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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 14
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to keep young from smoking By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Now would be a good time to quit smoking because the health agency plans to start a five-year anti-smoking campaign today. The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social said Monday that it would outline plans for the campaign today. The special target is the young, it said. The Caja operates the nation's hospitals so it is fully aware of the human and financial cost of smoking. It said that smoking contributes to 50 percent of the deaths in Costa Rica. The campaign will dovetail with what the health ministry is doing, based on approval of an international convention against smoking. The Caja is expected to adopt an educational approach while the health ministry already has engineered prohibitions on smoking in public places and an increase in the cigarette tax. More efforts are coming, according to legislation that already has been past.  Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud
photo
This is the Zarcero gardenPoet and a
sculptor honored
with top cultural prizes By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's top cultural awards are going to a poet and a sculptor. The minister of Cultura y Juventud, Manuel Obregón, announced the awards Monday. The poet is Julieta Dobles, She is a 70-year-old former professor who has published four books of poetry mainly about Costa Rica. The sculptor is Evangelista Blanco Brenes, 75, of Zarcero, who took a former sports area in his town and turned it into a magical garden with figures made out of bushes and trees. The park is in front of the San Rafael Arcángel church. He was awarded the Cultura Popular Tradicional prize. He has been working in the garden since 1964 and has created about 100 figures. He said he is creating an elephant now. The awards will be presented at a future date. Caja invests $1.3 million for anesthesia machines By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's health provider says it has purchased 25 anesthesia machines and distributed them to 13 public hospitals. The investment was $1.3 million, said the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. In all, the Caja wants to replace 120 machines, but there is a four-step plan to do so. The first 25 machines went to hospitals that have the most need. They are Max Peralta, Golfito, México, Carlos Valverde Vega, el Centro Nacional de Rehabilitación, Max Terán Valls, Fernando Escalante Pradilla, William Allen Taylor, Enrique Baltodano Briceño, Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, Tony Facio and San Juan de Dios, said the Caja. The next 40 machines still are the subject of a solicitation for bids, the Caja said. Our readers' opinions
Caja requirement could bea donation for health care Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Maybe its because I am a Canadian, but I think having to pay to the Caja which works to benefit all, rather than to a private insurance company who’s top priority is to benefit their share holders, is a better system. I feel it is very little for the government of Costa Rica to ask of us as guests to their country. If you don’t see the benefit to all, just pay the fee and use something else, like private insurance. Then, consider the fee a donation to the health care of the country you live in. Someday you may be happy that you did, like when one of your Costa Rican friends needs medical. Regarding the government not wanting expats, we have to make ourselves useful. Donate your time, be good guests, be patient, be polite, you just can’t expect people to appreciate you. Maybe the reason you are not in your own country came with you. Don’t worry about the chemtrails. The plastics will beat them out by killing our planet first. Talk about a conspiracy, we are addicted to using them. Patti
Fraser
Tamarindo and Edmonton Writer who mentioned chemtrails is called brave and correct Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The brave gentleman Carl Nichols referred to as the "Guachipelin writer" seems to be one of the few people with a functioning mind and his eyes wide open. Chemtrails whose purpose and effect on humans he aptly describes in his letter are real, and the phenomenon also can be seen in Costa Rica. According to an article I once saw on the Internet the planes responsible for the trails in the Costa Rican skies are said to be stationed at a U.S. base in Honduras. These so-called chemtrails which certainly are not condensation trails I have photo-documented extensively in Europe traveling from Germany via Holland, Belgium and France to Spain. The editor's note suggesting to discard Mr Nichols observations and indirectly labeling him a conspiracy theorist by referring the readers to the subject Wikipedia Web site is misleading and analogous to referring someone with questions about the assassination of JFK to the Warren Commission Report or offering to consult the official version when researching the fall of the WTC (plus building #7) in 2001. Axel
Marquardt
Hamburg, Germany
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 14 | |
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| Two types of taxes easily survive Sala IV
court appeals |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Sala IV constitutional court has delivered a one-two blow to expats over taxes. In the first case, the court shot down an appeal against the nation's corporate tax. The petitioners argued that the law was being applied retroactively on corporations that had been formed before the tax was passed. The petitioners also argued that the tax, about |
