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Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday, April 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 81
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 Instituto Costarricense de Turismo
photo
Boyero Ovideo Alpizar, his bueyes and his carreta arepictured from the 2013 parade. Atenas hosting
weekend fair
that includes an oxcart parade By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The marimba music begins at 2 p.m. today for the start of a three-day fiesta at the Parque Central and also in the Hogar de Ancianos de Atenas. The music today goes through 9 p.m. with various groups participating. Saturday there are events featuring music, dance and even storytelling from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, the music will pause for a 6 p.m. Roman Catholic Mass in the park. The event is sponsored by the Cámara de Turismo y Comercio de Atenas and the Asociación Cuna del Boyero Ateniense. Boyeros are the persons who guide bueyes or oxen, and a parade of the gentle giant creatures and their carts is planned for 10 a.m. Sunday. Then there is music and dancing for the rest of the day until 9 p.m. except for another 6 p.m. Roman Catholic Mass. Costa Rican author's book picked up by U.S. publisher By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The first book in the Eden trilogy is being published by Kamel Press, L.L.C., a publishing company in the United States, and is now available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and most other online sites. It is also available in bookstores in the United States. That was announced Thursday by expat author Albert A. Correia. The title is ¨Even in Eden,” and the action takes place in Costa Rica. Correia had self-published the book in 2006 and put it on his Web site. "This version is pretty much the same as the original, except the ending has changed (one more twist and turn to keep the reader intrigued right up to the end). And, of course, most of the typos are gone," he said in an email. The tale is told by The Grand Tico, a mystical being who watches over the country, Correia said. The entire novel takes place in Costa Rica, starting in San José, with scenes in Escazú, Bribrì on the east side of the country, and Jacó Beach on the west, he said, adding: "The plot revolves around a feud between a young doctor and a young attorney. They’d crossed swords in high school, and are again thrown together when one tries to set up a good medical system, and the other tries to use that as a path to the presidency of the country." Correia said the publisher reports that initial reviews include such phrases as, “You can’t put it down,” “The twists and turns keep you in constant suspense,” “Intrigue abounds,” and “it’s a page-turner.” American football league has championship Saturday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
It's late April, and the Super Bowl is only a day away. Welcome to Costa Rica. This point in the middle of the offseason for big-time football in the United States means it's time for Super Bowl VI for the American Football Premier League of Costa Rica. Again the Toros will face the Bulldogs in the championship where they have met the four previous years. In the six-team league, the top-ranked Toros are undefeated and are responsible for both of the Bulldogs' losses this season. However, the recent loss of quarterback Scott Doherty to the European football season may prevent the Toros from a second straight league title. In their last meeting, the Toros edged the Bulldogs 20-18. According to Ms. Elle of the American Football in Costa Rica Web site, the league's rosters are made up predominantly of Costa Rican natives. She added that the league has created high school flag football teams and youth programs to promote the sport to up-and-coming athletes in the region. The Bulldogs have a partnership with Universidad Latina. Alejandro Castro, the first year general manager for the Bulldogs, said most people would be surprised at how much support and enthusiasm surrounds the topic of American football in the country. He said most rosters have around 50 men, but near the end of the season injuries and real world responsibilities usually draw some players away. This year the league has been entirely funded through the $40 player registration fees and admission tickets. In past years revenue was bolstered with additional help from the Instituto Costarricense del Deporte y Recreación. The Super Bowl kicks off Saturday at 3 p.m. and will be played at Estadio Pipilo Umaña in Moravia. Admission costs 2,000 colons. The following two Saturdays will also be centered around football as a May 3 game will match Costa Rica's all stars against a North American semi-pro team. On May 10 the American Football Federation of Costa Rica, which is distinct from the league, is arranging a game with the national football team of Costa Rica. Tourism operators display their services in Brazil By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The tourism institute and 21 companies from Costa Rica have been displaying their services at the three-day WTM Latin America 2014, international fair that ends today in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo said it was coordinating the participation. There are 1,250 exhibitors at the event, the institute said in a release. Pet adoption fair is Sunday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Asociación Animales de Asís plans a pet adoption fair at the Parque de Banco de Costa Rica in San Rafael de Heredia. The event is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Both dogs and cats are available for adoption, said the organization. All the animals are castrated and vaccinated, and a 10,000-colon donation is sought, the organization said.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, April 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 81 | |
