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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 33
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 A.M. Costa Rica/Michael
Krumholtz
This gigantic slide awaits the
brave in Puntarenas.2014 carnival is
in full swing
along the beach in Puntarenas By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tonight is big band night at the Puntarenas carnival, and like other nights the evening will be highlighted by dancing in the bars and stands along the Paseo de los Turistas. Today is the fourth day of the Puntarenas celebration that organizers call the biggest beach party in Costa Rica. Already a carnival queen has been crowned, the national beach volleyball championship has been decided and there have been a series of parades. Ideal weather over the weekend did nothing but boost the party mood. Also this week there are live theater, concert shows and running of the bulls. Tuesday there is a marimba ensemble at 6 p.m. with a musical group and more dancing in the local bars. Many in the Pacific community are waiting for Thursday, the first of four days of fireworks at 10 p.m. The big parade is Saturday at 6 p.m. It is dedicated to President Laura Chinchilla. Jamaican reggae band Inner Circle is scheduled for a Saturday night concert. Sunday is the final day. The full schedule is HERE!  A.M. Costa Rica/Michael Krumholtz
What is a carnival without mascaradas?
Presidents Day holiday is today to remember past U.S. leaders By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Millions of workers and school children in the United States are getting a day off Monday for the annual Presidents' Day holiday. The U.S. Embassy in San José is closed today, as are similar facilities around the world. George Washington's birthday became a federal holiday in 1879. The celebration was Feb. 22 for years. Nearly a century later, in 1968, Congress passed a law shifting the celebration of several federal holidays from specific dates to predetermined Mondays in order to give workers three consecutive days off. Retailers take advantage of the holiday held on the third Monday in February to promote sales and price cuts on their products. Although the day is still officially known as Washington's Birthday, it has evolved into Presidents' Day to celebrate both Washington's birthday and that of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president whose birthday falls on Feb. 12. Lincoln's birthday was never an official federal holiday, although many states celebrated the day. Presidents' Day is now widely viewed as a day to celebrate all presidents past and present. Fire breaks out in office where driver records are kept By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fire Thursday night broke out in the La Uruca offices of the Consejo de Seguridad Vial. This is where the data bases of licensed drivers are kept. The agency said it suspended all services for today. These include issuing new and renewed licenses and setting appointments for written and road tests. The computer was not directly involved in the blaze, which was blamed on a faulty air conditioner. However, cables connecting the computer were burned, so the electronics were shut down as a preventative measure, said the agency. Fuel prices follow dollar for a 3.9 percent increase By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
As the dollar goes up against the colon, so does the price of motor fuel. The value of a dollar is a major part of the formula that the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos uses to compute the monthly fuel costs. Motorists will see a 3.9 percent increase in the cost of both plus and super gasoline. Diesel will go up 3 percent, the Autoridad said Friday. The new prices, once they are published, will be super, 712 per liter; plus 688 per liter, and diesel, 650 per liter. The agency said it based its prices on an exchange rate of 528.17 colons to the dollar.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 33 | |
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 Operación Libertad photo
Venezuelans here and their
supporters make a human SOS sign outside the Teatro Nacional. |
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| Venezuelans and supporters gather here to
send message home |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire service reports Venezuelans and supporters continued their protest in Costa Rica Sunday by gathering at least 300 persons in front of the Teatro Nacional. The demonstrators spelled out SOS with their bodies, and said that the purpose was to inform Costa Ricans here about what was happening in their country and also to show support for those at home. In Caracas, the president of Venezuela ordered the expulsion of three U.S. embassy officials in a retaliatory move after Washington came to the defense of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday the arrest warrant for López has a chilling effect on the rights of Venezuelan citizens to peacefully express their grievances. Late Sunday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the U.S. of backing the opposition with its protests and said he does not "take orders from anyone in the world." After several days of anti-government protests, Maduro held a counter-demonstration Saturday, using the pro-government rally in Caracas to denounce López. Authorities are on the hunt for López for organizing anti-government protests that turned violent. Three people were killed last week, including two opposition protesters. Maduro called Lopez a fascist and a coward Saturday, and urged him to turn himself in. |