$400 this year, is disproportionate. The magistrates rejected both arguments. The second appeal, which also was rejected, questioned why Internet purchases were subject to sales tax but not those items brought into the country by travelers. Travelers who are outside the country for at least 72 hours can bring in goods worth about $500, according to the current customs law. The court also dismissed this appeal on technical grounds. |
| Election officials take to malls to
provide voting information |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The election tribunal is going to the people. The agency has set up booths at both Mall Paseo de las Flores and Multicentro de Desamparados to distribute election information and to explain the election process. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones said the booth will be in operation through Sunday. The election is less than two weeks away on Feb. 2. Costa Ricans also will be able to find out their voting location and other details at the booth, the Tribunal said. In addition, the Tribunal has set up a call center at 1020 to answer questions by citizens. The system also accepts text messages. And those with questions also can go to the Tribunal Web site where there is a lot of information about the location of polling places. |
 Tribunal
Supremo de Elecciones photo
Two Costa Ricans consult a
worker at a mall booth |
| El Dairio Extra blames Poder Judicial for
shameless spying |
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By
Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Executives at El Diario Extra, the popular Spanish-language daily newspaper in San José, said Monday that the Poder Judicial has illegally tapped into reporters' phone calls. Surrounded by the familiar cameras and microphones of fellow local journalists, Diario Extra's management said that basic journalist rights had been violated since as far back as last March. “It's a shameless act of espionage,” said deputy director Paola Hernández. The intention of Poder Judicial is to know and to discover each source of information from Diario Extra and possibly other media outlets, she added. The Poder Judicial denied any wrongdoing in a later news release, stating it is aware that “the function of the media is essential in respect to the public liberties of each citizen.” Consisting of the Corte Suprema de Justicia, prosecutors and the Judicial Investigating Organization, the Poder Judicial is the government branch that is in charge of law enforcement. News reporter Manuel Estrada, who Diario Extra executives say had his personal and corporate phones hacked, assured his |
subjects and sources
that he would maintain their basic right of anonymity, saying, “I want
to let my sources know that will not reveal the names of any of my
informants.” The media group's lawyer, Carlos Serrano, said he plans to
take the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to
preserve the rights of journalistic expression and source protection in
Costa Rica and the rest of the Americas. The commission says "each social communicator has the right to reserve his or her sources of information, notes, as well as personal and professional archives.” “All of the national and international press must understand that no power of the Republic can frighten us,” Ms. Hernández said. Grupo Extra executives were joined by representatives from other media outlets and the Colegio de Periodistas, the journalism professional organization. The full Corte Suprema de Justicia said Monday it was seeking information from investigators about the case. The judicial said that the situation involved an investigation of a judicial employee who may be leaking information. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 14 | |||||
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| Martin Luther King federal holiday is a day of service for
some in U.S. |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Americans across the country paused Monday to observe the annual federal holiday marking the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. While the holiday usually means the day off from work or school, many honored King by participating in the National Day of Service. President Barack Obama led by example Monday, during the national day of service. "We just want to thank everybody here for the great work they do," he said. Alongside first lady Michelle Obama and his daughters, the family made burritos with volunteers at a local community kitchen. Meanwhile, at Fort Dupont Park in Washington, National Park Service head Jonathan Jarvis spoke about the significance of Martin Luther King's call to service. “The message Dr. King carried was of service to others," he said. "He asked each of us: 'What are you doing for each other, what are you doing for others, what are you doing for your community?' And he lived that life, and he stands as a symbol for all of us.” Heeding this message, volunteers from AmeriCorps, the Student Conservation Association, local schools and residents got their hands dirty, picking up trash and pulling weeds at the park. |
“I love being in
nature and I just love these parks, and I just want
other people to be able to enjoy them, and the species that live here,
to be able to continue to live here," said student Charlotte Leape. "I
