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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Thursday, March 27, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 61
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 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía y Seguridad Pública photo
President Laura Chinchilla
displays a rifle she cut up at an event Wednesday where security workers destroyed 21,318 confiscated weapons and 800,000 rounds of ammunition. Emergency agencies prepare for major coastal tsunami By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Costa Rica joined neighboring Caribbean countries in carrying out a multinational tsunami simulation. The Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias led the emergency test situation Wednesday in the port city of Limón. Led in part by the U.N. International Oceanographic Commission, the emergency response simulation marked the third event in the large-scale tsunami alert exercise, Caribe Wave 2014. The scenario was based on a tsunami that hit the coast of Portugal in 1755 stemming from an earthquake that reached 8.5 on the Richter scale. Tens of thousands were killed by the natural disaster. Local government groups also participated in the exercise that tested the effectiveness of the nation's communication channels and emergency response capabilities. The Cruz Roja, fire departments, police units, and the national guard all took part in the tsunami risk assessment session held at the Limón fire station. Only 23 tsunamis of the estimated 100 that have hit the Americas have made contact with nearby shorelines, according to historical records. They are mainly due to underwater volcanoes and shifting sheer ridges in the deep sea. Though major tsunamis have not recently hit the coasts of any Caribbean countries, Nicaragua was affected 20 years ago by a tsunami on its Pacific side that killed more than 100 people. The deadliest tsunami in human history occurred 10 years ago in the Indian Ocean, killing more than 230,000 people in numerous countries. It was triggered by an earthquake that exceeded a magnitude of 9.1. Trio arrested on allegations of nine property fraud cases By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial agents said that they detained three men, including two lawyers, Wednesday in a property fraud case. There are nine victims, agents said. Arrests were made in San José and one in Cartago. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the allegation is that the men engaged in creating legal documents that stripped individuals of their possessions and allowed the properties to be transferred to third parties who either mortgaged them or sold them. The investigation began in September. In a twist to the usual fraud by notaries and lawyers, agents said that when the victims caught on that they had lost legal possession of their properties, they were presented with fake documents that showed the situation had been cleared up. Searches took place in 12 locations Wednesday, including La Uruca, Desamparados, Zapote, San José Centro, Escazú, Tibas and Cartago. Other arrests are anticipated. Parties will debate issues in advance of runoff vote By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Johnny Araya Monge, the candidate of Partido Liberación Nacional, may have stalled his presidential campaign, but the party has not. Both Liberación and Partido Acción Ciudadana said that they would meet Monday at 6:30 p.m. in a debate on economic issues and Tuesday at the same time for a debate on social issue. Bernal Jiménez Monge, president of Liberación confirmed the debates. Luis Guillermo Solís of Acción Ciudadana is generally seen as the front runner for the April 6 runoff vote, mainly because of Araya's actions. He has been campaigning vigorously. The presidential candidates are not expected to be involved in the two evenings of debates.  Consejo
Nacional de Vialidad
photo
Workers have dug into a bank
along the Interamericanahighway to create another lane at a point where the road collapsed into a ravine Saturday. The highway was expected to be back to two lanes early today. Detention sought for pair on trafficking allegation By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Poder Judicial said prosecutors are seeking preventative detention for two persons facing allegations of trafficking migrants. There are a woman with the last name of Rubí and a man with the last name of García, said the Poder Judicial. One was detained in an Avenida 10 apartment in San José, and the other was detained in La Pitahaya in Cartago. The Poder Judicial said that the allegations are that the pair collected between $8,000 and $10,000 from each illegal migrant to hide them here and to provide them with false papers so they could continue their trip into the United States or Canada. The immigrants are from the Dominican Republic, the Poder Judicial said. School guard held in abuse case By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A 52-year-old man who was a school guard has been detained on two allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. The man was detained Tuesday at the Heredia school, said the Judicial Investigating Organization.
