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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 42 | |||||||||
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As expected,
lawmakers
give final OK to tobacco ban By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The legislature approved for the second and final time Monday a law to forbid smoking in most public and private locations. The vote was 45 to 2. The action was expected because the measure had been approved overwhelmingly in an initial vote, and the country already said it would take this action when it ratified an international treaty against smoking in 2008. The law, when signed by President Laura Chinchilla, will take about 18 months to go into effect. Then there will be stiff fines for persons who smoke in forbidden places. And these are about anywhere someone may be except the open air and their own home. Those who dare smoke in a forbidden location face fines. The average citizen or resident who is caught smoking in a prohibited place will face a fine of 15 percent of a base salary, which now is 316,200 colons. So the fine would be a bit more than 47,000 colons or about $94. The proposed law prohibits advertising related to tobacco products. And cigarette packages have to have 50 percent of the outside space dedicated to health messages. Also prohibited is the Costa Rican tradition of selling cigarettes one at a time. This is common at vendor stands in urban areas. When the measure goes into effect, the minimum purchase will be 10 cigarettes. Administrators of businesses where illegal smoking is found are subject to a fine of 50 percent of a base salary. That also goes for those using a method of sale, such as the Internet, where they cannot verify that the purchaser is an adult. The same fine is specified for anyone who sells cigarettes in quantities less than 10 and anyone who does so through a vending machine. Business operators also have to put up and maintain posters that say smoking is illegal. The measure also provides for health services to help those addicted to tobacco. Also covered are smokeless tobaccos, such as snuff. The measure also imposes a special tobacco tax, which is 20 colons for each cigarette, cigar or other type of tobacco. Some 60 percent of the tax will go to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social to support anti-tobacco programs and cancer treatments. Some 20 percent will go to the Ministerio de Salud to support its obligations under the law. And 15 percent is earmarked for the Instituto sobre Alcoholismo y Farmacodependencia. The Instituto Costarricense del Deportes y la Recreación gets 5 percent.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 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 Third
News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 42 | |
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Jo Stuart |
 A.M.
Costa Rica/Shahrazad Encinias Vela
Alex Barbosa and Adrian Gómez work on the mural in the shadow of the Iglesia de La Dolorosa. |
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| San
José ceramic mural will honor La Virgen de los Ángeles |
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By
Shahrazad Encinias Vela
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Art in San José is a common sight along the streets, on walls, as free-standing sculptures and in parks. The municipality of San José has set up a program for art in public spaces where national artists get a chance to contribute to the Costa Rican capital. Along Calle Central and Avenida 12 sits the Iglesia de La Dolorosa. Across from the church is a park of the same name where the next big city art project already has started. It's a black and white 1.90-meter by 6-meter ceramic porcelain mural. It's a two-sided mural but only one side is currently in progress. That's about 6 feet, three inches by 19 feet, eight inches. The south side of the mural is dedicated to the Costa Rican patroness La Virgen de los Ángeles by artist Juan Manuel Sánchez. He is also known as El Indio Sánchez, said the project director Adrian Gómez. Sánchez is a Tico, well-known for his sculptures and drawings. Gómez worked on cutting tile into little pieces to be cemented onto the wall. At his feet was a sketch of what is supposed to go on the wall. There were deer, trees, a red sun, and a little girl, the one who found the famous statue of the Virgen at a spring |
in what is now Cartago. That was in
the 17th century. Gómez said the project would take about a month and a half to complete. He said his team of three has three weeks of work into it. They built the wall and have started the mural. They are working from the outside in. The process of the wall is interesting, said Gómez because it curves like a flag waving in the wind. There is supposed to be an idea of movement, said Gómez. And the fact that both sides of the wall will have different designs in black and white will make the passersby look twice, he said. The north side of the mural is still just a sketch based on a rural scene in the mountains by Costa Rican artist Kike Quiros. “Many would have drawn out the sketch and began cementing the pieces together, but we have used another method,” said Gómez. He and his crew have divided the space into quadrants. Gómez said this method is supposed to be more precise. There are three steps to the project, Gómez said. There is the construction of the wall, which is complete. Second, is putting on the porcelain ceramic. That is the job still in progress. And finally they are grouting where the spaces between the ceramic pieces are filled. |
| Plans for grain terminal at Puerto de
Caldera clears major hurdle |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Contraloría de la República, the financial watchdog, has given a go ahead to a $30 million grain terminal at the Puerto de Caldera. This project has been in the planning stages for years. The project is a joint one between the Sociedad Portuaria Granelera de Caldera and the Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico. The Contraloría said that there still are many decisions to be made, such as the exact location, the need for dredging, the design, the percentage of participation and a trust to pay for the work. Still, the executive branch praised the decision, which came after court appeals and other complexities. Francisco J. Jiménez, minister of Obras Públicas y Transportes, said that the terminal would increase the competitivity of the port. The government hopes that the terminal will expedite the |
exportation of