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| Hotline set up so citizens can report on illegal dog fighting |
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By
Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff There is now an easy way for concerned citizens to bite back against dog abusers. In response to increased worries over dog fighting in Costa Rica, the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería is starting a telephone line for people to call in with tips and information that can prevent this animal cruelty. The hotline’s number is 8625-6000 and works not only for calls, but also through video, photograph, and text messaging. In collaboration with the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal and the Humane Society International, the ministry’s help line should allow for immediate action against and perhaps future prevention of dog fighting. A spokeswoman from the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal said people who send in valid complaints are eligible to receive a reward of up to $1,500 from Humane Society International. The two parties have worked together since 2012 to weed out dog fighting from Costa Rican soil. "Animals are entitled to a life without aggression, and our goal is to |
achieve
responsible pet ownership in Costa Rica,” said Germán Rojas,
director general of the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal. “This tip line will support and further boost the existing legislation which pursues those who treat animals negligently and illegally.” The phone line set up coincides with a proposed bill in the Asamblea Legislativa that could potentially offer other tools and restrictions valuable for breaking up dog fighting networks and breeding grounds. Last month, for the first time in the country’s history, a fine was given for the illegal act that is still common in Costa Rica. Lawmakers passed the dog fighting bill on first reading Thursday. One more vote is required. Cynthia Dent, the regional director for Humane Society International, said this new hotline shows that Costa Rica is hardening its stance against this illegal activity. “It is imperative for us that citizens come forward with information on these activities and help us eradicate them,” she said. “We are very proud of our contribution to the implementation of this tip line, as well as our continued collaboration with SENASA.” |
 'Café
en la justa medida' by Jorge Araya Solano
. . . honorable mention in 2010 |
 'Casona
de Santa Rosa' by Ana Griselda Hine
. . . a winner in 2010 |
| Nation's heritage center announced its art contest for this
year |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's heritage center has announced a new contest for emerging and professional artists to draw historical structures. The Centro de Investigación y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural is the same entity that gives grants to restore historic structures. Artists are invited to enter using any number of techniques from oils to ink. Professional artists compete for a prize of 2 million colons, about $3,700. Those in the emerging artists category compete for a prize of half that amount. The works have to be presented by June 13 at the center's office on the pedestrian walkway in downtown San José. Selected works will |
be on display
there starting Aug. 18. The center seems to be seeking representational art, so followers of Jackson Pollock and his drip art technique probably should not enter. Winning works become the property of the center for its permanent collection. Expats are invited to enter as long as they are older than 18 years and have lived in the country at least two years, said the center. Only one entry per artist is permitted, and the work should have been created this year, the center added. An application form and rules can be obtained at the center's Web site. |
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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 |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, April 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 81 | |||||
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| Harvard study says higher coffee consumption reduces
diabetes risk |
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By
the Diabetologia news service
New research published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, shows that increasing coffee consumption by on average one and half cups per day (about 360 milliliters) over a four-year period reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 11 percent. The research is led by Frank Hu and Shilpa Bhupathiraju, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, and colleagues. Coffee and tea consumption has been associated with a lower type 2 diabetes risk but little is known about how changes in coffee and tea consumption influence subsequent type 2 diabetes risk. The authors examined the associations between four-year changes in coffee and tea consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in the subsequent four years. The authors used observational data from three large prospective, US-based studies in their analysis: the Nurses' Health Study of female nurses aged 30-55 years in 1986 to 2006, the Nurse Health Study II of younger female nurses aged 25 to 42 years in 1991 to 2007, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study of male professionals 40 to 75 years in 1986 to 2006. Detailed information on diet, lifestyle, medical conditions, and other chronic diseases was collected every two to four years for over 20 years. The availability of these repeated measures and the long-duration of follow-up allowed the authors to evaluate four-year changes in coffee and tea intake in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in the following four years. They also examined whether the association with diabetes |