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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, Thursday, March 27, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 61 | |
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| There's something fishy about the traditonal Lenten meals
here |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
This is not a good time to be a fish. Expats can see them in cans stacked 10 high in the nation's supermarkets. There is no law that says Catholics have to eat tuna or sardines during the religious period before Easter, Lent. But the culture says they do. Consequently merchandisers of canned fish products consider this the high season. The demand is so good that the economics ministry has found in past years that store operators jack up the prices. Even some city buses are promoting fish in the form of a tuna topping to pasta depicted on the back panel. Alimentos por Salud S.A. in Robledal de Puntarenas cans a lot of fish products under the Sardimar label. Sardines in particular come in many forms: in tomato sauce, in spicy tomato sauce, in vegetable oil and in olive oil. The little 150-gram Sardimar cans show their content with different colors. All is not well with the Pacific sardines. They have shown a dramatic decline, in part because of colder waters and perhaps due to overfishing. So a lot of the sardines on sale in Costa Rica come from Morocco. Prices range from about 800 colons for the local Sardimar can up to 1,300 colons or about $3.85 for an imported flat can that has a drained weight of 125 grams with a fish content of a little over three ounces. In most parts of the world, Catholics over 14 and members of some other Christian religions practice fasting and abstinence from meat during some of the 44 days before Easter, which is commemorated as Resurrection Sunday. Fish is the logical choice in place of meat, but sardines seem to have become synonymous with Lent. In Spain there are strange ceremonies with uncertain origins, such as the burial of the sardine at the beginning of Lent or the burning of the sardine. Even those who practice these rituals are uncertain of the origins. But they make great tourist attractions. |
 A.M. Costa Rica photo
Some of the local brands of
sardinesGood Catholics also are supposed to eat fewer meals at certain times during Lent as an expression of penance and reflection on sin. So the high-protein fish, hot or cold, is a logical choice. The Internet is full of recipes for Lent and Holy Week, Semana Santa. Costa Ricans, of course, are not restricted to canned fish. The supermarkets are full of the fresh variety, and a trip to San Jose's Mercado Central is an education in the local species from shark to red snapper to octopus and squid. Yet fresh fish is a little pricey. And the little cans are convenient. To ask why Costa Ricans are so involved with sardines and tuna at this time of year really is a cultural question, like why turkey for Americans at Thanksgiving? The dish probably is what Grandma used to make. |
| World Bank ranks country in 87th place of 160 in trade
logistics |
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By
the World Bank news staff
and the A.M. Costa Rica staff The country is in 87th place in an index of trade logistics, according to the World Bank, which created the index. The gap between the countries that perform best and worst in trade logistics is still quite large, despite a slow convergence since 2007, according to the World Bank Group report. This gap persists because of the complexity of logistics-related reforms and investment in developing countries, and despite the almost universal recognition that poor supply-chain efficiency is the main barrier to trade integration in the modern world. The report, Connecting to Compete 2014: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy, ranks 160 countries on a number of dimensions of trade -- including customs performance, infrastructure quality, and timeliness of shipments -- that have increasingly been recognized as important to development. The data comes from a survey of more than 1,000 logistics professionals. The World Bank Group’s |
International
Trade Unit has produced the Logistics Performance Index about every two
years since 2007. In the 2014 report, Germany showed the world’s best overall logistics performance. Somalia had the lowest score. As with previous editions, the 2014 report finds that high-income countries dominate the world’s top-ten performers. Among low-income countries, Malawi, Kenya, and Rwanda showed the highest performance. In general, the trend across past reports has been that countries are improving and low-performing countries are improving their overall scores faster than high-performing countries. The 2014 report finds that low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries will need to take different strategies to improve their standings in logistics performance. In low-income countries, the biggest gains typically come from improvements to infrastructure and basic border management. This might mean reforming a customs agency, but, increasingly, it means improving efficiency in other agencies present at the border, including those responsible for sanitary and phyto-sanitary controls. Often, multiple approaches are required. |
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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, Thursday, March 27, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 61 | |||||
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| Study shows pool bathroom break can generate dangerous
chemicals |
