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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 20, 2015, Vol.
15, No. 76
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 Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas
photo
Only a small part of the
fishing boat remains above the surface.French tourist dies in boating mishap By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A French tourist died Sunday when he and companions were on a sports fishing boat that sunk in the Golfo Dulce off Cabo Matapalo on the Osa peninsula. The Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas identified the dead man as Aubers Nicolle, 49. The security ministry said he was the father of Antane Nicolle, 15, and the husband of Lidie Nicolle, 48, who survived. The fourth passenger was identified as Cedric Lemarie, also 48. The Costa Rican boat captain was Eider Esteban Cortés Vega, 29, said the Guardacostas. The mishap took place about 2:45 p.m., when the boat appears to have overturned in strong winds and choppy seas. The boat was identified as Golfito Sport Fishing Extreme. The crew of a sister boat to the sinking craft was reported to have provided initial aid. Some of the surviving passengers suffered injuries, said the Guardacostas. They were reported to be in the gulf making videos. Insurance head moves to Casa Presidencial By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Sergio Alfaro Salas will take over as the minister of the Presidencia as of May 1, Casa Presidencial said Friday. He replaces Melvin Jiménez, the former Lutheran bishop. Alfaro, 44, is executive director of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros and is a former lawmaker. Alfaro also is a lawyer and has served in government in the past. He is expected to develop a better relationship with lawmakers so that President Luis Guillermo Solís can win passage of key legislation. Alcohol tests to be done on saliva By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Consejo de Seguridad Vial is in the process of selecting a firm to supply saliva test devices to fight drunk driving. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes agency plans to buy 4,195 of the devices that measure a driver's use of alcohol. The Consejo said the devices would be much cheaper than the current policy to make blood tests on suspected drunk drivers. The estimate of costs will be around 14 million colons or about $26,500. The devices have the approval of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Consejo has a contract to test blood with the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social that expires early next month. Four firms are seeking the saliva test contract. Florencio del Castillo topic of discussion By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Officials from Cartago and the central government will consider if the Autopista Florencio del Castillo should be widened. The road runs from Curridabat to Cartago. Officials also want to consider how the highway could be connected with the Circunvalación. A tunnel is one suggestion. The committee will be integrated with one that has been studying the issue for months. The Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles also will be represented because an electric train service also has been suggested. Saturday quake felt in Central Valley By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A moderate earthquake estimated at from 4.7 to 5.1 magnitude took place Saturday at 5:33 p.m. about seven kilometers southeast of San Carlos de Tarrazú, said the Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica. The quake generated movement in the Central Valley. Our reader's opinion
He's not swayed by warming argumentsDear A.M. Costa Rica: I have come to be referred to as an environmentalist in training due to the many years of being a Costa Rica property owner. Since I have owned 951 hectares in the Fila Chonta Mountain Region of Costa Rica overlooking the towns of Quepos and Manuel Antonio since 1995, I have become more aware of our surroundings (our planet) and the effect on it from humans. There has been a lot of talk on both sides of the issue, and I still seem to remain a little to the right of center. I am not a scientifically educated man so I have no choice except to rely on common sense. Do humans have an effect on our environment? In my opinion, I feel the answer is yes. Is it as bad as some expound, I feel absolutely not. I have no hidden agenda in the summation of my opinion and I do not feel that this is true from most on the other side (left) of the issue. The fact is if you took every human being on the planet Earth, current population 7.2 billion, did you know that they would all, every man, woman and child on Earth, fit in the state of Texas and Montana if we simply used the same population density that now exists in New York City, and we would still have space for 237,231,260 more folks? No more crowded and no less crowded the same. Is New York City crowded, in this Georgia boy’s opinion, yes? Do I love to visit New York City, absolutely. Would Texas and Montana be crazy if every person on Earth lived there, probably. Would I love to visit Texas and Montana if it was populated like New York City? No way could it be as much fun as New York City, so in my opinion, probably not. Is Christiana Figures brave? I think so. Has she brought a lot of notoriety to Costa Rica? I think yes. Is she a smart lady? We’ve met twice. I think yes. Is she a left of center on the global warming issue? I feel she is. Does she make a wonderful living by staying on the left side of this issue? I believe she does. Does she have ulterior motives in some of her conclusions and statements? I can’t get in her mind and heart, but I feel like she might. A lot of folks do not let the facts or common sense enter into their thought processes, so many times the hidden agenda pops up. Do a little math, and it will be easy to verify these above facts. Is the planet in the catastrophic position that so many claim? You decide as I think I already have. Mike Michael
