Introduction

The United States Territory of Puerto Rico, often considered a hidden gem in the Caribbean, boasts rich history, picturesque landscapes, diverse culture, and enthralling customs that make it stand out among its counterparts. With a striking blend of Spanish, African, and Taíno influences, Puerto Rico delivers an alluring and vibrant yet exotic scene, cherished by locals and tourists alike.

Historical Overview

Puerto Rico was initially inhabited by indigenous Taíno people before the Spanish colonization in the late 15th century. From the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493, to the Spanish-American War in 1898, which led to Spanish cession of the island to the United States, Puerto Rico has been under the American administration for over a century.

Present Day Status as a US Territory

In the present day, Puerto Rico enjoys the unique status of being an unincorporated territory of the United States. Its citizens hold US citizenship and are subject to federal laws, though they do not have voting representation in Congress and cannot vote in presidential elections. Yet, the island maintains a certain level of autonomy, with its own constitution and local government. The status of Puerto Rico within the United States’ polity has been a topic of ongoing debate, with some advocating for statehood, others for independence, and still others for maintaining its current status.

Cultural Richness

Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage is as rich as its history. Influences from Spanish, African, Taíno, and American cultures are noticeable in Puerto Rican art, music, cuisine, and practices. The island’s famous reggaeton genre of music, the mouthwatering dish ‘Mofongo’, and the traditional dance ‘Bomba’ are all testaments to this rich cultural fusion. Every year, cultural activities and festivals such as the ‘San Sebastian Street Festival’ in Old San Juan light up the island, attracting visitors from all corners of the globe.

Puerto Rico’s Natural Beauty

From the warm, sandy beaches and pristine waters to the lush, green rainforest of El Yunque, Puerto Rico is blessed with an array of stunning natural attractions. The Bioluminescent Bay, where microorganisms light up the water at night, is a sight that captivates every visitor. Furthermore, touristic sites such as the Sefiani Site, a historic landmark, reflects the island’s architectural grandeur and intricate urban layout.

Economy

Despite the setbacks from numerous natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria, the economy of Puerto Rico has shown remarkable resilience. The island’s economy is primarily driven by manufacturing—pharmaceuticals, textiles, petrochemicals, and electronics—followed by the service sector. Tourism also contributes significantly to the economy, with millions of tourists visiting the island annually.

Conclusion

The US Territory of Puerto Rico, with its rich history, diverse culture, stunning landscapes, and strong resilience, stands as a testament to the spirit of the Caribbean. Above all, what truly makes Puerto Rico unique is its people – warm, welcoming, and ever resilient in the face of adversity. While its political status may remain a matter of debate, there is no question about Puerto Rico’s invaluable contributions to the world in various domains and its potent ability to enchant everyone who steps on its soil.

By Simon Volkov

Local listings refer to online directories that offer pertinent information about businesses. Companies receiving top listings have the potential to obtain new customers and improve search engine rankings.

Uploading information to local listings directories is a tedious task as there are numerous online directories. Most require hand-submission of business name, address, local number, toll-free number, fax number, email and website address. This can easily consume 80+ man-hours.

Many businesses submit to the major search providers such as Google, Bing and Yahoo, but neglect to submit to the hundreds of lesser known search engines. Taking time to establish multiple local listings provides multiple benefits. One of the most prevalent is each listing provides an inbound link.

Websites are ranked on many factors including the number of quality websites that link back to them. Quality links improve page rank which, in turn, helps improve search engine ranking. Higher rankings allow businesses to be easily found and can help increase sales.

In addition to publishing local listings via directories, businesses should also publish to online phone directories, local social listings, and data providers and aggregators. Companies should include local listings within their online marketing plan. Publishing will be an ongoing task because new listing websites open nearly every day.

It is wise to follow-up on published listings on a regular basis. Listings should be checked for accuracy immediately upon publication. Directory service provider employees typically transcribe provided information into their database. Computer glitches and human error can occur, so follow up to ensure listings are correct. Promptly contact the listing company to resolve issues if erroneous information appears.

