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| Johnny Araya announces he is concluding his presidential campaign | |
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By Jay Brodell
editor of A.M. Costa Rica Posted at 2:05 p.m. Johnny Araya Monge, the candidate for president, said this afternoon that he was concluding his campaign. That means Luis Guillermo Solís of the Partido Acción Ciudadana will be the next president May 8 unless a great surprise happens in the election runoff April 6. Araya of the Partido Liberacion Nacional, said he was following the wishes of the Costa Rican people in taking this step. He said that he wanted to avoid the massive expenditures of money for political advertising. Araya spoke at the Hotel Corobici where he arrived about 1:20 p.m. followed by supporters carrying a Costa Rican flag. The essence of his announcement had been expected. He was smiling and accompanied by his wife. Araya ducked questions from reporters and seated himself at a table. Perhaps emblematic of the entire campaign, as Araya reached the core of his announcement, he noticed that a principal microphone was not |
working. It never
did despite a delay while technicians checked out the device. Araya said that after the initial Feb. 2 vote where he was one of two finalists he had placed his fate in the hands of God. At no time did he say that he made the decision because polls showed he could not win April 6. Instead, he said he was taking the step for the good of the Costa Rican people and promised to work hard to strengthen his political party. He left the hotel without fielding questions. He made reference to some form of political accord between his party and Acción Ciudadana, but he did not elaborate. He said his party was committed to the path of development and of a social democracy. Araya was mostly smiling as were his supporters. Many stood behind him as he made his announcement. Araya said he was thankful that his party had gained the largest number of seats in the new legislature that takes office May 1. He thanks the Costa Rican people for this. Earlier in the day, Solís made reference to new poll results, but the specifics could not be obtained. Acción Ciudadana is considered further left than Liberación Nacional, which detractors consider the center of neo-liberal economic policies. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, March 5, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 45
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Foreign ministry statement
condemns Ukrainian invasion By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
with wire service reports Costa Rica has expressed its extreme preoccupation with the situation in the Ukraine. The foreign ministry said Tuesday that the country suffered a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity by foreign forces. The ministry stopped short of naming Russia as the invader. The ministry statement said that Costa Rica does not consider that any justification exists for this action and condemns it. The statement called for dialogue by the parties involved in the dispute and expressed the hope that the U.N. Security Council would impose peace. The North American Treaty Organization and Russia have agreed to meet today for talks on the crisis in Ukraine. That meeting, in Brussels, will be the first public contact between the Western defense alliance and Russia's envoys since its forces moved into Ukraine's Crimean peninsula late last week. NATO announced the extraordinary session Tuesday, saying it was requested by Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The alliance offered no further details. Members of NATO met earlier Tuesday at the request of Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine. Afterward, the alliance said the Russian military presence in Ukraine presents serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area." U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday called on Russia to open talks with the Ukraine’s interim government and to allow international monitors to determine whether ethnic Russians in Ukraine are under threat, as alleged by Moscow. Obama spoke in Washington, following a news conference in Moscow by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader defended his country's military intervention in the Crimean peninsula last week, saying he reserves the right to protect Russians in Ukraine. But he also insisted that gunmen blocking Ukrainian military units in the region are local self-defense forces, not Russian soldiers. President Obama countered that Moscow has no legal right to intervene militarily, while acknowledging that Putin "seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States would prefer to de-escalate tensions with Russia over Ukraine. Kerry, who visited Kyiv Tuesday, met Ukraine's interim leaders and announced a $1 billion economic package and technical assistance for the new government. He also condemned the presence of Russian troops in Crimea as an act of aggression. Meeting with reporters while in Kyiv, Kerry said diplomacy and respect for sovereignty, not unilateral force, can best resolve the dispute over Ukraine. European Union foreign ministers have issued a Thursday deadline for Putin to pull back his troops or face punitive measures. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow would retaliate against any sanctions. Crimea is a Black Sea peninsula placed under Ukrainian control in 1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It remained part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Crimea has a tiny border with Russia on its far eastern point, and the Crimean port of Sevastapol is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet. Most of the people living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, but the region also is home to ethnic Muslim Tatars, who generally show disdain for Russia. Ukraine's troubles began in November, when President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties and economic aid from Russia. The move triggered weeks of pro-Western anti-government demonstrations in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, and forced the pro-Russian Yanukovych to flee the capital in late February. Missing American woman being sought by investigators By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial investigators said late Tuesday that they were hoping
