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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, April 29, 2015,
Vol.
15, No. 83
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Country gets good
marks on press freedom
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country received generally good review of press freedom in the annual report prepared by Freedom House. The review is in contrast to worldwide conditions for the media which deteriorated sharply in 2014 to reach their lowest point in more than 10 years, as journalists around the world encountered more restrictions from governments, militants, criminals, and media owners, the organization said. "Costa Rica continues to enjoy a free press backed by strong legal and political institutions," Freedom House said. "The constitution guarantees press freedom, and this right is generally upheld. However, punitive press laws, particularly concerning defamation, are occasionally used to restrict the operations of the media." The report noted that Diario Extra, the Spanish-language tabloid, accused the Judicial Investigation Agency and the office of the public prosecutor of monitoring journalists’ public and private telephone calls for most of 2013. The supposed targets of the monitoring were potential whistle-blowers, it said. The report noted that the internet served as an additional source of unrestricted information and was accessed by 46 percent of the population in 2013. But, it said, access to high-speed internet service remains surprisingly low compared with other countries in the region, but the situation is improving. Worldwide “journalists faced intensified pressure from all sides in 2014,” said Jennifer Dunham, project manager of the report. “Governments used security or antiterrorism laws as a pretext to silence critical voices, militant groups and criminal gangs used increasingly brazen tactics to intimidate journalists and media owners attempted to manipulate news content to serve their political or business interests.” The report found that the main factors driving the decline were the passage and use of restrictive laws against the media, often on national security grounds, and limits on the ability of local and foreign journalists to report freely within a given country, or even to reach it. In a time of seemingly unlimited access to information and new methods of content delivery, more and more areas of the world are becoming virtually inaccessible to journalists, the report said. “One of the most troubling developments of the past year was the struggle by democratic states to cope with an onslaught of propaganda from authoritarian regimes and militant groups,” Ms. Dunham said in a press statement. “There is a danger that instead of encouraging honest, objective journalism and freedom of information as the proper antidote, democracies will resort to censorship or propaganda of their own.” According to the report, of the 199 countries and territories assessed during 2014, a total of 63 (32 percent) were rated free, 71 (36 percent) were rated partly free, and 65 (32 percent) were rated not free. In Latin America, only three (15 percent) countries, including Costa Rica, were rated free, and just 2 percent of the population lived in free media environments, said the report. Honduras, Peru, and Venezuela experienced significant declines, while Mexico, already suffering from endemic violence, received its lowest score in over a decade, after the passage of a controversial new telecommunications law, it said. In Ecuador, hostile rhetoric from the government, combined with pervasive legal harassment of journalists and media outlets, led to a two-point decline, said the report. Government vows continued gas supply By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
One of the country's major gas suppliers, Gas Zeta, is involved in an internal struggle that has come to the attention of the Luis Guillermo Solís administration. Casa Presidencial said Tuesday that the government would guarantee the supply of bottled gas and also post Fuerza Pública officers at the company production area to safeguard it. The government said it considers the gas supplier to be a public utility. Many Costa Ricans use bottled gas for cooking and for heating water. The price of gas is regulated like that of gasoline. Robbery suspect with Uzi dies in firefight By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A robber stuck up a supermarket in Siquirres about 9 p.m. Tuesday, but one of the victims managed to contact police via a silent alarm. Officers were waiting for the man when he left the store and engaged him in a firefight. The suspect, identified by the last name of Núñez, died, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. He was 33, agents said. He was hit four times, agents reported. The man carried a mini-Uzi submachine gun, agents reported. Vaccination Week kicked off in Americas Special to A.M. Costa Rica