Publishing via local social listings has advantages and disadvantages. These interactive directories encourage visitors to write product and company reviews. While good reviews can be good for business, bad reviews tend to spread like wildfire.

It is strongly recommended to implement tracking methods that provide instant notification when unsolicited reviews are published. If reviews are demagogic it might be necessary to request removal through the directory provider.

It is also advantageous to receive notification of positive reviews. This venue provides abundant opportunities to build customer relations. Personal testimonials can be shared on company websites and blogs or through social media marketing outlets. Additionally, testimonials provided via social listings helps build consumer trust due to their unbiased nature.

When consumers visit social listing sites such as Yelp and InsiderPages they are usually looking for a local business as well as customer reviews. Taking time to publish at social directories is a smart marketing technique that can improve sales and search engine rankings.

Local listings, link building, and customer reviews are highly beneficial in the online world, but are only one element of Internet marketing. It can be helpful to build a network of service providers in order to capitalize on the variety of marketing strategies. These might include website developers and designers, freelance writers, online marketing company, and marketing consultants.

No one is capable of managing all facets of Internet marketing alone. Working with an online marketing agency can relieve burdens and yield impressive ad campaigns.

Building brand awareness online involves incorporating multiple strategies which can include podcasting, online videos, social media, mobile marketing, national and local listings. Marketing agencies can provide required services at a fraction of the cost to purchase software and equipment or hire employees.

About the Author: Learn how to unleash the power of local listings and launch your business to the next level. Online Marketing DNA offers exclusive Internet marketing packages and business coaching to help business owners achieve success. Discover the possibilities at OnlineMarketingDNA.com.

Source: isnare.com

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byChantel Ledbetter

Everyone knows what a temp agency or staffing agency is. It is a business establishment that provides employees to local businesses. It is a type of business that is beneficial to both employers and employees. The employers do not have to do any work in terms of finding employees. They just tell the staffing agency what kind of employees they need and the agency takes care of the work. Staffing agencies also make it easier for people to get jobs. You just fill out an application and the agency will assess your skills. Then, they will place you with jobs they think are a good fit for you personally.

Now that you know what a regular staffing agency is what exactly is a Legal staffing agency in Winston-Salem? A Legal staffing agency in Winston-Salem is just an agency that focuses on helping law firms find staff.

Finding new staff for a law firm is not a very easy task to accomplish this is because most of the time a law firm is very busy. They do not necessarily have time to sit down, read applications, and interview potential staff members. A legal staffing agency specializes in finding staff for law firms so they are going to know exactly what to look for. They will take all of the work out of finding the perfect staff members.

They will handle the interviews, the background checks, the drug checks, and the skill assessments. The legal staffing agency is going to handpick the cream of the crop for your law firm. All you have to do is give them a list of what kind of employees you need.

Whether you need entry level lawyers or just some receptionists to answer the phone, legal staffing agencies can make sure you get employees that are going to fit your needs. The best part is that most employees that come through staffing agencies start out as temporary employees. This gives you an opportunity to decide whether or not you like them. You can decide if they fit well into your law firm and if you want to hire them as a permanent employee.

By Vickie Milazzo

A recent American Nursing Association (ANA) poll indicates that 18.8 percent of nurses in the U.S. do not work in nursing. A study by the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research reveals that 22.7 percent of nurses plan to leave their hospital jobs in the next 12 months. Despite record-breaking salaries and bonuses, nurses are leaving hospital jobs in droves, resulting in the nursing shortage that has captured the attention of the American public.

As a nurses, you know this shortage is not a new trend. Since the average nurse is 46, I’m sure many of you remember the “bonus” days of the early 1980s when a nursing degree and a pair of clean white shoes got you a job anywhere. Today we’ve come full circle – a nursing degree and some brain activity will do: “Thank you for the emailed resume. Can you start today?”

The reasons nurses are leaving the profession today are equally familiar. The complaints from two decades ago still apply: nurses are understaffed, underpaid, under-appreciated, under-insured and under-you-name-it. On top of all that, nurses must work 26 weekends and at least five holidays a year and endure nightmarish schedules.