The judicial request was sketchy. There was no indication of where the woman was last seen, if she is a resident or a tourist or even the circumstances of her disappearance. Child care network receives approval for permanency By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The legislature voted unanimously Tuesday to provide a legal framework for the Chinchilla administration's Red Nacional de Cuido y Desarrollo Infantil. This is a program of child care and education that now includes some 32,000 youngsters mostly from poorer families. They are in 852 facilities. The lawmakers approved the measure on second reading, which means that the law only lacks President Laura Chinchilla signature. She is enthusiastic about the program. The law will provide permanency to the program after Ms. Chinchilla leaves office. The child care centers are all over the country and involve public, private and mixed facilities. The centers were set up so that women with children could work, go to school or be involved in some other activity that did not involve caring for their children for a time. The centers also provide food and pre-school education. The country has invested nearly $37 million in facilities for the child care network. Two-day meeting designed to chart tech course to 2021 By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
More than 100 academics, government officials and representatives of private enterprise will begin a two-day brainstorming session today to plan for the development of the country's science and technology through 2021. The sponsor is the Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Telecomunicaciones. The goal is to encourage innovation in Costa Rica, the ministry said. The participants will identify strategies and emerging technologies that might provide economic, environmental or social benefit for the country, said the ministry.
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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, Wednesday March 5, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 45 | |
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| Proponents of free and safe abortions say they plan a march
Saturday |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Proponents of legal, safe and free abortions plan a march Saturday, which happens to be the international day of women. The announcement of the 2 p.m. march from Parque Central bore the logos of more than 12 organizations. The announcement also said that there are 27,000 illegal abortions in Costa Rica each year and that a national survey found that 47 percent of the women said they did not want their last pregnancy. To require a woman to continue with an imposed pregnancy is cruel |
and sometimes
leads to suicides among young women, said the announcement. It called
for a woman to have autonomy, the right to health and physical
integrity. The announcement also said that political parties are using the bodies of women as a means of exchange in this election season. The announcement said that politicians are negotiating the rights of women for votes. Abortion has been a topic in the runoff election between Luis Guillermo Solís and Johnny Araya Monge. Both men have paid calls on religious leaders. March organizers have set up a Facebook page, which is HERE! |
| Just another average month with some 372 earthquakes
registered |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
There were 372 earthquakes under Costa Rican territory during the month of February. But just eight were strong enough to draw reports that residents felt one. As expected, the quakes are mostly to the west side of the country along the Pacific coast where tectonic plates push and shove continually. The Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica at Universidad Nacional said that the distribution of some quakes was in the vicinity of the strong Sept. 5, 2012, Nicoya quake and another Jan. 17. The felt quakes ranged from a magnitude of 2.2 to 4.6 during February. Two of the biggest were in the Pacific off Jacó. The Cocos tectonic plate continues to push under the lighter Caribbean plate, which is the reason for many of the country's quakes. The number of quakes is not unusual for a month. Quake investigators have installed systems of sensors that pick up the slightest trembling. Using them they hope some day to be able to be more precise in predictions. |
 Observatorio Vulcanológico y
Sismológico graphic
Red dots show the estimated
location of quake epicenters. |
| Smoking blamed in death of city man, 61, involved in house
