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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 34
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by election tribunal Monday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Election officials have made the runoff official. The election for president will be April 6. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones officially set the rules Monday and issued a long set of rules. The action follows a mandatory recount that did not change the fact that the candidates in the runoff will be Johnny Araya Monge of the Partido Liberación Nacional and Luis Guillermo Solís of the Partido Acción Ciudadana. That lineup was known election night, Feb. 2, but the tribunal has to make it official. Solís finished with 30.6 percent of the popular vote and Araya got 29.8 percent.  Operación Libertad
photo
A boy presumed to be a
Venezuelan holds a sign saying 'No more bullets. Liberty for my
country' He was at a rally Sunday. Three persons died in protests last
week in Caracas.High drama
expected today
as Venezuelan leader gives up By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López is expected to surrender himself in Caracas today accompanied by hundreds of his supporters. Meanwhile, young members of the Partido Liberación Nacional said here Monday that they reject the violence in the South American country and also the way President Nicolás Maduro has curtailed liberties. The foreign ministry in the persona of the temporary presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, also issued a statement. It deplored the violence and called for dialogue. The community is the organization that former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez set up as an alternative to the Organization of American States. Costa Rica just assumed the temporary presidency at a session in Havana, Cuba. The opposition in Caracas appears to have the support of Venezuelans living in Costa Rica. There was a rally Sunday. Concert band and museum plan concert on Wednesday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Museo Nacional and the Concert Band de San José usher in a summer of love with their first performance in the concerts of summer series. The opening concert will be held at Plaza de la Democracia and is set to feature romantic songs dedicated to themes of love and friendship. The free concert boasts 44 musicians and their maestro, Juan Bautista Loainza, playing wind- and percussion-based melodies. Both residents and tourists are invited, and the show will begin on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The concerts of summer series are part of the music in the museum project, which has scheduled concerts for certain Wednesdays and Sundays of the season. The remaining dates for Wednesday concerts are: March 5, March 19, and April 9. Beginning this Sunday concerts are scheduled for the last Sunday of each month at the main garden inside the Museo Nacional. The project aims to allow concert goers to enjoy the outdoors while simultaneously taking in great music. China denies any role assisting North Koreans rights crimes By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China is rejecting the charge of a U.N. human rights inquiry that suggested Beijing was aiding and abetting crimes against humanity by returning defectors to its ally, North Korea. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that China cannot accept what she called the unreasonable accusation made in the inquiry's report, published a day earlier. The U.N. report said many North Koreans forcibly repatriated by China have been subject to torture, summary execution and various forms of sexual violence upon their return to Pyongyang. Beijing has long portrayed North Korean defectors as criminals or economic migrants. At a daily news briefing, Ms. Hua said the Chinese government does not refer to them as refugees, but as illegal border crossers. Around 20,000 North Koreans have fled their country, mainly through China, since a famine in the 1990s. They were fleeing a country whose leaders were described in the U.N. report Monday as committing crimes against humanity without "any parallel in the contemporary world." The report said North Korea has systematically exterminated, tortured and enslaved its people, ordered forced abortions, and persecuted people on political, religious, racial and gender grounds. It called for the international community to take urgent action to refer the North Korean government to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. It has also suggested the establishment of an ad hoc U.N. tribunal. However, even before the report's release, China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, said it would veto any such move. North Korean diplomats in Geneva dismissed the report, saying it was an "instrument of a political plot aimed at sabotaging the socialist system."