incidence differed
between changes in caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Diet was assessed every four years using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Self-reported incident type 2 diabetes cases were validated by supplementary questionnaires. The final analysis included 48,464 women in the first study, 47,510 women in the second study and 27,759 men in the third. The authors documented 7,269 incident type 2 diabetes cases, and found that participants who increased their coffee consumption by more than one cup a day over a four-year period had a 11 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes in the subsequent four years compared to those who made no changes in consumption. Participants who decreased their coffee intake by one cup a day or more had a 17 percent higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Changes in tea consumption were not associated with type 2 diabetes risk. Those with highest coffee consumption and who maintained that consumption, referred to as "high-stable consumers" since they consumed three cups or more per day, had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes, 37 percent lower than the low-stable consumers who consumed one cup or less per day. The authors say that the higher risk of type 2 diabetes associated with decreasing coffee intake may represent a true change in risk, or may potentially be due to reverse causation whereby those with medical conditions associated with risk for type 2 diabetes, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, cancer, may reduce their coffee consumption after diagnosis. However, even when cases of cardiovascular disease or cancer were excluded during follow-up, the results were very similar. |
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, Friday, April 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 81 | |||||
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| Elections could affect U.S. Supreme Court makeup By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
There’s no shortage of issues for this year’s congressional midterm elections and the presidential showdown in 2016. The state of the economy, health care and foreign policy all figure into the mix. But how about another factor few people are talking about at the moment: The future of the Supreme Court. President Barack Obama has made two appointees to the high court, Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Elena Kagan in 2010. Both women replaced liberal justices, so the political split on the court remained the same: five conservatives and four liberals if you put Justice Anthony Kennedy in the conservative column even though he often represents the swing vote in five-to-four court decisions. Supreme Court appointments are for life, leaving individual justices to decide how long to stay on the job, and since 1980 the average age of a retiring justice has been 79. The question is whether President Obama will have an opportunity to name a third justice to the high court some time before he leaves office in early 2017. Court observers have long thought that the most likely justice to retire next would be Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was appointed to the high court by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Now 81 and two-time cancer survivor, Justice Ginsburg has given every indication she would like to stay on the court for a while yet, even if some liberal activists hope she would retire before the end of Obama's term to make way for another liberal appointment — thereby keeping the court's ideological makeup intact. In fact, some liberal activists have suggested both Justice Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer should time their retirements to give Obama the chance to appoint younger liberals who would remain on the court for years to come. While Supreme Court justices tend to say little about their retirement plans, and completely sidestep the issue of possible successors, retired Justice John Paul Stevens had a different view. Appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975, Stevens was replaced by Justice Elena Kagan after stepping down for health reasons in 2010, telling ABC’s “This Week” that it was natural and appropriate for a retiring justice to think about a successor. “If you’re interested in the job and in the kind of work that’s done, you have an interest in who’s going to fill your shoes," he said. Three of the other justices are now in their 70s. Justice Antonin Scalia, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, is the longest-serving member of the current court at 78, while Justice Kennedy, a fellow Reagan appointee, is 77, and Breyer, appointed by President Clinton, is 75. None has given any indication of impending retirement. A retirement by any one of the conservative justices would likely set off an intense confirmation battle in the Senate. Republicans would probably try to block any attempt by Obama to appoint a proven liberal, which would alter the current five-to-four advantage of court conservatives. The high court could figure as an issue in this year’s midterm election campaign as well, though most analysts consider it well down the list of priorities for voters more worried about the economy, health