think it’s really important to pick up trash in the park.” “I like animals, and I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up," Shannon Mueller said. "I want to help the animals and the wildlife, anywhere, so why not go to a park and pick up trash?” Sarah Catchot, a Student Conservation leader, agreed. “I really like to lead people, to give back to their communities, to get outdoors, to be in nature, to do something for the planet," she said. "There’s a lot of work to be done.” Local resident Paul Mackie said the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service appeals to him personally. “My grandfather marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was a big civil rights leader in the south," he said. "I’ve always identified with MLK’s messages of service." The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service is the country’s largest day of civic engagement. Advocates call it a “Day On, not a Day Off.” |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 14 | |||||
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| Terrorist video threatens attack at Olympic Games By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Russian security forces are studying a video posted by an Islamic militant group that claims responsibility for last month's suicide bombings in Volgograd and threatens attacks at the upcoming Olympics in Sochi. The video was posted online Sunday by a militant group from the predominately Muslim region of Dagestan. It is unclear when the video was made. In the video, two Russian-speaking men warn President Vladimir Putin to expect what they call a present at the Sochi Winter Olympics. The two men in the video claim that they are the suicide bombers who attacked Volgograd last month, killing 34 people. There is no independent confirmation of that claim. The U.S. military said Monday it will make available air and naval support to the Russian government as it makes security preparations for the Olympics. A Pentagon spokesman said in a statement that support, including two U.S. Navy ships in the Black Sea, will be available, if requested, for all manner of contingencies in consultation with the Russian government. In another development, hotel workers in Sochi told reporters they have seen wanted posters for a woman from Dagestan. She is described as a 22-year-old widow of a militant killed by Russian security forces last year. The posters say the woman may be in or near Sochi and could be planning an attack. Also Monday, Russian security forces say they killed three militants in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala. The deaths are the latest violence in the city. Saturday, security forces said they killed seven suspected militants who were believed to be involved in an attack on a restaurant. That attack left at least 16 people injured. President Putin said in comments broadcast Sunday that his country will do "whatever it takes" to ensure security at the upcoming Olympic games. He spoke about massive security preparations in and around Sochi and said: "If we betray weakness, betray fear -- display our fear -- then we will be helping terrorists achieve their goals." U.S. allies still unsatisfied by Obama's plan on spying By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
There has been a muted response from U.S. allies to President Barack Obama’s plans to curb the surveillance activities of the National Security Agency. Documents leaked by fugitive intelligence analyst Edward Snowden suggested the agency has been collecting electronic data on millions of American and foreign civilians, and had tapped the phones of foreign leaders. The leaked documents revealed the National Security Agency had harvested data on the phone calls, emails and SMS messages of millions of people across the globe. The president sought to quell anger among U.S. allies by extending some privacy protections enjoyed by U.S. nationals to foreign citizens. The changes are unlikely to change global opinion, however, according to Chris Brown, a professor at the London School of Economics. “The people who were fairly relaxed about it beforehand will be quite reassured by these words. But the people who were not relaxed will not be.” The leaked documents revealed last year that the United States had tapped the cell phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, prompting a furious response from Berlin. In his speech Friday, Obama pledged to tighten the protocol for decisions on spying on foreign leaders. “Obama has apologized for that, he has said it will not happen again," said Brown. "He has gone out of his way to go on German television to try to reassure. But I do not think he has.” German Green Party lawmaker Hans-Christian Stroebele, who sits on a parliamentary intelligence committee, remains unsatisfied with the reforms and wants Europe to demand more answers from Washington. Stroebele said the debate gives the German Bundestag and parliaments in other European countries the opportunity to talk openly on the topic of surveillance with colleagues in the U.S. Congress, and to ask what it all means for Germany, and the steps that must now be taken. Spying on foreign leaders is not legally problematic, but rather a diplomatic issue, said Stephen Vladeck of the American University College of Law. “What is the best way for the president to at once preserve our capabilities to know what our friends and enemies are up to overseas, while not provoking these very uncomfortable conversations with Germany, with France, with China over the extent to which we are criticizing their governments for doing the exact same intelligence gathering that it now seems we are doing to them," he said. Many European leaders would like to move on from the mass surveillance revelations, which have engulfed their own intelligence agencies, said Brown. “If they are a major European country, they know that they have agencies that do this themselves. The trouble is their public opinion is very upset about this, and if you are a democratic leader you have to listen.” Analysts say