Quepos and Atlanta, Georgia New definition advanced for old By the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis news staff Faster increases in life expectancy reflect a process in which people become healthier, generally more capable, and indeed younger in many ways even if they have lived longer lives, according to population experts at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. Faster increases in life expectancy do not necessarily produce faster population aging, according to new research published in the journal PLOS ONE. This counter intuitive finding was the result of applying new measures of aging developed at the institute to future population projections for Europe up to the year 2050. “Age can be measured as the time already lived or it can be adjusted taking into account the time left to live. If you don’t consider people old just because they reached age 65 but instead take into account how long they have left to live, then the faster the increase in life expectancy, the less aging is actually going on.” said Sergei Scherbov of the institute, who led the study in collaboration Stony Brook University researcher Warren Sanderson. Traditional measures of age simply categorize people as old at a specific age, often 65. But previous research by Scherbov, Sanderson, and colleagues has shown that the traditional definition puts many people in the category of old who have characteristics of much younger people. “What we think of as old has changed over time, and it will need to continue changing in the future as people live longer, healthier lives,” says Scherbov. “Someone who is 60 years old today, I would argue is middle aged. 200 years ago, a 60-year-old would be a very old person.”
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 20, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 76 | |
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Police
become the resource
for handling stray animals By the A.M. Costa Rica staff A couple of owl chicks are the latest animals to get a helping hand from the Fuerza Pública. The two chicks fell from a nest in Barrio El Carmen de Abrojo, Ciudad Neily, the police agency reported. The man who found them turned them over to the Fuerza Pública. The police agency frequently is the contact for the public in the cases of wild animals, be they sloth, deer, turtles or similar. There also have been a few snakes. Police at the Ciudad Neily station accepted the owl chicks and got them some meals Saturday. The menu was steak. Sunday workers at the local office of the Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía picked up the birds and took them to a refuge in Golfito where they will be raised until they can be returned to the wilds, said police. Costa Rica hosts at least 14 different owl species. Without seeing the parents, the species of the chicks will not be known for some time. Although expats may consider the owls rural animals, the birds can be seen even in downtown San José perched on a vantage point awaiting the appearance of a sewer rat or some other meal. |
 Ministerio de Seguridad Pública photo
This is one of the two owl
chicks. |
 Centro de Investigación y
Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural photos
The Cementerio General de San
José was the 2014 winner. The Antigua Capitanía de Puerto de
Limón won in 2013.
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| Culture ministry will sponsor another restoration project
for 2016 |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A culture ministry agency is again in search of an historic building worth restoring. The agency, the Centro de Investigación y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural, has announced the opening of its annual architectural competition. The Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud agency offers 120 million colons to help restore a worthy building, public or private. That is about $227,000. |
The agency
has been making grants to restore buildings since 1997. The proposals are made by architects who have in mind a specific structure that the Centro determines has social value. The project can be anywhere in the country, the Centro noted. The competition closes July 27, and the winner will be announced later in the year for work to be done in 2016. |
| Investigators weigh possibility of suicide in bizarre death in Puriscal | |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial investigators said Friday that they think that the death of Robert Lemon Stewart could be a suicide but that the investigation continues. Friends of the man, who lived in Grifo Alto de Puriscal, present the picture of a Vietnam veteran suffering periodic bouts of depression. If the death is a suicide, it ranks among some of the more bizarre. The theory is that Stewart created a bed of branches, ignited it and then killed himself so that he would fall into the fire. The man has not been seen by neighbors or friends since |
Tuesday,
