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A.M. Costa Rica
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 21 | |||||||||
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Our readers' opinions
Look to the Chinese yuanas it overtakes the dollar Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Once again I´m reading about the U.S. dollar-colon exchange rate. After 15 years of living in Costa Rica and reading about how it depends on what group your are in as to which side you come down on the rate is pure basura! The stronger the Costa Rica colon, the better it is for ALL Ticos. It´s clear, complaining about the rate, the hotel chamber is way off the mark and using the estimated job losses is unpersuasive. Costa Rica´s tourist rates are directly in response to the well-blogged breakdown in all aspects of society. Crime, infrastructure, high inflation and changing attitudes are totally the cause of the lower tourist numbers and their spending. It is horrific to see a small group of folks wanting to punish an entire population in the belief that 575 colons per U.S. dollar will improve their bottom line. I am sure a large portion of the Hotel chamber are North Americans. It isn´t possible Tico owners would draw that conclusion. Costa Rica is a place that imports 90 percent of everything she needs to support her population. The stronger the colon, the better it is for all her citizens. It is 110 percent false that a stronger U.S. dollar will save jobs. Recently I read in a letter to A.M. Costa Rica that said Costa Rica should drop the colon in favor of the U.S. dollar. A country loses its sovereignty when she can´t keep her own currency. This entire world is now 100 percent using the fiat currency system and to lose the ability to print their own currency means they have no control of their own destiny. Better the Ticos adopt the Chinese yuan. As time goes by the yuan will be fully international in scope, and China will shortly overtake the U.S.A. Then the U.S. dollar reserve status will be in jeopardy. 15 years back when I moved to Costa Rica, the colon was in the mid 200s v. the U.S. dollar. Now, Costa Rica is-has become more expensive to live in then even the U.S.A.! Expats are leaving Costa Rica in droves for Panama and back to the U.S.A. Just reading what the government is currently planing to try to raise funds should show all the danger in a stronger dollar. Imagine what happens to the foreign investor if the colon drops to 575 against the U.S. dollar! The attractive interest rate gets wiped out by the conversion. If the colon should be collared at 400, the Ticos would see their cost of living improve greatly. And, truthfully, it would have no effect on tourism. Tourists would still be happy getting 400 to one dollar if the costs of everything would stop soaring and there was value in the goods and services. Currently there is not ! Sampson
Valverde
San Isidro el General Government is overlooking the real dollar problem Dear A.M. Costa Rica: One of the things that is being conveniently overlooked by the government of Costa Rica and the Banco Central is that what they refer to as short-term speculative money entering the system is in large part the result of the international drug trade which is conducted in dollars, and for which Costa Rica has become a major transshipment point. The Costa Rican colon is a thinly trade currency, and to try and suggest that the large inflows of U.S. dollars that the government claims is behind the devaluation of the dollar (and which Costa Rica's international debt is denominated in) is nonsense. This is just an attempt by the government to justify their own currency manipulations and also to overlook a problem (the drug trade) that they have shown themselves to be incapable of dealing with. David
Wyllie
Alajuela Stiff penalty is sought in case of murdered agent By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Prosecutors are seeking the maximum penalty of 50 years for Howen Steven Brown, the main suspect in the robbery murder of a judicial agent. The defense is expected to present its closing arguments today in the Juzgado Penal Juvenil de San José, said the Poder Judicial. The victim, Fernando Calvo Monge, was gunned down as he walked home from work Feb. 18, 2011, in the park of Urbanización Las Luisas, Barrio Córdoba, Zapote. He was a member of the Sección de Cárceles of the Judicial Investigating Organization. A 17-year-old already has been sentenced to 10 years confinement for the same crime.
