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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 39
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Our readers' opinions
Las Crucitas investmentwell documented for case Dear A.M. Costa Rica: One of the first issues to face the next Costa Rican administration will be the Las Crucitas arbitration case. The question to be answered now is how much will Costa Rica have to pay. The latest decision to seek compensation for $94 million plus legal and interest costs would suggest that a decision could be rendered in a relatively short time. Infinito would be perfectly justified in seeking compensation for lost profits, and this decision not to pursue this course of action should drastically reduce the financial liability of Costa Rica. It is a commendable decision by Infinito that clearly is intended to reduce the financial impact on the Costa Rican people for the conflicting decisions made by its judicial and political system, while justifiably recovering its investment costs which were made in good faith. What will emerge from this arbitration case and of prime importance to Infinito is the fact that the allegations made by administration officials inferring Infinito had committed illegalities during its time in Costa Rica are proven to be completely without merit. Infinito had no secret agenda. It is a gold mining company. It makes no apology for that. Infinito applied for and was granted an exploration license. It prepared an extensive and thorough environmental impact assessment (EIA) which was finally approved by Setena after an extraordinary review period. http://www.infinitogold.com/s/LasCrucitasChronology.asp Costa Rica is a sovereign nation and, as such, has the right to determine what type of investment can be undertaken within its boundaries. No one disputes that. What is not acceptable to international investors is the apparent method of attracting foreign investment, encouraging a company to invest millions of dollars in its project and then to totally disregard investment treaties by annulling such projects with the intent of avoiding compensation penalties. The blame for this current situation sits not with Infinito nor with Costa Rican environmentalists, it rests solely with the Costa Rican political and judicial system. There can be no dispute over the value of Infinito's investment claim in Las Crucitas. Previous financial statements will verify that amount. What is most disturbing about this whole fiasco is the fact that if this project had progressed as scheduled, then 2014 would have seen the start of preparations for the future closure of the mine, details of which are fully documented in the EIA. More trees would be planted than previously existed. A thorough future environmental and economic plan was in place for Las Crucitas. Infinito's board of directors were fully committed to the protection of the environment. So, instead of being the beneficiary of taxes, infrastructure improvements, much needed jobs for the local community and royalty income, Costa Rica will now face an international arbitration board under the auspices of the World Bank, that will decide on the total amount of compensation (total investment plus legal costs and interest ) to be paid by Costa Rica to Infinito Gold. A total bureaucratic mismanagement that will now be addressed and held accountable but, regrettably, paid for by the Costa Rican public. Stewart
Hay
British Columbia, Canada Delay at immigration hurts expat's chance to get a job Dear A.M. Costa Rica: In response to your article on disputes between the Association of Residents of Costa Rica and the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. I am a rentista over 55. To gain this type of residency I had to put $60,000 in a bank account and change $ 1,000 a month from dollars to colons. Four months before the five-year period was to expire, I applied for permanent residency. With the bank account running out, I needed to get a job, and I must have permanent residency to work here. That was 17 months ago, and I am still waiting for my permanent residency. I had to renew my rentista cédula so I could renew my drivers license here. So for 17 months now, the bank account has been empty, and I can't work. I am an ARCR member. So now I have to pay $252 per month for Caja, when the money deposited for my residency is gone and the law says I can't work ? Somehow that just does not seem right. Robert
Savage
Heredia Caja for permanent residents called unfair, discriminatory Dear A.M. Costa Rica: If the ARCR takes the Caja to court over the medical insurance fees that residents must now pay, they should also raise the claim that permanent residents should not have to pay anything if they don't want to affiliate with the Caja. Permanent residents are supposed to have the same rights as citizens here (except voting rights), and citizens are not required to show proof of Caja membership when they renew their cédulas. Many non-working Ticos are not members of the Caja by choice or financial circumstances. Many permanent residents have Instituto Nacional de Seguros or other private medical insurance policies that they pay for and never use the Caja. The required Caja affiliation is a discriminatory tax on non-citizen permanent residents. Allan
Mannheim
Cariari San Ramón author compiles short stories of local life By
Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Paul Brenes is a professional lawyer, avid historian, and now a published author. The do-it-all San Ramón resident recently published a book of short stories entitled "Los Perros Guapeados." Consisting of 73 stories, the collection details the honorable traditions and colorful characters of the canton through farfetched tales and sceneries painted in magical light. Brenes began work on the stories in 1988, but said he really spent the last decade honing in on perfecting and completing each one. "I continued in the last 10 years with more intensity," he said. "It took me through a good deal of research and editing." His short stories stem from the influence of his townsfolk and San Ramon's history. Though historically-based, the stories are also drenched in comic narrative that highlight the characters and nostalgias that are experienced in any tight-knit pueblo. "Humor is an important part of life, it shows us another facet of people who generally seem very serious and formal," Brenes said. "Each town should have a compilation of these tales from collective memory, and I think this book is a testament to that." Brenes recently presented the book to the Centro Cultural e Histórico José Figueres Ferrer in San Ramón. He said it will soon be available at different bookstores or can be ordered via email. The book's prologue, written by local anthropologist Fernando González, outlines the way Brenes is able to draw upon a lifetime of shared stories and filter them through his unique imagination. "Anecdotal events occur every day in communities and social groups," González said. "The majority go unnoticed or reduced to family circles. Only a few transcend time and generations – and like different stories and legends – they form part of the cultural heritage and identity of the peoples."
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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 Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 39 | |
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 Christine Rieck-Sonntag graphics
Sketches show some of the steps
in collecting clay and molding it into a finished project for sale. |
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| New book for kids aims to promote the Chorotega pottery
heritage |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Chorotega pottery tradition has existed for perhaps more than 2,000 years, but soon a fictional iguana will lend a claw to keep it going. The iguana, Igo, is the character created by German artist and writer Christine Rieck-Sonntag. The book is designed for children, and children, appropriately, are the subject matter of some of the graphics. The book is being showcased by the Ecomuseo de la Cerámica Chorotega de San Vicente de Nicoya and the Museo Nacional. The writer's goal and that of the museums is to bring local children closer to the ceramic art of their parents and ancestors and to motivate them to preserve the cultural inheritance, according to the museums. The museum workers outlined the goal in an announcement Monday about the inauguration of the book, which will be Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Museo Nacional. The Aztecs had Chorotega pottery on their tables, as did MesoAmerican cultures before them. The region, which includes Guaitil de Santa Cruz and las Pozas de Nicoya, as well as Sam Vicente, benefits from an excellent clay material for making pottery. The entire area has been declared a national heritage region, and the locally run San Vicente museum displays the history. Ms. Rieck-Sonntag is an internationally known artist who has had her works displayed in museums the world over. She also has received many awards. Income from the book will benefit the local museum. In the book the iguana is upset because humans are taking the special San Vicente soils where iguanas put their eggs. To find out why, Igo visits the artists' workshops in the town. Help is provided by a little local girl. During the trip, the iguana learns the ways of mixing the clay, molding the pots or vases, painting them and then firing them. The text stresses the importance of this local artistic tradition. |
 Ecomuseo de la Cerámica Chorotega de
San Vicente photo
A typical display of Chorotega
pottery for sale at a fair. |
| Solís promises to end under-the-table deals in
tourism industry |
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By
Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Even though Costa Rica still leads the way in tourism over its Central American neighbors, Luis Guillermo Solís insists that the profitable sector can improve under his watch. The presidential candidate met with the Cámara Costarricense de Hoteles Monday to answer questions and lay out his administration's blueprint for making the country's tourism industry even more competitive. "We believe tourism is one of the most important issues to address for this country," said the Partido Acción Ciudadana candidate. "It's a small country. However it has the ability to attract a lot of people." Solís laid out a few goals that will need to be met in order to boost tourism numbers. A better economy, more efficient transactions between public and private sectors, improved management with less corruption, and advanced treatment of water and energy were listed among his top priorities. "We have a responsibility to bring tourism to an even stronger level," Solís said. Rubén Pacheco, current president of the Cámara and former minister of Turismo, gave a powerpoint presentation to Solís and a small audience of his supporters and press members. Costa Rica generates over a quarter of the tourism arrivals in the region, but numbers have dropped since 2008 and the economic tailspin. Solís blamed recent backwards steps on poor infrastructure and governmental neglect. According to him, there has been too much money going under the table and not enough set aside for developing the industry's investments. "We can be a responsible government," he said. "We will fight against this corruption." He pointed out a priority on cultivating more successful communication between governmental agencies and private tourism-based companies. In using a spaghetti bowl as an analogy, he said such a necessary collaboration is not possible without all its essential ingredients. This additional support, Solís added, will increase jobs throughout the country, especially for the somewhat marginalized demographics of women and children. Costa Rica has recently dipped to 47th internationally in terms of travel and tourism competitiveness, according to the World Economic Forum. Guidelines for the rankings include regulation, state of businesses and infrastructure, and availability of human, cultural, and national resources. Panamá moved up to the 37th slot, |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Michael Krumholtz
Luis
Guillermo Solís discusses tourism with those in the industry.