care and the budget. However, if Republicans can gain the six seats they need to retake control of the Senate, it might make it harder for Obama to nominate a true liberal justice to the court should a vacancy emerge. Court decisions often have huge political impact. The court upheld the constitutionality of Obama’s signature health care law in 2012, for example, thanks to unexpected support from Chief Justice John Roberts, an appointee of President George W. Bush. Rulings on gun rights, abortion, affirmative action and same-sex marriage spark intense political debate and sometimes congressional action. It’s more likely that Supreme Court nominations and the political balance on the court will become an issue in the 2016 presidential election. Given the advanced ages of Ginsburg and Breyer, a Republican president might have the opportunity to replace both of them with more conservative justices, ensuring the high court has a conservative tilt for years to come. However, if a Democratic candidate such as Hillary Clinton takes the White House in 2016, she would have the chance to possibly replace some retiring conservative justices with more liberal appointees, shifting the ideological balance on the court from center-right to center-left. It should be pointed out that Supreme Court justices don’t always conform to the expectations of the presidents who appointed them. Even though he was appointed by Republican Gerald Ford, Stevens turned out to be one of the court’s most reliable liberal votes, whereas, Justice David Souter, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, often annoyed conservatives by siding with liberal justices. The Supreme Court is rarely a major issue in election campaigns. But given the sharp ideological divide on the high court at the moment and likelihood for several retirements over the next several years, the election outcome in 2016 could have a huge impact on the court makeup and decisions for years to come. Detained Fulbright scholar reports on his forced labor By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An American Fulbright scholar who was arrested in China for stealing
spent eight months assembling Christmas lights in a detention center.Stuart Foster lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Life there is quiet and comfortable. It’s hard to imagine that just months ago, he was working six days a week, more than eight hours a day, assembling Christmas lights in the Baiyun Detention Center in Guangzhou, China. “At about 9:30 or 10, it varied, they would bring in work in big bags, industrial plastics bags," said Foster. "And it would be in the outer cells, the bosses would count and see how much it was, and then call for the inmates on the inside to come get their portions.” He said the guards told him the lights are exported to the U.S. and other Western countries. The Fulbright scholar was detained for stealing money from a fellow American teacher at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Foster admitted the theft and returned the money. After eight months in detention, however, he was convicted and sentenced to time served. He was deported from China last December. Foster said he was forced to work even though China claims to be closing labor camps. “Now when you look at the news, there will be reports, 'well, they are closing the reeducation through labor' or 'they are turning many of these into drug rehabilitation centers.' But where I was, if you don’t work, you were beaten. If you don’t work, they take your food. If you don’t work, you will not have your case heard. It was at every turn physical punishment if you didn’t work. If that’s not forced labor, what is?" His defense lawyer, Jade Wei, said via Skype that the labor is part of China's legal process. “According to Chinese criminal law, physical labor is part of the efforts to rehabilitate people. As far as I know in American prisons, inmates have to work, too.” Foster said businesses who are making millions of dollars, though, are abusing the rights of inmates. He said he also thinks American companies who import these products should be held accountable. John Paul II dominates thoughts in Krakow By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A few drops of the late Pope John Paul II's blood inspired passionate devotion from his followers, who lined up this week to kiss a golden reliquary containing it at the John Paul II Sanctuary. The cathedral-like shrine, built on the outskirts of Krakow after his death in 2005, is hosting a week of prayer services and vigils leading up to the canonization of the Polish pope on Sunday at the Vatican. The first day's event prominently featured the Knights of John Paul II, who presided over the blood-kissing ceremony. "We have a chance to touch some part of the sanctity," explained Krzysztof Wasowski, the leader of the order, which is only open to men who are not divorced and live by the tenets of the religion. John Paul II will be canonized in a ceremony at the Vatican along with a previous pope, John XXIII. But the latter is hardly mentioned in Poland, where there is intense excitement among Catholics. Their leaders hope the new Polish saint will help prevent the country from following a Western European-style path of secularization. Also at the first Mass, a remembrance was offered by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was John Paul II's secretary and knew him well. "He was a person who loved God and through God he loved every single person," he said in an interview. Poland is one of the most religious nations in Europe, and the late pope formerly known as Karol Wojtyla is a national hero. As cardinal of Krakow, he supported the workers