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By
the American Chemical Society news staff
Sanitary-minded pool-goers who preach “no peeing in the pool,” despite ordinary and Olympic swimmers admitting to the practice, now have scientific evidence to back up their concern. Researchers are reporting that when mixed, urine and chlorine can form substances that can cause potential health problems. Their study appears in the journal Environmental Science & Technology of the American Chemical Society. Jing Li, Ernest Blatchley, III, and colleagues note that adding chlorine to pool water is the most common way to kill disease-causing microbes and prevent swimmers from getting sick. But as people swim, splash, play — and pee — in the pool, chlorine mixes with sweat and urine and makes other substances. Two of these compounds, including trichloramine and cyanogen chloride, are ubiquitous in swimming pools. The first one is associated with lung problems, and the second one can also affect the lungs, as well as the heart and central nervous system. But scientists have not yet identified all of the specific ingredients in sweat and urine that could cause these potentially harmful compounds to form. So Li’s team looked at how chlorine interacts with uric acid, a component of sweat and urine. They mixed uric acid and chlorine, and within an hour, both trichloramine and cyanogen chloride formed. Though some uric |
 A.M. Costa Rica archives
No one wants toxic substances in
the pool.acid comes from sweat, the scientists calculated that more than 90 percent of the compound in pools comes from urine. They conclude that swimmers can improve pool conditions by simply urinating where they’re supposed to — in the bathrooms. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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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, Thursday, March 27, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 61 | |||||
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| Bad weather again delays search for missing aircraft By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Bad weather has again delayed the search for the wreckage of the missing Malaysia jetliner, a day after fresh satellite images revealed a possible debris field. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said today that poor conditions forced all search planes and ships to leave the remote region of the southern Indian Ocean. Eleven airplanes and five ships had scrambled to the area, 2,500 kilometers off the southwest coast of Australia, in an effort to reach the possible debris before the bad weather hit. It is the second time this week that poor conditions have delayed the search, which is taking place in one of the most isolated and treacherous bodies of water on Earth. The planes are trying to reach the location where 122 possible objects were seen in satellite photos taken Sunday. Some of the objects appeared to be shiny and ranged in size from one to 23 meters. Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein stressed Wednesday the objects may not be parts of the missing aircraft, but said the development represents another new lead in the investigation. The possible debris was spotted not far from where other potential objects related to the plane were also seen in Chinese and Australian satellite photographs. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is helping coordinate the search, said Wednesday its planes spotted three objects, including a likely rope and a blue object, in the area. Malaysian officials said satellite data shows the aircraft almost certainly crashed into the sea, far from any land. The plane, which was carrying 239 people, went missing without a distress call on March 8, hours after departing Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. Once wreckage is found, the search effort will then focus on finding the plane's flight data recorder, or black box, which should provide clues about what went wrong. Many persons still missing at slide location near Seattle By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The death toll from a large landslide in the western U.S. state of Washington has reached 24, and rescue workers are continuing their search for about 90 people who are still missing. The prospects of finding more survivors are slim. Relatives of the missing have come from all over the country to help in the search. The state of Washington has sent members of the national guard to help, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has dispatched rescue experts to the slide area near the town of Oso, about 90 kilometers northeast of Seattle. Local police and fire departments have used sniffer dogs, helicopters and technical equipment such as sonar to reinforce search and rescue efforts. Travis Hots, a local fire chief, said on Wednesday there were about 200 people searching. "We had a very challenging day today with the rain and whole the complicated things. We continue our search and recovery operation on the entire slide area. Unfortunately we didn't find signs of life, we didn't locate anybody alive, and that is a very disappointing part," said Hots. "It's hard to see your house in pieces this big, and that's what it is," said Jerry Farnes, a survivor. The landslide hit without warning Saturday, when a hillside near Oso collapsed after several weeks of heavy rains. In some places of the soupy terrain, the mud is 4.5 meters deep. The landslide is considered one of the worst ever in the United States. House Democrats attempt end run on immigration vote By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a petition to try to