jumping over Costa Rica in the most recent index. The neighbor to the south provides a cheaper alternative for traveling, but continues to undergo problems with its water and environmental provisions. "I love Panamá, and I respect Panamá," Solís said. "But its environmental treatment has been one of the worst." He reassured the crowd that under his administration Costa Rica would continue to live up to its billing as an environmentally focused destination, saying water and electric are fundamental areas to improve. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 39 | |||||
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| Plastic trash in oceans harbor possibly dangerous microbes,
study says |
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By
the American Geophysical Union news staff
Scientists are revealing how microbes living on floating pieces of plastic marine debris affect the ocean ecosystem, and the potential harm they pose to invertebrates, humans and other animals. New research delves deeper into the largely unexplored world of what is being called Plastisphere, an ecological community of microbial organisms living on ocean plastic that was first discovered last year. When scientists initially studied the Plastisphere, they found that at least 1,000 different types of microbes thrive on these tiny plastic islands and that they might pose a risk to larger animals, including invertebrates and humans. The original studies also showed that the Plastisphere’s inhabitants included bacteria known to cause diseases in animals and humans. Since then, researchers have been trying to figure out why these potentially dangerous bacteria live on the Plastisphere, how they got there and how they are affecting the surrounding ocean. New evidence suggests that colonizers form detectable clusters on the plastic in minutes. Other findings indicate that some types of harmful bacteria favor plastics more than others. And, scientists are exploring if fish or other ocean animals may be helping these pathogens thrive by ingesting the plastic. That could allow bacteria to acquire additional nutrients as they pass through the guts of the fish, said Tracy Mincer, an associate scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Revealing this information could help scientists better understand how much of a potential threat these harmful bacteria pose and the role the Plastisphere plays in the larger ocean ecosystem, including its potential to alter nutrients in the water. That information could also help reduce the impact of plastic pollution in the ocean, Ms. Mincer said. For instance plastics manufacturers could learned how to make their products so they degrade at an optimal rate, she added. |
 SEA Education Association/Erik Zettler,
Greg Boyd holds foam floats
containing invertebrates and microbes. The floats were recovered from
the ocean.“One of the benefits of understanding the Plastisphere right now and how it interacts with biota in general, is that we are better able to inform materials scientists on how to make better materials and, if they do get out to sea, have the lowest impact possible,” said Ms. Mincer, who discovered the Plastisphere last year along with Linda Amaral-Zettler at the Marine Biological Laboratory and Erik Zettler at the SEA Education Association, both also in Woods Hole. |
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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, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 39 | |||||
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| Supreme Court hears case for expanded EPA controls By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An environmental case now before the U.S. Supreme Court could have constitutional implications for the powers of the presidency. The nine-member Supreme Court appeared divided Monday during oral arguments in a case related to the power of the federal government to limit greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. At issue is whether the executive branch, through the Environmental Protection Agency, is overstepping its bounds by expanding regulation of greenhouse gas emissions to include not just vehicles, but stationary sources such as power plants and factories. Shannon Goessling is with the Southeastern Legal Foundation, which represents business groups and Republican lawmakers who oppose the Obama administration’s efforts to broaden the regulations. “But what about down the road when you have an executive branch that abuses its authority? And that is what we really need to get into check in the whole area of checks and balances," she said. "We need to get restraint and the judiciary and the United States Supreme Court is the last place for that." The Supreme Court case comes at a time when President Barack Obama has repeatedly said that he will act on his own, rather than try to push legislation through Congress only to have it blocked by Republicans. “I am eager to work with Congress whenever I can find opportunities to expand opportunities for more families," he said. "But wherever I can