|
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
|
|
|
San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 28, 2015,
Vol.
15, No. 82
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
|
 |
|
Resignations
sought over festival failures
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
As expected, opposition lawmakers are seeking the resignation of anyone responsible for the failures associated with the Festival Internacional de las Artes 2015. The Partido Liberación Nacional asked Monday for the resignation of the minister, Elizabeth Fonseca, and her vice ministers. Meanwhile, those involved with putting on the festival shows soldiered on Monday despite small numbers of spectators. Many persons simply do not know where the shows are being held. The call for resignations has a political motivation in addition to the cancellation of some performances due to an absence of sound and light systems. Minister Fonseca is a former president of the Partido Acción Ciudadana, the party of President Luis Guillermo Solís. A release from Liberación was quick to point that out. The Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud said Monday that some performances were being rescheduled. The ministry said that due to the absence of sounds and lights performances in the Villa Olímpica de Desamparados and at the Polideportivo de Aserrí will take place at a later date. They were supposed to take place from Thursday to Sunday. The ministry directed citizens to various social media outlets for more details. The government has allocated nearly $1.5 million for the festival's budget. Thursday is international day of jazz By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Thursday is the international day of Jazz, and Teatro Nacional along with a handful of groups plan to make a night of it with an admission of just 1,000 colons, about $2. Participating are the New Jazz Project, Big Band de Costa Rica, Tico Jazz Band, Túpac Amaroulloa and Luis Monge, said the theater. The show begins at 8 p.m. Early morning quake rocks capital By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An early morning earthquake gently swayed the Central Valley and most points in the center of the country. The Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica said the estimated epicenter was about 1.1 kilometers west northwest of La Unión de Montes de Oro, Puntarenas. That would put it about 10.1 kilometers north of Miramar. The Laboratorio estimated the magnitude at 4.8 and said the time was 1:33 a.m. The quake was felt in the capital some 20 seconds later. The Red Sismológica Nacional estimated the magnitude at 5.2. Man presumed burned in field fire By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fire fighters got a grim surprise when they went to Sabana Sur Monday morning to douse a field fire. They reported that they found the partly burned body of a man. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that investigators suspect the man was sleeping in an area where the homeless gather and was overcomed by smoke. They said there were no visible wounds. The location is about 400 meters south of the Universal store in Sabana. That is where the upscale neighborhood gives way to the Barrio Corazón de Jesús. A watchman told agents that he saw the man arrive at the vacant lot and a short time later saw smoke. Fire fighters said that the blaze threatened some of the nearby homes. The dead man was between 30 and 40, said agents, who added that the body was burned over 70 percent. The man was unidentified. Motor fuel prices move around a little By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some motor fuel is going down again but not much. The biggest drop is in diesel which goes from 500 colons to 478 colons per liter, said the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos. Super gasoline drops one colon from 601 colons a liter to 600. That's the same amount that plus gasoline goes up when the new prices are published in the La Gaceta official newspaper. Plus goes from 574 colons per liter to 575 colons. Despite a slight drop in the price of petroleum, plus gasoline is going up due to unspecified other factors, said the Authoridad. For the first time the agency pointed out that the price of super gasoline in 41.04 percent tax. Plus is 40.87 percent,while diesel is 29.13 percent. Police confiscate four fighting birds By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers doubted that southern zone residents were taking chickens out for a Sunday drive. In fact, the four birds had all the marks of animals going to a chicken-fighting competition. So the animals were confiscated and turned over to the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal. In fact, the Servicio workers had gotten a tip about a proposed chicken fight. Such illegal activities sometimes are raided. There really is no secret where the events are held, and a number of Costa Ricans raise birds for such contests. Fighting birds are part of the Latin tradition, and betting is heavy at these contests.  Ministerio de Obras Públicas y
Transportes photo
The ferry is a greatway to see the Gulf of
Nicoya.