Venezuelan forces used tear gas and
water cannons against hundreds of student protesters Friday, angry at
Maduro for soaring inflation, shortages in supermarkets and rampant
crime. Nearly 100 people have been arrested in the recent protests. Costa Rica came out with a lukewarm statement about Venezuela Friday. At no time did the foreign ministry statement mention human rights. It did say the government deplored the violence of Wednesday and called upon Venezuela to investigate what had happened. The statement also said that Costa Rica respects the internal affairs of brother countries and urged dialogue. The statement came less than a day after Venezuelans paid a call on former president Óscar Arias Sánchez, and Arias agreed that human rights violations were taking place in Caracas. The Human Rights Foundation in Washington, D.C., said Friday it condemns the killing of two opposition demonstrators and a pro-government activist in Caracas and asked that the government impartially investigate and punish the perpetrators, regardless of whether they are police officers or individuals from either faction. The foundation also said it strongly rejected the arrest warrant hurriedly issued Thursday against Mesa de la Unidad leader López on charges of murder and terrorism linked to the deadly protests. The foundation also condemned the shutdown of international TV channel NTN24 after its network reported live during the demonstrations. Operación Libertad and Revolución Liberal said its leaders would meet with legislators here today. |
| The windy conditions are predicted to
continue this week |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Weekend winds carried away anything that was not nailed down, and similar conditions are predicted for the week. However, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that the gusts may have less velocity. Winds up to 62.8 kph were registered at Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia earlier today. That's about 39 mph. The wind was 65.5 kph in the hills above Escazú. The overnight temperature approached 4 degrees C. (about 39 degrees F) atop the major volcanoes, according to automatic weather stations there. In the Central Valley the temperature was heading to 16 degrees (about 51 degrees F) at 1 a.m. today with a chilly morning likely. |
Sunday the weather institute said
that gusts of up to 77 kph here registered in the Central Valley and in
Guanacaste. That is about 48 mph. The weather institute said that gusts
of up to 90 kph were possible. That is about 56 mph. The cause was attributed to a high pressure system over the Gulf of Mexico. Such conditions are typical of the post-Christmas season. The air is dry so there is little chance of major storms, although the Caribbean and the northern zone are expected to see isolated showers. There were a few sprinkles in Turrialba Sunday. The weather institute renewed its warning about falling branches and debris picked up by the winds. Particularly vulnerable are ceramic roof shingles and sheet metal. |
| Escazú motorists gunned down by
two men on a motorcycle |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A man driving a vehicle was the victim of an apparent assassination about 2 a.m. Sunday in Escazú. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the victim was identified by the last name of Marín and that he was 55 years of age. The man had been drinking in a bar in Escazú and left to bring a friend home. As he was passing near the Escazú Catholic church, two men on a motorcycle pulled up and one shot Marín in the head, agents said. Another man died in a separate incident in Tuetal de Alajuela |
where Fuerza Pública officers
were called to the scene because an unidentified man lay dead. Officers
said they detained a man nearby who had a .38-caliber pistol in his
possession. A murder in Santa María de Dota was done with a knife instead of a gun. Dead was a 45-year-old man with the last name of Cascante. He died about 10 p.m. Saturday outside a bar in the center of the community. Judicial agents said that the death came during a confrontation between some 30 Panamanians and 25 Nicaraguans. Some were in the area to harvest coffee and others were residents. The Fuerza Pública identified the location as the Bar la Cueva. Officers said they detained a 22-year-old man as a suspect. |
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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 |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 33 | |||||
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| Sense of isolation can have devastating effect on the health
of seniors |
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By
the University of Chicago news staff
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s chances of premature death by 14 percent, according to research by psychologist John Cacioppo. Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta-analysis showed that loneliness has twice the impact on early death as obesity does, he said. The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people age. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience, the ability to bounce back after adversity and grow from stresses in life. The consequences to health are dramatic, as feeling isolated from others can disrupt sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol, alter gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well-being, Cacioppo said in a talk. Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co-workers, taking part in family traditions and sharing good times with |
family and