grains, perhaps to China and other points in Asia. Work is expected to begin in six months if the details can be resolved, officials said. Construction will require about 250 workers, giving a boost to the Puntarenas area. Although the terminal is mainly for grain ships, the facility could be used for other types of vessels in an emergency, officials said. The aim of the project is to eliminate the congestion at the Puerto de Caldera where ships sometimes await unloading and loading for days. The new terminal will be able to handle five ships at once and ships with a capacity of up to 42,000 metric tons, said a summary from the ministry. All major governmental projects have to be passed upon by the Contraloría. The terminal does not win praise from everyone. Some rice farmers fear that the facility will be used to import cheaper foreign products that will compete with the local harvests. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 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 |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 42 | |||||
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| Rising motorcycle death toll causes
officials to express concern |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Four persons died over the weekend in motorcycle accidents. In one crash two motorcycles collided head on in Pococí de Limón, and both drivers died. In Coronado, a motorcycle driver was traveling at high speed when his vehicle collided with a passenger car. Motorcycle drivers protested in front of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros over increases in vehicle insurance last month. Eventually the increase was reduced. However, the Dirección General de Tránsito and the Consejo Seguridad Vial pointed out Monday that 25 percent of the |
traffic deaths in 2011
were motorcyclists. In January seven died, 23 percent of the
fatalities, the agencies said. The agencies blamed motorcyclists for not obeying the law. Some do not wear helmets or use reflective vests. Some carry two other persons on the machine. Sometimes the passengers are children on their way to school, officials said. In the Pococí crash each motorcycle carried a passenger. Although they were thrown from the machine as were the drivers, each survived. The traffic police agency said that it would be giving more attention to motorcycles in an effort to reduce the accidents. |
| English-speaking scammer embelishes his
fake tale of woe |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The scammer who speaks perfect English has put together a better story. Earlier this month he told those he encountered on the street a tale of woe about how a taxi driver ran off with his luggage. Lately, according to a reader, he claims he was surrounded by six transvestites who robbed him at knife point of his luggage, wallet, money, credit cards, and passport. The well-known scammer encountered the reader, a tourist from Long Island, New York, on Rohrmoser Boulevard about 200 meters east of Plaza Mayor Saturday, the reader said. “Randy claims he’s been to the U.S. Embassy to get a new passport, but due to the Patriot Act, it will take him two business days to get one,” said the reader. “He just needs some money to stay at a $13/night youth hostel till he can get |
everything
straightened out and fly home on March 6th. And he adds, if I can
help
him with something for food, he’d appreciate it.” The reader did not make a donation and later conversed with other expats who told him Randy was a small-time scammer. One expat has heard the same story, the reader said. “He’s about 6-foot tall, maybe 220 pounds, dark curly hair, and tattooed 'Randy' on the upper right arm,” said the reader. “There was a slight tear in the right sleeve of the shirt he wore. He claimed that one of the transvestites nicked him with the knife.” “My sense is that he’s operating in the general Sabana Park area, due to the density of tourists and expats there,” said the reader. However, a reporter encountered the man earlier near Hospital Calderón Guardia in east San José. Although this type of begging is small-time, such encounters sometimes become a major street crime. |
| More help expected to fight brush fire at
Chirripó national park |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A brush fire in the Parque Nacional Chirripó burned at least two to three hectares Monday, some five to 7.5 acres. Some 20 members of the Brigada de Bomberos Forestal from San Jerónimo responded to the 5 a.m. alarm. Fire fighters |
feared that the blaze would take off
due to high winds. The difficult access to the area caused problems for fire fighters, they said The fire fighters have established a command post at the park and expect more help, including Costa Rican firemen, today. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 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. 28, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 42 | |||||||||
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| Life
without numbers can restrict thought, study says By
the University of Miami news staff
Most people learn to count when they are children. Yet surprisingly, not all languages have words for numbers. A recent study published in the journal of Cognitive Science shows that a few tongues lack number words and as a result, people in these cultures have a difficult time performing common quantitative tasks. The findings add new insight to the way people acquire knowledge, perception and reasoning. The Piraha people of the Amazon are a group of about 700 semi-nomadic people living in small villages of about 10 to 15 adults, along the Maici River, a tributary of the Amazon. According to University of Miami anthropological linguist Caleb Everett, the Piraha are surprisingly unable to represent exact amounts. Their language contains just three imprecise words for quantities: Hòi means “small size or amount,” hoì, means “somewhat larger amount,” and baàgiso indicates to “cause to come together, or many.” Linguists refer to languages that do not have number specific words as anumeric. “The Piraha is a really fascinating group because they are really only one of two groups in the world that are totally anumeric,” says Everett, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the university's College of Arts and Sciences. “This is maybe one of the most extreme cases of language actually restricting how people think.” His study “Quantity Recognition Among Speakers of an Anumeric Language” demonstrates that number words are essential tools of thought required to solve even the simplest quantitative problems, such as one-to-one correspondence. “I’m interested in how the language you speak affects the way that you think,” says