More than 2,000 children, adolescents, and adults took part in the regional launch of the 13th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas in Durán, Ecuador. The special event was Vaccination Week in the Americas, which ends Saturday, has since 2003 reached more than 519 million people throughout the Americas. This year's campaign is targeting more than 60 million girls and boys and men and women in 45 countries and territories with vaccines against measles, rubella, polio, pneumonia and other diseases. To kick off the week's activities, a nurse from Durán administered the first dose of polio vaccine to a local baby, and a mother spoke of the benefits of vaccination for families, emphasizing the importance of getting children vaccinated so they can grow up healthy and strong. Vaccination is a central component of universal access to health and universal health coverage, to the extent it is accessible to all those who need it. "If we join forces, we can ensure that everyone in the world can benefit fully from immunization, no matter where they're born, who they are, or where they live," said Cariisa F. Etienne. She is director of the Pan American Health Organization. During this year's Vaccination Week, Ecuador is carrying out a special campaign against polio in which children under 6 will receive, free of charge, a dose of trivalent oral polio vaccine, with the goal of maintaining Ecuador free of wild polio virus circulation, in preparation for the final phase of polio eradication worldwide. In Nicaragua, the agency's assistant director, Francisco Becerra, presented an immunization award to the local healthcare system of Matagalpa for its success in ensuring high vaccination rates through integrated immunization and follow-up efforts. Becerra said that, thanks to mass immunization initiatives such as those implemented in Nicaragua, the region of the Americas was the first in the world to eradicate smallpox and to eliminate polio. Nicaragua expects to administer some 1.7 million vaccines this week. Coalition formalizes search for alien life By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The search for life beyond the solar system has taken a major step forward with a new interdisciplinary research coalition devoted to the search for life in the cosmos. The Nexus for Exoplanet System Science will be made up of research teams from several federal facilities, 10 U.S. universities and two research institutions, according to a recent announcement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Research teams were picked from proposals submitted to the four various divisions that make up the space agency’s Science Mission Directorate. NExSS experts will search for life in the cosmos by studying various aspects of an extra solar planet or exoplanet, as well as how the planet’s star and neighboring worlds all act together to support life. NASA said NExSS researchers will be better equipped to look for life on extrasolar planets if they gain a better understanding of how biology interacts with various components of an exoplanet, such as its interior, atmosphere, geology and ocean, and how its host star affects these interactions. “This interdisciplinary endeavor connects top research teams and provides a synthesized approach in the search for planets with the greatest potential for signs of life,” said Jim Green, NASA’s director of planetary science in a press release. He said “the hunt for exoplanets is not only a priority for astronomers, it’s of keen interest to planetary and climate scientists as well.” As more and more planets are found in solar systems beyond our own, researchers have been working on scientific methods that would not only allow them to confirm whether the alien planets are suitable to host life, but also help them look for specific biosignatures that point to the presence of life on these planets. Experts from the four divisions of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate will provide NExSS with guidance and knowledge in the areas of Earth Science, Planetary Science, helieophysics and astrophysics. And NExSS team members will study and classify newly discovered exoplanets, determine if they are possibly habitable, and develop the needed tools and technologies to find life beyond our own planet. “NExSS scientists will not only apply a systems science approach to existing exoplanet data, their work will provide a foundation for interpreting observations of exoplanets from future exoplanet missions . . .,” noted Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA headquarters, Washington. The first extrasolar planet was discovered only 20 years ago when 51 Pegasi b was found orbiting 51Pegasi, a star much like the Sun, some 50 light years away. After the Kepler space telescope went into operation in May 2009, scientists were able to confirm the existence of more than 1,800 exoplanets. Thousands more await confirmation.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, April 29, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 83 | |
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| Massive series of police raids aimed at battling narcotics
ring |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police, judicial investigators and even the security ministry's air arm moved to detain 14 persons and to crimp in the drug trade and the wave of narcotics-related murders. A force of 322 officers conducted 27 raids at locations in Linda Vista in Cartago, Patarra, Barrio Cristo Rey and Pavas in San José, in Alajuela and in the southern zone. Investigators said that those detained were members of a drug gang headed by Luis Ángel Martínez Fajardo. The gang is one of two major narcotics distributing organizations in the country, investigators said. Many of the recent murders, perhaps as many as 60, are believed related to the territorial war between these rivals, said investigators. During the raids, police said they came in contact with persons unrelated to the drug organization but who had outstanding warrants. They were detained, too. Martínez, the suspected leader, is believed to have been detained in Nicaragua. |
 Ministerio de Seguridad
Pública/Alonso Alvarez
Police gather to prepare
for a nearby raid. |
| Three-day weekend gives hope to tourism operators at
vacation spots |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tourism operators are hoping for a successful weekend if Costa Ricans take advantage of the Friday holiday to travel. Friday is May Day, a legal holiday, and most of the public attention is directed at the legislature and President Luis Guillermo Solís who is scheduled to make a speech. There also is a parade downtown. Citizens who have little interest in current affairs or politics are expected to head for their favorite vacation spot for three days of relaxation. That generally means the beaches or the mountains. For |