friends — all of which gives older adults a
chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about
them. “Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean the most to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important, he explained. “We are experiencing a silver tsunami demographically. The baby boomers are reaching retirement age. Each day between 2011 and 2030, an average of 10,000 people will turn 65,” he said. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well-being and early mortality.” Although some people are happy to be alone, most people thrive from social situations in which they provide mutual support and develop strong rapport. Evolution encouraged people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship over being alone. It is not solitude or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so profoundly disruptive. Older people living alone are not necessary lonely if they remain socially engaged and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at a special risk for becoming isolated and lonely, he said. |
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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 | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 33 | |||||
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| U.S. and China forge partnership to limit emissions, inefficiencies By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United States and China say they recognize the need for urgent action to address the twin challenges of climate change and the air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for greater political will to address a warming planet. China is the leading producer of greenhouse gases and joins the United States as the largest consumers of energy. So U.S. officials say the world's two biggest economies agreeing to limit emissions and promote energy efficiency in buildings and industry sends a strong message to the world that this is an issue that needs to be addressed now. Following that agreement with Chinese leaders, Kerry told an audience in Indonesia that Washington hopes this unique partnership with Beijing will help set an example for global leadership and global seriousness on climate change. "Together we account for roughly 40 percent of the world’s emissions. But this is not just about China and the United States," Kerry said. "It is about every country on Earth doing whatever it can to pursue cleaner and healthier energy sources." Kerry said scientific evidence compels the world to act. "It is not a lack of ability that is the problem," Kerry said. "It is a lack of political resolve that is standing in our way." The European Union is calling for a 40 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says that target is ambitious and affordable. "It shows that we are beyond debate where we either have to be green or a defender of industry," Barroso said. "We believe these two issues are not contradictory, but can perfectly go together if handled smartly." Some European parliamentarians and some environmentalists believe the carbon reduction goals do not do enough to encourage cleaner energy. Jason Anderson heads European climate and energy policy for the World Wildlife Fund. "We want to make sure that they do not put the brakes on the energy transition that we are seeing now," Anderson said. "Their ambitions for renewable energy would actually slow down the pace of change, which is completely senseless as it is one of those areas of the economy that is growing right now." Kerry's climate speech was the first in a series of events meant to focus on cutting carbon emissions before talks in Paris next year on coming up with a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which was never ratified by the United States. Changing cockpit culture proposed by Korean airline By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
After a deadly crash landing last summer in San Francisco, Asiana Airlines is changing its training for pilots to encourage crews to talk more and change cockpit culture. A U.S. investigation found that corporate culture may have been an issue in the crash. "It's a reality that within our country there is a leaning toward a patriarchal culture, and many pilots work and fly within the strict military order," Asiana's chief executive Kim Soo-cheon said this week at a press conference in Seoul. Asiana Flight 214, a Boeing 777, crashed on landing on a runway in July. Three people died and 180 were injured. The following month, there were reports that the crash could be linked to a culture of cockpit hierarchy. That's when one pilot defers to a senior officer, even if the junior pilot fears imminent danger. A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board hearing on the crash in December showed that one pilot did not feel he had the authority to abort the low and slow landing. And now, Asiana airlines is changing the way it trains pilots. South Korea’s second-largest airline will encourage a friendlier culture in the cockpit, instead of one based on airline seniority, military status or age. “Why would you have two pilots in the airplane if they aren’t going to talk to each other?” asked David Kirstein, who works in aviation regulatory law. He’s not surprised by the new training. “There’s probably pressure from the U.S. aviation officials, the NTSB, or their own government," he said. "And there may be a fall-off on traffic. Consumers are worried. If people aren't flying that would be the most motivating factor there is.” The initials stand for the National Transportation Safety Board. Kirstein said other airlines should take note of Asiana’s improvements and understand the importance of open communication in the cockpit. Removal of Hindu book in India deplored as attack on expression By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In India, a decision by publishing house Penguin to withdraw a book on Hinduism by an American scholar has been slammed by literary and academic circles. While worries are being expressed about cultural intolerance, the publisher has blamed Indian law for its decision. The promotional material for Wendy Doniger’s book "The Hindus: An Alternative History," calls it a new way of understanding one of the world’s oldest religions. Ms. Doniger is a well-known U.S.