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| 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 Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 34 | |
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| Road agency serving up another dose of
driving frustration |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Get ready for more lost time, more late arrivals to work and a spike in the frustration index. Traffic officials have reduced the single-lane bridges over the Circunvalación washout from four to three. They did that so prefabricated girders could be placed for a new bridge. This is the washout that took place in August and eventually led to the closing of the key four-lane highway. The resulting delays caused millions in lost time, expended fuel and unproductive work hours. Fixing the job is a $6.3 million project. The job is in the hands of CODOCSA/Productos de Concreto. Workmen began removing one of the bailey bridges over the weekend. So traffic is now reduced to three lanes. The bailey bridges created a jam because large sheets of steel were placed on the roadway, and motorists tried to pass over them gingerly. The girders are going down where the bridge had been. Saturday the situation gets worse. The road will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. while another temporary bridge is removed, and then until March 1 there will just be two one-lane bridges. Traffic is expected to be jammed for miles on each side of the washout. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes and the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad said that by March 2 there should be four bridges, two permanent ones and two of the remaining temporary ones on the westbound lanes. |
 Ministerio de Obras Públicas y
Transportes photo
Prefrabricated girder awaits
installation at bridge site.The washout site is between Hatillo 8 and the Pavas turnoff. The Río María Aguilar has eroded the soil below the highway. The Circunvalación is a bypass route south of the San José city center. The road agency, the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad, closed down westbound lanes of the Circunvalación Aug. 27 when it became obvious that the river was undermining the road. Workers hurried to erect four temporary bailey bridges to handle traffic. But the bridges also became undermined. The central government closed the highway in mid-September because of the failure of the temporary bridges. Workmen then began erecting steel walls and pouring more concrete to host the temporary bridges and to prepare for a permanent fix. When traffic is jammed on the Circunvalación motorists seek out alternate routes resulting in a city-wide traffic jam. |
| Another round of rowdy behavior by soccer
fans ends in arrests |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Soccer or as it is called in Spanish fútbol is sacred in Costa Rica, so the riot that took place Sunday in the Estadio Nacional has captured the attention of most residents. The Fuerza Pública detained more than 50 persons, and the Cartago-Alajuela game was suspended The judiciary is seeking anyone who may have been affected by the disturbances. Those who have been arrested are fans of |
the Alajuela team, and they
have been a pain to police for years. Officers are even on high alert when the fans are gathering to get a bus ride to the various games. In this latest incident, investigators are studying video of the game and the disturbances to identify those involved. The Poder Judicial said Monday that there was not sufficient evidence against those who were detained. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 34 | |||||
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Carlos Hiller surveys his works that are on display at the airport in Liberia. |
 Hidden Garden Art Gallery photo
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| First there was the plunge to work for himself and then
another to find subjects |
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By
Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Five years ago Carlos Hiller helped start a one-room art gallery with his paintings in Liberia. Now that gallery, Hidden Garden, is the largest private art gallery in the country. The installment of more rooms (now 15 in total) and the influx of local painters and sculptors has allowed such an immediate growth. But it is through its resident artist, Hiller, that the space finds a consistent identity with brilliant marine life paintings. An Argentinean by birth, he is a naturalized Costa Rican and has lived here for 22 years. He came to Costa Rica after weeks of traveling with a friend through the Amazon. During that excursion he crossed paths with local aborigines and flew a plane over part of the rainforest, moments that he said shaped his artistic vision. “You always paint what you see,” Hiller said. “For me it was all related to my experiences in the jungle.” While working for his own Costa Rican business that made road signs, Hiller said he became dissatisfied at work. In 2000 he made the jump full-time to living off his artwork. At this same time he started recreational diving, an activity that has fueled and inspired his passion for painting. |
His newest
exhibition called “Sparkle: Vibrant Colors” is on display at Liberia's
Daniel Oduber airport, located just five kilometers from the gallery.