act on my own without Congress, by using my pen to take executive actions or picking up the phone and rallying folks around a common cause, that is what I am going to do." Environmental groups and many Democrats support the EPA’s efforts to target global warming. American University Law School Professor Bill Snape, who is with the Center for Biological Diversity, attended Monday’s oral arguments. “I think actually more is at stake politically because the perception that the president is somehow overstepping his bounds, and I think the far-right has been very upset about that, was a subscript in this case today," said Snape. Snape says a number of environmental groups are closely watching the case before the Supreme Court, both for its political and policy implications. “I do not think that EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases is at issue," he said. "I think the issue is how and if they can issue particular permits to particular industries. That is very much at issue, and we will just have to wait, probably until June, to find out the answer." Some of the liberal justices on the high court appeared comfortable with EPA’s regulatory approach during Monday’s session, while some of the conservative justices appeared more skeptical. A Supreme Court ruling in the case is expected by the end of June. Obama seeks partnership with U.S. state governors By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama has urged the chief executives of the nation's states to partner with him to achieve key parts of his domestic agenda. The president and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a dinner for state governors Sunday, and Monday Obama and Vice President Joe Biden addressed them in the State Dining Room at the White House. Since he delivered his State of the Union Address, the president has focused on what he calls his Year of Action on jobs and the economy, and his Opportunity Agenda. That includes action to bring down unemployment, expand job training, improve the U.S. education system, and raise wages. In the absence of broader action by Congress, he has signed a series of executive orders designed to help create new jobs and help the middle class. "I am eager to work with Congress wherever I can," Obama said. "My hope is that despite this being an election year, that there will be occasions where both parties will determine that it makes sense to actually get some things done in this town. But wherever I can work on my own to expand opportunity for more Americans I am going to do that." Obama reprised his message that those at the top in the economy are doing very well, but many Americans continue to be squeezed and are struggling. He said Congress is unlikely to have an appetite for major jobs legislation, but the economy has opportunities for growth because global investors are increasingly looking at the United States, rather than China, something states can benefit from. Obama noted steps taken in six states to raise the minimum wage, another of his priorities, and progress enrolling more people for insurance under his health care reform, known as Obamacare. About a dozen governors spoke with reporters. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, a Republican, and Colorado's John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, stressed areas of agreement. "What the governors try to do is find areas of agreement," Ms. Fallin said. "For every place there is disagreement there are 10 places where we said, all right that we can work on," said Hickenlooper. But there also were signs of sharp political divisions over key issues. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, responded to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's criticism of President Obama. "There are things we can do, instead of waving the white flag of surrender, instead of declaring this economy to be a minimum wage economy, I think America can do better," Jindal, a Republican, said. "I don't know what the heck was a reference to a white flag when it comes to people making $404 a week. That is the most insane statement I ever heard," said Malloy. The president drew laughs Monday when he joked about ambitions many of the state leaders often have for higher office. "And I enjoyed watching some of you with your eyes on higher office, size up the drapes. And each other," he said. Gov. Fallin said Obama told the state chief executives he expects to make a decision in the next couple of months about the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would connect Canadian shale oil fields to U.S. Gulf of Mexico ports. George Wallace's daughter seeks racial reconciliation By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