-based scholar of religion. But Dina Nath Batra of the conservative Hindu group Shiksha Bachao Andolan (Save Education Movement) finds the book vulgar and offensive. He launched a legal battle against it four years ago saying it demeans Hindu gods and national icons. Batra questions Ms. Doniger’s intentions and accuses her of hurting the religious feelings of millions of Hindus. He said the book is full of historical inaccuracies. In an out-of-court settlement this week, Penguin Books India agreed to withdraw the book from India and pulp remaining copies. The decision raised an outcry in literary and academic circles where the agreement was called an attack on free expression. Bangalore-based author Vikram Sampath said Penguin’s decision will discourage a lot of authors handling two subjects that have become holy cows in India: history and religion. “What is it that we can put in years and years of our hard work and research into and then realize that one day the publisher himself or herself abandons you in the wilderness?" Sampath asked. "There is an increasing trend of intolerance towards works of art and books and films where there is a very rude minority which is determining what needs to be written and told and screened and so on." Author Sampath himself has been at the receiving end of intimidation by conservative groups. He says he has been shouted down during lectures and his effigy burned by those angered by his writings on an Indian historical figure, Tipu Sultan. Under attack from prominent authors about caving in to a fringe group, Penguin pointed to an Indian law that makes it a criminal offense to offend the sensibilities of a religion. In a statement, the publisher said it was obliged to respect the law of the land where it operates however restrictive and intolerant it may be. Penguin said this law will make it increasingly difficult for any Indian publisher to uphold international standards of free expression. Wendy Doniger also called the law the villain of the piece. While Dina Nath Batra resorted to the courts to have the book withdrawn, fundamentalist groups. both Hindu and Muslim, have been using other tactics to protest works of art they find objectionable. Salman Rushdie’s prize-winning book "The Satanic Verses" was banned following violent protests by Muslim groups. In 2012 he was prevented from even speaking at a literature festival in Jaipur. The late Indian artist M.F. Husain was forced to leave India and live overseas after Hindu groups angry with his depiction of Indian gods filed a number of court cases against him. Gujarat state has banned Joseph Lelyveld’s biography of Indian freedom fighter Mohandas Gandhi after some reviews said the book implied that Gandhi had a homosexual relationship. Authors and academics call this a worrying trend, saying such attacks are shrinking the space for alternative viewpoints and artistic freedom. "I don’t think it is really offensive," said Kumkum Roy, a professor of ancient history at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has reviewed Ms. Doniger’s book. "There are differences of emphasis, there are some omissions which could have been addressed, but none of these can justify a withdrawal of the book. And the other things are matters of perspective, where I would acknowledge that there can be differences," she said. "Unless we have a public discussion about differences, it can be an absolutely stifling atmosphere for the academics and it will kill the academic atmosphere in the country." Ms. Roy said she is heartened by the outcry over the book’s withdrawal in literary and academic circles as well as in mainstream and social media. But Hindu groups like the Shiksha Bachao Andolan are unfazed by that outcry. Dina Nath Batra vows to wage more such campaigns against books that he says offend Hindus or contain historical inaccuracies. He said he next plans to target another one of Ms. Doniger’s books on Hinduism. "We have won the battle, we have to win the war. It is a fight for my life,” he stated. Authors and writers like Sampath are equally adamant that they will not be circumscribed within the walls of what offends and what does not. He says it is important for the literary community to unite and stand up against such censorship, because tomorrow it could be him. Florida man who shot teens ducks allegation of murder By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In a U.S. court case with racial overtones, a Florida jury has deadlocked on whether a white man is guilty of murder in the shooting death of a black teenager during an argument over loud music. But the jury did convict 47 year-old Michael Dunn on three counts of attempted murder for shooting into a car of African American teens outside a food store in 2012. Three of the teens were not hurt. Seventeen year-old Jordan Davis was killed. The judge declared a mistrial on the most serious charge of whether Dunn meant to kill Davis. It is unclear if Dunn, a