The collection, which is up until April 23, features three unique
pieces of brightly profiled game fish: the sailfish, roosterfish, and
mahi-mahi. These large canvases represent these sought-after fish amid
the beauty of their natural habitats. Hiller works with Parque Nacional Isla del Coco, where he has gone diving off the rock island to swim with the diverse swarms of fish and fauna that make the island so well known. His paintings hang up inside park buildings, and he draws illustrations for children and science guides that detail endangered or rare marine species. “Anything I can do for Isla del Coco, I don't hesitate in doing it,” Hiller said. As a resident artist at the Four Seasons in Liberia, he often draws paintings while accompanied by music. Hiller also draws beachside paintings, and even stenciled an outline for one of his lucid works underwater. “I feel very fortunate that I've had the ability to make a living off of my painting,” he said. The three pieces are hanging at the airport's passenger screening room, which is available for entrance to all ticketed passengers. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 34 | |||||
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| EU officials reflect deeply over grim corruption report By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The European Union is taking a closer look at itself in the aftermath of a recent report that showed what one official called a breathtaking web of corruption. The EU Anti-Corruption Report issued earlier this month detailed corruption among its 28 member states through tax avoidance, improper invoicing of trade, bribery, and other illicit acts that add up to some 120 billion Euros, more than US $160 billion, a year. The EU’s watchdog has called for a probe. "The EU administration has to live up to the very highest standards," European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly said in a statement. The 41-page report states that while corruption is far more prevalent among some EU states than others, it exists everywhere. “One thing is very clear. There is no corruption-free zone in Europe,” says EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, who describes the level of illicit activity as breathtaking. “The long standing absence of comprehensive anti-corruption strategies in some member states which are facing systemic corruption problems,” the report says, needs to be responded to by “a comprehensive coordinated approach at central level.” As it stands now, there is a patchwork of laws among members, and the European Parliament has not always found agreement as to how to best tighten controls. Just over three out of four EU citizens polled by the EU’s Eurobarometer survey say they think corruption is widespread within their own countries. Greeks are near unanimous at 99 percent, and 97 percent of Italians agree. But right behind them, with 95 percent agreeing are Lithuania, Spain, and the Czech Republic. On a personal level, a quarter of all EU citizens say corruption directly affects them. Among Spaniards and Greeks, that leaps to nearly two-thirds. A majority of Cypriots, Romanians, and Croatians also reported personal contact with corruption. On the brighter side, only 4 percent of the people in the UK and Malta were personally affected, with Denmark and Finland even better, at 3 percent. Bribery, the universal symbol of corruption, was surveyed directly. People were asked if they personally ever had to pay a bribe to an official. The UK, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Luxembourg all came in below 1 percent. At only 2 percent were Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Estonia. Austria came in at 5 percent. On the higher end were Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, but all were at or under 15 percent. Overall, 40 percent of the EU businesses surveyed said they believe corruption is widespread. But that soared to two thirds of the companies polled in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, and Portugal. Two professions, contracting and engineering, told the survey that about a third of their businesses have encountered illicit activity. The Feb. 3 report noted that while transparency laws are widespread, they’re not robust enough EU-wide, and not uniformly followed by member states. It also points out these countries have not come to common terms on holding elected officials accountable for their behavior, stating “there is a need for a clear harmonization of criminal liability of elected officials for corruption offenses.” The report says that once again, there needs to be greater uniformity among member states with stronger regulations on reporting contributions and other activities. It also brought up the need for tighter asset disclosure laws covering public office holders. Another section found widespread failures in controlling a culture of collusion between politicians and the business community. That includes favors connected to lobbying, the revolving job door between public office and corporations, and a lack of oversight of the public contracting process. State-owned companies came under a separate spotlight. The report says that in some member states, “There is little transparency regarding the allocation of funds, and in some cases, purchases of services by these companies.” It goes on to say: “Recent investigations into alleged misuse of funds, corrupt practices, and money laundering linked to state-owned companies indicate the high level of corruption-related risks in this area, as well as the weakness of control and prevention.” The EU report also admits there are deficiencies in laws and regulations covering public access to information, and legal protections for whistleblowers who bring corrupt acts to light. The watchdog group Transparency International responded critically, saying the report, however, fails to issue detailed recommendations as to how to bolster laws and procedures to resolve those critical problems. Transparency International Board Chair Edda Muller reacted to the EU report with a call for Brussels and its member states to extend the anti-corruption fight beyond