February is Black History Month in the United States. A pivotal moment in that history happened 51 years ago, after two African-American students became the first to be admitted to an all-white university in the southern U.S. state of Alabama. The move came despite efforts by Alabama's then-governor, George Wallace, to prevent the school's integration in defiance of federal government orders. The daughter of the controversial governor is now speaking out about the dark chapters of civil rights history in a quest to promote racial harmony. "It stained Alabama, of course, but it stained him for the rest of his life," said Peggy Wallace, who recalls the painful legacies of her father and the mark he left on a racially-divided southern state five decades ago. Running as a segregationist, George Wallace took office in 1963, pledging to maintain a way of life in Alabama. "I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever," he said. At the height of the civil rights movement, Wallace defiantly defended state and local laws that sought to keep blacks and whites separated in schools, restaurants and many other public places. He gained worldwide attention when he tried to block two black students from attending the all-white University of Alabama. Peggy Wallace, just 13 years old at the time, recalls the impact of her father's actions. "The rest of the world, when they saw his name or a picture of him, there’s an asterisk by his name or picture: 'That’s the man who stood in the schoolhouse door, that blocked the two African-American students from entering that university,'” she said. Confronted by federal authorities with a court order, Wallace finally stepped aside, and the black students entered the school. Peggy Wallace married and raised a family rarely speaking about her father until the election of Barack Obama as the nation's first black president in 2008. "I decided that day that I had to do something, you know," she said. "I had to stand for something, leave a legacy to both of my children. And that was later on in my years, but I was able to find my own voice and step away from the shadow of the schoolhouse door." Now Ms. Wallace is doing all she can to erase the bigotry her father promoted by advocating racial tolerance. For the last several years, she has joined forces with black civil rights activists in commemorating a bloody siege on a bridge in Selma, Alabama. It's where her father ordered state police to brutally attack civil rights marchers. Crossing the bridge years later, Ms. Wallace even joined hands with Rep. John Lewis who was beaten by police there nearly 50 years ago. "They came toward us beating us with night sticks, tramping us with horses, releasing the tear gas. I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a night stick. I had a concussion at the bridge. I thought I was going to die," Lewis said. "Well for me, it was that journey with John Lewis, it was a turning point for me in my life," she said. "He teaches and lives love and reconciliation, and I don’t think I’m rubbing anything off the asterisk but I would like to think that." Peggy Wallace is now writing a book about coming out of the shadows of her father's legacy. She also speaks to young people hoping to foster racial reconciliation, not the bigotry her father promoted in the 1960s. U.S. Defense secretary gives outline of military budget cuts By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has unveiled the largest cuts to the U.S. Army since before World War II. The Obama administration has for years spoken of a need for a smaller, more agile force. Monday Hagel laid out the budgetary blueprint for it. He said this is a time for reality at the Department of Defense, which now is required to bring its budget down to $496 billion from a high of nearly $700 billion at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "This will be the first budget to fully reflect the transition DoD is making after 13 years of war, the longest conflict in our nation's history," he said. But the cuts go far beyond what the Pentagon was spending before the two conflicts. They include slashing an entire fleet of Cold War era A-10 attack jets originally meant for striking Soviet tanks and trimming the number of Army troops from the post-9/11 peak of 570,000 to between 440,000 and 450,000 - the lowest since 1940. In addition to the Army, other services including the Marines are taking cuts. At the same time, Hagel told reporters the Pentagon wants to continue to shift its focus to the Asia-Pacific region, and to boost special operations forces and cyber defenses. "We chose further reductions in troop strength and force structure in every military service, active and reserve, in order to sustain our readiness and technological superiority and to protect critical capabilities," he said. Hagel's recommendations come despite opposition by some generals who argue the U.S. still needs the infrastructure to be able to fight two wars at the same time. Veterans groups also oppose reductions to soldiers' benefits. The proposed cuts still need to be approved by Congress, where Hagel is likely to encounter stiff resistance by those who argue that such deep reductions will result in a weaker military that is unable to deal with rising threats from adversaries like China and a continuing war against militants in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Polio-like illness hits 20 children in California By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A