computer software developer, will be retried on the murder charge. Dunn and the teenagers argued over whether the youths were playing a radio too loud in the parking lot of a Jacksonville, Florida, store in 2012. Prosecutors said Dunn was angry because he believed the teens were showing him disrespect by playing what he called thug music. Dunn testified that he opened fire at the car in self-defense because he saw a gun. Police say the teens had no weapon. Dunn faces at least 60 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year. The case comes just seven months after another high-profile Florida case in which white suspect George Zimmerman was found not guilty of gunning down 17 year-old African-American Treyvon Martin during an argument in a residential neighborhood. The two cases raise questions about race relations in the United States and Florida's so-called "stand your ground" law. The law gives people the right to use deadly force to defend themselves instead of making an attempt to run away from a dangerous situation, such as a heated argument. Obama defends raising pay for U.S. government contractors By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
President Barack Obama says the executive action he took this week requiring federal contractors to pay employees at least $10.10 per hour is a step toward restoring opportunity for all. The president said in his weekly address Saturday these federal contractors were the workers "who serve our troops' meals, wash their dishes, care for our veterans." Obama said the economy has been growing for four years, but wages for the average worker have barely budged, while those at the top are doing better than ever. President Obama said that's why the United States needed to build an economy that works for everybody, not just a fortunate few. He called on lawmakers in Congress to pass a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The president said the passing of the bill would lift millions of Americans out of poverty and help millions more work their way out of poverty without requiring a single dollar in new taxes or spending. In the Republican address, Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida criticized the president for cuts to Medicare Advantage in the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. He says unless something is done, the health care law will keep wiping out seniors' options. Auto workers head threatens action after workers' rejection By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The head of the United Auto Workers union in the United States says he is looking at all his options, including a legal challenge, after workers in a Tennessee Volkswagen plant voted against joining the union. Friday's vote was 712 to 626 against unionization. Union President Bob King says he is outraged over what he called outside interference by conservative politicians in the vote. The union is considering its next move, including possibly appealing the results to the National Labor Relations Board. No automobile plant in the southern United States is unionized. Volkswagen management welcomed the union's efforts. It says the Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant is its only factory worldwide without a union. But many Tennessee politicians, including Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican,warned that allowing the union in would scare other companies from opening factories in the state. Corker said Volkswagen executives told him they would open a new SUV plant in Chattanooga if workers rejected the union. Volkswagen denies Corker's assertion. The once powerful United Auto Workers saw establishing membership in a southern U.S. plant as one of its last chances to remain a major force. Its membership has fallen drastically in the last 30 years to less than one million. But the conservative south has traditionally been hostile to unions, and some Volkswagen workers who voted against membership blame the union for the decline in the U.S. car industry. Tour bus bombed in Egypt, and three Koreans murdered By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An explosion has hit a tourist bus at Egypt's Taba border crossing with Israel, killing at least three South Korean travelers and the Egyptian bus driver. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility. The blast ripped through the bus, blowing out windows and part of the roof. Initial reports indicate a bomb had been planted on or near the bus. South Sinai Gov. Khaled Fouda said all the details were not immediately clear. He said the Korean tourists had traveled from the popular tourist site of St. Catherine's at the base of Mount Sinai. They were waiting to transfer at the Israeli border when the blast went off. Officials on both sides immediately closed the border crossing. Egyptian officials have condemned the attack. The Sinai peninsula, with its historic and tourist sites, is also home to jihadists and arms smugglers. Vast swathes of the region are largely outside the government's control. Much of the militant activity has been in the north. Taba, St. Catherine's and most of the resorts are in southern Sinai. Violence has surged since the ouster last year of President Mohamed Morsi, with the government cracking down on Sinai militants and linking them to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, a claim the Brotherhood denies. The Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit al Maqdis has claimed responsibility for many attacks on security personnel and installations in recent months, both in Sinai and increasingly in Cairo and the Nile Delta. The