fire |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A 61-year-old man is dead, and his smoking is being blamed by investigators as the reason his bed caught fire early Tuesday. The man, identified as José Antonio Marín Porras, lived in the Sagrada Familia section of San José. Judicial agents were first alerted about the house fire at 2 a.m. They said that when they arrived at Marín’s house they found the man already dead with |
severe burns over
his body. Eight other persons were said to be affected by the fire,
which produced water and smoke damage as well to an area measuring 127
square meters, according to the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Costa Rica. Fire fighters said they were able to salvage nearly 300 square meters from the flames. This is the third death due to fire so far this year in Costa Rica, said the Cuerpo de Bomberos. Last year 23 people died from fires. That was the highest annual toll since 2006. |
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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, Wednesday March 5, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 45 | |||||
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| Mexican police and drug gangs's use of social media explored
by expert |
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By
the Carnegie Mellon news staff
The recent arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has thrown an international media spotlight on Mexican drug cartels and the acts of violence associated with them. What is less talked about, however, is how over the past decade increased access to the Internet, cellphones and other digital media has drastically changed the landscape of the drug war in Mexico. In a new article published in Latin American Perspectives, Carnegie Mellon University's Paul Eiss examines how both sides of the drug war — the cartel operatives as well as government and security forces — have used and responded to digital and social media. Eiss, associate professor of anthropology and history, explores the nature and implications of what he calls the narcomedia, forms of digital messaging that have become central elements of, and even motivations for, the horrific acts of violence that have become commonplace in Mexico. In Mexico, narcomensajes or "narcomessages," are handwritten signs left by drug traffickers, often accompanied by gruesomely disfigured human remains. They have been used by traffickers, like Guzman's Sinaloa cartel, since 2006, and typically are interpreted as ways for rival groups to settle the score or claim territory. From the moment of their first emergence, the narcomensajes and narcovideos were clearly intended for digital reproduction and transmission to YouTube and other platforms, thus bypassing the control of traditional media in a time when more and more Mexicans were using the Internet. Access to the Internet among Mexicans increased from 5 percent of the population in 2000 to 33 percent in 2010. Eiss traces the emergence and spread of the narcomedia throughout Mexico and uses a 2008 episode from Yucatan to illustrate how the use of diverse kinds of narcomessaging politicized the battle between the cartels and the government. He shows how in some cases the tactics of the narcomedia seem to have been adopted by government and security forces as well. For instance in 2009 security forces killed |
another
cartel leader, Arturo Beltrán Leyva, and
disseminated
images of his symbolically desecrated body. Attempts by the government and media companies to restrict the circulation of the narcomessages in mainstream media have caused a crisis in the news media as newspapers and journalists have been subjected to an unprecedented level of physical attacks by traffickers as well as police and security forces. "I call my analysis of the narcomedia a reader's guide, because it is meant to provide a different way to read the narcomedia, and by extension, episodes of drug war-related violence in Mexico," said Eiss. "Against depictions of the drug war in black and white, as a fight of good guys against bad guys, the narcomedia reveal the conflict to be painted in shades of gray, leaving many observers asking Who is who? Against rosy depictions of the social media as an engine of progressive social change, the narcomedia show them used just as powerfully as a tactic of violence. "At the same time though, in a climate of censorship and open physical assaults on the press, the narcomedia — or the blogs that mine them for information unavailable in the mainstream media — paradoxically also offer an increasingly important resource for the Mexican public as it seeks information and critical perspective on the conflict, and ways to respond," Eiss said. Eiss was inspired to investigate the Mexican drug cartel's use of Internet and digital media in part by the university's Media Initiative, which is focused in part on the role that new media — digital, networked, computer-mediated and social media — now play in social life, cultural politics and political mobilizations. "I like to think that this project, like those supported by the center's Media Initiative, engages contemporary issues in new ways even as it draws deeply on the longstanding core concerns and methodologies of the humanities," Eiss said. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, March 5, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 45 | |||||
