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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb.
15, 2017, Vol.
17, No. 33
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Rubberneckers warned
about volcano
By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
For the same reason motorists rubberneck at highway accident scenes, people are drawn to volcanoes. The most active and most accessible one now is Turrialba, and the national emergency commission says the prohibited zones that have been established are necessary. The commission said that the attraction of volcano craters was shown April 12, 1964, when 50 persons were injured and two died when the sister mountain, Irazú, erupted unexpectedly. There were no controls on approaching the crater then, and crowds of spectators did so for weeks. Two persons had been injured permanently earlier there when the volcano threw out burning rocks, said the commission. The volcano has been moderately active this month, and there has been some ejection of magma. But all of the material stayed in the crater, according to footage from monitoring cameras. The restrictions around Turrialba range from 2 to 5 kilometers depending on the state of activity, the commission said. Scientists from the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica and the Red Sismológica Nacional are keeping a 24-hour watch on the mountain even when it is shrouded in clouds. A lot of the information comes from seismic readings produced by movement within the volcano. Only scientists and some residents who operate farms on the slopes of the volcano are allowed entry past the perimeter of restrictions. Major water outage planned for today By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
The Costa Rican water and sewage authority will be switching off the water service for over 75,000 people today. The Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados said that it needs to run some scheduled maintenance along with installation of valves in the system. Water service will be interrupted today from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., officials said. Communities in the cantons of Tibás, Moravia, and Goicoechea will be affected. The institute also recommends that other communities such as Buenos Aires, Mercedes, Monterrey, El Rodeo, La Paulina, Paso Hondo could be affected as well. For these communities, the institute explained, the effect of the interruption will depend on the demand of those populations. The Guadalupe system undergoing maintenance reinforces the water service for those communities. It is not, however, the primary source for those communities.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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Colorado S.A 2017 and may not be reproduced
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb.
15, 2017, Vol.
17, No. 33
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| Government
struggles with evictions around Ruta 32 bridge
project |
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By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Some 19 families are being evicted from government-owned property in anticipation of the construction of a new bridge for Ruta 32 over the Río Virilla. The ministries of Obras Públicas y Transportes and Vivienda as well as the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social and the Instituto de Vivienda y Urbanismo are responsible for assisting the families currently in the vicinity of the bridge, according to the report. Monday night, the first 19 families met with representatives of the government entities to hear in detail what kind and how much assistance they can expect from the government for their relocation. Officials said that this will include a three-months advance for rent and information on how to apply for a family housing bond as beneficiaries of the housing ministry. The families were also given details on how to apply for state aid. The public works ministry said it will now plan to request |
the Sala Constitucional to lift a
precautionary measure preventing the evictions so
that work can continue for the new bridge. Officials said the land is owned by the state and is required for the construction of the new bridge over the Río Virilla for Ruta 32. A study conducted by the state entities involved in assisting the families was conducted to analyze the needs for each household. A total of 40 households were notified by authorities in December that they would be evicted. The case of the remaining 21 households is still being analyzed for relocation, officials said. The property around the new bridge has also received a sanitary order from the Ministerio de Salud. The bridge is not to be confused with the one on the General Cañas autopista further west that still is undergoing extensive repairs and widening. It is also not the one being completed for Ruta 3 reported Tuesday. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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Río Colorado S.A. 2017 and may not be reproduced
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb.
15, 2017, Vol.
17, No. 33
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| Dancers
plan to present their works in street performances
starting Friday |
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By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Dancers will hit the streets of San José beginning Friday with their own unique creation that may include participation from the audience. The “Chepe Danza,” as the series of performances is dubbed, will be at eight locations such as Parque Central and the Paseo de los Estudiantes in Barrio Chino. The performers are members of the Compañía Nacional de Danza and have been preparing their performances at their homebase in the Teatro de la Danza. The event, organizers said, will be an opportunity for those who do not go to the theater to experience the performances in the streets. Each show will last around 45 minutes, organizers said. The dance styles will include interpretative dances in which the performers expect their audience to contemplate the story. Some will be more abstract in character, but all will offer the opportunity for spectators to interact with the cast, organizers said. The first performance titled “UNO” will start Friday at 5 p.m. on Avenida 4 on the south end of the Parque Central in San José. More performances will also be held at noon on Paseo |
 Compañía
Nacional de Danza. Luis Alvarado
A scene from 'Taciturno,' one of the presentations.