Taba blast marks a departure from that trend. It is the first significant attack against foreigners and recalls a series of bombings in the Sinai in 2004. Among them was a strike on the Taba Hilton hotel that claimed 31 lives. Egypt's tourism sector, devastated by three years of political unrest, had recently been trying to lure foreigners back by promoting areas outside of Cairo as safe. Dangers from Toxic chemicals blamed for impact on infants By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Experts are calling for a targeted strategy to restrict the use of toxic industrial chemicals, which they say are causing a silent pandemic of brain disorders in children worldwide. Scientists are urging action as more so-called neurotoxins have been identified but remain largely unregulated. A rise in the number of pediatric brain disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, cerebral palsy and autism, may be the result of increased use of unregulated toxic chemicals around the world. In the past seven years, researchers have identified six new chemicals that have been shown to be capable of damaging the brains of developing human fetuses and young children. The discovery brings to 12 the number of confirmed neurotoxins. Experts estimate one in six children worldwide suffers from a neurodevelopmental disorder. Pediatrician Philip Landrigan, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said exposure to neurotoxic chemicals was a serious problem that has reached pandemic proportions. “Injury to the human brain in early life leads to problems like loss of IQ, shortening of attention span, behavioral problems. And these effects by and large tend to be permanent,” he said. Pouring over scientific literature and hundreds of studies, Landrigan, along with the University of Southern Denmark’s Phillipe Grandjean, found the number of chemicals suspected of causing neurodevelopmental problems in children has also risen, from 202 to 214. They said there were some 80,000 industrial chemicals in widespread use which have never been tested for safety. The toxins include fire retardants used in mattresses, draperies, carpets, clothing and toys, and solvents in cleaning agents. The researchers are calling on countries to pass strong laws requiring companies to test chemicals before they may be marketed, as is required of all new drugs. In an interview via Skype, Grandjean said identifying potential neurotoxins was not difficult. “We have the methods available to test chemicals, whether they can damage brain development. The methods are there. So, this is just a matter of deciding this is the kind of testing we will do for chemical substances,” he said. Grandjean and Landrigan were also calling for the establishment of an international clearinghouse to examine what’s known about chemicals and making that information publicly available. Landrigan said the European Union had a strict chemical control law and many products, such as cosmetics containing hazardous chemicals which are banned in Europe, are being dumped in countries with weak laws. Philip Landrigan and Phillipe Grandjean published their report on neurotoxins in the journal The Lancet Neurology. Video games might give aid to those suffering from dyslexia By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Research suggests that action video games might help people with dyslexia, a learning disorder that makes it difficult for some to read fluidly and comprehend what they read. Experts say an estimated five to 10 percent of the population suffers from dyslexia, in which they write or perceive printed words and letters as backwards or transposed. In addition, people with dyslexia appear to have trouble managing competing sensory cues -- that is, they have difficulty shifting their focus quickly from visual to auditory stimuli, according to Vanessa Harrar of Britain’s University of Oxford. “So, if you are trying to read something and then trying to listen to somebody who’s reading aloud and you’re trying to follow along with what they are reading -- they have to switch their attention from hearing what they are saying to looking at the piece of paper and back again," she said. "And so we found they have quite sluggish shifting of attention across the senses.” There is a growing body of research that people with dyslexia have trouble in a part of the brain that is involved in integration of the senses, including visual and auditory stimuli. Ms. Harrar, who herself suffers from dyslexia, led a study in which participants were asked to push a button as quickly as possible when they heard a sound, saw a dim flash or experienced both together. The speed of the reactions was recorded and analyzed. While everyone was fastest when the same type of stimuli repeated itself, the data showed that dyslexics were slower than normal shifting their attention from a flash of light to a sound. The results of the study were published in the journal Current Biology. Investigators say the finding, while preliminary, suggests that training programs to help people with dyslexia should take sluggish sensory response into account. Harrar says that playing action video games could be helpful. “Video game types of things pop out of here and there, they move your eyes around the screen quite quickly in response to things quite quickly, and the more you play a video game the faster you get that kind of thing," she said. "So, the video game is really training the attention system to move quickly.” Because there are a variety of symptoms associated with dyslexia and no two people are alike, Harrar says her long-term goal is to tailor individual strategies to help people with the disorder. Nerve sheath damage linked to loud sounds, hearing loss By