which is why some went in search of him Thursday. One of the man's dogs died in his home where investigators said they found blood. The dog had been shot. The burned area some 100 meters from the U.S. citizen's home was about 60 square meters, agents said. There is where a second dog was and the burned bones presumed to be those of Stewart. Judicial agents reported they were told that the man said he wanted to end his life, but investigators added they are awaiting positive identification of the bones from the medical examiner as well as ballistic confirmation. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 20, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 76 | |||||
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| Mexican firm says it can purify water quickly with new
tchnique |
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By the Investigación y Desarrollo
news staff
A group of Mexican engineers from the Jhostoblak Corporate report they have created technology to recover and purify either seawater or wastewater from households, hotels, hospitals, commercial and industrial facilities, regardless of the content of pollutants and microorganisms in just 2.5 minutes. The System PQUA, works with a mixture of elements capable of separating and removing all contaminants, as well as organic and inorganic pollutants, the firm said. "The methodology is founded on molecularly dissociating water pollutants to recover the minerals necessary and sufficient in order for the human body to function properly nourished," the technical staff said. Notably, the engineers developed eight dissociating elements, and after extensive testing on different types of contaminated water, implemented a unique methodology that indicates what and how much of each element should be combined. "During the purification process no gases, odors nor toxic elements that may damage or alter the environment, human health or quality of life are generated" said the Mexican firm. The corporation has a pilot plant in their offices that was used to demonstrate the purification process, which uses gravity to save energy. The residual water in the container was pumped to a reactor tank where it received a dosing of the dissociating elements in predetermined amounts. In this phase solid, organic and inorganic matter as well as heavy metals are removed by precipitation and gravity and a sludge settles at the bottom of the reactor. The latter is removed and examined to determine if it is suitable to use as fertilizer or to manufacture construction materials. Subsequently, the water is conducted to a clarifier tank to sediment out the excess charge of dissolved elements. Then the liquid reaches a filter to remove turbidity and is finally passed by a polishing tank that eliminates odors, colors and |
 Jhostoblak Corporate photo
Technician displays water
that will be purified.flavors. The treated water is transported to a containerwhere ozone is added to ensure its purity, and finally is ready to drink. The resulting liquid is fresh, odorless and has a neutral taste, the firm said. "We have done over 50 tests on different types of wastewater and all have been certified and authorized by the laboratories of the Mexican Accreditation Agency. Also, the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, the College of Mexico and the National Polytechnic Institute have given their validation that the water treated with our technology meets the SSA NOM 127 standard, which indicates the parameters and quality characteristics for vital liquid to be used for human consumption," said the corporation in a release. Moreover, the firm reported that this development is protected under trade secret in America and soon will get the same protection in Switzerland. Its implementation in the market will depend on the needs of users and the issue of new laws regarding use, consumption and water discharge, the firm said. |
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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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 20, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 76 | |||||||
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| Salmonella used to fight cancer cells in lab animals By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Millions of people are sickened each year by the food-borne bacteria Salmonella. But a genetically-engineered version of the pathogen may someday be used as a weapon against cancer. Salmonella is the most common bacteria to contaminate food. Found in undercooked meats, eggs and milk, the microbe can cause severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. One strain of Salmonella is also responsible for typhoid. But researchers in the U.S. and Germany have turned Salmonella into a weapon against cancerous tumors. “Yeah, it causes them to disappear," said Roy Curtiss, a microbiologist at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University in Tempe. In experiments with mice, Curtiss and colleagues targeted solid tumors grown by human cancer cells, injected into the rodents. He says they used Salmonella bacteria, that had been programmed in the laboratory, to destroy those cells. “We genetically modify the Salmonella so it is unable to survive in healthy tissues, but has a preferential homing to tumors, . . . a very nutrient-rich environment where they grow like crazy and, in so doing, kill the cancer cells within the tumor," he said. An article describing the work is published in the journal mBio. Curtiss is fascinated with Samonella, which he thinks gets a bad rap. “I’m always looking for new uses for a bug that most people think is an enemy. It’s my friend. And I’d like to make it your friend too," he said. Curtiss’ work has