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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 Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 21 | |
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| Dance club safety should concern patrons,
fire chief says |
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By
Kayla Pearson
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff A night out in Costa Rica usually consists of drinking and dancing at local discotecas. However, aside from drink specials and band details, clients of dance clubs should also take into consideration the safety of the establishment. This was made apparent Sunday when university students in a club in Brazil were confronted with a fire, and prevented from a safe exit because there was only one unlocked exit. Some 231 people died in the incident, according to wire service reports. Hector Chávez León, director of the Cuerpo de Bomberos, said that his fire department recognized that many of the Costa Rican dance clubs were unsafe and visited them to find the exact problems in 2007. |
Some of the main issues they found
were improperly illuminated exits, obstructed exits, too many persons
in the same place, and rundown electrical systems, he said. The result of the visits was the creation of a regulations manual designed to protect these places from fire and ensure they were able to safely clear out patrons should one arise, he said. The fire department equipped every dance club with a manual and solicited the help of the Ministerio de Salud to make sure the businesses adhered to the standard. Owners of dance clubs are urged to consult the manual to make sure everything is up to code, said Chávez. As for dance club patrons, each visitor should observe the building and make sure that in the event of an emergency nothing is blocking the exits. Also while inside, persons should observe when the room is becoming too full and a possible hazard, he said. |
| Poverty agency reports it is adding new
airport duty-free shops |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Travelers and tourists may not realize as they pass through one of the two international airports that the duty-free shops are operated by a government agency. And business is good. The Instituto Nacional de Ayuda Mixta is the operator, and the agency reported Tuesday that an expansion last year at Juan Santamaría airport increased sales. The agency enlarged the space and the inventory. When the location was small, the major product was alcohol. Now with more space, the agency has added perfumes, quality sunglasses and beauty products. Sales in December 2011 were $519,000. But in 2012 sales were $843,000 in the same month, the agency reported. For the entire 2012 year, sales were $5.6 million, it said. Business is so good that the agency is building two more small stores in the airport terminal. One will sell watches, sunglasses and jewelry while the other will sell alcohol, the agency said. In addition, the stores will have a new slogan: Compras con Responsabilidad Social or "Shopping with Social Responsability." The slogan is to remind shoppers that the operator of the store is one of the country's major anti-poverty organizations and that purchases help pay for projects in rural Costa Rica, in schools, for business training and to provide capital for small firms. |
 Instituto Nacional de Ayuda Mixta photo
The duty-free shops are
known for reasonable prices onalcohol. But the Instituto Nacional de Ayuda Mixta is expanding its inventory. |
| Cartago university offering cultural
classes in Barrio Amón |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tecnológico de Costa Rica is soliciting aspiring singers, artists, photographers and dancers to take advantage of courses at the Casa Cultural Amón. Casa Cultural Amón is a cultural extension program of the Cartago-based university dedicated to the co-management of cultural projects in the metropolitan community. The program has been in operation for 15 years. The school is offering eight weeks of cultural art classes that include voice, drawing, pantomime, acroyoga, aerial dance and photography lessons. The registration period of the program will be from Feb. 11 to Feb. 16. |
Classes begin between Feb. 18 and
23, depending on the course, and are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday
through Friday. There are also Saturday classes from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Those who enroll in classes do not have to pay school tuition, just a course fee of 20,000 colons. This price does not include materials. Casa Cultural Amón is located in Centro Académico de San José, 250 meters north of the Holiday Inn Aurola and adjacent to the Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo. Those who want more information can call 2257-0470 extension 128 or 129. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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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 Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 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's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 21 | |||||
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| Explosion of gas tank prompts
recommendations for safety |
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By
Kayla Pearson
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff A fire and explosion at a small restaurant in Barrio el Carmen in Alajuela that resulted in the death of three persons has left many wondering what can be done to prevent it from happening to them. The Bomberos de Costa Rica have issued a series of precautions to save persons from disastrous fires: • According to the fire department, persons should not buy cylinders that are visibly corroded or beaten. They should also check that the cylinder has a plastic seal in the valve, buy from an authorized dealer and check that cylinder brand is visible and also readable. • When transporting the cylinder, it should be kept in an upright position. • When installing gas tanks at home, the owner should check that the taps in the kitchen are closed, make sure the stopcock of the regulator is closed and remove any close device that has an open flame. • In regards to the location of the tank, persons should try to place the cylinder in an open, well-ventilated area, make sure it is upright, avoid locating it close to the sun. • Avoid that tanks are within the reach of children. • Be careful that it is anchored to a fixed point. • It is recommended to install a quick shutoff valve, located between the kitchen and the cylinder, in an accessible location. Some other emergency advice: |
