos la presentación.

Esto no es caso de ego ni política ni nada que se parezca. Sencillamente se trata de conducir negocio.

Históricamente, la gente adoran a los músicos pero a la vez se resienten cuando insisten ser pagados. Rápido lo acusan de avaro. Pero la verdad es que si el músico no cobra antes de tocar es muy fácil abusar de él.

La música no se puede quitar despues de ser tocada. El dicho “Músico pago no toca bien” seguramente fue inventado por un empresario.

Siento mucho por los fans en Londres que no pude ver en esta ocasión. Ojala tenga otra oportunidad.

Willie Colón

After many years on the road I have learned a few things; one of them is that it’s impossible to chase a promoter around for payment in his own country and town.

That’s why when a client deviates from our agreed payment schedule they are in breach of contract and we cancel the date.

My apologies to all that came out to see me. I hope to be able to perform for you in the future. This is not about egos or politics or such. It’s strictly business.

CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 2
I. BACKGROUND
On May 4, 2007, Mr. Colón filed a complaint for breach of contract and
collection of monies against Mr. Blades. (Docket No. 1.) The complaint was later
amended on April 29, 2008, to include Roberto Morgalo and Morgalo, Martínez and
Associates (“M.M.A.”) as defendants. (Docket No. 45.) According to Mr. Colón,
in January, 2003, he and Mr. Blades agreed to perform at a musical concert in San
Juan, Puerto Rico. (Id. at 2, ¶ 9.) The fee for the concert was $350,000 to be
spilt evenly between Mr. Colón and Mr. Blades. (Id.) Mr. Colón claimed that
pursuant to the agreement, Mr. Blades was in charge of the business aspects of
the concert, including collecting the fee and making payments to him. (Id. ¶ 10.)
Mr. Colón, in turn, claimed that he was only in charge of the concert’s production.
(Id.) Mr. Colón alleged that in order to handle the business aspects of the
concert, Mr. Blades contracted the services of M.M.A. (Id. ¶ 11.) Also, Mr. Colón
claimed that according to the agreement his fee for the concert had to be paid in
full prior to traveling from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Id. ¶ 13.)
However, Mr. Colón claimed that a few days prior to the concert Mr. Blades
informed him that one of the partners of M.M.A., Arturo Martínez, had disappeared
with the money. (Id. at 2-3, ¶ 13.) Mr. Colón claimed that after telling Mr. Blades
that he would not perform at the concert, Mr. Blades told him that he was going
to pay him the money that was owed to him. (Id. at 3, ¶¶ 14 & 15.) As a result,
Case 3:07-cv-01380-JA Document 235 Filed 07/14/10 Page 2 of 9

CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 3
Mr. Colón performed at the concert. (Id. ¶ 15.) Mr. Colón claimed that despite
his efforts he was not able to collect from Mr. Blades the money that was owed
to him. (Id. ¶ 17.)
On June 5, 2008, Mr. Blades filed a cross-claim against Mr. Morgalo and
M.M.A. (Docket No. 49.) The cross-claim was amended on July 29, 2009.
(Docket No. 56.) In essence, Mr. Blades claimed that Mr. Morgalo and M.M.A.
engaged in fraud, conspiracy to defraud, breach of contract and breach of
fiduciary duties by failing to pay the amounts owed in connection with the concert.
(Id. at 2, ¶ 1.) Consequently, Mr. Morgalo filed a defamation claim against Mr.
Blades and Rubén Blades Productions (“RBP”) in the United States District Court
for the Southern District of New York. (Docket No. 58-3.) On August 12, 2008,
the defamation claim was consolidated with the present case but was later
dismissed on March 31, 2010. Colón v. Blades, F.R.D. , No. 07-1380
(JA), 2010 WL 1235848 (D.P.R. Mar. 31, 2010). As for the cross-claim, the court
entered default judgment against M.M.A. on June 15, 2010. Colón v. Blades,
F. Supp. 2d , No. 07-1380 (JA), 2010 WL 2365448 (D.P.R. June 15, 2010).
On May 6, 2010, after reaching a settlement agreement with Mr. Morgalo,
Mr. Colón filed a motion dismissing all claims against both Mr. Morgalo and Mr.
Blades without the imposition of costs, expenses and attorney’s fees. (Docket No.
188.) On May 7, 2010, the court granted Mr. Colón’s motion for voluntary
Case 3:07-cv-01380-JA Document 235 Filed 07/14/10 Page 3 of 9

CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 4
dismissal. (Docket No. 193.) However, Mr. Colón’s request that dismissal be
without the imposition of costs and attorney’s fees was denied. (Id.) On June 1,
2010, Mr. Blades filed a motion requesting the court to order Mr. Colón to pay the
costs and attorney’s fees incurred by him in defending himself against his claims.
(Docket No. 221.) According to Mr. Blades, the amount incurred in litigation
expenses and attorney’s fees total $229,784.84. (Id. at 2.) Mr. Blades argues
that he is entitled to costs and attorney’s fees because Mr. Colón’s claims were
factually frivolous, brought for improper purpose and obstinately maintained
against him. (Id. at 12.)
II. ANALYSIS
Under federal common law the parties in a federal question case bear their
own costs and attorney’s fees. Renaissance Mktg., Inc. v. Monitronics Int’l, Inc.,
673 F. Supp. 2d 79, 81 (D.P.R. 2009) (quoting Buckannon v. W. Va. Dep’t of
Health, 532 U.S. 598, 602 (2001)); Davison v. P.R. Firefighters Corps., 479 F.
Supp. 2d 243, 246 (D.P.R. 2007) (citing Home Sav. Bank v. Gillam, 952 F.2d
1152, 1162 (9th Cir. 1991)). Therefore, “a plaintiff’s voluntary dismissal with
prejudice does not entitle a defendant to attorney’s fees.” Nippy, Inc. v. Pro Rok,
Inc., 932 F. Supp. 41, 43 (D.P.R. 1996) (citing Colombrito v. Kelly, 764 F.2d 122,
133-34 (2d Cir. 1985); Cauley v. Wilson, 754 F.2d 769, 772 (7th Cir. 1985);
Smoot v. Fox, 353 F.2d 830, 833 (6th Cir. 1965); Esquivel v. Arau, 913 F. Supp.
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CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 5
1382, 1388 (C.D. Cal. 1996)). However, in cases such as this “wherein the
jurisdiction is premised on to diversity of citizenship, the applicable standard of
law for the determination of attorney’s fees is state law.” Rodríguez-López v.
Institución Perpetuo Socorro, Inc., 616 F. Supp. 2d 200, 202 (D.P.R. 2009); see
Intimate Fashions, Inc. v. El Telar, Inc., 570 F. Supp. 2d 225, 229 n.8 (D.P.R.
2008).
“Puerto Rico’s Civil Procedure Rule 44.1(d) provides that ‘[i]n the event any
party or its lawyers has acted obstinately or frivolously, the court shall, in its
judgment, impose on such person the payment of sum for attorney’s fees which
the court decides corresponds to such conduct.’” Camacho-Albert v. Méndez &
Co., 589 F. Supp. 2d 141, 146 (D.P.R. 2008) (quoting P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 32, App.
III, R. 44.1(d), cited in Top Entm’t, Inc. v. Torrejón, 351 F.3d 531, 533 (1st Cir.
2003)). “The main purpose of awarding attorney’s fees in cases of obstinacy is to
impose a penalty upon a losing party that because of his stubbornness, obstinacy,
rashness, and insistent frivolous attitude has forced the other party to needlessly
assume the pains, costs, efforts, and inconveniences of a litigation.” Top Entm’t,
Inc. v. Torrejon, 351 F.3d at 533 (quoting Fernández Mariño v. San Juan Cement
Co., 118 D.P.R. 713, 718 (1987), 18 P.R. Offic. Trans. 823, 830 (1987)).
In determining whether a party or its lawyer was obstinate, a court must
examine whether a litigant was “unreasonably adamant or stubbornly litigious,
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CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 6
beyond the acceptable demands of the litigation, thereby wasting time and
causing the court and the other litigants unnecessary expense and delay.” Correa
v. Cruisers, a Div. of KCS Int’l, Inc., 298 F.3d 13, 30 (1st Cir. 2002) (quoting De
León López v. Corporación Insular de Seguros, 931 F.2d 116, 126 (1st Cir.
1991)). “[O]nce the court makes a finding of obstinacy the award for attorney’s
fees . . . is mandatory.” Nuñez-Santiago v. P.R. Elec. Power Auth., 206 F. Supp.
2d 231, 232-33 (D.P.R. 2002) (citing Fajardo Shopping Ctr. v. Sun Alliance Ins.
Co. of P.R., Inc., 167 F.3d 1, 14 (1st Cir. 1999)). Also, in making a determination
of obstinacy courts take into account several factors including: “(1) the complexity
of the issues, the clarity of the law, and the disposition of the litigants-in short,
the “personality” of the case; (2) the delay and stubbornness in discovery,
including a disregard for court orders; (3) temerity in settlement negotiations; and
(4) the novelty of the claim.” Colón v. Rinaldi, Md., 547 F. Supp. 2d 122, 125
(D.P.R. 2008) (citations omitted); see also Correa v. Cruisers, a Div. of KCS Int’l,
Inc., 298 F.3d at 31.
Mr. Blades argues that the complaint filed by Mr. Colón was frivolous