led him to create a vaccine against tuberculosis that he says is more effective against TB than the current BCG vaccine used in many countries to prevent the lung ailment. Researchers have also developed a poultry vaccine that prevents campylobacter in chickens so they are not infected and spread the illness to humans who eat undercooked meat by accident. But Curtiss says it will be a while before the genetically-modified version of Salmonella enters human clinical trials. He wants to tweak the bacteria further to increase their potency against cancer. Salmonella would not be a stand-alone anti-cancer therapy. Instead, Curtiss envisions the modified bacteria being used alongside more traditional treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, to fight cancer. Washington Earth Day rally brings litany of big names By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An all-day Earth Day rally and concert Saturday drew some big names to the National Mall in Washington and into the world of politics to confront the dual issues of climate change and poverty. Usher, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, Common, Fall Out Boy and Train performed at the free Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day rally hosted by rapper/entrepreneur will.i.am and journalist Soledad O'Brien. The event drew a crowd of thousands near the Washington Monument. The rally is a joint initiative with the Global Poverty Project, which live-streamed the event, to end extreme poverty. Organizers are seeking to highlight the problems of poverty and climate change around the world. They are also encouraging participants to commit to making environmentally friendly acts of green this year, and asking attendees to sign petitions for a U.N. conference on climate change planned for Paris in December. "Whether it's the big migrations we expect to see or soil depletion or emptying the oceans, loss of species, loss of timberland — all these things are creating poverty at the same time that they are also creating climate change issues," said Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network president. “Eliminating poverty will require solving climate change.” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, actor Don Cheadle and Coldplay's Chris Martin addressed the attendees. Usher performed on crutches because of a fractured foot but drew big cheers, singing his hits "Yeah!'' and "OMG'' and teaming up with Common to sing the beginning of "Glory,'' the Oscar-winning song from the movie "Selma.'' "To end poverty, it starts, in my opinion, with an education about it,'' Usher told the crowd. "I want you to go and investigate for yourself so that you can really understand what's going on.'' Backstage before his performance, Train frontman Patrick Monahan said he didn't know much before about the environmental movement and the push to end extreme poverty. But now he wants to stay involved permanently. "It's about all of us being aware but getting our hands dirty because it's not going to be an easy thing,'' Monahan said. ``Whatever I can do to help legislation change, which is a humongous thing, and to get dollars to go to different places.'' Monahan said he's been inspired by the charitable work of Coldplay's Martin and Hugh Evans of the Global Poverty Project, which has set a goal to end extreme poverty by 2030. Earth Day organizers also announced plans with developers of the popular Angry Birds game to create a new in-game experience about climate change. Angry Birds has been downloaded 2.8 billion times worldwide. The game's climate change campaign will coincide with the U.N. General Assembly in September as world leaders tackle sustainability goals. Earth Day is officially observed on April 22. This year marks Earth Day's 45th anniversary. Earlier, President Barack Obama said in his weekly address that there is "no greater threat to our planet than climate change." "Climate change can no longer be denied or ignored," with 14 of the 15 hottest years on record happening in the first 15 years of this century, he said. Last year was the warmest recorded year. The Earth's rising temperatures are having "very serious implications," the president said, including stronger storms, deeper droughts and longer wildfire seasons. The U.S. leader said he would observe Earth Day on Wednesday at Florida's Everglades, a location he described as "one of the most special places in our country" and "one of the most fragile." He said rising sea levels are putting the national treasure at risk. The world is looking to the U.S. to take a leadership role in dealing intelligently with climate change, Obama said. "And that's what we're doing," he said, adding that America is using more clean energy than ever before and is number one in wind power use. He said other measures taken include an increasing number of energy-efficient cars and buildings that save consumers money. FBI admits its lab techs gave flawed court testimony By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department have formally acknowledged that almost all of the examiners in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony against criminal defendants for more than two-decades before 2000, a leading newspaper reports. The Washington Post reported Saturday that the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Innocence Project said 26 of the 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory's microscopic hair comparison unit overstated forensic matches to favor prosecutors in more than 95 percent of the 268 trials reviewed. The reviewed cases included 32 defendants