others,
the
day is one where they can enjoy the offerings of the Festival
Internacional de la Artes at selected venues around the valley. Traffic officials have eliminated the license plate prohibition for Friday, but with a major march through the heart of the city, savvy drivers will stay away anyway. The U.S. Embassy and probably others will be closed that day. The weather, which has produced afternoon downpours in the Central Valley also has been hot and sticky, a good reason for an out-of-town vacation. A.M. Costa Rica's offices in Barrio Otoya will be closed Friday, but the newspaper will be published that morning. |
| Budget watchdog seeks a report of how arts festival was
organized |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Contraloría General de la República is seeking a report from the culture ministry on the planning, execution and organization of the Festival International de las Artes. The Contraloría becomes the latest government agency to weigh in on the troubled festival. The Contraloría is the agency that approves contracts and expenditures. A statement noted that a significant amount of public money |
is tied up in
the festival. The Ministerio de Cultural y Juventud
earlier said that amount was nearly $1.5 million. Meanwhile, the ministry said that the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional will give free concerts in Acosta and Desamparados this week. Tonight at 7:30, the orchestra will be in the Iglesia de San Ignacio Loyola in Acosta. Thursday the venue will be the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Desamparados at 8 p.m. The programs are mainly classical and show tunes. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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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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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, April 29, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 83 | |||||
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| Page 1 is HERE!
Page 2 is HERE!
Page 3 is HERE! Page 5 is HERE! Page 6 is HERE! The sports page is HERE! Opinion is HERE! Classifieds are HERE! Plus useful links |
Next Page |
| Major U.S. chicken producer says it will phase out use of
antibiotics |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The largest chicken producer in the United States said Tuesday that it planned to stop giving its birds the same antibiotics doctors use to treat sick patients. The firm, Tyson Foods, said it aimed to stop using human antibiotics in its flocks by 2017. The move came in response to the statements of health experts and consumer advocates that the practice is contributing to the growing number of antibiotic-resistant infections. For decades, farmers have fed livestock small, regular doses of antibiotics. The drugs help the animals grow faster, and they prevent illness in confined flocks and herds. But bacteria living in and on the animals eventually become immune to the antibiotics. And resistant bacteria can find their way into people, making infections harder, more expensive or even impossible to treat. The meat industry has long downplayed the contribution it may be making to the problem. But in a statement announcing the company’s decision, Tyson President and CEO Donnie Smith took ownership of the issue. “We want to do our part to responsibly reduce human antibiotics on the farm so these medicines can continue working when they’re needed to treat illness,” he said. Tyson is the latest chicken producer to announce it will scale back antibiotic use. The second-largest producer, Pilgrim’s Pride, said it would aim to make a quarter of its flock antibiotic-free by 2019. Perdue, the No. 3 company, said 95 percent of its birds never receive antibiotics. “This is a tipping point for the industry,” said Sasha Stashwick, a food policy analyst with the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. “When we do the math, we’re seeing that over a third of the industry at this point either has eliminated the use of medically important |
antibiotics
in its production or has made a public commitment to do so
within the next few years.” Tyson said it planned to reduce antibiotic use in its global chicken operations but has not set a timeframe. The company does business in some 130 countries. It also said it intended to consider reducing antibiotic use in its cattle, hogs and turkeys. While antibiotic use in livestock is losing favor in the U.S. and Europe, it is expected to grow in the developing world. As demand for meat increases and production practices intensify, farmers worldwide will use two-thirds more antibiotics by 2030 than they did in 2010, according to recent research. But the announcement from Tyson “sends a very strong signal that it is possible to produce chicken at large scale without using antibiotics that are medically important in humans,” said study co-author Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Washington-based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy. Laxminarayan said in countries that are fairly new to large-scale production, antibiotics can help farmers bring their chickens to market about 15 percent faster. “That’s not trivial,” he added. “It certainly can be a make-or-break situation for many producers.” But cleaner living conditions and better nutrition can practically wipe out that advantage, he said. Producers are unlikely to make changes without the pressure from consumers that drove changes in the U.S., Laxminarayan noted. Just a few years ago, U.S. consumers “were not aware of the scale at which antibiotics were being used in their meat,” he said. “And today, consumers really know this, and they’re able to mentally connect the link with that use to resistant pathogens that keep their loved ones in hospitals for longer.” |