that as long as fugitive intelligence analyst Edward Snowden continues to leak information on NSA activities, global anger over the extent of U.S. surveillance likely will remain high. Economic recovery leaves out young, labor agency reports By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The global economy may be on the mend, but the International Labor Organization says the recovery has not improved the global employment picture. In a new report released this week, the U.N. labor advocacy group says unemployment around the world is rising, especially among young people. The World Bank says growth in high income countries will fuel the global economic recovery - with overall growth expanding 3.2 percent in 2014 - then 3.5 percent by 2015. But the U.N.’s International Labor Organization says those prospects have not helped the world’s unemployed. Guy Ryder is the agency's director general. “The bottom line figure for 2013 is that there are nearly 202 million people around the world unemployed, and that represents an increase of nearly five million on the previous year," said Ryder. The Geneva-based group says the bulk of the increase came from East and South Asia, which represents nearly half of the additional job seekers, followed by sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. The International Monetary Fund’s Christine Lagarde says growth remains too weak to boost employment. "Overall, as I said, the direction is positive, but global growth is still too low, too fragile and too uneven. Moreover, even as it is, or as we forecast that it will be, it is not enough to create 200 million jobs that are needed by people who are looking for a job everywhere in the world," said Ms. Lagarde. Based on current trends, the labor organization says the world’s jobless will grow another 13 million by 2018 - with youth unemployment rising nearly three times faster. “Young people are the particular victims of unemployment: 74.5 million of the unemployed, aged between 15 to 24, that is one million more than the year before," said Ryder. On a more positive note, the U.N. agency says the number of working poor is declining. But it says about 800 million workers or more than a quarter of the world’s labor force still live on about two dollars a day or less. Maduro seeks soap opera help in stemming country's violence By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
President Nicolas Maduro is urging representatives of Venezuela's television stations to change what he calls a culture of violence glamorized by the media. Voters routinely cite violent crime as their top concern. In the latest case to put pressure on the government, gunmen shot dead a former Miss Venezuela and her ex-husband in front of their young daughter. Maduro, who narrowly won a presidential election last April to succeed his late mentor Hugo Chávez, has accused TV stations, especially popular soap operas, or "telenovelas," of glamorizing guns, drugs and gangsters. "We are going to build a culture of peace," he said last week, summoning representatives of local terrestrial and cable channels to the Miraflores presidential palace Monday. "They transmit negative values of death, drugs, arms, violence and treachery and everything bad that a human can be," he said. The government has launched about 20 campaigns to improve security in recent years, but the murder rate has continued to worsen. According to official figures, the number of homicides has risen by 105 percent since Chávez won power 15 years ago. A new national police force has been inaugurated, and the socialist authorities have also taken aim at products they say contribute to a culture of violence. Five years ago, Chávez banned the manufacture, importation and distribution of violent video games and toys. Venezuela's official homicide rate last year was 39 per 100,000 inhabitants. Local non-government organizations put the figure at nearly twice that for a total of 24,000 deaths. This month's murder of the beauty queen and telenovela actress, Monica Spear, prompted an emergency meeting between politicians to discuss crime, and a rare handshake between Maduro and his opposition rival Henrique Capriles, their first since last April's bitter election standoff. Critics say the latest version of the government's anti-crime plans do not tackle root causes, such as widespread impunity for criminals, largely due to a creaking and corrupt judicial system, and complicity by some poorly paid police. Rosetta wakes up as planned and continues comet chasing By
the European Space Agency news staff
It was a fairy-tale ending to a tense chapter in the story of the Rosetta space mission this evening as the European Space Agency heard from its distant spacecraft for the first time in 31 months. Rosetta is chasing down Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it will become the first space mission to rendezvous with a comet, the first to attempt a landing on a comet’s surface and the first to follow a comet as it swings around the Sun. Since its launch in 2004, Rosetta has made three flybys of Earth and one of Mars to help it on course to its rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, encountering asteroids Steins and Lutetia along the way. Operating on solar energy alone, Rosetta was placed into a deep space slumber in June 2011 as it cruised out to a distance of nearly 800 million kms. from the warmth of the Sun, beyond the orbit of Jupiter. Now, as Rosetta’s orbit has brought it back to within 673 million kms. from the Sun, there is enough solar energy to power the spacecraft fully again. Thus Monday, still about 9 million kms. from the comet, Rosetta’s pre-programmed internal alarm clock woke up the spacecraft. After