More trips for Playa Naranjo ferry By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Puntarenas-Playa Naranjo ferry will make an additional round trip Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting this Friday, said the División Marítima Portuaria of the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes. The change is being made to accommodate more tourists with the desire to go to Guanacaste and Nicoya peninsula communities in Lepanto, Jicaral and Nandayure, said officials. The ferry will leave Puntarenas at 6 a.m. and make the last run at 6:30 p.m., said the División Marítima Portuaria. 19th century immigration was different By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Immigrants who came to the United States in the late 1800s did not start at the bottom and toil their way to the top. In fact, when they first arrived in the United States the average immigrant did not make substantially less money than those who were already here and they also tended to advance on the job at the same rate as well, according to the report, "A Nation of Immigrants:Assimilation and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration." “Many people have this image in mind that immigrants of the past started out at the bottom of the ladder and worked their way up pretty quickly,” said Leah Platt Boustan, an associate professor of economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, who worked on the report. “But what our data suggests is that immigrants in the past already arrived looking pretty good relative to natives so there wasn’t much of a gap on average to close.” The years between 1850 and 1913 — known as the Age of Mass Migration in the United States — marked one of the largest migration periods in modern history. About 30 million immigrants arrived in the United States during this time. By 1910, 22 percent of the U.S. labor force was foreign born. By comparison, 17 percent of today’s labor force was born in another country. At around the turn of the century, the most typical job for both native and foreign-born workers was to own and operate a farm. But the immigrants who did other work were not on equal footing. Those who came from developed countries such as England, Scotland, France and Germany generally went straight into higher-paying jobs, while those from less developed countries — Scandinavia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland and Russia — landed jobs that paid less. Higher-paying jobs included manager, sales or office clerk, and operating more complicated machinery in factories. Today’s immigrant, on average, earns about 20 percent less than the average native born worker, according to Ms. Platt Boustan, who adds that this significant earning gap lasts for five years. Ms. Platt Boustan has some theories about why today’s immigrants aren’t doing as well as those who came to America during the Age of Mass Migration. She says, given the industries that drove the American economy at the time, it’s possible the ability to speak English was not as critical in the late 1800s and early 1900s as it is in today’s job market. In addition, the jobs were more manual labor. In fact, some U.S. firms recruited workers overseas.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this Web site are
copyrighted by Consultantes Ro Colorado S.A 2015 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 |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 28, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 82 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Signatures sought to demand labeling for genetically
modified products |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Foes of genetically modified crops are now seeking government action to have products labeled as such. The statement came Monday from the Red de Coordinación en Biodiversidad. The statement claims that individuals were putting at risk their children or animals by feeding them products containing genetically modified ingredients. The organization asked that action be taken by the Ministerio de Economía, Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería and the Ministerio de Salud as well as President Luis Guillermo Solís. This is a new proposal in the long-running effort to ban genetically modified crops in Costa Rica. A.M. Costa Rica published an article Monday that said that Belgian philosophers and plant biotechnologists have turned to cognitive science to explain why opposition to genetically modified organisms has become so widespread, despite positive contributions such crops have made to sustainable agriculture. The newspaper also has reported on what appears to be genetical modification of some plant species by nature. A |
bacterium has
entered some crops, in this case, sweet potatoes, and
joined its genetic structure with that of the crop. Another recent article suggested that humans also have been genetically modified. The Belgian researcher said that contributing to this public opposition, the researchers suspect, is a lack of scientific understanding of genetics as well as moral objections to scientists playing God. The message from opponents said that the state had a duty to protect the health and life of consumers and guarantee clear and complete information. The statement appears to be preparation for a Sala IV appeal. The opponents note that 60 countries around the world have ordered labeling for products containing genetically modified organisms. The organization said it would begin collecting signatures in an effort to cause President Luis Guillermo Solís to live up to his campaign promise on genetically modified organisms Nearly all imported snack foods containing corn probably would require labeling under the proposal. Most of the corn in the United States has genetically modified genes. |
| Her political party backs Epsy Campbell in debate over
children's book |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Partido Acción Ciudadana rushed to support two lawmakers who caused the culture ministry to withdraw support for a musical adaptation of a beloved children's book. The party issued a statement Monday deploring manifestations that denigrate the integrity and attacks against members of the Comisión de Derechos Humanos. The statement singled out Epsy Campbell Barr and Maureen Clarke Clarke. The political party said it rejected the tone of a debate that reeked of racism, xenophobia and hatred. Ms. Campbell and 11 other lawmakers from her party signed the document. But |
the statement
did not specify from where such attacks originated. A search of the Web
failed to turn up any hatred or racism, but Ms.