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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| Orioles will play baseball with no spectators in stands By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
For the first time in the history of Major League Baseball, a regularly scheduled game will be played in an empty stadium. The Baltimore Orioles have announced that their American League game with the visiting Chicago White Sox will be played this afternoon at Camden Yards in downtown Baltimore without any fans allowed in, a decision prompted by an explosion of violence in the city after the funeral of a black man who recently died while in police custody. That violence already has forced the postponement of the first two games in the teams' scheduled three-game series. In a separate statement, Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred confirmed the historic move. He said, "After conversations with the Orioles and local officials, we believe that these decisions are in the best interests of fan safety and the deployment of city resources." Orioles manager Buck Showalter said "It's all about what's best for the city and the safety of our people. . . The last thing you want to do is put the fans in harm's way. You have to err on the side of safety.'' It is extremely rare for civil unrest to disrupt sporting events in the United States. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots triggered by the Rodney King police brutality case verdict, the Dodgers postponed a home series against the Montreal Expos. And in 1967, the Orioles and the Detroit Tigers postponed a game because of riots in Detroit. Closed-door games are more common in soccer games, especially in Europe. There have been many instances of games played in empty stadiums prompted by fan-inspired violence. According to John Thorn, official historian for Major League Baseball, this will be the first game with zero attendance. The previous low was six for a game Sept. 28, 1882, between the host Worcester Ruby Legs and Troy Trojans, two teams that have not existed since the late 1800s. In 2002, the minor league Charleston Riverdogs barred fans for five innings in an attempt to set a record for lowest attendance. "It's definitely going to be unchartered territory,'' Showalter said. Indonesia executes eight but delays death of woman By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Eight drug convicts were executed by an Indonesian firing squad early Wednesday, but a Filipina, Mary Jane Veloso, who was on death row with them was unexpectedly spared, local media reports said. The Filipina's execution was delayed at the last minute after one of her recruiters surrendered to police in The Philippines, the attorney general's spokesman said. "The execution of Mary Jane has been postponed because there was a request from the Philippine president related to a perpetrator suspected of human trafficking who surrendered herself in The Philippines," said spokesman Tony Spontana. "Mary Jane has been asked to testify." Jakarta moved forward with the other executions despite intense opposition abroad from those who said the punishment would be too harsh. The convicts had been held at Nusa Kambangan jail, an island prison off Java. They included two Australian members of the so-called Bali Nine heroin trafficking ring, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran; Indonesian citizen Zainal Abidin, and Brazilian national Rodrigo Gularte. Despite sustained appeals from the international community, rock bands and global leaders, Indonesian President Joko Widodo steadfastly refused to grant clemency for narcotics-related offenses. The president described the executions as the necessary shock therapy required to counter what he called Indonesia’s drug emergency. The president has said that 40 to 50 people die in Indonesia each day because of drugs, a statistic that has been widely questioned by academics and human rights activists, such as Daniel Awigla, from a coalition of Indonesian groups against the death penalty. Awigla said the president has leaned too heavily on projections from the National Narcotics Agency and ignored alternative views. “It is very dangerous, the state using this questionable data to ensure, to be the justification to have capital punishment. It has become very dangerous data, it is very systematic and why doesn't Jokowi listen to other voices?" Awigla asked. In recent weeks other serious allegations have emerged about flawed legal processes. A lawyer for the Bali Nine pair has told of how the judges initially agreed to accept bribes of more than $100,000 for a lenient sentence. In the trial of Indonesian Abidin, one witness was allegedly tortured, while lawyers for Ms. Veloso insist she was a victim of human trafficking who went to trial without a qualified translator. The family of Brazilian Gularte has for years been pushing for a reprieve on the basis of his fragile mental health. Specialists have consistently diagnosed him as paranoid schizophrenic. Others argued that in accordance with international law, capital punishment should be limited to the most serious of crimes. The U.N. Human Rights Committee has concluded that capital punishment for drug offenses fails to meet this condition, said Andreas Harsono, from Human Rights Watch. Nigeria reports a rescue of Boko Haram hostages By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Nigeria Tuesday said it has rescued nearly 300 girls and women from a Boko Haram stronghold in the country’s