force a vote on the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed in the Senate last year, legislation that remains stalled in the Republican-controlled House. Republican House leaders, who hold the majority, say they prefer a step-by-step approach to a massive immigration reform bill, leading even Democrats to conclude their maneuver today has little chance of success. Braving strong winds and snow showers, some Democratic lawmakers and immigrants’ rights activists gathered Wednesday on the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol. Rep. Javier Becerra, a Democrat, said nothing could stop them from asking Republican House Speaker John Boehner to allow a vote on immigration reform. “Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, right?” said Becerra. Later, Democrats staged a procedural maneuver on the floor of the House of Representatives to try to force a vote on the immigration package. The Republican leadership has said it is not planning a vote, in part, because they say they don't trust President Barack Obama to enforce immigration laws. One Democratic member after another asked the Republican who held the floor to hold a vote on immigration. Here is one exchange between Rep. Janice Schakowksi and Rep. Doug Collins: “I ask unanimous consent to bring up HR 15 to demand a vote on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that unites our families,” said Rep. Schakowski. "The chair understands that the gentlemen from Utah has not yielded for that purpose, and therefore unanimous consent requests cannot be entertained," said Collins. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, conceded that the so-called discharge petition to force a vote is highly unlikely to get the 218 required signatures. “You know and it works every once in a while, there is no question that it is a tough thing to do, it is not an easy process. But you know, we are hoping on this, where there is so much public support, and where we know by the numbers that if you put a bill on the floor today, there are enough folks who support it that it would pass,” said Castro. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican, is one of a bipartisan group that has been working to craft some form of immigration compromise, which would include Republican demands for stricter border controls and Democratic demands that an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants who are already living in the United States gain legal status. Diaz-Balart said the action on the House floor was political theater. “The reality is this, that there is a number of us who have been working and trying to get immigration reform. If we are going to get it done, and I think we will, it has to be done in a bipartisan way,” said Diaz-Balart. In a statement, the president said he “applauds the efforts of Democrats in the House to give immigration reform the yes-or-no vote it deserves.” The president has come under increasing pressure from immigrant families to provide relief to undocumented people who fear deportation. Analysts say any substantial legislative action on immigration reform is unlikely ahead of midterm congressional elections this November. Cheese maker fights to keep his family farm in business By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
American consumers have begun to take a closer look at the food they eat, and are hungry for more knowledge about food. They want to know where their food comes from, what’s in it, and what nutritional benefit it offers. It's a trend away from mass-produced, processed foods, in favor of food that is organic, sustainably-produced, green, and locally grown. The result has been a growth in small family farms that produce this kind of food. Wayne Cullen breeds show goats on his 24-hectare Cherry Glen farm in Boyds, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C. For years he’s had a steady supply of goat milk from his herd. So much, he didn’t know what to do with it all. Then someone suggested he use the milk to make goat cheese. “Somebody mentioned to us that we could make bulk chevre pretty easily. And there was a strong market for it. And they said we could make about $1,000 a goat a year. And so that is what we decided to do," said Cullen. Thinking he could take advantage of strong demand for locally-produced food products, Cullen invested half a million dollars to build a cheese making plant. Eight years later he produces 68 kilograms of goat cheese a day in seven different varieties. Although award-winning Cherry Glen goat cheese is sold in more than 50 stores and restaurants around the Washington D.C. area, Cullen has yet to turn a profit. “There is a lot of competition. It is hard to educate the store, cheese buyers in the stores. It is hard to educate the public," he said. Agricultural experts say Cullen is not alone. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were 6.8 million farms in the U.S. in 1935. Today farmers are producing more than ever on about two million large mechanized farms. Sarah Hackney, with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, says food distribution markets are no longer set up to serve small family farmers. “Like a large production company, you know, it's easier for them to get distribution access." she said. "They can lock-in a sweetheart deal with a grocery chain at a really low price. And so one of the challenges is that, if you are a smaller grower, you don't have those advantages coming in." Undeterred, Cullen is constantly looking for ways to cut costs and raise profits, and survive. When he built the cheese-making plant, his electric bill went from $500 a month to $3,500. So he installed this array of solar panels which now produces all the electricity for the farm. “For electricity with fossil fuels it is expensive. It is depleting the resources. It is digging up and destroying the land," said Cullen. He also has some ideas to sell more cheese. And grow into new markets. “I think to do that we need to develop some additional varieties. And we have to have some strong marketing people," he said. An advocate for small family farming, his goal is to become profitable within the next few years. So one day, if they choose, his children and grandchildren can enjoy the pleasures of farming he has come to love. Mass transit said capturing imagination of younger set By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A record number of Americans are moving into cities and, at the same time, are curbing their driving habits. No better example than New York City. Some 3.4 billion riders take New York City subways and buses a year. This amazing number equals one-third of all mass transit trips in the United States. Ridership is at its highest in almost 60 years in almost every American city. A commuter advocacy group, Straphangers Campaign, attributes it to younger Americans, said Gene Russianoff. “Millenials, those people born around the turn of the past century are much less car-oriented," he said. "They are urban. They like not owning cars, they like less responsibility and there are a lot of them." In addition to millenials, many people believe public transit is economical and eco-friendly. In 2012 across America, people took 10.7 billion trips. “When we talk about insurance rates going up, price of automobiles going up, then people are waking up and realizing: wait, here’s this huge asset that has been underutilized," said Richard Rudolph, chairman of the Rail Users Network. "Why not take advantage of this particular opportunity. It certainly makes more sense to get people out of automobiles into subways and into commuter and passenger railroads.” New York is not standing still as passenger demand requires several major expansion projects. A new $4.5 billion subway line on New York’s Second Avenue -- which was recently excavated underneath businesses and apartment houses -- will take an overload of passengers off of other subway lines. Its first phase completion is scheduled in 2016. People who work in New York’s financial district will soon be using a new transit subway transfer center. Almost all lines converge in lower Manhattan and the new center will give riders an easier way to get around the city and into New Jersey. And, probably the most controversial and costly project is a $7 billion tunnel connection from Long Island into Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal. Trains from there will have access to New York’s midtown business district. Andrew Albert, a board member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, said there were many other reasons the public was riding in increasing numbers. “The system has gotten a lot more dependable. We have new cars. We have countdown clocks to tell you when the next train is coming. We have expanded facilities in places," he said. New York’s 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, transit system costs a $1.5 billion a year to maintain. It is one of the world’s oldest, with its first subway line having opened in 1904.  Voice of American photo
Mr.
and Mrs. Buchanan and Chris on a television show.
Mom of disabled
tot shows
her love via YouTube video By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A young mother in the U.S. state of Tennessee used a cell phone to shoot video of her first-born son at home and then posted it on the Internet. Since then, the video has gone viral and caused quite a stir in the disabilities community. It has also led to some remarkable opportunities for the family to deliver a message of love and acceptance. Christian Buchanan, 4, has severe facial birth defects from a rare condition that afflicts only a few dozen other children in the world. He has a cleft lip and palate and no eyes. When his parents first took him out in public, people stared, whispered behind their backs, and sometimes asked mean-spirited questions. One person even suggested they should have had an abortion. His mother says she tried a variety of responses, even being rude. “And I kind of figured out that rudeness was never the way to go," Lacey Buchanan said. "It didn’t win anybody over." Instead, when Christian was about a year old, she propped her cell phone up on her kitchen table and sat down in front of the camera to make a YouTube video. In the video, Mrs. Buchanan uses handwritten notes to tell Christian's story, and, as she does, different emotions chase across her face: love, grief, joy and even anger. The video has been viewed more than 11 million times. That has given Mrs. Buchanan and her husband Chris a global platform to advocate for children with disabilities and against abortion. They've appeared on local and national television and before huge crowds about their choice to keep their child after learning he would have disabilities. “Every single tear that we’ve shed has been worth it, and every single difficulty that we’ve had has been so worth it," Mrs. Buchanan said. "So that’s what I would tell somebody who’s facing that decision. Don’t let that disability even be a factor.” At home in Woodbury, Tennessee, life goes on for the Buchanans. Chris works for an insurance company. Mrs. Buchanan is a homemaker studying to be an attorney. Christian has a new baby brother, and a series of surgeries is slowly transforming his face. “He doesn’t act like