Campbell's own Facebook page contained criticism of her actions. One
poster said a group of lawmakers were an insult. Another said that
censorship of the book "Cocorí" would lead to censorship of
other books
because they offend the sensibilities of others for other reasons. Costa Rican Joaquín Gutiérrez wrote "Cocorí" in 1947. The book already had been viewed nearly 20 years ago by the Sala IV constitutional court which said it was not racist. Ms. Campbell says that the book contains unfavorable stereotypes of Afro-Costa Ricans. The tale involves a boy from Limón who goes into the jungle and accumulates animal friends in search of life's answer. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The 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 |
||||||
 |
 |
||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 28, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 82 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Scientists give a more optimistic prediction for world's
coral |
|
|
By the Institut de Recherche pour le
Développement
news staff Coral reefs, true reservoirs of biodiversity, are seriously threatened by human activities and climate change. Consequently, their extinction has often been heralded. Now, researchers are painting a less gloomy picture: the planet’s reefs are not doomed to disappear. But they will be very different from the present ones. A new coral fauna will emerge, coming from the species that are most resistant to temperature increases. During the first decade of the 21st century, the intensification of cyclones, the phenomenon of coral bleaching due to ocean warming, outbreaks of a coral-eating starfish and coral diseases generated fears for the future of coral. But today, scientists are revising their pessimistic forecasts from the previous decade. In fact, recent research works show that, while numerous coral species have indeed been declining for more than 30 years, others are holding firm or even increasing in abundance. Consequently, some reefs have recently managed to recover. During a vast international study over 16 years, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement researchers and their partners observed the ecological development of seven coral reefs throughout the world: two in the Caribbean, in Belize and in the American Virgin Islands, and five throughout the Indo-Pacific Ocean in Kenya, Taiwan, Hawaii, Moorea and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Consequently, the scientists have shown the increase of certain genera, like the Porites reef corals, real reef builders that can resist temperature rises well. They have also put these recent changes into perspective with regard to past events recorded in fossil reefs, showing that the abundance and structure of coral populations have |
 Institut de
Recherche pour le Développement/Joël Orempuller
Diver enjoys the current coral
diversity.already varied greatly over the course of past millennia. These new data have enabled them to refine their mathematical models and to revise their forecasts for the coming decades. As ocean temperatures continue to rise, a subset of species will thrive: those that have the greatest heat tolerance, the best population growth rates or the greatest longevity. These species should progressively populate the planet’s reefs, until they dominate them entirely. Consequently, the underwater landscapes of the future will be very different to the ones that have been known for millennia. However, much remains to be discovered regarding this new coral fauna and its features. One question in particular remains: will these new eco-systems continue to meet the needs of the populations who depend on them? |
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
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
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 |
||||||
|
A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
news page
|
||
 |
 |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 28, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 82 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Rescue efforts at Everest continue to fly out injured By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Efforts continued Monday to rescue climbers stranded on the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, where avalanches triggered by Saturday’s earthquake have killed at least 18 people. Helicopters began ferrying out some of the more than 100 mountaineers trapped above base camp on the mountain, which straddles the border between Nepal and China and lies about 240 kilometers or 150 miles due east of the quake’s epicenter. The death toll for the 7.8-magnitude quake already has surpassed 3,700 in the region. Continuing aftershocks threaten to unleash more avalanches at the outset of the climbing season. Hundreds of mountaineers were on Everest, a peak of 8,850 meters or 29,035 feet, when the quake struck. Onslaughts of snow and debris hit Everett Base Camp, at 5,545 meters or 18,192 feet, where the 18 were killed and dozens more were injured. Three of the dead were American climbers. "The snow swept away many tents and people," sunburned guide Gyelu Sherpa said. He was among the first 15 injured survivors to be transported to the capital, Kathmandu, for