Europe’s borders to nations where members are engaged in NATO and other military actions. EU member states have to further integrate, she said, approaches to good governance, rule of law, and anti-corruption in their peace operations. Cited directly were Afghanistan, and Sahel countries in Africa as areas where military-related corruption is rampant. London-based attorney Alastair Craig, writing in fcpablog.com (an acronym for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) raises a pointed question regarding the EU’s report. “One issue it does not illuminate is why recent offers of EU membership were not made conditional on candidate countries putting in place appropriate and harmonized anti-corruption regimes,” he wrote. Perhaps the greatest criticism of the report is that Brussels does not live up to its own standards. Michael Levi, in an analysis of the EU report published in the Beirut Daily Star and elsewhere, notes that it's rather unfortunate for the commission’s credibility, not to focus as well on corruption in EU institutions, as was originally envisaged. “This reflects political sensitivity, but is hard to justify if the commission claims to be bold,” he wrote. “Future reports would benefit from greater boldness and efforts to evaluate anti-corruption measures rigorously.” Immigration rights activists want Obama to take lead By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Immigrant rights advocates are urging President Barack Obama to use his executive authority to stop the deportations of illegal immigrants. Some arrests were made Monday when dozens of advocates rallied in Washington. Religious and civil rights activists chanted and prayed alongside illegal immigrants near the White House as they urged the president to stop the deportations, which they say are tearing families apart. Methodist Bishop Julius Trimble said he wants comprehensive, humane immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship. "A majority of people who are detained and deported have no criminal record or have done no crime," he said. "They are just here because they don't have documentation and we don't have a pathway for dealing with those persons who are our neighbors or parts of our churches and who have businesses in our communities." One of those undocumented immigrants is Gerardo Torres. He's from Mexico, but he said he has lived in Arizona for more than 20 years. "I want to have the freedom to go to my country and visit my family and just the freedom of movement," he said. "That's all I want." Police moved in and arrested some of the demonstrators after they edged closer to the White House. Jessica Vaughan is director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. The group believes the law should be changed to meet U.S. economic needs not to satisfy the demands of those who have entered the country illegally or overstayed visas. She said it would be wrong for Obama to stop the deportation of undocumented immigrants. "Not only would it be a bad political move, it would be a horrible thing for public safety, national security, and immigration law enforcement in general for him to do that. Enforcement is already about as bare-bones as it gets," she said. More than 1.9 million undocumented immigrants have been deported since Obama took office in 2009. The rate of deportations under his administration is outpacing that of his predecessor, president George W. Bush. During a November speech in San Francisco, the president heard first-hand from immigration reform advocates who are unhappy with his policy. Obama said he needs to rely on Congress. "If, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so," he said. "But we are also a nation of laws. That is part of our tradition." The Senate passed immigration reform last year, but the legislation has stalled in the House. House Speaker John Boehner has said he is pessimistic about immigration reform passing this year. 3-year-old pizza possible in rations for U.S. soldiers By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. soldiers will finally have their long-time wish granted. Researchers at the U.S. Army’s Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Natick, Massachusetts, say they will soon be ready to add pizza to the field rations, known as meals ready to eat or MREs. As one of the most popular foods in the U.S., pizza has long been the most frequently requested food option for soldiers deployed far from field kitchens. Researchers say they are close to perfecting a recipe for the pork or turkey pepperoni pizza that can stay edible for up to three years without the need for refrigeration. Scientists say they have found a way to prevent the moisture in tomato sauce, cheese and toppings from making the dough soggy and susceptible to mold and bacteria. Those who tried the MRE pizza say it tasted pretty good, and the only missing experience was that it was not hot. West Nile fever is costly. new health study reports By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
It’s been 14 years since West Nile Virus disease arrived in the United States. A new study says the disease has cost about $780 million in health care costs and lost productivity. Before 1999, West Nile Virus had not been detected outside the Eastern Hemisphere. That changed following reports in the U.S. of serious infections and deaths. Erin Staples is a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – and the lead author of the study, which appears in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She said the virus is carried by infected mosquitoes. “Once people get bitten and infected by the virus a fair proportion will actually not develop any symptoms. But a proportion will go on to develop either a febrile illness with muscle aches and feeling generally unwell. And in a small proportion of people that get infected, they’ll go on to develop kind of a more severe presentation or clinical manifestations, which include what we call neuro-invasive disease. That means infections of the nervous system,” she said. These include encephalitis, meningitis and acute flaccid paralysis, where part or all of the body is paralyzed. She