at the old Lenin steelworks in the Nowa Huta district in the east of the city, when they demanded a place to worship God in their supposed Communist paradise. The authorities' initial refusal to allow them to erect even a cross triggered riots. Marian Kordaszewski helped build the Ark of the Lord Church, a soaring boat-like structure, with his bare hands, and he remembers Wojtyla's visits. "He was angel in a human body, he was just good to the core," Kordaszewski recalled. The ghost of John Paul II is all over Krakow, from the modernist church in Nowa Huta to the episcopal palace downtown, where he would talk to the crowds from a window above the entrance. Also from the house where he lived and met with his underground theater troupe, to the Jagiellonian University where he studied linguistics. A group of elementary schoolchildren visiting the university fondly talked about the late papierz and what it means to be Catholic. But Poland is a society in transition, and Magdalena Kozak, who is attending an academic conference at the linguistics department, thinks secularization cannot be stopped. "Because the whole world is going this way!" she said. "Because we are getting more and more open to other cultures." Olga Gorska, a 33-year-old Warsaw lawyer visiting Krakow with her German boyfriend, finds the veneration of John Paul to be exaggerated. "I do not want to say that he is too much worshipped, but there is a kind of cult of him," she said. The ceremonies at the John Paul II shrine will culminate with an all-night vigil Saturday and Mass Sunday following a live transmission of the canonization ceremony from Rome. Tech giants are donating to improve online security By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Several of the world's biggest technology companies are donating millions of dollars to fund security improvements in open source programs like OpenSSL, after the software's Heartbleed glitch sent the computer industry into a panic. The non-profit Linux Foundation announced the plan Thursday. The technology group funding the improvements include Amazon, Cisco Systems, Facebook, Google, IBM, and seven other companies. The companies in this Core Infrastructure Initiative group each will donate $300,000 to the venture. The Heartbleed bug is in a vulnerable version OpenSSL that potentially exposes millions of passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive bits of information to theft. It was discovered earlier this month. Days after its discovery, the director of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, Larry Zelvin, said there was not any reported attacks from the bug. But he said it is still possible that malicious actors could exploit unpatched systems.  Voice of America photo
An exterior shot of Frank Lloyd
Wright's creationFrank Lloyd
Wright's work
in Arizona still is stunning By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Frank Lloyd Wright is known as the father of modern American architecture. Two historic properties in the state of Arizona show the grand expanse of his designs. One is Taliesin West, Wright’s rustic winter home and architecture school. Half-an-hour away is a Wright-influenced hotel that’s filled with eye-popping luxury. The splash of fountains is a refreshing counterpoint to the dry sagebrush foothills that surround Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, Taliesin West. Wright broke ground on this 200-hectare property in 1939. The buildings include an airy theatre for live performances, an underground kiva for movie shows, and the residence where Wright lived until his death in 1959. When tour guide Mark Coryell leads visitors toward the office where Wright met with clients from around the world, tourists of a certain height must bend down so they don't hit their heads against Wright’s characteristically low doorways. They can stand up again in his office, which features rough-hewn native stone, and high, sloping ceilings that seem to float, because they’re translucent. Coryell says Wright originally achieved this ethereal effect by making roofs from simple canvas cloth. The office includes windows placed so high, only the desert sky is visible. During the 1930s, most American architects preferred classic white columns that adorned straight, proper buildings, surrounded by clipped green lawns. The columns at Taliesin West slant, casting dramatic shadows, and the rough stone walls blend with the native cactus and desert trees. “He’s uniquely American, and he wanted to break from us just copying other cultures like we did in Washington," said one visitor who finds Wright's ideas inspiring. "Beautiful, obviously, but it’s not unique. So, that’s really one of the legacies.” “I have a niece and a nephew that are both young architects," said another tourist. "And they’re all drawn to those that came before. It’s the continuity of history and I love it." To preserve that continuity, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation spends over $1 million a year on this National Historic Landmark. The foundation also oversees an architecture school on the property where today’s apprentices work in the same drafting hall where Wright designed New York’s Guggenheim Museum. As part of their training, they often roll up their sleeves and grab a hammer. “We are helping take care of the buildings so we’re helping with preservation, and we learn a fair amount of construction,” said graduate student Corinne Bell. Only half an hour from the rustic beauty of Taliesin West is another homage to Wright where the Arizona Biltmore Hotel rises like a palace from posh flower gardens and swimming pools. Designed by one of Wright's students, the luxury hotel is strongly