In addition, today’s nursing shortage is being intensified by three new phenomena: managed care, on-the-job health risks and alternative careers for nurses.

Managed Care Compromises Nursing Care

In spite of giving more than they have to give every day, nurses in all settings can no longer deliver the level of care of which they are capable. Nurses who remember the “good old days” battle the shame of knowing they’re partially responsible for the deaths of 98,000 patients in hospitals every year. That death toll is equivalent to a jumbo jet crash every other day, yet the number doesn’t even include patients who become victims of injury and illness while in the hospital.

Why are patients dying unnecessarily? Nurses have less time to see more patients. They have more to do and fewer tools to do it with. They must contend with increasingly complex equipment and less trained staff. LVNs/LPNs, nurse’s aides and nursing assistants are replacing skilled nurses at the bedside. Yet nurses still get little respect and face more responsibility when everything turns sour. In this “dark age” of medicine the words “quality of care” are becoming an oxymoron.

This trend goes against our education and against our very nature as nurses. Certainly some people get into nursing solely to make a living and don’t progress beyond that stage. They’re part of the problem. For most of us, though, nursing is more than a profession – it’s a calling that attracts the “best and the brightest” who want to make a difference in people’s lives.

You won’t find a more caring group than nurses. Try having an anaphylactic reaction at a lawyers’ conference and see how many people come to your aid without a business card in hand.

Yet today, despite all our caring, we’re denied the ability to provide quality care. With the exception of a few great facilities around the country, we can no longer find jobs that allow us to fulfill the mission we defined for ourselves when we entered this profession. No wonder so many nurses are quitting.

Nurse Healers Fear For Their Own Health

Not only are nurses exhausted – we the healers fear for our own health. On-the-job health risks for nurses range far beyond bloodborne pathogens and latex allergies (not to mention feeling like aliens dressed in our goggles, masks and gloves). We face obvious occupational hazards, such as back injuries from long shifts pounding hospital halls and doing more lifting with less help.

We also face the less obvious hazards that aren’t just physical. Sheer exhaustion from our overwhelming schedules and our unsupportive work environment take a heavy toll.

Look around you at how many nurses smoke, drink and are overweight. These are signs of deep unhappiness and of not having time to take proper care of ourselves. Between juggling life, family and jobs, nurses often find it far easier to wolf down fast food on our 10-minute lunch break than to prepare a healthy brown-bag meal.

Isn’t it ironic that the injured and disabled are treating the sick? No wonder the nurses dangerous workplace is yet another reason for the flight of such talented caregivers.

Nurses Choose a New Career and a New Life

The bright spot in this grim scenario – and the most distinctive aspect of today’s nursing shortage – is that we can enjoy better, more satisfying careers as nurses elsewhere. Admit it, you know nurses who’ve left traditional nursing and are prospering and much happier in their new positions. Today, we’re leaving younger, smarter and better qualified than ever before. We are creating our future rather than being victims of it.

Without even leaving the hospital setting, we are using our skills and training in areas we never thought possible: risk management, utilization review, accreditation and research. Beyond the hospital we’re experiencing success selling medical- and nursing-related products, such as equipment, instruments, drugs and blood products. We’re starting companies selling our own products and services, running our own agencies and working for insurance companies and major corporations.

Many of us are becoming legal nurse consultants, both in-house and independent. Most importantly, legal nurse consultants have just begun to penetrate the legal industry. I look forward to the day when it’s considered legal malpractice for an attorney to work on a medical-related case without a legal nurse consultant on the team.

Wonder-Working Nurses Can Do Anything

Why am I confident that no nurse must be a victim of poor working conditions? Because nurses are trained to do three things simultaneously. For example, nurses make rapid, informed life-saving decisions while listening to the physician’s orders and at the same time they console the patient and family members.

The average ICU has more complex instruments and monitors than the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, and a nurse operates every one of them! Forget Superman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman. I’ll take a wonder-working nurse any day.