This one is choreographed by Adrián Figueroa.Colón during the Domingos familiares sin humo, or the smoke-free Sundays hosted by the municipality. The final performance, “Acción Performática,” will be on Sunday, March 26 at 11 a.m. along the Paseo de las Damas for the Festival de Verano “Transitarte.” The event comes as a combination of efforts from the Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud and the Municipalidad de San José. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents
of
this
Web
site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2016 and may not be reproduced
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb.
15, 2017, Vol.
17, No. 33
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 University
of Queensland graphic
This
is a graphic of what the reptile may
have looked like.
New reptile
fossil shows
live birth, scientists say By the University of
Queensland press staff
A remarkable 250 million-year-old lizard fossil found in China shows an embryo inside the mother as clear evidence for live birth. University of Queensland School of Earth and Environmental Sciences head Jonathan Aitchison said the Dinocephalosaurus fossil provided the first evidence for live birth in an animal group previously thought to exclusively lay eggs. “Live birth is well known in mammals, where the mother has a placenta to nourish the developing embryo,” Aitchison said. “Live birth is also very common among lizards and snakes, where the babies sometimes hatch inside their mother and emerge without a shelled egg.” Until recently it was thought the third major group of living land vertebrates, the crocodiles and birds, that are part of the wider group Archosauromorpha, only laid eggs. “Indeed, egg-laying is the primitive state, seen at the base of reptiles and in their ancestors such as amphibians and fishes,” Aitchison said. He said the new Dinocephalosaurus fossil, was an archosauromorph, a long-necked marine animal and distant relative of the crocodile that flourished in the shallow seas of South China in the Middle Triassic Period. The creature was a fish-eater, snaking its long neck from side to side to snatch its prey. Its fossil was one of many astonishingly well-preserved specimens from Luoping Biota sites in southwestern China. There are no known fossils of marine vertebrates of this age in Australia. Lead researcher Jun Liu from Hefei University of Technology China said they were excited when they first saw the specimen. “We were not sure if the embryonic specimen was the mother’s last lunch or its unborn baby,” Liu said. “Upon further preparation and closer inspection, we discovered something unusual.” Further evolutionary analysis revealed the first case of live birth in such a wide group containing birds, crocodilians, dinosaurs and pterosaurs and pushes back evidence of reproductive biology in the group by 50 million years, Liu said. “Information on reproductive biology of archosauromorphs before the Jurassic Period was not available until our discovery, despite a 260-million-year history of the group.” Fellow researcher Chris Organ from Montana State University said evolutionary analysis showed that this instance of live birth was also associated with genetic sex determination. “Some reptiles today, such as crocodiles, determine the sex of their offspring by the temperature inside the nest,” he said. “We identified that Dinocephalosaurus, a distant ancestor of crocodiles, determined the sex of its babies genetically, like mammals and birds.” The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, is part of an ongoing collaboration between palaeontologists in China, the United States, the UK and Australia. Whale carcasses could blow, New Zealand officials warn By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
The tragic story of the hundreds of dead whales stranded on a New Zealand beach has taken an even more grisly turn as officials say they fear some of the carcasses could fill with gas and explode as they decompose. On Tuesday, clearing of the nearly 700 pilot whales was underway at Farewell Spit, in one of the largest mass whale strandings ever seen in New Zealand, but the public was told to stay away due to possible health concerns and the possibility the carcasses could explode. "Unfortunately, when a whale heats up, a lot of pressure builds up in their body and the only option is for them to explode," said ranger Amanda Harvey. To try to stem the possibility of explosions, conservation workers donning protective gear poked holes in the carcasses in an effort to prevent gases from building up. Some 300 of the carcasses, which can be up to six meters long, are being trucked to a remote location where they will be allowed to decompose, officials said. "They're being moved but they haven't been cleared out yet, not by a long chalk," said Conservation Department spokesman Herb Christophers, "It's going to be a few days' work just getting them off the beach. In total 666 whales were stranded Friday and Saturday on the beach which is at the northernmost part of New Zealand’s South Island. Eating less could slow aging, research says By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
Researchers say they may have found a way to stave off aging. They say you might need to eat less. Writing in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, researchers from Brigham Young University say eating less can slow the aging of cells in the body. Fewer calories slow down a mechanism in the cells called ribosomes, at least in mice. They are responsible for making vital proteins in the cells, but with fewer calories they slow down, giving them more time to repair themselves, researchers said. Ribosomes, researchers say, use from 10 to 20 percent of the cell’s energy to make those proteins. “It's impractical to destroy an entire ribosome when it starts to malfunction,” the report said. “But repairing individual parts of the ribosome on a regular basis enables ribosomes to continue producing high quality proteins for longer than they would otherwise. This top quality production in turn keeps cells and the entire body functioning well.” John Price, a