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| U.S. foreign aid budget cut 6 percent in Obama proposal By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. State Department will be working with $46.2 billion in funding next year under President Barack Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2015, a slight decrease from this year. The proposal includes cuts to foreign aid. The spending plan’s release is already having an impact on how diplomats look to distribute it. State Department officials point out that their funding request amounts to only about 1 percent of the overall U.S. budget. But a still-struggling U.S. economy and growing concerns about the nation's debt calls for flexibility. Heather Higginbottom, deputy secretary of State for management and resources, says the proposed budget reflects the challenges the U.S. faces today. "This budget funds the work that is required to sustain long-term investments in America's security and prosperity while recognizing the significant fiscal constraints we're facing as a nation," says Ms. Higginbottom. The deputy secretary stressed that despite the budgetary restraints, the U.S. will continue to pour resources into places like the Middle East. "Including our partnerships with key allies like Israel and Jordan and maintains robust support for partners in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Lebanon," said Ms. Higginbottom. That support for Egypt comes even as Cairo's military leaders have sought to strengthen ties with Russia, looking to Moscow for weapons and other assistance. Still, Todd Harrison at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says aid to countries like Egypt often pays off. "It’s a good investment for times of crisis just so that we can have those channels of communication, both formal and informal," says Harrison. Overall, the proposed foreign aid budget comes to $30.3 billion, a 6 percent decrease, with funding cuts for Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where U.S. combat troops are set to leave at year's end. But the State Department plans to spend more money in the Asia-Pacific region, upping funding for programs there by 8 percent to $1.4 billion. And, in places like Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development administrator Rajiv Shah says Washington is looking to do more by working with others. "By leveraging public and private partnerships and leveraging innovation, we're able to deliver better and more focused results," says Shah. The State Department's proposed budget also is taking aim at disasters that are not man-made, setting aside more than $500 million to help countries adapt and recover from the effects of climate change. Presidential budget will face tough going in U.S. House By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
President Obama has sent the U.S. Congress his proposed budget of $3.9 trillion for fiscal year 2015 that he hopes will bridge the gap between rich and poor in America. The president unveiled his spending plan at a bilingual elementary school in Washington, D.C. “It’s a roadmap for creating jobs with good wages and expanding opportunity for all Americans," said President Obama. The plan includes more money for early childhood education, tax breaks for the working poor, and increased funding for roads, bridges, and other infrastructure as well as job training. All this, Obama says, will help put more Americans back to work. But his proposed budget is likely to run into big challenges in Congress, where a skyrocketing deficit and America's slow recovery from recession are a focus in upcoming elections. Republican lawmakers want spending cuts and a reduced deficit. They argue that government spending is not the key to reducing poverty. Sen. Mitch McConnell: "Since 2009, the government has spent almost $18 trillion. Yet millions, millions of middle class Americans continue to suffer, whether in the unemployment line, or in jobs that barely allow them to get by. It is time the president realizes that doubling down on the same failed policies is not going to work," said McConnell. Opposition lawmakers have already declared the administration's defense portion of the budget dead on arrival. It calls for Army troop levels to be reduced to their lowest levels since before World War II. In unveiling the budget Tuesday, the president called for larger tax credits for families with young children, as well as expanded tax breaks for more than 13 million childless workers. The president said his proposed 2015 spending plan is a reflection of his efforts to address income inequality, the wide disparity between the wealthiest and poorest Americans. "Our budget is about choices. It is about our values. As a country we have got to make a decision if we are going to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans or if we are going to make smart investments necessary to create jobs and grow our economy and expand opportunity for every American," said President Obama. In order to pay for his proposals, Obama proposed to eliminate several tax deductions that benefit wealthy Americans. The spending proposals advanced by Obama, a Democrat, are likely to meet stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers in Congress. They have often called for cuts in government spending and lower taxes. The competing ideas will set the political agenda in Washington as the entire 435-member House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate face re-election contests in November. Obama also proposed to make permanent a tax credit for those paying college tuition, and create automatic retirement accounts for millions of workers without an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The proposed budget also asks for $56 billion in new spending, split between the military and domestic programs. He wants $300 billion over four years for infrastructure