mysterious polio-like illness has affected at least five children in the western U.S. state of California. Researchers say the cases were first reported by doctors in 2012. The children all have paralysis of one or more arms or legs, and their symptoms have not improved much, despite treatment. All of the children had been vaccinated against polio. Health officials say as many as 20 children may have been affected so far. Polio has been eradicated from the United States and most of the rest of the world, but other viruses can also injure the spine, leading to paralysis. Researcher Keith Van Haren of Stanford University in California says that in the past 10 years several strains of enterovirus have been linked to polio-like outbreaks among children in Australia and other parts of Asia. A report on the U.S. outbreak will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Philadelphia in April. Dogs sense human feelings, MRI investigation shows By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Researchers in Hungary have confirmed something many dog owners have long suspected: that canines understand human feelings. Using a magnetic resonance scanner, or MRI, scientists found that when it comes to emotions, dogs' brains are similar to those of humans. Dogs are usually not relaxed in a lab environment, but with a little petting and lots of treats they can be trained to sit still even in an MRI scanner. That’s how researchers in Hungary’s ELTE University were able to get images of their brains at work. Research fellow Attila Andics says it helped them better understand the dogs’ relationship with humans. “We have known for a long time that dogs and humans share similar social environment, but now our results show that dogs and humans also have similar brain mechanisms to process social information," said Andics. After training 11 dogs to stay motionless while their brains were scanned, the researchers checked their neurological responses to about 200 emotionally significant sounds, from whining and crying to playful barking and laughing. They then compared the responses from human subjects. They found striking similarities. Andics says it opens new possibilities for research. “It establishes a foundation of a new branch of comparative neuroscience, because until now it was not possible to measure the brain activities of a non-primate and the primate brain in a single experiment," said Andics. The canine mind is also being studied at Duke University, in North Carolina. Co-Director of the school's Canine Cognition Center, Evan MacLean, says that the Hungarian results are an important step forward. “We’ve known for a long time that dogs have a lot of behavioral similarities compared to humans. But we don’t know anything or very little at least about whether some of these behaviors are represented similarly inside the brain of the dog, so this research is providing a first glimpses to whether these behavioral similarities are underlined by similar neural processes," said MacLean. And what that tells ordinary dog owners, the Hungarian scientists say, is to treat canine companions as friends, not mere animals, because they evidently understand human feelings. U.N. seeks to see what's next after Millennium deadline By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United Nations has begun laying the groundwork for initiatives that will help improve the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable people after its 15-year plan, called Millennium Development Goals, ends in 2015. The U.N. launched the Millennium Development Goals project in 2000. Member states agreed to work together on efforts to significantly reduce extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease. "There is nothing inevitable about inequality," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "Our shared goal should aim at taking practical steps to remove this formidable barrier to development and human dignity," he said. Ban commented in a message marking World Day of Social Justice Thursday. In his statement, he underscored that social justice is crucial to continued efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and shape a post-2015 agenda. Government, businesses and international organizations have joined the U.N. in formulating the post-2015 agenda, which focuses on issues including economic development and sustainability. Ban laid the groundwork for the new agenda in January 2012 when he established a U.N. Task Team that would support plans for a post-2015 agenda. In a June 2012 report, the team put forth recommendations that include establishing an integrated policy approach to ensure inclusive economic development and working to ensure inclusive social development in countries. U.N., government and business leaders discussed those goals at a recent meeting hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. At the meeting, U.S. presidential adviser John Podesta said a much better job needs to be done in connecting the poorest of the poor to economic and social resources. “We cannot expect the poor