because the allegations contained in it had no basis in fact and law. (Docket No.
221, at 2.) According to Mr. Blades, the amount demanded by Mr. Colón in the
complaint would have never exceeded the jurisdictional minimum of $75,000 if
half of the commission that was paid to M.M.A. had not been included. (Id. at 7
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CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 7
& 8.) Also, Mr. Blades contends that the evidence produced by him showed that
the money that was paid by the promoters was used by Mr. Martínez and Mr.
Morgalo to settle other debts. (Id. at 8.) Notwithstanding the above, Mr. Blades
claims that Mr. Colón prevented him from having access to evidence that showed
the extent of Mr. Morgalo’s participation and responsibility for the missing funds,
and that he stubbornly insisted in pointing the accusatory finger at him. (Id. at 9.)
Furthermore, Mr. Blades argues that Mr. Colón’s allegation that he was jointly
responsible for M.M.A.’s conduct was not only conclusory but also meritless and
unsubstantiated. (Id.) According to Mr. Blades, he was never a joint or co-obligor
with respect to Mr. Colón because he was not a member, shareholder or a partner
in M.M.A. (Id.) Mr. Blades, therefore, claims that for the last three years Mr.
Colón’s purpose in continuing with the complaint has been to extract a settlement
by forcing him to run up litigation expenses. (Id. at 10.)
Despite these allegations, Mr. Blades has failed to show that Mr. Colón’s
conduct was obstinate. First, this case presented complex issues of both facts and
law involving numerous parties. Colón v. Blades, F. Supp. 2d , No. 07-
1380 (JA), 2010 WL 1914213, at *2 (D.P.R. May 13, 2010) (holding that stay of
proceedings pending appeal was not warranted under the “collateral order”
doctrine); Colón v. Blades, No. 07-1380 (JA), 2009 WL 3347627 (D.P.R. Oct. 14,
2009) (denying motion for reconsideration and request for 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b)
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CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 8
certification filed by Mr. Baldes); Colón v. Blades, No. 07-1380 (JA), 2009 WL
2612523 (D.P.R. Aug. 21, 2009) (denying motion for summary judgment for lack
of subject matter jurisdiction filed by Mr. Blades). Besides Mr. Colón’s complaint
and amended complaint, a cross-claim and amended cross claim was filed by Mr.
Blades as well as a third-party complaint and an amended third-party complaint
filed by Mr. Morgalo. Colón v. Blades, F.R.D. , No. 07-1380 (JA), 2010
WL 1731666 (D.P.R. Apr. 29, 2010) (striking third-party complaint, amended
third- party complaint); (Docket Nos. 1, 45, 49, 56, 156, 157.) Also, the
complaint filed by Mr. Morgalo against Mr. Blades and RBP for defamation was
consolidated with the instant case. Colón v. Blades, F.R.D. , No. 07-1380
(JA), 2010 WL 1235848 (D.P.R. Mar. 31, 2010). Second, since the inception of
this case Mr. Colón has not delayed or demonstrated stubbornness in discovery.
It is important to point out that even though Mr. Blades filed a motion to compel
against Mr. Colón to produce a box of documents containing financial information
of M.M.A., Mr. Morgalo was the one who was ordered to provide the documents
requested. Colón v. Blades, F.R.D. , No. 07-1380 (JA), 2010 WL 986704
(D.P.R. Mar. 19, 2010). Also, Mr. Morgalo was precluded from presenting as
evidence any of the documents requested by Mr. Blades or any testimony related
to them, and was ordered $1,000 in attorney’s fees. Id. at *6. Third, the record
shows that Mr. Colón has not disregarded any of the court’s orders. Although Mr.
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CIVIL 07-1380 (JA) 9
Morgalo was ordered to produce the documents requested by Mr. Blades, Mr.
Colón informed the court that the missing box containing the documents had been
discovered and that they were available for immediate review and delivery.
(Docket No. 152.) Fourth, there is no indication that Mr. Colón acted with
temerity in settlement negotiations. (Docket No. 219.) Therefore, since Mr.
Colón did not incur in obstinacy, Mr. Blades cannot recover costs and attorney’s
fees pursuant to Rule 44.1(d) of the Puerto Rico Rules of Civil Procedure.
III. CONCLUSION
For the reasons set for above, Mr. Blades’s motion for costs and attorney’s
fees is hereby DENIED.
At San Juan, Puerto Rico, this 14th of July, 2010.
S/ JUSTO ARENAS
Chief United States Magistrate Judge
Case 3:07-cv-01380-JA Document 235 Filed 07/14/10 Page 9 of 9