Before
an escape or leak: 1. Alert other occupants. 2. Do not attempt to control the leak. 3. Do not operate light switches. 4. Do not connect or disconnect electrical items. 5. EVACUATE and call the 9-1-1 telephone number. If you smell gas (similar to rotten eggs): 1. Alert other occupants. 2. Close the regulator or emergency wrench. 3. Open doors and windows. 4. Do not handle switches or electrical items. 5. EVACUATE and call the 9-1-1 telephone number. Note: avoid making the phone call from inside the house Behavior of the LP GAS: 1. LP GAS has no color. 2. If it escapes the cylinder gas is heavier than air and it seeks ground level. 3. It has an odor similar to rotten eggs or a dead rat. 4. It is highly flammable. General recommendations: 1. The system of coupling by means of thread is the safest. However, if the system is a quick coupling the user should make sure it engages properly. 2. Use approved for GAS hoses or copper tubing. 3. The person who installs, repairs or is recommended must be certified. 4. Never repair a cylinder. 5. If in doubt, seek the advice of a professional or go to the nearest fire station. 6 Landlines, mobile phones, lighting fixtures and electrical appliances have the ability to generate a spark and ignite the gas. |
| Matapalo maritime residents seek
municipal support today |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Residents in the maritime zone at Playa Matapalo will be bringing their case to the municipal council this afternoon to continue their campaign to counter rising property assessments and fees based on the valuations. Although many of the residents do not own the land, they hold or are expecting concessions from the Municipalidad de Aguirre. The residents are seeking to receive support from the local politicians, because the assessments were not set locally. The assessments come from a central government agency, but the 4 percent rate is set by law. One of the lawyers involved in the case, Gustavo Álvarez, already has explained to the residents by email that the council can do very little except provide moral support. The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the municipal building in Quepos. |
The Matapalo residents are perhaps
the most vocal of maritime zone residents, but the problem affects
similarly situated homeowners all over the country. Many have
constructed luxury homes on the concession property. The maritime zone is the first 200 meters from mean high tide. The first 50 meters cannot be developed, but the remaining 150 meters can be offered in concessions in a process that concerns the local municipality and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. One couple who hold a concession, Greg Allen and his wife, Lynn, have seen their concession rent or canon, go from $700 a year in 2010 to roughly $4,000 now. The couple live in the Yukon and have constructed a luxury home near the beach. They have been unsuccessful in court. Appraisal figures have been distorted by estimates of value based on commercial uses, such as hotels. |
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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 Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 21 | |||||||||
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| Senators
quickly endorse Kerry for post at State By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Senate has voted 94 to 3 to confirm one of its own, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, as secretary of State. Kerry will step down from the Senate to succeed Hillary Clinton as America’s top diplomat and President Barack Obama’s chief envoy to the world. Kerry’s confirmation as secretary of State was never in doubt. Senators of both parties lauded him ahead of Tuesday’s vote. Democrat Ben Cardin noted Kerry’s long tenure on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “I do not think there has been a member of this body that has spent more time, gone to more places, met with more people in order to represent our nation on the international stage," he said. Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican, echoed the sentiment. “I do not know of anybody who has lived a life that has been more oriented toward ultimately being secretary of State than John Kerry," he said. Senators noted that Kerry has immersed himself in global affairs throughout his adult life. As a young man, he fought in the Vietnam War and later decried what he had witnessed in combat. As a lawmaker, Kerry traveled the world for more than two decades. Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat,who is assuming Kerry’s former position as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, listed his many accomplishments. “Advocating for programs that help secure nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons stockpiles and materials so they do not fall into the hands of hostile states and terrorists, leading the Senate to provide its advice and consent for ratification of the New Start treaty with Russia. During the Arab Spring, Senator Kerry supported a no-fly zone over Libya, which helped to save thousands of lives from being massacred. And he was a voice of courage and conscience in calling for president Hosni Mubarak to step aside, and began an orderly and peaceful transition to a democratic political system in Egypt," he said. Analysts say Kerry's beliefs on America’s role in the world and the proper use of U.S. military might are in line with those of President Obama. He is a former presidential candidate and has served in the U.S. Senate since 1985. Kerry takes over from Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of State throughout Obama’s first term as president. Later this week, the Senate will begin formal consideration of another Obama Cabinet pick: former Republican senator Chuck Hagel as secretary of Defense. Mrs. Clinton declines to say she'll run again By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton steps down this week