A career outside of traditional nursing can provide a nurse with a new purpose, a new attitude, new challenges, new rewards, new wealth and new respect. One place to find all these pluses and much more is in legal nurse consulting. If this field is not for you, look farther – the sky’s the limit these days. The only way you’ll find your star is by reaching for it.

About the Author: Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute, the oldest and largest legal nurse consultant training and certification company (LegalNurse.com). She is the author of the bestselling book, Inside Every Woman(InsideEveryWoman.com).

Source: isnare.com

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Your Firm Has a Story to Tell. It’s Your Job to Sell It! by John MalesA business without a face will only serve to immerse your firm further in the deep sea of competition! We live in an experience economy. Firms are charged with creating an entirely memorable experience that customers wish to return to again and again. Your passion and purpose for being must be told to your customers and the world.Humans are emotionally driven and directed beings and will pay more and purchase more from those firms and individuals that hold both: mental and emotional real estate in the minds and heart of their customers.Research suggests that those brands that engage people emotionally and that differentiate themselves command prices 20% to 200% higher than competitors’ and sell in far higher volume. Want to be as sticky to your customer as Nordstrom’s, Starbuck’s or Target? The world’s most successful brands evoke an emotional response from the customer and have a great story to tell.Firms spend the majority of marketing dollars to create and then offer elaborate brand promises. These same firms don’t pay enough attention to delivering training that ensures these promises are translated into reality for the employees and ultimately for the customer.A timely research project at Baylor University is investigating how employee based branding effects brand equity. In a series of studies, Chris Pullig, Assistant Professor of Marketing, found that when employees find the brand they represent more attractive by fully understanding the firm’s story, they are ever more committed to deliver the brand’s promise. This commitment is positively related to job performance and ultimate customer satisfaction. This means that brand messages aimed at current and prospective employees may be equally important as the ones aimed at consumers in creating marketplace success.In summary, your firm’s unique story communicates your passion and engages your customers emotionally when told in a creative, endearing and thought provoking way. That story and its appeal to the customer can make you all the more attractive as they begin to develop a personal affinity with your firm. Your brand’s internal and external image cohesiveness is also a direct reflection of your ability to get your entire team to operate from the same playbook.The shared passion, purpose, vision, and core values that your team members hold will help them to communicate the brands story to current and prospective customers. It is the responsibility of your management team to translate the firm’s unique story into something exciting for them that will ultimately impact your customers.With more than 20 years experience in corporate turnaround environments, John Males brings expertise to clients in the areas of management, sales and negotiations. His customers include some of the world’s most successful firms and recognized brands. John can be reached at info@fathomtraining.com or fathomtraining.comArticle Source: eArticlesOnline.com

By John Sage

Paris Wheelchair Tourist How accessible is Paris? Where can a Paris wheelchair tourist find accessibility information? These are two important questions that anyone with a mobility issue needs answers before taking a trip to Paris.

How accessible is Paris? Describing accessibility of an entire city is difficult, and one way that I can do it is to compare it to other cities that you maybe have been to. Paris accessibility is not as good as Berlin, London, Amsterdam, and nearly all American cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and New Orleans. I would say it is similar to New York in that few subway stations are accessible, but it has many wheelchair accessible bus routes. It has more hills than New York and fewer hills than Boston.

Paris is more accessible than Rome, Istanbul, and Athens. It has significantly less hills than Edinburgh but has fewer accessible buildings. Comparisons to other European cities can be found at our Accessibility Ratings of European Cities page.

Where can a Paris wheelchair tourist find accessibility information? Sage Traveling provides you with all the information you need to take an accessible holiday in Paris. I have taken a dozen trips to Europe in my wheelchair including two to Paris. Through these travels I have learned what challenges someone with a disability will encounter on a trip to Europe. Based on my two trips to Paris as well as numerous phone calls and emails to businesses in Paris, I have created a comprehensive Paris accessibility guide.