biochemistry professor at Brigham Young and the senior author of the study, likens ribosomes to cars. "The ribosome is a very complex machine, sort of like your car, and it periodically needs maintenance to replace the parts that wear out the fastest," he said. "When tires wear out, you don't throw the whole car away and buy new ones. It's cheaper to replace the tires." To reach their conclusions, researchers looked at two groups of mice. One group was able to eat as much as it wanted, while the other group was put on a diet with 35 percent fewer calories. "When you restrict calorie consumption, there's almost a linear increase in lifespan," Price said. "We inferred that the restriction caused real biochemical changes that slowed down the rate of aging." While previous studies have suggested a link between lower calories and slowed aging, this is first to show how the ribosomes can influence aging. "The calorie-restricted mice are more energetic and suffered fewer diseases," Price said. "And it's not just that they're living longer, but because they're better at maintaining their bodies, they're younger for longer as well." Despite the findings, Price says calorie restriction as an anti-aging strategy has not been tested in humans. He did add that the main takeaway for people is the “the importance of taking care of our bodies.” "Food isn't just material to be burned. It's a signal that tells our body and cells how to respond," Price said. "We're getting down to the mechanisms of aging, which may help us make more educated decisions about what we eat." Glimmers of bipartisanship in some Trump nominations By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to confirm former wrestling executive Linda McMahon to lead the Small Business Administration as part of President Donald Trump's Cabinet. The vote, 81-19, was a rare show of bipartisanship in Trump's politically fraught effort to get his Cabinet nominees approved. Ms. McMahon sailed through the committee level of the confirmation process, advancing to the full Senate on an 18-1 vote. She and her husband, Vince McMahon, founded and built the popular World Wrestling Entertainment company and were major Trump campaign donors. The Small Business Administration’s mission is to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, of which there are about 28 million in the U.S "Small businesses help drive America's economy," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after she was confirmed. He said he was confident Ms. McMahon will prioritize growing jobs over growing government bureaucracy. On Monday, the Senate confirmed Steve Mnuchin, 53, as Trump's pick for Treasury secretary. Mnuchin, a former Wall Street executive, received a party-line vote of 53-47, with Republicans lining up in support and Democrats vociferously opposed. Shortly after his Senate confirmation, Mnuchin was sworn in at the White House by Vice President Mike Pence. Also in attendance was Trump, who praised him saying our nation's financial system is truly in great hands. After rising to become a partner at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin led a group of investors that bought out a failing California bank at the height of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Under his leadership, the bank foreclosed on thousands of distressed properties, a fact that Democrats repeatedly brought up at Mnuchin’s confirmation hearing and in spirited floor debate ahead of the vote. At his confirmation hearing, Mnuchin stressed that the bank he led, OneWest, made risky real estate loans before his investor group took over the institution. He also said OneWest did allow some homeowners to modify their loans and avoid foreclosure, and that, while mistakes were made in the processing of some foreclosures, the bank did follow established guidelines for seizing delinquent properties. Democrats were not satisfied. They accused the nominee of lying when he asserted that OneWest did not use an automated foreclosure procedure in which paperwork was robotically signed. Mnuchin is a believer in so-called supply-side economics where tax cuts generate additional economic activity, thereby boosting prosperity as well as tax revenues to the government. His philosophy matches that of congressional Republicans eager to cut taxes, but invites scorn from Democrats. Mnuchin is the latest Trump Cabinet pick to receive full-throated, lockstep opposition from Democrats, a pattern Republicans see as pointless and counter-productive. One departure from that partisan pattern was Monday's unanimous confirmation of physician David Shulkin to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, the government's second-largest agency. Shulkin had been the department's top health official since 2015, and is the only Trump Cabinet official who served during the previous administration of former President Barack Obama. Boeing workers deciding to join union or not join By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
A strongly contested union election pits the world's largest aerospace company against the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers on Wednesday. Three thousand workers at Boeing's plant in South Carolina are eligible to vote on whether they want to be represented by the union. Many businesses and key political leaders in South Carolina have spoken against the union. Union membership in the conservative state is just 1.6 percent, the lowest in the nation. The low level of union representation is said to be one reason that Boeing located the plant in the state. Boeing employs about 7,500 people in South Carolina, and nearly 150,000 around the world. The company opened a plant in South Carolina after labor strife in Washington State, where unions have been more successful. The plant is one of two that makes Boeing's 787 commercial jetliner. The union vote follows extensive organizing efforts by union supporters and a series of posters, meetings and television commercials by the company urging employees to vote against the union. Published reports say President Donald Trump may visit the plant on Friday, after the vote. Friend of terrorist gunman pleads guilty for conspiracy By the U.S. Department