as America's top diplomat. While many wonder what she will do next, Mrs. Clinton said she is not now considering another presidential campaign. Questions about whether she will run for president again have followed Ms. Clinton throughout her tenure as President Barack Obama's secretary of State. So during her last global town hall meeting as secretary of State, the question came from a German student, more of a plea than a question she admitted, that if elected president of the United States in 2016 Hillary Clinton would be an important symbol for women all over the world. "Well, I am not thinking about anything like that right now. I am looking forward to finishing up my tenure as secretary of State, and then catching up on about 20 years of sleep deprivation," she said. Mrs. Clinton does want to see more women compete for high office. "It is up to me to make a decision on my own future. I right now am not inclined to do that. But I will do everything I can to make sure that women compete at the highest levels, not only in the United States but around the world," she said. She said politicians have to break down attitudes that stereotype positions of power. After losing the 2008 Democratic Party nomination to Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton campaigned hard for his election and said she was surprised when he asked her to be his secretary of State. Her first response was "no." But in an exit interview with the CBS News program 60 Minutes, she said she would have wanted Obama in her Cabinet if she were elected president, so she felt bound to say "yes." Four-years later she leaves the State Department with her highest-ever public approval ratings, with near-universal name recognition, and with the gratitude of the president, for her own diplomacy and for her husband's 2012 campaigning on his behalf. Man who sextorted women arrested in California Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
A Glendale, California, man accused of hacking into hundreds of Facebook, Skype and email accounts and extorting women into showing him their naked bodies was arrested Tuesday on federal computer hacking charges. The man, Karen Kazaryan, 27, was arrested without incident by special agents with the FBI. Kazaryan was named in a 30-count indictment returned last Friday by a federal grand jury . According to the indictment, Kazaryan gained unauthorized access to – in other words, hacked into – the victims’ accounts, and changed the passwords, which locked victims out of their own online accounts. Once he controlled the accounts, Kazaryan searched emails or other files for naked or semi-naked pictures of the victims, as well as other information, such as passwords and the names of their friends. Using that information, Kazaryan posed online as women, sent instant messages to their friends, and persuaded the friends to remove their clothing so that he could view and take pictures of them, said the indictment. When the victims discovered that they were not speaking with their friends, Kazaryan often extorted them again, using the photos he had fraudulently obtained to again coerce the victims to remove their clothing on camera, it said. The indictment charges Kazaryan with 15 counts of computer intrusion and 15 counts of aggravated identity theft. According to a search warrant executed in 2011 and unsealed Tuesday, Kazaryan repeatedly contacted victims to demand that they expose their breasts to him on Skype, and used their email and Facebook accounts to make contact with other victims. Kazaryan allegedly posted nude photos of some victims on their Facebook pages when they failed to comply with his demands, prosecutors said. Investigators estimate that Kazaryan victimized more than 350 women, but they have not identified all of the victims whose accounts were hacked. Authorities found approximately 3,000 pictures of nude or semi-nude women – some of which were taken from their online accounts, and some of which were taken by Kazaryan on Skype – on Kazaryan’s computer. If convicted on all counts, Kazaryan faces a statutory maximum penalty of 105 years in federal prison. Prosecution is by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central district of California. |
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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 Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 21 | |||||||||
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Latin America news |
Expat offers
diamonds
as a sparkling investment By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A long-time expat here is offering diamonds as an investment. The expat is David F. Sagel, who has had a varied
Although Sagel said he would sell diamonds for jewelry, his emphasis is on the graded and appraised stones encased in plastic for the protection of the investors. Sagel said he also sees his mission in Costa Rica as an educational one. He has prepared a 24-page prospectus for investors that is really a mini-course in diamonds. He said that diamonds are less vulnerable to dramatic price changes so they make a good medium- and long-term investment. Gasoline prices head higher due to demand By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Regulators are blaming the U.S. economy and demand in China for a new increase in gasoline and diesel prices. Super is going up 43 colons a liter to 718 colons or $1.45. Plus is going up 35 colons to 678 colon or $1.37. Diesel is going up 8 colons to 640 colons or $1.30. At the current rate of exchange that will make super $5.47 a gallon. Plus will be $5.17, and diesel will be $4.82. All prices are at the pump. There are similar increases in other petroleum products, including aviation gasoline, jet fuel, liquid petroleum gas and kerosene. The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos said the cost, which will become effective when published in the official newspaper, reflect world prices from late December to Jan. 10. The agency said prices have risen in the world due to speculation because the United States has not established a clear fiscal policy. In addition there is growing demand in Asia. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica Seventh Newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 21 | |
 NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory photo