This accessibility guide provides you with all the accessibility information you will need to know before and during your trip. This information is completely free for you. The web page starts with information on accessible travel to Paris. This section describes accessibility at Charles de Gaulle airport and your options for accessible travel from the airport into Paris. It also describes accessibility at the various train stations in Paris in case you are arriving by train.

Getting around Paris with a disability is also described in detail. You will find out which bus lines are accessible and which Metro stations have elevators to get down to the subway platform. I have also provided contact information for a wheelchair accessible taxi service in Paris. There is also very useful information for a Paris wheelchair tourist in the form of a map showing where the hills and cobblestones are located.

I have provided accessibility reviews of all the major tourist attractions in Paris. These include information on the steps or ramps at the entrance and what percentage of the attraction is step free. I indicate whether or not there is a wheelchair accessible bathroom as well as which bus lines pass close to the tourist sight. Tourist sights that I have described include the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre Museum, the Muse dOrsay, the Pompidou Centre, the Cluny Museum, the Sainte-Chapelle church, the Notre Dame church, the Sacre Coeur church, and several more.

The final part of my accessibility guide is one of the most important, finding accessible hotels in Paris. I have gathered information on various hotels located near the Paris tourist attractions. At SageTraveling.com you will be able to find out if there is a level, ramped, or flat entrance. You can also determine if there are disabled hotel rooms with bath tubs or with roll-in showers. I also describe the accessibility of the breakfast room and the options for public transportation and disabled parking.

I hope that you find the accessibility information on Sage Traveling useful. Bon voyage!

About the Author: Go to

sagetraveling.com

for more information about

Paris Wheelchair Tourist

and

Paris Disabled Access

Source:

isnare.com

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By Jenny McLane

All 2005 EX Elements will feature anti-lock brakes and front side airbags as standard equipment. EX models will also benefit from MP3 and Windows Media(TM) Audio (WMA) playback capability as well as standard XM(R) Satellite Radio.

Honda’s 2.4-liter, i-VTEC, 4-cylinder engine with 160-horsepower and 161 lb.-ft. of torque is coupled to either a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual transmission and provides good acceleration while maintaining fuel economy in the low- to mid-twenties. The i-VTEC system (the “i” stands for “intelligent”) combines Honda’s patented VTEC system with Variable Timing Control (VTC) to enhance low rpm torque while extending high rpm horsepower. Honda’s Real Time 4WD(TM) system is available on all models and 16-inch wheels are standard. Its chassis features a Toe Control Link MacPherson strut suspension in front and a compact double-wishbone suspension in the rear

The 2005 Honda Element comes in two trim levels, LX and EX. The LX ($17,450) comes with air conditioning with micron filtration, power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, cruise control, an adjustable steering column, and a four-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo. (The base DX model has been dropped for 2005.)

EX adds side-impact airbags and anti-lock brakes (ABS); aluminum wheels; remote keyless entry; a passenger-side armrest; and a seven-speaker, 270-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with XM Satellite Radio capability plus an auxiliary input for MP3, WMA, or other digital media. Blue cladding and trim accent Silver EX models, while Red and Magnesium EX models feature black trim.

Honda Element provides the most versatile package for any vehicle in its price range. It has a hard flat floor like a pickup, an enclosed rear area like an SUV, fuel economy and maneuverability similar to a car, side cargo doors, and available 4-wheel-drive.

The Element earned a five-star rating for both driver and front-seat passenger in the federal (NHTSA) frontal crash test. The 2005 EX models include ABS and front-seat side-impact airbags; the latter designed to protect driver and front-passenger’s torsos. Curtain airbags, designed for head protection in a side impact or rollover, are not available.

Featuring more powerful and fuel efficient engines, innovative assistance systems, a wide range of safety features, as well as a superior standard of equipment, the new Honda Element of today need no less than superior Honda replacement parts when the need arises.

This is where Parts Train comes in. Having a vast array of well crafted Honda Replacement Parts, Performance Parts, Aftermarket Parts to choose from its online store at http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/HONDA available 24 hours a day to serve your most demanding Honda auto parts needs.

About the Author: Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.

Source: isnare.com

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