who were sentenced to death. Fourteen of them have either been executed or died in prison, the two groups said. The errors by the FBI do not mean there was not other evidence to convict the defendants. An FBI and Justice Department statement said they "are committed to ensuring that affected defendants are notified of past errors and justice is done in every instance." Defendants and prosecutors across the United States are being notified so they can determine whether they have grounds for appeals. The criminal defense association and the Innocence Project are working with the government in what The Post described as "the country's largest post-conviction review of questioned forensic evidence." Innocence Project co-founder Peter Neufeld said the FBI's use of microscopic hair analysis to incriminate defendants was a complete disaster. He called for an exhaustive investigation into how this happened and why it was not stopped sooner. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from the northeastern state of Connecticut, told the Washington Post "these findings are appalling and chilling in their indictment of our criminal justice system." Electronic waste is called an urban mine for metals By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A record amount of electronic waste was generated last year, according to a United Nations University report. In 2014, 41.8 million tons of e-waste, mostly cell phones, refrigerators, washing machines and other domestic appliances, were dumped around the globe. Less than a sixth of that was properly recycled said the report prepared by the U.N.'s education and research branch. The United States and China generated the most waste. However, countries that regard themselves as environmentally conscious topped the list for per-capita waste, leading with Norway and followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and Britain. "Worldwide, e-waste constitutes a valuable urban mine, a large potential reservoir of recyclable material," said U.N. Under-Secretary-General David Malone. According to the report, metals in discarded devices included gold, silver, iron and copper worth $52 billion. But, Malone also cautioned that electronic waste was a "toxic mine that must be managed with extreme care," a reference to components such as lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury found in some dumped waste. The worldwide volume of e-waste is on target to reach 50 million tons in 2018, according to the U.N. report. Islamic State says it killed 30 Ethiopian Christians By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Islamic State claims to have massacred 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya, in a video similar to previous publicized killings by the extremist militants. The graphic footage posted online Sunday shows one group of men beheaded on a beach as they knelt in front of their executioners, and another shot in the back of the head at a different location. The grisly deaths are documented at the end of a nearly 30-minute video that describes the Islamic State view on Christianity and its efforts to convert non-Muslims. In February, the Islamic State released a similar video of members decapitating Egyptian Christians. An Arab League official told the French news agency military chiefs from the region would meet in Cairo this week to discuss creating a joint military force against Islamic State militants. A United States-led coalition of several regional partners continued attacks against the Islamic State nerve-center Sunday with 12 air strikes in Iraq and one in Syria. In Ethiopia, government spokesman Redwan Hussein said officials were in contact with its embassy in Cairo to verify the video's authenticity. Hussein said he believed those killed likely were Ethiopian migrants hoping to reach Europe. Libya has become a hub for migrants across Africa hoping to cross the Mediterranean to enter Europe for work and better lives. "If this is confirmed, it will be a warning to people who wish to risk and travel to Europe through the dangerous route,'' Hussein said. Abba Kaletsidk Mulugeta, an official with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church's Patriarchate Office, said he also believed the victims likely were migrants. "I believe this is just another case of the IS group killing Christians in the name of Islam. Our fellow citizens have just been killed on a faith-based violence that is totally unacceptable. This is outrageous,'' Mulugeta said. "No religion orders the killing of other people, even people from another religion.'' Ethiopia long has drawn the anger of Islamic extremists over its military's attacks on neighboring Somalia, whose population is almost entirely Muslim. While the militant in the video at one point said "Muslim blood that was shed under the hands of your religion is not cheap,'' it did not specifically mention the Ethiopian government's actions. After the February killings of the Coptic Christians, Egypt's military responded with air strikes targeting the militant stronghold of Darna. It has not launched further strikes, though its president is trying to form a pan-Arab military force to respond to extremist threats in the region. Meanwhile, a United States-led coalition of several regional partners continued attacks against the Islamic State nerve-center on Sunday, with 12 air strikes in Iraq and one in Syria. Strikes in Iraq's western Anbar province have stopped militants from advancing in recent days, Provincial Chairman Sebah Al Heblousi said. "The U.S.-led coalition in the past two days has air strikes on the very important and sensitive targets of the Islamic State that have stopped terrorists from further advances. We appreciate the efforts by the coalition, but we need more aid to eliminate the Islamic State from Anbar province," Hebolousi said. More than 90,000 people have fled their homes in the area as militants gained ground, the United Nations said Sunday. "Our top priority is delivering life-saving assistance to people who are fleeing: food, water and shelter are highest on the list of priorities," said Lise Grande the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq. Al Heblousi said some aid is arriving to parts of the province, including food and water for displaced residents, as well as police and military forces. 1,000 mark 20th anniversary of Oklahoma bomb attack By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