the University of Leicester Press Office
A research team from the University of Leicester investigating tinnitus has revealed new insights into the link between the exposure to loud sounds and hearing loss. Their study, published this week in J Neurosci, helps to understand how damage to myelin, a protection sheet around cells, alters the transmission of auditory signals occurring during hearing loss. The three-year study was led by Martine Hamann, lecturer in Neurosciences at the university’s Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology. Ms. Hamann said: “A previous publication has shown that exposure to loud sound damages the myelin which is the protection sheet around cells. We have now shown the closer links between a deficit in the myelin sheath surrounding the auditory nerve and hearing loss. It becomes obvious why hearing loss is correlated with auditory signals failing to get transmitted along the auditory nerve. “Understanding cellular mechanisms behind hearing loss and tinnitus allows for developing strategies to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of deafness or tinnitus, for example by using specific drug therapies. “This new study is particularly important because it allows us to understand the pathway from exposure to loud sound leading to the hearing loss. We now have a better idea about the mechanisms behind the auditory signals failing to get transmitted accurately from the cochlea to the brain. Consequently, targeting myelin and promoting its repair after exposure to loud sound could be proven effective in noise induced hearing loss.” Ms. Hamann added that getting to dissect the cellular mechanisms underlying hearing loss is likely to bring a very significant healthcare benefit to a wide population. She said: “Understanding mechanisms responsible for hearing loss represents a significant unmet need that is likely to increase as the incidence of the disorder increases due to an aging population and the increasing impact of recreational and workplace noise. “I am very excited by this research. The work will help prevention as well as progression into finding appropriate cures for hearing loss and possibly tinnitus developing from hearing loss.” Tropical volcano eruptions called cause of European rains By
the University of Bern news service
Why do cold, rainy summers in Europe follow intense volcanic eruptions in the tropics? A research team based at the University of Bern may have found the answer: volcanic emissions in the atmosphere block sunlight and can thereby affect the amount of precipitation in other parts of the world. Historical records provide evidence that strong volcanic eruptions in the tropics are often followed by a cold and rainy summer in Central Europe. These years without a summer often lead to catastrophic famines. The last time was in 1816 after the eruption of the Tambora volcano in Indonesia when even in Switzerland many people starved to death. Although it is known that volcanic eruptions lead to a cooling of the climate, it has until now been unclear where the additional rain comes from. A newly published study from the international team of the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research at the University of Bern brings light to this issue: “We believe that oscillations in the African monsoon may be responsible for the rainy European summers»,” says Stefan Brönnimann, principal investigator of the study from the Oeschger Center. Brönnimann and his team are researching the effects of 14 intense tropical eruptions of the last 400 years on the climate of Europe and monsoon regions. The eruptions inject large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere, where these microscopic particles reflect incoming sunlight. The decreased incoming solar radiation following volcanic eruptions leads to a cooling that is more pronounced over the continents than over the ocean. As a result, the summer monsoons in Africa and Asia are weakened. According to the study, this not only leads to droughts in the Sahel, but also to a southward shift of the Atlantic low-pressure systems as well as enhanced thunderstorm formation. This process can, in turn, explain the increased precipitation over southern Central Europe and the northern Mediterranean, which was characteristic for the case of the year 1816. “The study shows, once again, how regions separated by great distances can affect each other climatically,” said Brönnimann. The findings of the study therefore hold a very practical relevance for today, as the researcher states: “Cyclic rainfall regimes like the monsoon are important for food security in many parts of the world. Although large volcanic eruptions are quite rare, they help us better understand the monsoon systems.” As noted by Brönnimann, a better understanding of the connection between volcanic eruptions and precipitation can even prove to be useful in the fight against climate change. The suggestion of slowing down warming using so-called geoengineering techniques – for example by artificially injecting particles into the stratosphere that reflect sunlight – can be seen in a new light, as even this could influence monsoon systems. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 33 | |||||||||
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Researchers
discover why Oregon volcano is peaceful By
the University of Oregon news service