Everett. “The question here is what tools like number words really allows us to do and how they change the way we think about the world.” The work was motivated by contradictory results on the numerical performance of the Piraha. An earlier article reported the people incapable of performing simple numeric tasks with quantities greater than three, while another showed they were capable of accomplishing such tasks. Everett repeated all the field experiments of these two previous studies. The results indicated that the Piraha could not consistently perform simple mathematical tasks. For example, one test involved 14 adults in one village that were presented with lines of spools of thread and were asked to create a matching line of empty rubber balloons. The people were not able to do the one-to-one correspondence, when the numbers were greater than two or three. Correa decides to pardon newsmen facing prison By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa says he is pardoning three newspaper executives and a former columnist who had been convicted of libeling him, sentenced to jail and fined $40 million. The sentences against the El Universo officials and former opinion page editor Emilio Palacio had drawn widespread criticism from rights groups as a blow to freedom of speech in Ecuador. The libel case stemmed from a column Palacio wrote last year calling Correa a dictator and alleging that the president had told troops to fire without warning on a hospital during a police uprising against him. Earlier this month, the three-year sentences and hefty fine against the newspaper executives and Palacio were upheld by Ecuador's national court of justice, and the four men sought asylum in the United States and Panamá. Correa told a national TV audience Monday he knows that some of his countrymen "do not want any concessions to those who do not deserve it." Nonetheless, he said he had decided to use his power to grant pardons to forgive them. The president said he was eliminating the sentences "that they deservedly received." The leftist president said the four were correct that there was a dictatorship in Ecuador, but that it was what he described as "the dictatorship of the media." In a separate case, Correa said he also is pardoning two journalists who had been fined $1 million apiece for libeling him in a book over allegations that he knew his older brother had illegally been awarded public contracts. Upturn in U.S. jobs, housing predicted by national study By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The battered U.S. housing and job markets are improving as uncertainty about economic forecasts declines, according to a just-published study by dozens of key economists. Other research shows growing confidence could translate into more business investment and jobs. Forty-five experts who analyze economic issues for major companies say a flurry of mostly upbeat economic reports means U.S. unemployment and job creation are getting better. Members of the National Association for Business Economics say they expect the U.S. jobless rate to average 8.3 percent for this year, which is six-tenths of a percentage point better than their prediction just a few months ago. Shawn DuBravac of the association said companies are encouraged by growing confidence in economic forecasts, and willing to bet on future economic growth. U.S. companies have hundreds of billions of dollars in reserve that could be used to increase business investment and hiring, according to a recent study by University of Maryland economists including Jeff Werling. Werling said companies were badly stung by the recession, however, and have been slow to consider new investments. “From the perspective of the consumer and some corporations, the financial crisis dealt their balance sheets such a blow that they just can not get there yet," he said. Werling’s research was conducted for a U.N. agency. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M.
Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
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| San
José,
Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 42 |
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Latin America news |
near Parque la Sabana By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Traffic engineers have eliminated two right turns that would put motorists on the way to the Autopista General Cañas. One is at Soda Tapia and the other is at the northwest corner of Parque la Sabana. The change was made Saturday at 5 a.m. but just announced Monday. The reason for the change is because two pedestrian crossings have been installed and westbound motorists turning right would cross where pedestrians are walking. The highway that runs along the north side of Parque la Sabana is Calle 42. Signs are being installed to show motorists the way, and traffic police are assisting. Soft drink firm reports income increase over 2010 Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
The Mexican soft drink firm Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., better known as FEMSA, announced Monday that consolidated total revenues grew 24 percent and income from operations grew 24.9 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. Coca-Cola FEMSA income from operations increased 27.9 percent driven by double-digit operating income growth in the South America and Mexico & Central America divisions, including the integration of Grupo Tampico and CIMSA in Mexico. Four held after invasion at home in Atenas By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers detained four persons after bandits invaded an Atenas home and took valuables. The invasion took place about 11 p.m. Sunday in the Desmonte sector, police said. A resident with the last name of Jiménez said that four armed men broke in, threatened him and made off with small appliances, personal items and his vehicle. He was able to get the plate number of the bandit's vehicle, police said Police officers were able to locate the two vehicles and detain the passengers. They said they confiscated a .38-caliber pistol. Commercial longlines banned for fishing event By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rican officials are closing the Pacific off Carrillo to commercial longline operations for this weekend's Presidential Challenge of Costa Rica tournament. The action by the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuacultura is being hailed as groundbreaking. The decision creates a temporal exclusive zone for sport fishing only up to 40 miles offshore, said the Billfish Foundation, the tournament sponsor. |
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