to raise themselves up if they cannot open a bank account, if they cannot hold their inherent land, if they have no legal identity or if they are cut off from crucial infrastructure, like schools, roads, electricities, access to primary care," he said. Podesta said poor people are in need of what he called connectivity. “Connectivity broadly encompasses issues like access to health care, education and job opportunities, connections to physical, financial and energy infrastructure and the opportunity to actively participate in the civic and economic lives of their countries,” he said. Georg Kell is executive director of the U.N. Global Compact, a corporate initiative that seeks to align business operations with efforts to support human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption initiatives. Kell said responsive governing is a key component of efforts to help developing countries. “This is the big catalytic thing," he said. "If we miss out on this one, I think, we miss out on the historic opportunity that we have,” he said. Kell said private companies are becoming increasingly interested in supporting post-2015 goals because they realize that public interests and private businesses' interests are becoming more intertwined. He said businesses realize their opportunities for growth will be limited in regions where there is a poor skills base or basic natural resources are at risk. Volcanoes getting the blame for halt in global warming By
the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
news staff Volcanic eruptions in the early part of the 21st century have cooled the planet, according to a study led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This cooling partly offset the warming produced by greenhouse gases. Despite continuing increases in atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases, and in the total heat content of the ocean, global-mean temperatures at the surface of the planet and in the troposphere (the lowest portion of the Earth's atmosphere) have shown relatively little warming since 1998. This so-called slow-down or hiatus has received considerable scientific, political and popular attention. The volcanic contribution to the slow-down is the subject of a new paper appearing in an edition this week of the journal Nature Geoscience. Volcanic eruptions inject sulfur dioxide gas into the atmosphere. If the eruptions are large enough to add sulfur dioxide to the stratosphere above the troposphere, the gas forms tiny droplets of sulfuric acid, also known as volcanic aerosols. These droplets reflect some portion of the incoming sunlight back into space, cooling the Earth's surface and the lower atmosphere. "In the last decade, the amount of volcanic aerosol in the stratosphere has increased, so more sunlight is being reflected back into space," said Lawrence Livermore climate scientist Benjamin Santer, who serves as lead author of the study. "This has created a natural cooling of the planet and has partly offset the increase in surface and atmospheric temperatures due to human influence." From 2000 to 2012, emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere have increased as they have done since the Industrial Revolution. This human-induced change typically causes the troposphere to warm and the stratosphere to cool. In contrast, large volcanic eruptions cool the troposphere and warm the stratosphere. The researchers report that early 21st century volcanic eruptions have contributed to this recent warming hiatus, and that most climate models have not accurately accounted for this effect. "The recent slow-down in observed surface and tropospheric warming is a fascinating detective story," Santer said. "There is not a single culprit, as some scientists have claimed. Multiple factors are implicated. One is the temporary cooling effect of internal climate noise. Other factors are the external cooling influences of 21st century volcanic activity, an unusually low and long minimum in the last solar cycle, and an uptick in Chinese emissions of sulfur dioxide. "The real scientific challenge is to obtain hard quantitative estimates of the contributions of each of these factors to the slow-down." The researchers performed two different statistical tests to determine whether recent volcanic eruptions have cooling effects that can be distinguished from the intrinsic variability of the climate. The team found evidence for significant correlations between volcanic aerosol observations and satellite-based estimates of lower tropospheric temperatures as well as the sunlight reflected back to space by the aerosol particles. "This is the most comprehensive
observational evaluation of the role of volcanic activity on climate in
the early part of the 21st century," said co-author Susan Solomon, a
professor of atmospheric chemistry and climate science at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. "We assess the contributions of volcanoes on
temperatures in the
troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, and find they've
certainly played some role in keeping the Earth cooler."