he’s disabled whatsoever," said his father. "He doesn’t let his vision take away from his life. He loves music. He loves the piano. He plays the piano daily. So, I don’t think he’s ever going to let his disability tell him he can’t do anything.” Mrs. Buchanan expects Christian to live a full and rich life. “He’s blind. He’s not, you know, paralyzed from the neck down and unable to move and unable to think and unable to do anything for himself," she said. "He just has to do things a little bit differently.” The Buchanans say attitudes toward individuals with disabilities are changing worldwide, and they believe Christian - and their efforts to tell his story - helped with that transformation. “It’s just been very cool, and I just love how everybody has reacted to our story,” Buchanan said. It's the story, they say, of a miracle. Legal medical marijuana reported neutral to crime By
University of Texas at Dallas news staff
The legalization of medical marijuana has sparked debate across the nation for decades. Some have argued that medical marijuana’s legalization will lead to higher crime rates. But according to a new study at the University of Texas at Dallas, legalization of medical cannabis is not an indicator of increased crime. It actually may be related to reductions in certain types of crime, said Robert Morris, associate professor of criminology and lead author of the study published in the journal PLOS ONE. “We’re cautious about saying, ‘Medical marijuana laws definitely reduce homicide.’ That’s not what we’re saying,” Morris said. “The main finding is that we found no increase in crime rates resulting from medical marijuana legalization. In fact, we found some evidence of decreasing rates of some types of violent crime, namely homicide and assault.” The Dallas team began its work in summer 2012 after repeatedly hearing claims that medical marijuana legalization posed a danger to public health in terms of exposure to violent crime and property crime. The study tracked crime rates across all 50 states between 1990 and 2006, when 11 states legalized marijuana for medical use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Since the time period the study covered, 20 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for medical use. Using crime data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, the researchers studied rates for homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft, teasing out an effect for the passing of medical marijuana laws. “This new information, along with continued education of the public on the realities of the negative aspects of smoking marijuana — which there are considerable negative attributes — will make the dialogue between those opposed and in favor of legalization on more of an even playing field. It takes away the subjective comments about the link between marijuana laws and crime so the dialogue can be more in tune with reality.” None of the seven crime types increased with the legalization of medical marijuana. Robbery and burglary rates were unaffected by medical marijuana legalization, according to the study. These findings run counter to the claim that marijuana dispensaries and grow houses lead to an increase in victimization because of the opportunities for crime linked to the amount of drugs and cash that are present. Morris said the models accounted for an exhaustive list of sociodemographic and econometric variables that are well-established links to changes in crime rates, including statistics on poverty, unemployment, college education, prison inmates and even the amount of beer consumed per person per year. Data came from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “The results are remarkable,” Morris said. “It’s pretty telling. It will be interesting to see what future studies hold.” Once data are available, the researchers plan to investigate the relationship between recreational marijuana legalization and crime in Washington and Colorado, where the legalized marijuana marketplace is taking shape. While it’s too soon to say if there are definitive drawbacks to legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, Morris said, the study shows that legalization does not pose a serious crime problem, at least at the state level. “This new information, along with continued education of the public on the realities of the negative aspects of smoking marijuana — which there are considerable negative attributes — will make the dialogue between those opposed and in favor of legalization on more of an even playing field,” Morris said. “It takes away the subjective comments about the link between marijuana laws and crime so the dialogue can be more in tune with reality.”  University of Hertfordshire photo
This is the iPhone applicationiPhone, ay,
there's the rub;
you will need special app By
the University of Hertfordshire news staff