spending, partly to fix the country's crumbling bridges and roads. Nano-delivery and laser seen as improved cancer treatment By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Researchers have developed a novel way to fight cancer with a tissue-penetrating nanoparticle drug delivery system that directly targets chemotherapy at tumors. The therapy uses laser light to release the drug where it can have the greatest effect. The experimental cancer treatment, developed by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, targets solid tumors using nanoparticles loaded with a chemotherapy drug. The particles are fluorescent, so their progress through the body can be followed. Once they collect inside the tumor, a pulse of infrared laser light activates the spheres, releasing their anti-cancer cargo. “This is something that I am really passionate about, actually. What we are trying to accomplish is something called on-demand or on-command release of anti-cancer drugs,” said Fuyu Tamanoi, professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the university. He said the main advantage of this treatment is no healthy tissue is destroyed. Tamanoi said patients do not experience the nausea, fatigue and hair loss common with traditional chemotherapy. The light-activated drug delivery technique, described in the journal Small, was developed by his colleague, Jeffrey Zink, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Zink said the light trigger only works up to a range of 4 centimeters, so the therapy would be limited to tumors close to the skin surface, such as those in breast, colon and ovarian cancers. So far, the nanotherapy has worked successfully in culture, destroying cancer cells. The next step is to try the experimental therapy in mice. Zink said other experiments with nanoparticles have shown they are very effective at destroying cancer cells, without the light trigger. “We can shrink tumors in mice. In fact, the standard joke among us is that if you are a mice and had a tumorous cancer we could cure you, because in the mouse models, at least, these have been extremely successful,” said Zink. Investigators say the next step is to make sure this anti-cancer treatment is safe for humans. Another potential challenge is making sure the infrared light reaches all the nanoparticles inside a tumor. Slow-release anti-HIV drug shows promise in testing By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In what’s being hailed as a breakthrough in HIV prevention, researchers have developed a slow-release version of an antiretroviral medication that offers long-lasting protection against the AIDS virus. Injections of long-lasting AIDS drugs protected monkeys against infection for weeks, and researchers hope that it could lead to an important step forward in preventing the disease in humans. In experiments with rhesus macaques, researchers at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York gave two injections of the slow-release drug to eight monkeys. The animals were protected against repeated attempts to infect them with a hybrid human and monkey immunodeficiency virus, called SHIV. Macaques that received a placebo became infected. Next, investigators wanted to see how long the drug worked. They injected 12 macaques, trying once a week to infect them. On the 10th try, the animals developed SHIV. Because macaques clear the drug from their system more quickly than people do, researchers think it could offer humans protection against HIV for up to three months. Robert Grant, a virologist at the University of California, San Francisco, led trials of so-called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PreP using the anti-AIDS pill Truvada. The study showed the procedure was effective if people took the oral medication daily. Many do not, so Grant said oral PreP does not work for everyone who is at risk. He thinks an injectable drug that provides three months' protection against the virus is a breakthrough. “This is a very exciting approach, especially for people who have had difficulty taking pills in the past. These are younger people who are not taking medications for other reasons and whose daily life is not highly organized in a way that allows them to build a habit of taking a pill a day,” said Grant. In the United States, young people account for an estimated 40 percent of new HIV infections. The drug, called dolutegravir, is already being used by thousands of HIV-positive individuals. Researchers say it is safe. In its injectable form, dolutegravir is embedded in nanoparticles that slowly release the drug over a long period of time. Large scale clinical trials are already being planned. Experts say the injectable drug would be of great benefit in countries with high HIV rates and where adherence to daily oral prophylaxis is poor. Mrs. Obama praises winners of women of courage awards By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