For a half-million years, Mount Hood has towered over the landscape, but unlike some of its cousins in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains and many other volcanoes around the Pacific Rim of Fire, it doesn’t have a history of large, explosive eruptions. Now a team of scientists has found out why. In new research just published online in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, lead author Alison Koleszar of Oregon State University and her colleagues describe how mixing of magma deep beneath Mount Hood appears to have prevented it from blowing its top over the millennia. Their research has been funded primarily by the National Science Foundation. Volcanic eruptions are usually described as high-explosivity or low-explosivity events, said Ms. Koleszar, who is a post-doctoral researcher in the university's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. Many volcanoes have experienced both. High-explosivity events are often referred to as Plinian eruptions, named after Pliny the Younger, who described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii in AD 79. During these eruptions, large amounts of magma are ejected into the atmosphere at high velocity – such as Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in 1992. But studies of the rocks around Mount Hood show that the volcano has never experienced a Plinian eruption despite having similar chemical magma composition and gas contents as other volcanoes that have gone through these violent episodes. The reason, Ms. Koleszar says, is that eruptions at Mount Hood appear to be preceded by episodes of intense mixing between magmas of different temperatures. Hot magma rises from deep below Mount Hood and mixes with the cooler magma that underlies the volcano. Heat from the deeper, hotter magma increases the temperature and lowers the viscosity of the magma that eventually erupts. Instead of exploding, a la Mount St. Helens, magma at Mount Hood oozes out the top of the volcano and piles up to form a lava dome. “If you take a straw and blow bubbles into a glass of milk, it will bubble up and allow the pressure to escape,” Koleszar said. “But if you blow bubbles into a thick milkshake you need more pressure and it essentially ‘erupts’ with more force as bits of milkshake get thrown into the air. Add a little heat to the milkshake, though, and it thins out and bubbles gently when you blow into it, more like the glass of milk. "That is what Mount Hood has been doing – heating things up enough to avoid a major explosion.” What happens instead of an explosive eruption is more of a hiccup, according to Adam Kent, an volcanologist who was Ms. Koleszar’s major professor when she earned her doctorate. The researchers analyzed three eruptive events on Mount Hood from the past 30,000 years, the last of which occurred about 220 years ago. These low-explosivity events resulted in the formation of lava domes near Mount Hood’s summit. Crater Rock, on the south side of the mountain, is a remnant of one of these lava domes. “Instead of an explosion, it would be more like squeezing a tube of toothpaste,” said Kent, who also is an author on the study. “Lava piles up to form a dome. The dome eventually collapses under its own weight and forms a hot landslide that travels down the side of the volcano. In contrast, during a Plinian event such as the kind seen at other volcanoes, ash and rock are blown high into the air and distributed all over.” Although Mount Hood lacks an explosive history, it doesn’t mean the 11,240-foot peak is completely docile. Collapses of the lava dome at Crater Rock about 1,500 years ago, and again 220 years ago, sent scalding landslides of hot lava blocks down the south side of the volcano, Kent pointed out. “These types of events have dominated the eruptive activity at Mount Hood for the past 30,000 years,” Kent said. “The other danger is from lahars, which are major mudflows that stream down the side of the mountain at some 50 miles-an-hour, with the consistency of cement. They result when heat from the magma melts snow and mixes it with the volcanic ash and rock. “Lahars probably accompany most eruptions of the volcano, and can even occur between eruptions after heavy rains or rapid snowmelt,” Kent added. “And they can go quite a ways – all the way to the Columbia River, for instance.” Ms. Koleszar said few other volcanoes around the world act quite like Mt. Hood. It is, she said, a poster child for low-explosivity eruptions. “Mount Hood is really cool because it is such a model for one extreme of volcano behavior,” Ms. Koleszar pointed out. “It may not have the colorful history of Mount Mazama or St. Helens, but it has its own niche among volcanoes – and now we better understand why it behaves the way it does.” |
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| From Page 7: Another reason why online banking is best By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Not only is Internet banking easier, but handling money in the safety of the home keeps bandits away. That was not the case Sunday when an 83-year-old Cartago landlord traveled to Tíbás to collect rents. The Fuerza Pública identified him by the last name of Solano. He was confronted by three bandits near the Parque de San Juan de Tibás. They fled after threatening him with a gun and taking his money. Police received the alarm, and officers in one patrol car found a suspect near a popular fast food restaurant. Other officers set up a checkpoint to the entry of León XIII where they were able to intercept a vehicle matching the description of that belonging to the bandits. They detained two men and confiscated evidence including bullets. The loss to the landlord was said to be in the millions of colons. |