A two-year study into dream control shows that it is now possible for people to create their perfect dream, and so wake up feeling especially happy and refreshed. In 2010, psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman teamed-up with app developers YUZA to create 'Dream:ON,' an iPhone app that monitors a person during sleep and plays a carefully crafted soundscape when they dream. Each soundscape was carefully designed to evoke a pleasant scenario, such as a walk in the woods, or lying on a beach, and the team hoped that these sounds would influence people's dreams. At the end of the dream, the app sounded a gentle alarm and prompted the person to submit a description of their dream. The app was downloaded over 500,000 times and the researchers collected millions of dream reports. After studying the data, Wiseman discovered that the soundscapes did indeed influence people's dreams. "If someone chose the nature landscape then they were more likely to have a dream about greenery and flowers," said Wiseman. "In contrast, if they selected the beach soundscape, then they were more likely to dream about the sun beating down on their skin." In addition, the researchers discovered that people's dreams were especially bizarre around the time of a full moon. "In 2013, neuroscientists from the University of Basel discovered that people experience more disturbed sleeping patterns around the time of a full moon," said Wiseman. "We have seen a similar pattern, with more bizarre dreams being associated with a full moon." Finally, the team also found that certain soundscapes produced far more pleasant dreams. "Having positive dreams helps people wake-up in a good mood, and boosts their productivity. We have now discovered a way of giving people sweet dreams, and this may also form the basis for a new type of therapy to help those suffering from certain psychological problems, such as depression," said Wiseman. The findings are described in Professor Wiseman’s book on sleep and dreaming, "Night School." The Dream:ON app and all of the soundscapes are currently available free of charge. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, March 27, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 61 | |||||||||
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Soft censorship
described controlling Mexican media By
the World Association of Newspapers
and News Publishers Press freedom in Mexico faces widespread and growing threats from soft censorship that includes government use of financial incentives and penalties to pressure news media, punish critical reporting, and reward favorable coverage, according to a new report released Wednesday by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. While Mexican journalists are frequently targets of physical attack, soft censorship is another more subtle and very significant danger to press freedom, the report warns. “Buying Compliance: Governmental Advertising and Soft Censorship in Mexico” demonstrates how Mexico’s federal and state governments deploy financial power to pressure media outlets and penalize critical reporting. The report was produced by the World Association of Newspapers and the Center for International Media Assistance, in cooperation with the Mexico-based human rights organization, Fundar Center for Analysis and Research, and the Mexico office of ARTICLE 19. “Although less visible than the terrible violence directed against journalists in Mexico, soft censorship is highly insidious and must be recognized for the very serious threat it poses to media independence and press freedom, in Mexico and around the world,” said Vincent Peyrègne, CEO of the World Association of Newspapers. “Unlike direct assaults on press freedom, soft censorship is far more subtle and rarely generates similar levels of international outrage.” The Mexico report is the third of a series of reports that the World Association of Newspapers and its partners, supported by the Open Society Foundations and Open Society Justice Initiative, have launched to investigate the practice of soft censorship worldwide. The first two soft censorship reports, released in January, focused on Hungary and Serbia. The practice of soft censorship, or indirect government censorship, includes a variety of actions intended to influence media, short of closures, imprisonments, direct censorship of specific content, or physical attacks on media outlets or journalists. The report reveals that allocation of government advertising in Mexico is the most widely applied method of soft censorship. Without clear and precise rules, it is used as a means to influence or even blackmail media owners and journalists. Detailed research and extensive interviewing expose how federal and local governments use official advertising to shape editorial lines as well as to push partisan agendas, selectively funding media outlets that support certain officials and their policies. The report calls for fair and transparent rules to promote development of an independent media sector. Its nine recommendations are designed as a launching point for wider reforms that are urgently needed to help the Mexican press fulfill their essential role in promoting democracy, pluralism and accountability. "Mexico cannot reach a level of effective accountability or succeed in democratizing its media landscape without addressing the arbitrary multi-million dollar allocation of official advertising that constrains pluralism, freedom of expression, and access to information,” said Fundar’s lead researcher, Justine Dupuy. Darío Ramírez, executive director of ARTICLE 19's Mexico and Central America Office, warned: "The lack of criteria for allocation of government advertising strongly influences information Mexican media outlets provide and distorts public debate. This threatens free speech, and adds quietly but powerfully to the chilling effect of impunity for violence against journalists.” Despite the great challenges it identifies, the report offers some encouraging signs. A few states and some media outlets are working to instill new integrity in official and journalistic practice. And Mexico’s president and legislators remain officially committed to enacting change. |
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| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| From Page 7: Rules outlined for those who sell food at schools
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