treatment. A Sherpa cook, Bhim Bahadur Khadtri, 35, said he was preparing a meal when the avalanche rumbled. "We all rushed out to the open and the next moment a huge wall of snow just piled on me," he said in a brief airport interview before he was driven to a hospital. "I managed to dig out of what could easily have been my grave. I wiggled and used my hands as claws to dig as much as I could. I was suffocating, I could not breathe. But I knew I had to survive." The snow’s force wiped out climbing ropes and other equipment used in ascents, stranding climbers at several higher camps. Ed Viesturs, a celebrated U.S. climber who has reached Everest’s peak seven times in 11 attempts, described the challenges facing mountaineers and rescuers. "The people at Camp 1," the lowest of four camps above the base, "are at about 20,000 feet," Viesturs said by phone from Ketchum, Idaho. "If they’ve got feed and fuel – fuel to melt snow to make water – they can survive there for a good period of time." Experienced guides scale the mountain gradually, spending roughly a week at base camp, to acclimate to oxygen levels that decrease at higher altitudes. But Viesturs said the thinning air creates difficulties for helicopters. "The air is so thin, the amount of lift they have is minimal, so you can’t add a lot of extra weight," he explained. The choppers likely could carry "one or two, maybe three people at a time, so there’s going to be a lot of shuttling." Landing spots also are difficult to find on the mountain, Nepal’s tourism minister, Tulsi Gautam, said. The mountaineers, including some injured, walked down from base camp to seek treatment or shelter. Viesturs said he was relieved to learn his friend, filmmaker David Breshears, had gotten to safety after the avalanche. Breshears had co-directed "Everest," an IMAX film whose production was disrupted by a 1996 blizzard that killed eight climbers. Monday’s weather on Everest was good, enabling evacuations to continue at Camps 1 and 2, rescued U.S. climber Jim Davidson said in a Facebook update. "I am safe in base camp now … the injuries, fatalities & tragedy are heartbreaking." Another documentary filmmaker, Michael Churton, was at Everest’s base camp when the snow and ice thundered in. "It's a big ice shelf, and it must have just released," the 38-year-old New Yorker said Monday in Kathmandu. He was with four colleagues at the time. "We saw it hit, it kind of hits one level and then it just shot right back up.… It was like 4,000 feet of snow just kind of coming, and there's nowhere to run," Churton said. "So I told everybody to get down and then put my hands over my head and, like, just buried myself as much as I could. And basically snow hit, it's about 45 seconds or a minute for it to go by.'' Climber Nick Ciensky had helped recover the bodies of at least 12 avalanche victims. "We are still sorting through a lot of emotions. 24 hours ago we were wrapping people’s body parts in bags," the Canadian said. Like Viesturs, he expressed grave concern for the Sherpas and other Himalayans. The deadly avalanche comes roughly a year after the April 18 avalanche that killed at least 13 Sherpas on Everest, inciting anger among the local populace over their low pay and high risk. This year’s tragedy makes a dismal start to the climbing season, which brings vital money into Nepal’s economy. Mountaineers pay a standard fee of $65,000 to climb with Russell Brice’s Himalayan Experience. "Climbing mountains is inherently risky and dangerous," Viesturs observed. ". . . The way we minimize the risk is by being smart and conservative and humble. "But this was an event that was completely unpredictable," he said. "It caught people at a base camp considered a haven of safety. And now it’s not." Rioters in Baltimore torch structures, confront police By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Rioters plunged part of Baltimore into chaos Monday, torching a pharmacy, setting police cars ablaze and throwing bricks at officers just hours after the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, a black man who died from a mysterious spinal injury sustained while in police custody earlier this month. The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to help with the violence and rioting. He signed the order late Monday at the request of the city. At an evening news conference Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the city is imposing a curfew, saying thugs were trying to tear down the city and incite violence. The curfew is set for 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. for one week starting on Tuesday, with exceptions for work and medical emergencies. At least 15 officers were hurt, and some two dozen people were arrested during clashes Monday with hundreds of youths who pelted the officers with rocks, bricks, glass bottles and other objects. Two officers remained hospitalized, police said. During the daylight hours television footage showed at least one police cruiser in flames and crowds of looters breaking into stores. The clashes started near the Mondawmin Mall, just blocks from Gray's funeral, and spread out over a wide area as a line of police officers pushed them back. At one point, a police car was surrounded and destroyed by people jumping on it. Police initially showed