First Lady Michelle Obama said winners of the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Awards are an inspiration to social activists everywhere. Obama said this year's Women of Courage Award winners teach that if a woman can fight torture and oppression to get on the ballot in Tajikistan or fight domestic abuse in Saudi Arabia, then everyone can summon a fraction of that bravery to confront the daily injustices they see. "While our circumstances may be different, in so many ways the solutions to our struggles are the same. So when we see these women raise their voices and move their feet and empower others to create change, we need to realize that each of us has that same power and that same obligation," said Mrs. Obama. In addition to the Tajik politician Oinikhol Bobonazarova and the Saudi family safety campaigner Maha Al Muneef, those recognized at this year's ceremony included the Georgian Baptist Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze and the Guatemalan jurist Iris Yassmin Barrios Aguilar. Fiji feminist Roshika Deo and Malian community activist Fatimata Touré were honored along with the director of Kabul's Malalai Maternity Hospital Nasrin Oryakhil who spoke on behalf of the winners. "The hope of women around the world one day will be materialized when they find themselves in an environment that truly recognizes and appreciates the real essence of being a woman and a mother," said Ms. Oryakhil. Ukrainian activist Ruslana Lyzhychko and Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa were recognized, along with a young woman from India known only as Laxmi, who campaigns against acid attacks after her face was burned by a young man whose advances she rejected. At the State Department ceremony, she read from a poem to her attacker. "You will hear about me in the darkness of confinement. The time will be a burden for you. Then you will know that I am alive, free and thriving, and living my dreams," she said. The first lady said the work of these women is a call to action. "None of us can afford to just go about our business as usual. We can not just sit back and think this is someone else's problem." The Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk. Women in legislative spots show a worldwide increase By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A survey finds a record number of women are serving as members of parliament worldwide. The report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union shows last year, women occupied nearly 22 percent of parliamentary seats. That is an increase of 1.5 percentage points, double the average rate of increase in recent years. A 1.5 percent increase in the number of women who are members of parliaments globally may not sound like a lot. But the Inter-Parliamentary Union says if this trend continues, it could lead to gender parity in parliaments in 20 years. The Union says the increase in the number of women MPs is due to more countries using measures such as legislative and voluntary quotas to make it easier for women to become elected or appointed to houses of parliament. A survey of 189 countries shows Rwanda, Andorra, Cuba, Sweden, and South Africa top the rankings of women in national Parliaments. Micronesia, Palau, Qatar, and Vanuatu, which have all male legislatures, are at the bottom of the rankings. The report notes the Americas lead as the region with the highest average of women MPs at 15.2 percent. But, it says the Arab world made the largest gains last year, with the appointment of 30 women to Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council and 18 women elected to the Jordanian parliament. Union Secretary-General Anders Johnsson says Africa continues to make steady progress. He says almost 20 years ago, Africa had fewer than 10 percent women parliamentarians. Today it has 22.5 percent. “Some of the world’s best performing countries are in Africa, including the best performing country, which is Rwanda where it is the first country ever to have more than 60 percent women in parliament," he said. "When there is public focus, public pressure, public attention and public support — and that is the case particularly in African countries — then you get results. So, you have seen that last year in Cameroon. You have seen it in Kenya. You have seen it in Togo. You have seen it in Zimbabwe - all countries that did very well.” While the number of women MPs continues to grow in Europe, the report notes the Asia-Pacific region is bucking this healthy regional trend. It says without Australia to shore up the numbers, women would count for just 3.2 percent of all parliamentarians in the Pacific. The manager of the Union's Gender Program, Kareen Jabre, said a parliament without women is not representative of the world. She says a parliament without women cannot be effective because it is not aware of the realities and priorities of half of the population of the world. “We carried out a survey of parliamentarians three, four years ago where we asked them what did women bring when they came to parliament and the first thing that MPs responded, they changed the priorities that were discussed in parliament and brought new priorities to the floor of parliament and one of the first issues they brought up was violence against women, in particular domestic violence, which, of course, concerns women more than men and which, of course, if you were in a gathering of only men will be less likely to come up as an issue, than if you have women around the table as well,” she said. The Union report finds more women last year were targets of political violence. It says electoral violence, which includes intimidation, threats, physical assault and other aggression, acts as a deterrent to keep women out of politics. High-protein diet said deadly as smoking for older adults By
the University of Southern California news service