of Justice press staff
Enrique Marquez Jr., a longtime friend of Syed Rizwan Farook who was the male shooter in the San Bernardino terrorist attack agreed to plead guilty to conspiring with Farook in 2011 and 2012 to provide material support to terrorists. Marquez, 25-years old, of Riverside, entered into a plea agreement that was filed today in United States District Court. The defendant is scheduled to enter his guilty pleas Thursday morning at 9 a.m. before United States District Judge Jesus Bernal. In the plea agreement, Marquez agreed to plead guilty to providing material support and resources to terrorists, including weapons, explosives and personnel. Marquez admitted in the plea agreement that he conspired with Farook in 2011 and 2012 to attack Riverside City College and commuter traffic on Interstate 91. Marquez also agreed to plead guilty to making false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm for being the straw buyer of two assault rifles that were used in the shooting rampage at the San Bernardino Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2, 2015. “This defendant collaborated with and purchased weapons for a man who carried out the devastating December 2, 2015, terrorist attack that took the lives of 14 innocent people, wounded nearly two dozen, and impacted our entire nation,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “While his earlier plans to attack a school and a freeway were not executed, the planning clearly laid the foundation for the 2015 attack on the Inland Regional Center.” When this defendant pleads guilty, all four individuals charged, including three of the shooters’ family members, will be convicted. Ms. Decker hopes that, as these cases become resolved, the victims of the attack and the community of San Bernardino are comforted in some small way by the knowledge that the Department of Justice and the law enforcement community stands with them in this investigation, resolute and committed to justice. Marquez was arrested about two weeks after the attack at the Inland Regional Center, which was perpetrated by Farook, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, who were killed in a shootout with law enforcement hours after the attack. The investigation into the deadly shooting quickly uncovered evidence that, in 2011 and 2012, Marquez purchased two rifles that Farook and Ms. Malik later used in the attack that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at the center. A law enforcement officer was wounded during the shootout that afternoon. According to the plea agreement, Farook paid Marquez for the rifles. Marquez also discussed with Farook the use of radio-controlled improvised explosive devices during the planned attacks on the Riverside Community College and State Route 91. Marquez purchased Christmas tree lightbulbs and a container of smokeless powder for use in manufacturing the explosives. Once he pleads guilty, Marquez will face a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison. The defendant, who did not personally participate in the attack, has remained in custody since he was ordered detained at his initial court appearance in this case on Dec. 17, 2015. “Straw purchasers are criminals who are the beginning of the chain of violence in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Eric D. Harden of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. “It is purchases like Marquez’s that led to the terror on that tragic day in San Bernardino. The crime goes beyond making a false statement on a government form. It puts guns in the hands of criminals who will victimize the community. In this case, the straw purchase is as reprehensible as the attack. “This guilty plea will bring much needed closure to a case that devastated those victims and families associated with the senseless attack on December 2, 2015, an attack that also deeply impacted our community,” said San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan. “This case a perfect example of local and federal authorities working together with a common purpose for the sake of the victims.” Also as a result of the investigation into the attack, three people have pleaded guilty to being part of a sham marriage scheme in which a Russian woman married Marquez to obtain immigration benefits. Syed Raheel Farook, the brother of attacker Syed Rizwan Farook; Tatiana Farook, who is Syed Raheel Farook’s wife; and Mariya Chernykh, who is Tatiana Farook’s sister, pleaded guilty earlier this year to immigration fraud charges and admitted being part of conspiracy in which Chernykh paid Marquez to enter into a bogus marriage. Uber hires NASA engineer to create a new flying car By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
Uber has hired an engineer from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration to work on its initiative to nurture a flying car industry. Mark Moore joins the Uber Elevate project, which is aimed at supporting companies that are developing vehicles, as well as working with regulators and governments that would be involved in setting rules. Uber says it sees itself as a catalyst and issued a research paper last year describing its vision for vehicles that most resemble helicopters, but are quieter and cheaper to operate on a mass scale. The paper said that while Uber's vision of electric aircraft that take off and land vertically on a network of elevated pads is ambitious, it believes that can be achieved in the coming decade with the right collaboration. Moore told Bloomberg he predicts there will be several prototypes of flying cars with human pilots within one to three years. Uber suggests that people might take a conventional Uber ride from their homes to what it calls a vertiport where they could board the flying car. That vehicle would then take them to a vertiport near their destination. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents
of
this
Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2017 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 sixth news page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Feb.