said, “Anybody can be infected by West Nile Virus – anybody that’s going outdoors – potentially getting exposed to mosquitoes – can get infected. But we tend to see kind of the more severe manifestation in people that are older than the age of 50. Otherwise, we’ve seen that some people with underlying medical conditions also might be at more risk for being hospitalized if they do get West Nile Virus infection and disease – as well as they’re more likely to potentially die due to the infection.” From its arrival through 2012, there have been more than 37,000 cases of West Nile Virus in the United States. “Following its introduction into the United States in 1999, it started in the Northeast and then spread across the country. So by 2003 we had seen West Nile Virus disease occur from coast to coast. And then since that time, we are considering it – what we call – an endemic disease, meaning that it will continue to occur,” said Dr. Staples. Of the more than 37,000 cases, over 1,500 patients died. About 16,000 patients had neurologic disease and over 18,000 required hospitalization. “However,” Staples said, “we do expect that that is an underestimate of the number of people infected, as well as the number of people that might have gotten sick. And some of that is due to the fact that not everybody that gets sick will actually choose to go to the doctor and be seen for their symptoms, particularly, maybe the less severe manifestations or the fever with muscle aches.” There is a test for West Nile virus, usually using a blood sample or cerebral spinal fluid or the fluid around the brain. This may be done when patients show symptoms of neurological problems. Dr. Staples said that besides the health concerns, it’s also important to know the effects of the nearly $780 million cost of the disease. “The reason we really wanted to do that is to allow different organizations – whether it be policymakers, public health or researchers in both academia and industry – to better assess and understand the impact West Nile Virus is having on them. Not only from the morbidity, the number of cases and the mortality, but also from the economic perspective.” Little is known about the long-term effects of West Nile Virus disease. There are no medications to treat it and no vaccines to prevent it. Medical care can be expensive -- tens of thousands of dollars, for example, for those who suffer from partial or whole body paralysis. The study said patients who were hospitalized were absent from work or school for a median 42 days. The CDC epidemiologist said, “National surveillance efforts are critical in determining where and when outbreaks of mosquito or tick-borne diseases occur.” That allows health officials to react quickly and empty standing water areas where mosquitoes might breed or begin community insecticide spraying. Using insect repellent can also help. The World Health Organization says the disease was first discovered in 1937 in the West Nile District of Uganda. Suspects in Sept. 11 attacks remain awaiting trials in Cuba By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
It has been six years since Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other detainees at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were first charged with murder for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Why is it taking so long to bring them to trial? Justice is moving slowly for the five men charged in connection with the murder of nearly 3,000 people in the attacks. They are being held in a maximum security prison at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay. Alleged mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four others are charged with plotting the assaults. The sheer magnitude of the crime is one reason for the slow pace of the case. Cully Stimson is an expert on military detention and commissions. “It is taking this long because these are the most complicated national security cases our country has ever attempted to try,” he stated. Stimson said more than a half-million documents have been introduced in the 9/11 case. He said discussions have just started on information that is classified. Security clearances are needed for the attorneys and those assisting them. More than 100 pretrial motions have been argued and some are taking months to resolve. Unusual and unexpected issues have come up. “Questions about whether or not there have been outside censors, namely the CIA, that have been listening in on the courtroom and closing the courtroom unilaterally. Those kinds of things just don’t happen in federal civilian court,” explained law professor Jennifer Daskal. There are currently 155 detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. Many have long been approved for transfer if security conditions are met. About a third are from Yemen but remain stranded at Guantanamo because of instability at home. President Obama has been trying to close the prison since early in his presidency and repeated that hope in this year’s State of the Union address. “With the Afghan war ending, this needs to be the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay,” he said. But the prison remains open and the 9/11 case drags on. Months went by when the Obama administration tried to move these detainees and their trials to the U.S. But vehement opposition from the American public and some members of Congress forced the administration to return to the military court at Guantanamo. Evidence in these terrorism cases is extremely sensitive and the military judge must take the time to decide what can be made public. “These men were initially captured, most of them in 2003 and held for some period of time, in the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad for three years in CIA black sites where he was allegedly tortured and water boarded and subjected to inhumane, cruel treatment.” stated Ms. Daskal. Lawyers for Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and the other defendants continue to file motions. They must be decided before a trial can start. “Khalid Sheikh Mohammad is an egomaniac. He knows he is never going to get out, ever. And so he is going to do what he