That chicken wing you’re eating could be as deadly as a cigarette. In a new study that tracked a large sample of adults for nearly two decades, researchers have found that eating a diet rich in animal proteins during middle age makes an individual four times more likely to die of cancer than someone with a low-protein diet. That is a mortality risk factor comparable to smoking. “There’s a misconception that because we all eat, understanding nutrition is simple. But the question is not whether a certain diet allows you to do well for three days, but can it help you survive to be 100?” said corresponding author Valter Longo, professor of biogerontology at the University of Southern California. Not only is excessive protein consumption linked to a dramatic rise in cancer mortality, but middle-aged people who eat lots of proteins from animal sources — including meat, milk and cheese — are also more susceptible to early death in general, revealed the study published in Cell Metabolism. Protein-lovers were 74 percent more likely to die of any cause within the study period than their more low-protein counterparts. They were also several times more likely to die of diabetes. But how much protein one should eat has long been a controversial topic — muddled by the popularity of protein-heavy diets such as Paleo and Atkins. Before this study, researchers had never shown a definitive correlation between high-protein consumption and mortality risk. Rather than look at adulthood as one monolithic phase of life, as other researchers have done, the latest study considers how biology changes as humans age and how decisions in middle life may play out across the human life span. In other words, what’s good for someone at one age may be damaging at another. Protein controls the growth hormone IGF-I, which helps bodies grow but has been linked to cancer susceptibility. Levels of IGF-I drop off dramatically after age 65, leading to potential frailty and muscle loss. The study shows that while high-protein intake during middle age is very harmful, it is protective for older adults: those over 65 who ate a moderate- or high-protein diet were less susceptible to disease. The latest paper draws from Longo’s past research on IGF-I, including on an Ecuadorian cohort that seemed to have little cancer or diabetes susceptibility because of a genetic mutation that lowered levels of IGF-I. The members of the cohort were all less than 5-feet tall. “The research shows that a low-protein diet in middle age is useful for preventing cancer and overall mortality, through a process that involves regulating IGF-I and possibly insulin levels,” said co-author Eileen Crimmins. “However, we also propose that at older ages, it may be important to avoid a low-protein diet to allow the maintenance of healthy weight and protection from frailty.” Crucially, the researchers found that plant-based proteins, such as those from beans, did not seem to have the same mortality effects as animal proteins. Rates of cancer and death also did not seem to be affected by controlling for carbohydrate or fat consumption, suggesting that animal protein is the main culprit. “The majority of Americans are eating about twice as much proteins as they should, and it seems that the best change would be to lower the daily intake of all proteins but especially animal-derived proteins,” Longo said. “But don’t get extreme in cutting out protein. You can go from protected to malnourished very quickly.” Longo’s findings support recommendations from several leading health agencies to consume about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day in middle age. For example, a 130-pound person should eat about 45 to 50 grams of protein a day, with preference for those derived from plants such as legumes, Longo explained. The researchers defined a high-protein diet as deriving at least 20 percent of calories from protein, including both plant-based and animal-based protein. A moderate protein diet includes 10 to 19 percent of calories from protein, and a low-protein diet includes less than 10 percent protein. Even moderate amounts of protein had detrimental effects during middle age, the researchers found. Across all 6,318 adults over the age of 50 in the study, average protein intake was about 16 percent of total daily calories with about two-thirds from animal protein — corresponding to data about national protein consumption. The study sample was representative across ethnicity, education and health backgrounds. People who ate a moderate amount of protein were still three times more likely to die of cancer than those who ate a low-protein diet in middle age, the study showed. Overall, even the small change of decreasing protein intake from moderate levels to low levels reduced likelihood of early death by 21 percent. The researchers also extended their findings about high-protein diets and mortality risk, looking at causality in mice and cellular models. In a study of tumor rates and progression among mice, the researchers showed lower cancer incidence and 45 percent smaller average tumor size among mice on a low-protein diet than those on a high-protein diet by the end of the two-month experiment. “Almost everyone is going to have a cancer cell or pre-cancer cell in them at some point. The question is: Does it progress?” Longo said. “Turns out one of the major factors in determining if it does is protein intake. Sea level rise seen as threat for U.N. world heritage sites By
the Institute of Physics news staff