About 1,000 gathered at the former site of the Oklahoma City federal building to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist bombing there that killed 168 people and injured many others. Former president Bill Clinton and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin were among those who spoke at Sunday's service at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood. The service started with a 168-second moment of silence and concluded with survivors and tearful relatives of the dead reading the names of those killed in the April 19, 1995, attack, which remains the worst U.S. act of domestic terrorism. "Twenty years ago, domestic terrorists struck at the heart of all that this country stands for, liberty, democracy and the rule of law," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, adding that "through the resilience of the American people," the nation recommitted itself to the fundamental values "that make this country a beacon of freedom." Anti-government militant Timothy McVeigh detonated a rental truck full of explosives parked in front of the building. The blast was so severe that it ripped the entire front off the Federal Building and damaged other buildings within a 16-block radius. McVeigh, who conceived and carried out the bombing, was executed in 2001. His accomplice Terry Lynn Nichols remains in prison for life. The Oklahoma City bombing thrust Diane Koch into the life of a crime victim's advocate for 13 years, until she realized she had to leave the state to start a new chapter of life. Bud Welch said his ability to eventually forgive enabled him to survive emotionally after the death of his daughter. For Jannie Coverdale, though, there's no such thing' as moving on, even after two decades. All three lost loved ones 20 years ago Sunday. However, all three took different paths as they tried to come to grips with a pain that never fully heals. Ms. Koch initially sought justice for her husband and the 167 other people killed in the attack, eventually becoming an advocate for victims of all crimes in a role at the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office. "It was my life for 13 years,'' Ms. Koch said. "I just had a heart for those who have been hurt by crime and still do.'' But the intensity she threw at her job prevented her from letting go of the trauma of April 19, 1995. "The first few years, I couldn't see beauty anywhere,'' she said. "You can't even see sunshine. You're blinded to anything positive, it seems like.'' For Ms. Koch, now 68, remarried and living in another state, moving on meant moving away. "Peace was such a hard thing to access for so many years. It's a wonderful thing to access now,'' she said. "You can let go of it being the controlling thing in your life every day. There is life beyond April 19th, not that April 19th goes away. It's still a part of each and every one of us. But you can focus on other things and have a wonderful life.'' Welch's slain daughter, Julie Marie Welch, was a 23-year-old Spanish-language translator for the Social Security Administration. He said his emotional journey has allowed him to become a resource for the families of other victims of terrorism, including relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "I think me traveling and speaking has helped me a lot with my healing process,'' said Welch, 75. "I've had many of them come up to me and say: `How do I get where you are?' I say, `I've had more time than you have.' It takes time to go through a process. It takes a lot longer for some than others.'' Initially filled with rage over the murder of his daughter, Welch said he forgave McVeigh and Nichols in 2000. "When you're able to finally forgive, it releases you. It has nothing to do with the perpetrator of the crime. It has to do with you,'' said Welch, who has become an outspoken critic of the death penalty. "Killing someone else is not part of the healing process,'' Welch said. Donna Weaver, whose slain husband, Michael D. Weaver, was an attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said she has managed to have fun memories' again after raising two sons who were 16 and 12 when their father died. Each anniversary is tough, though. "April is not my best month. There's a cloud, a weight that descends on me,'' she said. Jannie Coverdale, whose 5-year-old grandson Aaron and 2-year-old grandson Elijah were killed, said time hasn't really healed her pain. "I miss my boys,'' said Coverdale, 77. "There's no such thing as going on with your life, not the life I had before the bombing. I'm still trying to build a new life. And I don't know if I'm ever going to get it accomplished. Too many memories.'' Talks slated to resume on trans-Atlantic trade deal By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. and European negotiators are resuming talks today in New York on a controversial trans-Atlantic trade deal. The proposal is supported by both U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of Europe's biggest economy. But the prospect of a deal drew thousands of street protesters in Germany over the weekend. "We say no, we do not want this," Munich protester Lisa Munz said. "It is enough what is going on here in Germany with genetic engineering.'' The new round of talks are the ninth negotiating session since last year. Officials say a U.S.