warming up its key navigation instruments, coming out of a stabilizing spin, and aiming its main radio antenna at Earth, Rosetta sent a signal to let mission operators know it had survived the most distant part of its journey. The signal was received by both NASA’s Goldstone and Canberra ground stations during the first window of opportunity the spacecraft had to communicate with Earth. It was immediately confirmed in the European space operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany. “We have our comet-chaser back,” says Alvaro Giménez, the European agency's director of science and robotic exploration. “With Rosetta, we will take comet exploration to a new level. This incredible mission continues our history of firsts at comets, building on the technological and scientific achievements of our first deep space mission Giotto, which returned the first close-up images of a comet nucleus as it flew past Halley in 1986.” “This was one alarm clock not to hit snooze on, and after a tense day we are absolutely delighted to have our spacecraft awake and back online,” adds Fred Jansen, the Rosetta mission manager. Comets are considered the primitive building blocks of the Solar System and likely helped to seed Earth with water, perhaps even the ingredients for life. But many fundamental questions about these enigmatic objects remain, and through its comprehensive, in situ study of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta aims to unlock the secrets contained within. “All other comet missions have been flybys, capturing fleeting moments in the life of these icy treasure chests,” says Matt Taylor, Rosetta project scientist. “With Rosetta, we will track the evolution of a comet on a daily basis and for over a year, giving us a unique insight into a comet’s behavior and ultimately helping us to decipher their role in the formation of the Solar System.” But first, essential health checks on the spacecraft must be completed. Then the 11 instruments on the orbiter and 10 on the lander will be turned on and prepared for studying Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. “We have a busy few months ahead preparing the spacecraft and its instruments for the operational challenges demanded by a lengthy, close-up study of a comet that, until we get there, we know very little about,” says Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta operations manager. Rosetta’s first images of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are expected in May, when the spacecraft is still 2 million kms. from its target. Towards the end of May, the spacecraft will execute a major maneuver to line up for its critical rendezvous with the comet in August. After rendezvous, Rosetta will start with two months of extensive mapping of the comet’s surface, and will also make important measurements of the comet’s gravity, mass and shape, and assess its gaseous, dust-laden atmosphere, or coma. The orbiter will also probe the plasma environment and analyze how it interacts with the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the solar wind. Using these data, scientists will choose a landing site for the mission’s 100-kg Philae probe. The landing is currently scheduled for Nov. 11 and will be the first time that a landing on a comet has ever been attempted. In fact, given the almost negligible gravity of the comet’s 4 km-wide nucleus, Philae will have to use ice screws and harpoons to stop it from rebounding back into space after touchdown. Among its wide range of scientific measurements, Philae will send back a panorama of its surroundings, as well as very high-resolution pictures of the surface. It will also perform an on-the-spot analysis of the composition of the ices and organic material, including drilling down to 23 cm below the surface and feeding samples to Philae’s on-board laboratory for analysis. The focus of the mission will then move to the escort phase, during which Rosetta will stay alongside the comet as it moves closer to the Sun, monitoring the ever-changing conditions on the surface as the comet warms up and its ices sublimate. The comet will reach its closest distance to the Sun Aug. 13, 2015, at about 185 million kms, roughly between the orbits of Earth and Mars. Rosetta will follow the comet throughout the remainder of 2015, as it heads away from the Sun and activity begins to subside. “We will face many challenges this year as we explore the unknown territory of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and I’m sure there will be plenty of surprises, but today we are just extremely happy to be back on speaking terms with our spacecraft,” adds Matt Taylor. Berries, tea and chocolate get high marks fighting diabetes By
the University of East Anglia news service
Eating high levels of flavonoids including anthocyanins and other compounds found in berries, tea, and chocolate could offer protection from type 2 diabetes, according to research from the University of East Anglia and King’s College London. Findings published in the Journal of Nutrition reveal that high intakes of these dietary compounds are associated with lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation. A study of almost 2,000 people also found that these food groups lower inflammation which, when chronic, is associated with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Aedin Cassidy from Anglia’s Norwich Medical School led the research. She said: “Our research looked at the benefits of eating certain sub-groups of flavanoids. We focused on flavones, which are found in herbs and vegetables such as parsley, thyme, and celery, and anthocyanins, found in berries, red grapes, wine and other red or blue-coloured fruits and vegetables. “This is one