restraint on Monday, but then began arresting people and using pepper spray on rioters. In the late afternoon schools, businesses and train stations began closing in the city of 662,000 people, 64 km from the nation's capital. The Baltimore Orioles professional baseball game was cancelled, as were all school trips scheduled into the city this week. Baltimore schools will be closed today. Firefighters battled several blazes on Monday evening, including a fire under investigation that consumed a church's senior center under construction in East Baltimore. Police said looting and assaults against officers continued into the night. The riot occurred just hours after the funeral for Gray, whose family along with pastors and city officials had pleaded for peaceful demonstrations after some arrests and injuries at protests over the weekend. "It is disappointing just a few hours after putting Gray to rest," the Rev. Jamal Bryant, who spoke at the funeral, told reporters. "This is not what the family asked for today of all days. This was a day of sacred closure." Thousands of mourners gathered at a church to pay their respects to Gray, whose death became the latest incident sparking questions and protests about interactions between minorities and police in the United States. Among those attending the funeral were the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings, whose district includes Baltimore. White House officials said Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, who heads an initiative on minority men, represented President Barack Obama's administration. Gray family attorney, Bill Murphy Jr., called on the officers involved in the incident to come forward and tell their side of the story. "It's a corrosion on justice," said Murphy in remarks at the funeral. "And we're calling for the police, the six of them that are at least being partially, if not totally, implicated to come forward and to tell it all just like you tell our citizens to do." Gray suffered severe spinal cord injuries following his arrest April 12. Officials said Gray was not restrained properly while being transported in a police van. Protesters have been demanding justice in daily demonstrations that have been largely peaceful, but some incidents of vandalism and violence were reported in a march on Saturday. Decade since French riots suburbs still lack employment By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The terrorist attacks in France in January and fears of more to come are casting a spotlight on the country's neglected suburbs. Home to many immigrants and sometimes hubs of crime, they were rocked by rioting a decade ago. Since then, some things have changed. Others have not. Market day in Clichy-sous-Bois is a time to chat and buy items from the home country. Many residents and their forebears immigrated here from North and sub-Saharan Africa. They were looking for better opportunities. Not everybody found them. In 2005, this Paris suburb exploded into violence after two teenagers were electrocuted as they hid from police. Most people here say pent up anger about the lack of jobs and a future helped fuel the riots that spread across the country. Clichy-sous-Bois today looks very different. The state has invested massively in infrastructure. Old-timers like 66-year-old Yaya Jaiel from Algeria praise the results. He says lots of things have changed, small apartment buildings with balconies have replaced massive, peeling towers. Some things, however, have not. According to 18-year-old Mehdi Hassani, who is studying to be an electrician, it’s really hard to find a job, especially for Clichy residents like himself. He says they are still identified by the 2005 riots and still considered delinquents and drug addicts. Nearly half of Clichy’s population is under 25. More than a third are jobless. A tramway is under construction, but for now, the only easy way out of here is by car. Pierre Mouget, who heads Mission Locale, an agency that helps young people find jobs, says because of Clichy’s transportation problems, businesses are reluctant to move here, and many young people have a difficult time commuting to jobs elsewhere. The Paris shootings in January, which involved three Islamist attackers, again focused the spotlight on France’s neglected suburbs. That’s where the attackers came from, but activist Mehdi Bigaderne says suburbs like Clichy are no more likely to produce terrorists than any other part of France. He's co-founder of ACLEFEU, a citizens' empowerment group set up after the riots. He says the country is right to be worried about its youth. Bigaderne says the real question facing French authorities is how the country got to this point. He says the young people involved in the terrorist attacks did not come from Iraq, Algeria or Morocco but were products of France. Clichy-sous-Bois still mourns Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore, the two boys electrocuted 10 years ago. Two police officers are on trial on charges of failing to prevent their deaths. A verdict is due in May, but the bigger challenge of healing and moving forward here lies ahead. Duplicate of famed cave opens to visitors in France By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A detailed copy of a cave containing the oldest figurative drawings