-Europe deal would add $100 billion annually to the economies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It would slash the already low tariffs between the world's largest individual economy, the United States, and the 28-nation European Union, which has a collective economy that is even bigger than that of the U.S. A pact would unify many regulations on the two continents and affect goods and services on a wide range of products and services, including such diverse items as Roquefort cheese and accounting. But opponents say that powerful corporate interests have more to gain than consumers in such a deal, lowering food and safety standards. The most contentious proposal would allow corporations to sue governments in courts that are above national laws. In Germany, the opposition also reflects rising anti-Americanism. The sentiments have been fueled in part by revelations of U.S. spying, including the wiretapping of Ms. Merkel's cell phone. Friday, Obama called for the negotiations to move forward. "Now that Congress is considering important bipartisan legislation for trade promotion authority, TTIP negotiations need to make major progress this year," he told a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Top U.S. lawmakers reached a deal Thursday on legislation giving President Obama trade promotion authority to seal the trans-Atlantic agreement, as well as another key accord with Asian nations, with Congress only able to vote up or down on the agreements, not make changes. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 20, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 76 | |||||||||
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Burned earth can
be a big benefit
Lots of sun and dry weather, the perfect time to get rid of those ugly piles of stuff that have accumulated for the past few months. You know,
What to do, what to do. Back in Georgia, you had to have a burning permit, the burning pile couldn’t be larger than prescribed, and the fire had to be out by 6 p.m. Ha! My pile is bigger, I have no permit, and it will probably smolder for days before it is officially out! It really is a large pile of just about everything. We lit it Monday, rekindled it on Tuesday and Wednesday and it is still burning. This fire, however, has a dual purpose. It is not just burning waste; it is making something called burnt earth. The burnt earth method is a way of making clay into a sterile material suitable for use as an additive, or even a main ingredient for, potting soil. It’s not really difficult. What you need are large chunks of clay which you deposit on the pile before you start the fire. After the burn is done and the pile is cold, you will find that the clay has become porous and easily crushed. It literally breaks into granules in your hands. And the granules? They are completely sterile, not sticky like clay, and can be mixed with compost in a ratio of three parts burnt earth and one part compost for use in planter pots. Larger chunks of the earth are put into the planter first, and the mix is added. The granules hold moisture beautifully, they don’t clump, so the soil is very open, and granules are large enough to allow easy growth of roots. If you use a liquid fertilizer like manure tea, the granules will soak it up and release it when you water. There you have it; burnt earth from the simple act of cleaning up the yard. What could be easier?  Plant of the Day
Tall and stately, the Norfolk Island Pine is valued as an accent tree as are its relatives, the Cook Pine and the Caribbean pine. Plant in a large pot for the deck or in the ground, but choose your space well as this pine can reach 30 meters (nearly 100 feet). Moderate salt and drought tolerance make the tree appropriate for areas close to the ocean. As a bonus, Christmas decorations look lovely on its lateral branches. If you would like to suggest a topic for this column, simply send a letter to the editor. And, for more garden tips, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arenal-Gardeners/413220712106845 |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not be reproduced anywhere without
permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| From
Page 7: Profitable deal lure was trick by kidnappers By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A gang of crooks has been targeting foreign investors with promises of profitable business deals and a good interest rate. When the investor appears, the gang kidnaps him and seeks a ransom. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the gang preyed mainly on Mexican investors who were lured to the country. One was freed Friday night, and three persons were detained by judicial investigators. The Mexican victim has been held since April 11, and the kidnappers sought a $50,000 ransom, said agents. Agents grabbed one suspect in Alajuela. They said the victim was being moved to another location. From that detention, agents said they were able to locate two other suspects at their homes. Agents said they may be seeking other suspects. |