The research is funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Science in the Office of Science. Forgetting something can be linked to . . . By the University of Kentucky news staff
A recent study suggests that self-reported memory complaints might predict clinical memory impairment later in life. Erin Abner, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, asked 3,701 men aged 60 and higher a simple question: "Have you noticed any change in your memory since you last came in?" That question led to some interesting results. "It seems that subjective memory complaint can be predictive of clinical memory impairment," Ms. Abner said. "Other epidemiologists have seen similar results, which is encouraging, since it means we might really be on to something." The results are meaningful because it might help identify people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease sooner. "If the memory and thinking lapses people notice themselves could be early markers of risk for Alzheimer’s disease, we might eventually be able to intervene earlier in the aging process to postpone and or reduce the effects of cognitive memory impairment." Ms. Abner, who is also a member of the faculty in the university's Department of Epidemiology, took pains to emphasize that her work shouldn’t necessarily worry everyone who’s ever forgotten where they left their keys. "I don't want to alarm people," she said. "It’s important to distinguish between normal memory lapses and significant memory problems, which usually change over time and affect multiple aspects of daily life." U.S. reservists used aircraft tainted by dioxin, study says By
the Elsevier publishers news staff
From 1971 to 1982 some Air Force reservists were exposed to greater levels of dioxin than previously acknowledged, according to a study published this week in Environmental Research. The reservists were those who flew in about 34 dioxin-contaminated aircraft used to spray Agent Orange that were returned to the U.S. following discontinuation of the herbicide spraying operations in the Vietnam war, “These findings are important because they describe a previously unrecognized source of exposure to dioxin that has health significance to those who engaged in the transport work using these aircraft,” says lead investigator Peter A. Lurker, an environmental engineer with many years of experience evaluating environmental exposures in the U.S. Air Force. During the Vietnam war in an operation known as Operation Ranch Hand approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides, including around 10.5 million gallons of dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange, were sprayed by about 34 C-123 aircraft. These aircraft were subsequently returned to the U.S. and were used by Air Force reserve units between 1971 and 1982 for transport operations. After many years without monitoring, tests revealed the presence of dioxin. All but three of the aircraft were smelted down in 2009. The Air Force and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have previously denied benefits to these crew members. Current policies stipulate that non-biologically available dried residues of chemical herbicides and dioxin would not have led to meaningful exposures to flight crew and maintenance personnel, who are therefore ineligible for Agent Orange-related benefits or medical examinations and treatment. Researchers estimated dioxin levels using algorithms developed by the U.S. Army and data derived from surface wipe samples collected from aircraft used in Operation Ranch Hand. They compared estimates with available guidelines and standards and discuss the implications with respect to current Air Force and Veterans Administration policies. These models suggest that the potential for dioxin exposure to personnel working in the aircraft post-Vietnam is greater than previously believed and that inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption were likely to have occurred during the post-Vietnam use of the aircraft by aircrew and maintenance staff. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 39 | |||||||||
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 Panthera photo/Steve Winter
These cats are getting more
protection.Belize, jaguar
organization
sign accord to protect cats By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Significant strides have been made in preserving the panther within the
borders of Belize, according to wild cat conservation organization
Panthera. An agreement signed by Lisela Alamilla, the environmental minister, and Alan Rabinowitz, the executive director of Panthera, signifies an initiative to preserve and maintain the jaguar and its natural habitat in Belize, the organization said. Rabinowitz said this latest agreement between his conservation group and a Latin American state proves that these governments share their concern for protecting endangered species. “This is the sixth conservation agreement for the jaguar that Panthera has signed with a Latin American government,” he said. “Our group will continue working, country- by-country, to build alliances with each of the nations that inhabit jaguars.” The jaguar species is found from Mexico to Argentina, a range that includes 18 different countries. Panthera’s Jaguar Corridor Initiative, which involves 13 of those nations, depends on fieldwork to assess specific areas where jaguars live and determining how to maintain these grounds and connect jaguar populations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classifies the jaguar as near threatened because of the fast declining numbers. Belize has long been known for its work towards helping jaguar populations, as it is home to the first ever sanctuary tailored to the big cat, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the release from Panthera noted. “The jaguar is an emblematic species of Belize,” Ms. Alamilla said in the announcement. “Its survival depends on our effort in the search for solutions that protect the interest of the people and the habitat.” |
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| From Page 7: Most mobil phone users say they're satisfied By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Most Costa Ricans and residents are satisfied with the quality of their mobil telephone provider. The company Demoscopia did a survey for the Superintendencia de Telecomunicacines and reported that customer satisfaction runs from 70.8 percent for Kolbi, the brand of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, to 81.6 percent for Fullmóvil. Some 79.4 percent of Claro customers said they were satisfied with the quality, as did 76.9 percent of Tuyo Móvil customers and 77.5 percent of Movistar clients. The survey firm talked to at least 1,000 customers of each company for a total of 5,038 contacts. Quality basically meant no frequent outages, including in using the Internet. The survey also established that 40.3 percent of the users have what the Superintendencia called intelligent devices. And 80.2 percent reported that they had connection speeds greater than one megabit per second. Some 90 percent of the telephones are of types that have been approved for use by the Superintendencia and contain a system to block the phone if it is lost or stolen, said the agency. |
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