Artist's rendering of how and
where the RapidScat instrument (inset) will be attached to the
International Space Station.Jury-rigged device will scan oceans By
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, news services
In a clever reuse of hardware originally built to test parts of NASA's QuikScat satellite, the agency will launch the ISS-RapidScat instrument to the International Space Station in 2014 to measure ocean surface wind speed and direction. The ISS-RapidScat instrument will help improve weather forecasts, including hurricane monitoring, and understanding of how ocean-atmosphere interactions influence Earth's climate. "The ability for NASA to quickly reuse this hardware and launch it to the space station is a great example of a low-cost approach that will have high benefits to science and life here on Earth," said Mike Suffredini, NASA's International Space Station program manager. ISS-RapidScat will help fill the data gap created when QuikScat, which was designed to last two years but operated for 10, stopped collecting ocean wind data in late 2009. A scatterometer is a microwave radar sensor used to measure the reflection or scattering effect produced while scanning the surface of Earth from an aircraft or a satellite. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have studied next-generation replacements for QuikScat, but a successor will not be available soon. To meet this challenge cost-effectively, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the agency's station program proposed adapting leftover QuikScat hardware in combination with new hardware for use on the space station. "ISS-RapidScat represents a low-cost approach to acquiring valuable wind vector data for improving global monitoring of hurricanes and other high-intensity storms," said Howard Eisen, ISS-RapidScat project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "By leveraging the capabilities of the International Space Station and recycling leftover hardware, we will acquire good science data at a fraction of the investment needed to launch a new satellite." ISS-RapidScat will have measurement accuracy similar to QuikScat's and will survey all regions of Earth accessible from the space station's orbit. The instrument will be launched to the space station aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. It will be installed on the end of the station's Columbus laboratory as an autonomous payload requiring no interaction by station crew members. It is expected to operate aboard the station for two years.  Boeing Co. graphic
The TDRS-K satellite, depicted
in this artist's rendering orbiting Earth from 22,300 miles, will be at
an altitude which allows the spacecraft to reliably receive and
transmit signals between spacecraft in low Earth orbit and ground
stations on Earth.New satellite to join aging network By
the NASA news service
Those colorful images from the Hubble Space Telescope or video of astronauts in near-real time as they float through their lab on the International Space Station have on thing in common. Transmission depends on a satellite network. The satellites comprise NASA's so-called Space Network, formally known as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, or TDRS. Badri Younes is NASA's deputy associate administrator of Space Communications and Navigation, or SCaN. He said science as we know it — and NASA as we know it — would not exist without such satellites. "All of the beautiful images, whether you are looking deep into space trying to discover the origin of the universe, looking at the galaxies or looking at Earth trying to see the trend in the weather and the changes that are taking place," come from voice, video and data that people receive through SCaN, Younes told reporters at a pre-launch briefing. The Space Network is an aging fleet that orbits the Earth, and it's about to get an upgrade with its first new spacecraft since 2002. The U.S. space agency is preparing to launch the first of a new generation of communications satellites to link control centers here on Earth with NASA spacecraft, including the International Space Station. The satellite, called TDRS-K, is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida tonight. It will join seven surviving satellites in the TDRS set. Two have been retired, boosted about 400 kilometers higher into so-called "disposal orbit." One is in storage in orbit. Two more will follow TDRS-K. The new satellite was designed for a lifespan of 15 years, but it could last much longer. NASA says the first of these satellites, launched 30 years ago, was used to support the first telemedicine surgery at the South Pole. That was when doctors in the northeastern U.S. state of Massachusetts were able to assist a physician in repairing the knee of a meteorologist in Antarctica back in 2002. "Launch is just the beginning of this satellite's journey and the addition of TDRS-K to the overall constellation will continue the successful legacy of the project and strengthen NASA's communication system that is so vital for the International Space Station and many other satellites that are in orbit today and will be in orbit in the future," said Vernon Thorp, who handles NASA missions at rocket-supplier United Launch Alliance. Thorp added that the TDRS constellation even helps scientists improve upon the very rockets that launch these satellites into orbit. Isla del Coco guards get equipment By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A local foundation has donated with the help of Banco Nacional some $23,400 in equipment for the benefit of Isla del Coco workers. The foundation is the Fundación Amigos de la Isla del Coco, and the donation was to the Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación. The equipment includes radios, six radio bases, power sources, microphones and installation. The foundation in another program, provided clothing worth $7,000 to the park guards. The remote island is surrounded by a marine reserve, and the principal job of those stationed there is to prevent illegal fishing. Banco Nacional is offering a total of 25 million colons or about $50,000 for the benefit of the island through the foundation. |
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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 Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