Wolf Blitzer and Chad Meyers practically celebrating BPs capping the well. “THERE’S NO MORE LEAKING!” “THIS WILL STOP THE OIL FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL” “Now they have to test if it holds the pressure and if it doesn’t then…” They’re preparing us for when they “find out” the seabed is fractured. I’ll bet they already know…

IT IS DISAPPOINTING TO HEAR ADM. THAD ALLEN APOLOGIZING AND EXPLAING FOR BP. Many pooh poohed Anatoly Sagalevich’s warning about the sedbed being fractured. NOW BP says it’s going to survey the seabed. NOW? after 3 months? Rep. Ed Markey is on the money. If or when the oil starts leaking from other sites the Gulf and the Carbbean will be a Dead Sea.

nycgo.com

!Le preguntaste a la persona debda por soy asesor de Turismo de La Ciudad
de Nueva York por más de 8 años!

Para mi, el mar!  Nueva York fue fundado porque era tan accesible al mar.
NY tiene mas de 600 millas de costa. Hay un montón de playas, excursiones locales de botes.

Hay excelentes parques donde vienen gente de todas partes del mundo. Al rededor del parque principal
en Manhattan, CENTRAL PARK, están todos los museos,(Empieza con el Museo Del Barrio)
http://www.nycgo.com/?event=view.slideshow&sid=235952&pid=hp-hero-drgbl-4

Puedes alquilar un bicicleta o irte en un rickshaw (Taxi de pedales) y explorar los cañones de Manhattan.

Para salir del calor que a veces sofoca hay cientos de teatros con aire acondicionado.

De noche si quieres puedes cenar en alguno de miles de restaurantes o ir a bailar en unos de los
centenares clubes de todos los géneros para toda clase de gente.

Si quiere ver mas vaya a http://www.nycgo.com/
y escoge SPANISH en la ventana que dice “TRANSLATE”

 

 

 

 

 

Ask me anything

Permitir que funcionarios y electos reciban aumentos mientras despide mas de 30.000 puertorriqueños no es la mejor manera de solucionar problemas de presupuesto. Me han acudido mas de “dos o tres zanganos”, sino profesores, abogados y artistas, que me han rogado escrutar la situación de esta huelga. Me opinión es que también tomo una mala decisión.El año pasado el gobierno enfrentó otra crisis similar con un deuda a contratistas y suplidores. En aquella ocasión hizo esfuerzos extraordinarios para resolverlas, imponiendo nuevas contribuciones entre otras medidas. En esta ocasión no ha puesto el mismo empeño en solucionar el conflicto.La Universidad de Puerto Rico es una de la Instituciones mas importante de Puerto Rico. Tiene una impresionante lista de Ex-Alumnos distinguidos en todas disciplinas desde la medicina a ingeniería a leyes y artes.

Es una incubadora de futuros lideres de todas ideologías. La Universidad de Puerto Rico es un centro del libre pensamiento y el derecho a disentir. Puerto Rico tiene gente que le representa dignamente desde NASA hastael Vaticano, Museos, Hollywood, Washington, Wall Street y muchos otras posiciones prestigiosas gracias a una tuición accesible. Es el ultimo sitio donde se debe hacer cortes drásticos.

Es una falta de visión, liderazgo y valentía intestinal. Fortuño tenía que tomar la decisión difícil de enfrentar a sus colegas en el gobierno y REDUCIR sus salarios. No hacer que unos pocos la paguen todo, sino que todos paguen un poco.

Por eso apoyo la manifestación del 18 de Julio

El gobierno roboluncionario no puede adueñarse de las empresas. Si no saben gobernar que van a manejar negocios? Nombrar gente a dedazo porque sí fracasará