made by Europe’s prehistoric inhabitants opened over the weekend in France not far from the original cave. The replica was built because the original drawings are too fragile to be exposed for public viewing. Dec. 18, 1994, a group of French speleologists exploring caves in southern France entered a previously unknown area. Jean Marie Chauvet, who was leading the group, said, “And I was in the front, Eliette behind me, Christian behind. Eliette said she saw two marks made with red ochre and she said: 'They came here.' and at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything linked to the parietal art. That's where it started.” The cave walls were covered with drawings of animals, some of them long extinct in Europe. Their quality and elegance were remarkable. Mammoths, panthers, bears, cave lions and cave hyenas, competed with horses, rhinoceros and cattle. A few of the drawings even depicted movement. Cave art specialist Jean Clottes was assigned to evaluate their significance. “I was amazed at the number of paintings there were and of their quality and particularly in front of the panel of the horses,” said Clottes. Most of the paintings were done with charcoal but for some, the prehistoric artists used red ochre. More than 30,000 years old, they are considered the oldest human cave drawings ever discovered. In 2014, the Chauvet Cave, named after the first explorer who entered it, was listed as a World Heritage site. As the originals and their environment are too fragile, the cave is now sealed and the access restricted to only scientific purposes. Last week, after spending $59 million, French authorities opened an exact replica, called Pont d'Arc Cavern. Its president, Pascal Terrasse, said sculptors, painters and other experts created an environment in which everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. “And this place will be open to humanity, everybody will be able to come and visit the Pont d'Arc Cavern, and you will not feel that it is a replica, because this place is magic and it has been done so well,” he said. Authorities say they expect as many as 400,000 visitors annually. Petrobras reports big loss as corruption probe continues By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. or Petrobras, has reported a huge loss for 2014, driven in part by a massive charge against earnings due to corruption. And the Petrobras scandal has reverberated beyond the oil company to Brazil’s top political tiers. Earnings released this month show a staggering net loss of 21.6 billion Brazilian reals, $7.2 billion, with $2.1 billion directly related to corruption. Multiple sources report that this scandal involves alleged overcharges to Petrobras by suppliers with part of the money funneled to former company officials and Brazilian political figures. The Petrobras corruption investigation, which has been underway for some time, has roused some Brazilians to protest. In March, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets against President Dilma Rousseff, who was Petrobras’ chairperson over much of the period during which the reported corrupt acts took place. Ms. Rousseff has denied any involvement in corrupt activities at the state oil concern and has been cleared by Brazil’s attorney general. The corruption investigation has resulted, so far, in the indictment of 97 people on charges of corruption, forming cartels and money laundering. Included are high-level people from a number of Brazil’s major construction and engineering entities who were allegedly involved in the inflated-contract-kickback Petrobras scheme. Also caught by the probe are some 50 Brazilian political figures, nearly all of them part of Rousseff’s Worker Party-led governing coalition. One of the top figures nabbed is Joao Vaccari, the Worker’s Party treasurer. Paulo Roberto Costa, the former company director of refining and supply, was convicted this month on money laundering and racketeering charges related to the company’s corruption scandal. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison but will serve one year under house arrest because of time served and his cooperation with authorities. Costa has provided to investigators the names of a number of Petrobras officials and others. His arrest in March 2014, and that of alleged money launderer Alberto Youssef, were the sparks that launched the probe into the oil company. Youssef’s gift of a Land Rover vehicle to Costa prompted authorities to take action. The release of Petrobras’ 2014 results was delayed some five and a half months because, according to the news portal Quartz.com, “auditors refused to sign off on Petrobras’ financial statements.” The company’s third-quarter results, released Jan. 28, were also delayed and did not include what investors most want to know: a rough estimate of how badly corruption over-valued the company’s assets. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
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 |
||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
|
||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, April 28, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 82 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
||
|
 Voice of America
photo
Ava, played by Alicia Vikander,
reflects today's social anxiety.