can to mess with the system,” said Cully Stimson. The prosecution has proposed the trial start in January of 2015 at Guantanamo. If there is a conviction there will be appeals. Analysts say it could take a decade or more before the appeals are complete. Inventor success possible, the creator of Eggie affirms By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Many of the most innovative gadgets sold in America today are speciality items, generally marketed through extravagant late-night TV commercials. These items also are sold through bulk mail advertisements that use the slogan as seen on TV! The business can generate big profits for those who come up with successful products. TV ads offer U.S. viewers all kinds of unconventional products like the bacon bowl -- a device that molds fried bacon into an edible container. It is probably safe to say that nobody really needs a bacon bowl or any of the other products advertised like this, but they do offer a level of convenience that appeals to a lot of people. Another simple product is aimed at parents of small children who tend to spill things. There is the Eggie, which addresses the plight of those who hate to peel the shells off hard-boiled eggs, and apparently, there are a lot of them. Six million boxes of this product have been sold, much to the delight of Betsy Kaufman, who came up with the idea at her home in Houston. "You just crack an egg, like that, and then you put it into the Eggie," she said. After being boiled, the eggs are easy to extract, cut and combine with other food items. But Ms. Kaufman did not develop the Eggie as it appears today, nor did she create a prototype, do a patent search, find a manufacturer or develop a marketing plan. "A creative idea hit my brain and I followed through and submitted it, that is all I did," she said. Kaufman submitted her basic idea along with a simple sketch and a $25 fee to North Carolina-based EdisonNation, a company that helps develop and market such products. The company takes a good portion of the product earnings as its fee. Ms. Kaufman said this is a better option for inventors, however, than trying to go it alone. "They are bleeding money, getting a patent and a patent attorney, and that process can take years," she said. There are a number of online forums for inventors that offer many of the same services, but Ms. Kaufman said EdisonNation suited her, and her success has created the urge to come up with another idea. "Then the bug hits you, you are driving down the street and you are thinking, 'Oh, this would be a good idea, I had this luck with Eggies, so sure.' But then you get a big X mark through it -- it is not chosen. My brain may have only one Eggies in it," she said. Based on market research, Ms. Kaufman has helped to create an Eggies 2, with a simpler design, and all she has to do now is wait to see how much profit it will generate. Winter blamed for decline in U.S. factory production By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Harsh winter weather hurt U.S. factory output in January, slowing production of cars, appliances and other items. Friday's report from the Federal Reserve says production was off eight-tenths of a percent last month, the first drop since July and steepest decline in several years. A separate study by the University of Michigan said a reading of consumer sentiment in early February was little changed from the prior month. Consumers' optimism about their economic future was tempered by worries about the current economic situation. Consumer demand drives about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, so investors and economists watch consumer sentiments closely. '12 Years a Slave' wins big at British movie awards By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
"12 Years a Slave," the true story of a free 19th century black man who was kidnapped into servitude in the U.S. South, won the top prize for best film Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards. The film's director, Steve McQueen, reminded the black-tie audience that in some parts of the world, slavery is not a thing of the past. "There are 21 million people in slavery as we sit here," he said. The best actor trophy went to British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, for his starring role in "12 Years a Slave." The lost in space thriller "Gravity" won six prizes, including best director for Alfonso Cuaron. "Gravity" also won the best British film prize despite being directed by a Mexican and starring American actors. Cate Blanchett won the best actress award for her portrayal of a riches-to-rags socialite in the Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine." Newcomer Barkhad Abdo won best supporting actor for his stunning debut as a Somali pirate in "Captain Phillips," while Jennifer Lawrence took home the best supporting actress prize for her work in the con artist caper "American Hustle." The British prizes, coming two weeks before Hollywood's Academy Awards, are watched as an indicator of likely Oscar success. Coercion and control necessary for slavery By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Of the estimated 21 million people in forced labor, slavery or victimized by trafficking, 11 million of those victims are in Asia, according to the International Labor Organization. But there’s been a debate for quite some time as to who is considered a slave and under what circumstances. When is a slave a slave? Beate Andrees, the head of the special action program to combat forced labor at the International Labor Organization, explained the current definition of slavery, adopted by the International Slavery Convention in 1926, how slavery differs from forced labor and why it’s important to make the distinction. "Slavery is defined as a situation where a person keeps control or ownership over another person," she said. "In other words, you need to have an element of coercion and control in a situation of slavery. And that is very similar to the forced labor definition adopted by the ILO in 1930, which also emphasized the element of coercion. Not every situation where a worker does not receive a fair wage or where a worker has to work long hours is automatically a situation of forced labor. We have to look for this element of coercion and control." The ILO is the International Labor Organization. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 34 | |||||||||