of the first large-scale human studies to look at how these powerful bioactive compounds might reduce the risk of diabetes. Laboratory studies have shown these types of foods might modulate blood glucose regulation – affecting the risk of type 2 diabetes. But until now little has been known about how habitual intakes might affect insulin resistance, blood glucose regulation and inflammation in humans.” Researchers studied almost 2,000 healthy women volunteers from TwinsUK who had completed a food questionnaire designed to estimate total dietary flavonoid intake as well as intakes from six flavonoid subclasses. Blood samples were analyzed for evidence of both glucose regulation and inflammation. Insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, was assessed using an equation that considered both fasting insulin and glucose levels. “We found that those who consumed plenty of anthocyanins and flavones had lower insulin resistance. High insulin resistance is associated with Type 2 diabetes, so what we are seeing is that people who eat foods rich in these two compounds, such as berries, herbs, red grapes, wine, are less likely to develop the disease. “We also found that those who ate the most anthocyanins were least likely to suffer chronic inflammation – which is associated with many of today’s most pressing health concerns including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. “And those who consumed the most flavone compounds had improved levels of a protein which helps regulate a number of metabolic processes including glucose levels. “What we don’t yet know is exactly how much of these compounds are necessary to potentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes,” she added. Tim Spector, research collaborator and director of the TwinsUK study from King’s College London, said: “This is an exciting finding that shows that some components of foods that we consider unhealthy like chocolate or wine may contain some beneficial substances. If we can start to identify and separate these substances we can potentially improve healthy eating. There are many reasons including genetics why people prefer certain foods so we should be cautious until we test them properly in randomized trials and in people developing early diabetes.” Researchers are now seeking local men and postmenopausal women to help investigate whether blueberries can improve aspects of health linked to heart disease and diabetes. The six-month research study will test if daily consumption of one or two portions of freeze-dried blueberries improves heart health and insulin action in people with metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by a larger waistline and raised blood sugar, blood fats and blood pressure and which is found in more than a quarter of UK adults. States with restrictive gun laws have higher crime, study says By
the Taylor & Francis publishers news service
It may make sense to assume that states in which there are tight laws on weapons would make that state a safer place and one with less gun crime, however, recent research argues that the very opposite is true. Mark Gius from Quinnipac University, published in Applied Economics Letters, suggests that this is in fact not the case, research shows that in states with more restrictive concealed carry weapons laws there is actually an increase in gun related crime. Over the period of the study the average murder rate was 3.44. Data available in the full article indicates that states with more restrictive carry laws had a gun-related murder rate that was 10 percent higher than the average. In addition to this finding, the federal assault weapons ban seemed to make an even bigger impact, with murder rates 19.3 percent higher when this ban was in effect. There are four broad types of carry laws, unrestricted, which means an individual requires no permit to carry a concealed handgun. Shall issue means a permit is required but authorities must issue one to all qualified applicants who request one. May issue means authorities can deny a request for a permit, and finally no issue means those states that do not allow private citizens to carry a concealed weapon. Although there have been many studies on gun control, there has been limited research into assault weapon bans and carry laws. Of those that do currently exist there has been a mix in the exact results, however, a 1997 study found those states with a less restrictive law saw a 7.65 percent drop in murders. This new study examines data from 1980 to 2009, one of the biggest time periods in research of this kind. It also looks solely at gun crime, rather than violent crime which is the case in similar research. State level data on gun related murder is taken from the Supplementary Homicide Reports from the U. S. Department of Justice and the information on carry laws was obtained from a variety of United States bodies. Florida researchers are worried about archaeological sites By
the Florida State University news service