15, 2017, Vol.
17, No. 33
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Tsunami simulations
today in Guanacaste By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A tsunami is likely to hit the shoreline of the Guanacaste region today, a simulation of a tsunami that is. As part of the regular preparations and response in the region, the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Emergencias y Atención de Emergencias will carry out two simulation exercises at the Ostional wildlife preserve near Santa Cruz as well as in Liberia. The activity will start at 8 a.m. for Ostional and Santa Cruz Centro. The exercise in Santa Cruz Centro will be held at the Cruz Roja building of the community. The exercise at Ostional will be at the Salón Comunal. This simulation exercise consists of table exercises and will be oriented to implement the preparedness and response actions required in the event of tsunami-like conditions. Representatives of the Sistema Nacional de Monitoreo de Tsunamis of the Universidad Nacional will also be participating. The simulation exercise in Liberia will be held on Thursday with talks and presentations at a local hotel. The purpose of the presentations would be to explain the installment of a new centro de recepción y salida in case of an emergency, officials said. Friday, the Daniel Oduber airport will undergo its own exercises. One will be simulated on a table and one in the field. This is also to develop and propose another centro de recepción y salida site. In addition to Juan Santamaría airport, this would be an alternative point to request emergency assistance, officials said. The national emergency commission emphasized that these exercises are intended to simulate as much as identify any potential weaknesses or strengths in the protocols and procedures developed to handle these emergencies. The exercises at the airport are also conducted in order to test the management and control of receiving international humanitarian assistance. These activities in Liberia will also have participants from various government ministries, customs officials, police, and regional groups like the Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres Naturales en América Central. This is to coordinate the local response in conjunction with the regional, national, and international handling of a tsunami emergency. Car theft ring suspects detained By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Judicial agents carried out a raid Tuesday morning and captured 10 men suspected of at least 26 cases of vehicle theft. The Judicial Investigating Organization’s Sección de Robo de Vehículos were the agents in charge of the arrests. The suspects range in age from 20 to 57 years old and all are alleged to have formed a criminal gang dedicated to vehicle theft, officials said. The arrests were made in Alajuelita, Alajuela and Pérez Zeledón. Five of these arrests were made during raids on houses with five others out on the street. The arresting agents said they discovered evidence related to the investigation. This evidence includes cell phones and vehicle documents believed to be stolen or of dubious origin, according to the report. Judicial agents believe this group to be suspects in at least 26 cases of vehicle theft over the span of a single year. The crimes occurred in Tibás, Alajuelita, Desamparados and Aserrí. The detainees were turned over to the Ministerio Público to determine their legal status. |
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| From Page 7: Construction expo begins today for five-day run By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
The construction fair begins today at the Centro de Eventos in Pedregal to bring together businesses and individuals in property and housing. In addition to homeowners and home builders, the ExpoConstrucción y Vivienda is attended by industry professionals such as engineers, architects, designers, and contractors, among others, to network and exchange ideas or generate business. The expo begins at 4 p.m. today and goes until 10 p.m. Admission is free for today, but the exhibition will continue on until Sunday. The entry fee on Thursday and Friday is 1,000 colons. The entry fee for Saturday and Sunday is 2,000 colons. Also changing is the hours. On Thursday and Friday, the expo will open earlier at 1 p.m. before ending again at 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the fair will run from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. The Banco Nacional reported it will have a table at the expo to give a presentation of six elements any potential homebuyer should take into account when applying for housing credit to build or buy. The elements include: establishing a budget that takes into account any contingencies and aspects of the home, only finance what one can actually pay. The bank will also advise on when to change debt from dollars to colons, what is included in fees, and the causes behind someone falling behind on housing loan payments. The bank also said it is providing information on property sales. |