influenced by the legendary architect. Wright was an on-site consultant during the creation of the hotel’s elegant walls. They’re made from concrete Biltmore Blocks, that feature palm frond patterns. Details like these have drawn presidents and movie stars to the Biltmore. Public Relations Manager Sarah Moran leads the way to the Aztec Room, a popular venue for weddings, with many details favored by Wright. “You can see the beautiful Biltmore Block all the way around, the gold leaf ceiling, the copper beams," she said. "We’ve really tried to keep this room really looking like it did back then.” That these two very different styles of buildings are still studied and admired is a testament to Wright's futuristic vision and lasting legacy. Job search increasing online instead of using shoe leather By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Applications for unemployment benefits jumped in the United States to a seasonally-adjusted 329,000 last week, up 24,000 from the week before. Unemployment is still high at 6.7 percent. But for job seekers, especially those with college educations, researchers at a prominent University in Washington say finding a job can be as easy as logging on to a computer. It used to be that looking for a job meant pounding the pavement, knocking on doors and poring over help-wanted ads. But that’s changing, thanks to the Internet. A new report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce says, for college graduates, looking for a job is getting easier. The report’s lead author, Tony Carnevale, said that more than 80 percent of those jobs that existed, at any point in time, are available online. At the height of the recession, when U.S. unemployment peaked at 10 percent, just a little more than two million jobs were being posted each month. But as the recovery takes hold, Carnevale says the job picture looks increasingly bright. “We’re now at about 3.7 million job openings out there. By the time the recovery is done, we think we’ll get to maybe five million job openings online," he said. That’s great news for Georgetown Junior Jamil Hamilton. Only once has he ever applied in person for a job at a shopping mall. “I think my generation the idea of going door to door, out knocking and saying, hey are you hiring? like that doesn’t exist anymore. Those days are gone, just go online," said Hamilton. Kim Dancy recently graduated with a masters degree in public policy. She found her dream job as an education policy researcher. But she says finding the perfect job online takes a lot of perseverance. “It can be really frustrating and it takes a long time, but if you applied for enough positions and really do your homework you will get somewhere," said Ms. Dancy. The report’s findings suggest careers in the so-called STEM fields, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, provide the greatest opportunities, with salaries that range between $30 to $45 an hour. But for maximum income and satisfaction, Carnevale says workers must be prepared to move and change jobs at least every five years.  Stanford University/Megan Morikawa
Stanford graduate student
Rachael Bay takes samples from an Acropora hyacinthus colony
at the National Park of American Samoa. Some coral can
withstand
warm water, researchers find By
the Stanford University news service
Some corals adjusting to rising ocean temperatures, Stanford researchers say Research led by Stanford scientist Steve Palumbi reveals how some corals can quickly switch on or off certain genes in order to survive in warmer-than-average tidal waters. To most people, 86-degree F water is pleasant for bathing and swimming. To most sea creatures, however, it's deadly. As climate change heats up ocean temperatures, the future of species such as coral, which provides sustenance and livelihoods to a billion people, is threatened. Through an innovative experiment, Stanford researchers led by biology Professor Palumbi have shown that some corals can – on the fly – adjust their internal functions to tolerate hot water 50 times faster than they would adapt through evolutionary change alone. The findings, published in Science, open a new realm of possibility for understanding and conserving corals. "The temperature of coral reefs is variable, so it stands to reason that corals should have some capacity to respond to different heat levels," said Palumbi. "Our study shows they can, and it may help them in the future as the ocean warms." Coral reefs are crucial sources of fisheries, aquaculture and storm protection. Overfishing and pollution, along with heat and increased acidity brought on by climate change, have wiped out half of the world's reef-building corals during the past 20 years. Even a temporary rise in temperature of a few degrees can kill corals across miles of reef. American Samoa presents a unique case study in how corals might survive a world reshaped by climate change. Water temperatures in some shallow reefs there can reach 95 degrees F, enough to kill most corals. To find out how native corals survive the heat, researchers in Palumbi's lab transplanted colonies from a warm pool to a nearby cool pool and vice versa. The researchers found that, over time, cool-pool corals transplanted to the hot pool became more heat-tolerant. Although these corals were only about half as heat-tolerant as corals that had been living in the hot pool all along, they quickly achieved the same heat tolerance that could be expected from evolution over many generations. Corals, like people, have adaptive genes that can be turned on or off when external conditions change. The corals Palumbi's group studied adjusted themselves by switching on or off certain genes, depending on the local