Prehistoric shell mounds found on some of Florida’s most pristine beaches are at risk of washing away as the sea level rises, wiping away thousands of years of archaeological evidence. “The largest risk for these ancient treasure troves of information is sea level rise,” said Shawn Smith, a senior research associate with the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University. But a joint project between Smith and the National Park Service is drawing attention to the problem to hopefully minimize the impact on the state’s cultural sites. Smith and Margo Schwadron, an archaeologist with the National Park Service, have embarked on a project to examine past and future changes in climate and how those changes can be adapted to save areas of shoreline and thus preserve cultural and archeological evidence. “We’re kind of the pioneers in looking at the cultural focus of this issue,” Smith said, noting that most weather and ocean experts are concerned about city infrastructure for coastal areas. To complete the project, the National Park Service awarded Smith a $30,000 grant. With that money, Smith and former Florida State University undergraduate Marcus Johnson spent hours compiling modern, colonial and paleo weather data. The focus of their initial research is the Canaveral National Seashore and Everglades National Park, which both have prehistoric shell mounds, about 50 feet to 70 feet high. Researchers believe these shell mounds served as foundations for structures and settlements and later served as navigational landmarks during European exploration of the region. Modern temperature and storm system information was easily available to researchers. But, to go hundreds and then thousands of years back took a slightly different approach. Log books from old Spanish forts as well as ships that crossed the Atlantic had to be examined to find the missing information. The result was a comprehensive data set for the region, so detailed that modern era weather conditions are now available by the hour. Smith and Ms. Schwadron are trying to secure more funding to continue their work, but for now, they are making their data set available to the general public and other researchers in hopes of raising awareness about the unexpected effects of sea level rise. The National Park Service has also published a brochure on climate change and the impact that sea level rise could have on the shell mounds found at Cape Canaveral. Thermal image better at airports to control crowds, study says By
the Stiftelsen for industriell og teknisk forskning
news service Thermal imaging cameras at airports could calculate queues and check-in times better than systems that make estimates using Bluetooth and WiFi on passengers' mobiles. Current security control procedures at Værnes Airport use two infra-red thermal imaging cameras and strategically located optical sensors to provide an estimate of how long the queue will take to pass. Researchers at Stiftelsen for industriell og teknisk forskning have been working with the video surveillance company Detec AS to develop a passenger counter using these sensors. These counters provide results that are more accurate than systems based on Bluetooth and WiFi. This is partly because many people often turn off these services in order to save power. Surveys have shown that less than 30 per cent of people have one or both of these services turned on. At Værnes, two infra-red thermal imaging cameras and strategically located optical sensors provide an estimate as to how long people will spend in the queue. "The system, installed at Værnes in December 2013, is a soft type of video surveillance, from which personal identities are erased. You can view people's body temperature, but no other details", says Asbjørn Berge of the research institute. Queues at airports are arranged in mazes using retractable ribbon barriers. Security personnel adjust the barriers according to the size of the queue, and the system automatically learns how the flow of people moves. This is then used to give an estimate of how long it takes for the queue to pass through security. For several decades, researchers have been working with Detec AS to develop advanced video analysis software that can be used to detect undesirable or threatening activity in crowds of people, or to secure special areas automatically. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 14 | |||||||||
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 Laboratorio de Ingeniería
Sísmica graphic
Quakes from 4.0 to 5.0, are
represented by the green dots. The blue dots are from 3.0 to 4.0
magnitude. Yellow dots are greater than 5.0.Only one strong
earthquake registered last year in nation
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Earthquake experts registered 282 events in 2013, but only one was categorized as strong, and that may have been a fluke. The Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica said that the more significant quake happened June 15 off the coast of Nicaragua. That had a magnitude of 6.5, but it was only felt weakly in Guanacaste because of the distance. There were 68 quakes in Costa Rica with a magnitude of from 4 to 5.0 and eight greater than 5.0, the monitoring agency said. A quake in Panamá May 27 had a magnitude of 5.7. The location in Bocas del Toro is just south of Costa Rica. The quake that registered the strongest in 2013 was one in Cartago that had a magnitude of 4.0. The Laboratorio said that the high reading may have been because the epicenter was very near the station holding the sensor. |
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| From Page 7: Construction insurance policy available via Internet By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Contractors and individuals doing their own construction can obtain insurance for their workers over the Internet. The Instituto Nacional de Seguros announced this Monday. The main requirement is to have approval of a plan from the Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos. The colegio provides a number once a plan has been approved so that the insurance agency can get an idea of the scope of the work. The policy can be obtained via the agency's Web site. The policy covers riesgo de trabajo for employees on the job and while commuting to work. Without the policy, employees would be working illegally, and the contractor would be in jeopardy if a worker were injured. The contractors would be liable personally. |