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Droughts sparked
epidemics, climate data study suggests By
the University of Arkansas news service
Epidemiological data integrated with climate data taken from tree-ring estimates of soil moisture levels demonstrate that drought contributed to the spread of typhus in Mexico from 1655 to 1918, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Arkansas. The study has modern-day policy implications because although typhus can be treated with modern antibiotics, it remains a threat in remote, impoverished areas of South America, Asia and Africa and could reemerge as a serious infectious disease, especially where social strife and underdeveloped public health programs persist. The researchers describe their findings in an article published Feb. 11 in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal that tracks and analyzes disease trends. “Historical records show that typhus has traditionally accompanied war, famine and poverty,” said David Stahle, a distinguished professor of geosciences. “Now, because of Mexico’s rich historical record of epidemic disease, we can see that drought, as reconstructed by tree-ring chronologies, caused conditions that allowed typhus to flourish in central Mexico over a 250-year period.” Stahle and Jordan Burns, a graduate student in geography at the university, compared historical records of 22 typhus epidemics in central Mexico with soil moisture estimates based on tree-ring reconstructions. They analyzed data gleaned from almanacs, diaries and personal accounts, as well as medical and death records from hospitals, physicians, cemeteries and municipalities. They compared this with instrumental data for the Palmer Drought Severity Index, an index of the effects of temperature and precipitation on soil moisture dating back to 1895. Burns, Stahle, and their collaborator Rodolfo Acuna, a professor of microbiology at the National University in Mexico City, observed a significant relationship between periods of drought and famine in rural, agricultural regions of central Mexico. Below-average tree growth, drought and low crop yields occurred during 19 of the 22 typhus epidemics. “The observed relationship between drought and typhus epidemics in colonial and modern Mexico is curious because drought has not been specifically considered a risk factor for typhus,” Burns said. “But drought, much like war and natural disasters, caused famine in poor, agricultural regions and forced impoverished refugees to move into already crowded urban areas where infrastructure and sanitary systems were insufficient.” Epidemic typhus is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium transmitted between people by body lice. The disease spreads where conditions are crowded and unsanitary. It is recognized for its high mortality rate throughout human history, particularly before modern sanitary practices and the availability of antimicrobial drugs. Despite these advances, the disease persists in some areas of Africa, South America and Asia and has not been eliminated from industrialized regions, because body lice infestation still occurs in homeless populations of Europe and the United States. For more than 30 years, Stahle has taken core samples from trees and examined the chronology of their rings to help explain the societal impact of drought and other climate changes. Stahle’s recently published 1,238-year-long tree-ring chronology, the longest and most accurate of its kind for Mesoamerica, was the first to reconstruct the climate of pre-colonial Mexico on an annual basis over a period of more than a thousand years. That study identified four ancient megadroughts and their exact years. Previous research found large and epic droughts in North America during the eighth and 16th centuries. |
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| From Page 7: President inaugurates digital export-import system By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
President Laura Chinchilla announced on Monday the start of the Ventanilla Única de Comercio Exterior 2.0 (VUCE 2.0), which plans to convert all export and import procedures into digital formats. Though an initial version was started in 1996, this latest upgrade by the Promotora del Comercio Exterior provides one-stop method of completing all paperwork. Through VUCE 2.0, businesses are expected to save millions per year in cutting out operating and printing costs. According to Ms. Chinchilla, this latest modernization shows that Costa Rica is and will continue to be a force in the global marketplace. “Costa Rica has an obligation to make a presence in every commercial sector both regionally and internationally,” she said. The president, who is in the waning months of her tenure, said that the country has seen substantial growth in infrastructure and commercial procedure during her four years in office. In functioning 24 hours a day for 365 days a year, VUCE 2.0 works with 16 domestic institutions and should allow rapid processing of such things as customs reports, health certifications and other business people have to do to export or import. During her speech, Ms. Chinchilla addressed the need for the future administration to keep transparent practices regarding trade regulations. In repeatedly using the words success and belief, she stressed that Costa Rica has thrived in successful modernization and through the people's belief in their companies. Increasingly competitive business models have allowed the country to open itself up to the world with reassured confidence in its resources, Ms. Chinchilla said. Though the past was littered with doubt and protests before the advent of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, now, she said, the future of trade looks brighter. “There are many reasons to be optimistic,” she said. “The most important thing is that the country is better suited for the future.” |