temperature. These findings make clear that some corals can stave off the effects of ocean warming through a double-decker combination of adaptation based on genetic makeup and physiological adjustment to local conditions. "These results tell us that both nature and nurture play a role in deciding how heat-tolerant a coral colony is," Palumbi said. "Nurture, the effect of environment, can change heat tolerance much more quickly – within the lifetime of one coral rather than over many generations." Palumbi cautioned that corals' heat-adaptive characteristics do not provide a magic bullet to combat climate change. They can't respond to indefinite temperature increases and they could be compromised by stressors such as acidification and pollution. Still, if it holds true for most corals, this adaptive ability could provide a cushion for survival and might give coral reefs a few extra decades of fighting back the harsh effects of climate change, Palumbi said. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, April 25, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 81 | |||||||||
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 University of Cincinnati /Justin Kerr
The cover of Sarah Jackson's
"Politics of the Maya Court" book includes an image of what appears to
be a Maya ruler talking with a mirror. Maya perception
of reality
seen less than concrete By
the University of Cincinnati news service
The Maya 1,400 years ago believed that part of your identity could inhabit material objects, like a courtier's mirror or sculptor's carving tool. Maya might even name these objects, talk to them or take them to special events. They considered these items to be alive. The practice of sharing your identity with material possessions might seem unusual in a modern context. Research by University of Cincinnati Assistant Professor Sarah Jackson is beginning to uncover some interesting parallels between ancient Maya and modern-day views on materiality. "This relates to a lot of things that people are feeling out right now about virtual realities and dealing with computers and social lives online," says Ms. Jackson, an anthropological archaeologist. "These things start to occupy this uncomfortable space where we question, 'Is it real, or is it not real?' I look at the Maya context and consider, 'How different is that from some of the concerns we have now?' There are some parallels in terms of preoccupation with roles that objects play and how attached we are to things." Ms. Jackson will present her research "Classic Maya Material Meanings (and Modern Archaeological Consequences)" today at the Society for American Archaeology's annual meeting in Austin, Texas. More than 3,000 scientists from around the world attend the event to learn about research covering a broad range of topics and time periods. For her research, Ms. Jackson uses hieroglyphic textual evidence to help her understand how the Maya might have viewed the material world. She's building a database of Maya material terminology and tracking certain property qualifiers – visual markings on glyphs indicating from what material an object is made, like wood or stone. Key to the process is trying to look at these property qualifiers from the Maya perspective. Ms. Jackson has found that the Maya applied property qualifiers in a broad manner, including some unexpected areas of divergence from literal interpretation. For example, to the Maya, a temple might have stony qualities but so might a calendar or different things related to time. Other known Maya behaviors suggest belief in the concepts of object agency, meaning objects have the power to act in their own right and that the identity can be split into sections which can live outside the body. So when Ms. Jackson analyzes a glyph that appears to show a Maya ruler having a conversation with his mirror or another that depicts a sculptor carving a living statue, it's important for her to overcome her own material assumptions. "There are some really interesting possibilities if we can try to incorporate at least some kind of reconstructed understanding of how the Maya would have seen these materials, not just how we see them," Jackson says. Ms. Jackson envisions potentially major changes in some fundamental aspects of archaeology, including the excavation process itself. She says even standard paperwork can encode certain assumptions and direct an archaeologist's interpretation in certain ways. "It's really important to me that this isn't just abstract," Jackson says. "Let's see if we can think about how the Maya think, but let's also think about how this can transform what we're doing archaeologically." Ms. Jackson plans to return to Belize next spring for additional field work, and she intends to test some experimental techniques. |
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| From Page 7: Trade treaty with Colombia gets final OK By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Asamblea Legislativa has given second and final approval to a free trade treaty between Costa Rica and Colombia. The treaty is controversial because some Costa Rican agricultural producers fear a flood of foods from Colombia, and some manufacturers fear that Colombian firms have access to cheaper raw materials and labor. Costa Rica began negotiating the treaty in June 2012. The Laura Chinchilla administration was strongly behind the deal as it has been with other trade treaties. Under the treaty Costa Rica will be able to export to Colombia free of duty plants, fruits, tea, spices, banana products, certain forms of rice, olive oil, certain palmito products, medical devices, medicines and tires. Costa Rica is expected to have access to raw materials. |