'Ex Machina'
features a willful robot
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
"Ex Machina," an intelligent and sleek sci-fi drama by first time director Alex Garland focuses on the relationship and power play between a female sentient robot and two men: its creator and a computer programmer. Ava, played by Alicia Vikander, is an artificial intelligence created by Nathan, a genius and the CEO of the world’s largest internet search engine. Nathan, interpreted by Oscar Isaac, invites Caleb, a computer programmer from his company to assess Ava’s intelligence. Caleb is asked to be part of a Turing Test in which a human being tries to determine if he’s interacting with artificial intelligence or another person. Charmed by Nathan’s charisma and Ava’s cool intellect and femininity, Caleb, played by Domhnall Gleeson, does not realize that ultimately he is the subject of the experiment. It is Ava who is assessing him and influencing his behavior. First-time director Garland blurs the lines between human and artificial consciousness and raises questions about gender and relations between humans and androids. “Where does gender reside?” The filmmaker asked during an interview. “Is there a male or female consciousness, or is it an external form that denotes gender?" Ava, the center of this power play, has human characteristics. She empathizes, deceives, manipulates and has a goal: to escape the glass room where she is kept. Such behavior sets her apart from earlier artificial intelligence characters on the large screen. Take Maria in the 1927 futuristic film "Metropolis." She was created to be evil and destructive, leading innocent workers to their doom, a reflection of society's mistrust of machines at the time. The man versus machine tension continued in space with Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi drama "2001: A Space Odyssey." A spaceship’s self-aware computer, Hal 9000, goes rogue, killing four astronauts and refusing to let another back into the vessel. Steven Spielberg showed an emotional side of artificial intelligence in his 2001 film "A.I." That story is told from the perspective of the machine, an android boy programmed to have feelings for his human mother that are not reciprocated because he is not a real boy. But Garland’s "Ex Machina" goes a step further. Ava is the product of massive data harvesting from people’s personal smart phones and computers. In short, her intelligence is us. “We all have telephones and lap top computers and tablets and none of us really understand how these things work. They are mysterious to us,” Garland said. “But, they seem to understand a lot about how we work. And we know we’re giving them huge amounts of information. And the traffic is all one way." He said Ava reflects today's social anxiety about data gathering, search engines and loss of privacy. In "Ex Machina," Ava is humanity’s brain child, intelligent and willful, a magnificent creation that defies its parents. |
| Costa Rican News |
AMCostaRicaArchives.com |
Retire NOW
in Costa Rica |
CostaRicaReport.com |
| Fine Dining
in Costa Rica |
The CAFTA Report |
Fish
fabulous Costa Rica |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
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 |
||||||
| From
Page 7: Hearing set on rate for solar power producers By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's utility regulator plans a hearing June 8 at 5:15 p.m. to hear public views on a proposal for rates on electricity produced by solar sources. The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos said that the rates would cover electric producers with power production up to 20 megawatts. The rates would not apply to small home producers of less than 1 megawatt, mostly for self consumption, said the agency. The law requires the agency to set a rate that covers the cost of solar producers who would sell their output to the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. The law also requires a reasonable profit. The agency said the rate would be reviewed annually once set. |