Some of the world's most recognizable and important landmarks could be lost to rising sea-levels if current trends are maintained over the next two millennia. This is according to a new study, published the journal Environmental Research Letters, that has calculated the temperature increases at which the 720 sites currently on the list of U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage sites would be impacted by subsequent sea-level rises. The Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, Tower of London and Sydney Opera House are among the 136 sites that would be impacted if the current trend continues. Also impacted would be the city centers of Brugge, Naples, Riga and St. Petersburg; Venice and its Lagoon; Robben Island; and Westminster Abbey. The lead author of the study, Ben Marzeion, from the University of Innsbruck, said: "Sea-levels are responding to global warming slowly but steadily because the key processes involved — ocean heat uptake and melting continental ice — go on for a long while after the warming of the atmosphere has stopped. Co-author of the study, Anders Levermann, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said: "After 2,000 years, the oceans would have reached a new equilibrium state and we can compute the ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica from physical models. At the same time, we consider 2,000 years a short enough time to be of relevance for the cultural heritage we cherish." As a proxy of where cultural heritage may be currently developing or set to develop in the future, the researchers also calculated the percentage of currently populated places that would be living below sea-level if temperatures increased above pre-industrial levels by 3 degrees C in the next 2000 years. They found that 7 per cent of the current global population would be living on land that would be below sea level and that the distribution of the affected population was uneven. More than 60 per cent of the affected population would be in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia. Additionally, the researchers also calculated the percentage of global land that would be below sea-level under the same scenario. They found that seven countries, including the Maldives, Bahamas and Cayman Islands, would lose 50 per cent of their land and a further 35 countries would lose 10 per cent of their land. Marzeion concludes: "Our results show that if there is a 3-degree C temperature increase over the next 2,000 years, which seems likely to be reached and is generally considered not to be an extreme scenario, the impacts on global heritage would be severe. "We've assumed that a heritage site is impacted when at least part of it is below local mean sea-level; however, tides and storm surges may dictate whether or not the site should be protected before sea-levels reach this point." |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, March 5, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 45 | |||||||||
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Venezuela will mark
death of Chávez with ceremonies By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Today is a big day in Caracas,Venezuela where his supporters will commemorate the one year anniversary of the death of Hugo Chávez from cancer. Nicaraguan sources say that Daniel Ortega, the president there, will be going to Venezuela for the event. Other Latin leaders also are expected. A parade is planned. There still are barricades in Venezuelan cities erected by protesting students. President Nicolás Maduro had hoped that the traditional pre-Lenten carnival holiday would eliminate the protests, but that does not seem to have happened. Weekend food fair planned By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The third annual edition of the Feria del Gustico Costarricense with some 200 exhibitors will take over the Antigua Aduana Saturday and Sunday under sponsorship of the central government. The exhibitors will display mostly food products that are innovations or value-added. The doors are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. both days. The Antiqua Aduana is on Calle 23 east of the railway Estación al Atlantico. |
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| From Page 7: Las Crucitas mine is topic of roundtable By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Opponents of the Las Crucitas open pit gold mine will meet Thursday to discuss whether the government should enter into arbitration with the firm that was developing the project. Those who will outline the situation include Nicolás Boeglin, an international rights professor on the University of Costa Rica law faculty, and José María Villalta, the legislative deputy. Also scheduled are Álvaro Sagot, a lawyer who participated in the legal action that led to the annulment of the company's concession, and Edgardo Araya, a legislative deputy-elect. The developer of the mine, Infinito Gold Inc., and its Costa Rican subsidiary, Industrias Infinito S.A., are taking the case to the World Court's arbitration arm. At one time the firm threatened to seek $1 billion in reparations, but the demand has been reduced substantially. The firm seeks to arbitrate the claim because its concession was canceled after 12 years of trying to get the mine started near Cutris de San Carlos. The company seeks to invoke the free trade agreement between Canada and Costa Rica. The parent firm is based in Calgary. The case is being watched closely in the investment community. Opponents were mostly environmentalists, students and some lawmakers. They now say that the company does not have a right to arbitration because the case has been litigated and decided in a Costa Rican court. The arbitration panel eventually will decide this point to determine if it has jurisdiction. Costa Rica also is being urged to seek payment for what are said to be environmental damages by the company. The meeting Thursday will be in the auditorium of the university's Facultad de Ciencias Sociales at 6 p.m. |