northeast, but it remained unclear if any were among the missing schoolgirls the Islamist group kidnapped last year from the town of Chibok. Two military spokesmen have differed over the possibility of the rescued girls being from Chibok. The military announced on Twitter that it had rescued 200 girls and 93 women from three camps in the Sambisa forest but couldn’t confirm whether any girls in the group were from Chibok. The forest is thought to be one of Boko Haram’s last strongholds in northeastern Nigeria, and the military earlier this month announced it would be storming Sambisa as part of its campaign against the radical Islamist group. At its peak, Boko Haram controlled parts of the northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, and carried out kidnappings in towns and villages in Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon. But last year’s raid on Chibok was the most notorious episode. In that instance, militants stormed the northeastern town in the dead of night, and made off with dormitories full of schoolgirls. Some escaped, but 219 remain missing. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade says the military is still fighting for control of the forest. “The mission is still continuing, because we have cleared all the identified camps. We have camps that we have identified in the intelligence that must be taken out," said Olukolade. Pogo Bitrus is the chairman of Chibok Elders Forum and a representative of the families of the missing girls from Chibok. He said one of the families he spoke with had been cautiously optimistic about the news. “When we’re able to ascertain that some of them are Chibok girls, then we can start rejoicing," said Bitrus. Islam calculated to become world's largest faith by 2070 By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
At a youthful 1,400 years, Islam is the youngest of the world's major religions, and it's on track to be the largest sometime this century. That's the prediction from demographers at the Pew Research Center who say high fertility rates among Muslim women and a youth bulge in the faith are fueling its growth. A Pew survey released this month, “The Future of World Religions,” says that if current trends continue, Islam will surpass Christianity in 2070 to become the world’s largest faith. A panel of demographers discussed the findings of the report recently during a seminar at the headquarters of Pew’s Religion & Public Life project. Conrad Hackett, the lead researcher on the report, said that while fertility rates around the world are slipping toward the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, Muslim women are having on average more than three children each. At the same time, around a third of all Muslims are under age 15. “What this means is that the Muslim population has more people who are going to grow into their childbearing years in the years to come than any other religious group,” he said. In fact, Islam is the only major religion expected to grow faster than the global population. But the Pew report is mainly a story about Africa, a continent that is expected to double its population by 2050. That means 1 billion new people, divided primarily between Islam and Christianity. In the United States, Muslims will edge upward from around 1 percent of the population to a little more than 2 percent. In Europe, the increase will be from around 6 percent to 10 percent. Christianity is also growing because of high birth rates in Africa, which will be home to 40 percent of the faith by midcentury. Hinduism and Judaism as well as folk and aboriginal religions in different parts of the world are also expected to grow. Only Buddhism among the major faiths will stay constant, at about half a billion adherents. A British population studies professor, David Voas, said the results should be looked at country by country and with an understanding that greater numbers do not guarantee dominance. “What really matters is economic and cultural productivity,” he said. “Does the country manage to translate its numbers into influence — both in the global economy and in terms of soft power?”  Voice of America graphic
Map shows the location of
the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian
navy grabs ship
that infringes on its water By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Iranian forces have seized a cargo ship traveling under the flag of the Pacific island nation of the Marshall Islands. The Pentagon says the ship remains off the coast of Iran as the U.S. military monitors the situation. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren says the Maersk Tigris cargo ship was using an international waterway in the Strait of Hormuz when patrol vessels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy approached. “This part of the Strait of Hormuz apparently is in Iranian territorial waters. However, because it is recognized as an international shipping lane, something called innocent passage is applied, so ships, assuming that they abide by all of the laws of the sea are, according to international standards, authorized to pass through this Strait," said Warren. The Pentagon says the ship’s master was contacted by Iranian forces and told to move further into Iranian territory. When he refused, one of the patrol vessels fired shots across the bridge of the ship. The master of the ship then complied with the demands and headed off the coast of Iran’s Larak Island. The Pentagon says Iranians boarded the ship and appear to still remain onboard. Warren said that while it is too early to tell if this is considered a disruption of international shipping traffic, Iran should not have fired across the vessel. Warren described the situation as a “complex legal question." “This part of the Strait of Hormuz apparently is in Iranian territorial waters. It’s within 12 miles of the Iranian coast. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command has directed aircraft to observe the interaction between the Maersk vessel and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy craft. U.S. officials have been in touch with representatives of the shipping company, who said Iranian forces have boarded the vessel. The channel is a narrow strip of water separating Oman and Iran. It connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. At its narrowest point, the strait is 33 kilometers (21 miles) across and consists of 3-kilometer-wide navigable channels for inbound and outbound shipping and a 3-kilometer-wide buffer zone. High court justices grill lawyers on gay marriage By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A decades-long battle over wedlock for gays and lesbians reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard arguments Tuesday on whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to civil marriage, and whether states that ban gay unions must recognize same-sex marriages licensed by other states. While throngs of gay rights advocates and opponents demonstrated outside, justices gave diverging and, at times, conflicting signals as to how they might rule. During more than two hours of proceedings, justices and presenting attorneys wrestled with three major questions: Why should the high court decide the issue on a national basis rather than leaving it up to individual states? Why act now to alter or expand marriage, an institution that has existed for millennia? If marriage is a fundamental right, how can an entire class of people be excluded from it given constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law? First to present arguments was Mary Bonauto, representing same-sex couples in four states where gay unions are not recognized. She began by saying that denying marriage to gays and lesbians condemns them to second-class status in America. She was interrupted almost immediately with questions. Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote could decide the case in the ideologically polarized court, questioned the timing of the case. He noted that barely a decade has passed since anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional. He compared that short time frame to the age-old existence of marriage as an institution. He asked why the court should mandate a sudden change on a national basis rather than allowing states to debate and evaluate the issue and decide for themselves. "It's very difficult for the court to say, 'We know better,' " Kennedy said. Similarly, Chief Justice John Roberts pressed Bonauto about the rights of states to set parameters for marriage. Justice Samuel Alito noted no society or culture had recognized same-sex marriage until very recently, adding that ancient Greece had gay people and had marriage, but not gay marriage. Responding, Bonauto repeatedly cited the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing equal protection under the law. She argued that the amendment is timeless and covers same-sex couples seeking to wed, even if their expressed desire to do so is a recent development. She also said it has taken society a long time to recognize the common humanity of gays and lesbians, suggesting that their desire to wed might have been expressed sooner but for the prevalence of anti-gay attitudes spanning centuries. She also cited previous court decisions, striking down a ban on interracial marriage and affirming the right of everyone, even imprisoned criminals, to wed. Justice Antonin Scalia asked about possible consequences for religious freedom if same-sex marriage is decided nationally as a matter of constitutional law. Bonauto responded that ample constitutional guarantees exist for religious liberty. None of her arguments seemed to convince the conservative justices, Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas, some of whom expressed impatience or frustration with her responses. Next up was the federal government's representative before the court, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, but not before proceedings were interrupted by a protester, who repeatedly shouted that homosexuality is an “abomination to God.” The protester was removed from the courtroom but still could be heard shouting from a hallway for several minutes thereafter. Roberts drew chuckles when he shrugged and said, “Freedom of expression.” Verrilli argued that the court must not wait to decide the issue of same-sex marriage because delay is imposing real costs and burdens on gay couples. He said gays and lesbians are being recognized as full, contributing members of society, and discrimination against them cannot be justified. Again, conservative justices pounced. Alito asked if there is a difference between same-sex marriage and that between siblings, and about the historical role of marriage in child-rearing. Verrilli responded that laws in some states allow 100 percent of heterosexuals to marry, but ban 100 percent of gay couples from the institution, even though some of them are raising children. He said hundreds of thousands of children in same-sex households are being denied the benefits and stability of a married home. Next, Michigan Assistant Attorney General John Bursch presented arguments on behalf of four states that ban same-sex marriage. He argued that marriage serves a purpose in society, one that the government has an interest in protecting: the rearing of children by their biological parents. Bursch argued that changing society’s concept of marriage is dangerous and could undermine heterosexuals’ adherence to the institution as a child-rearing mechanism. Those assertions caused the court’s liberal justices to speak up. Justice Stephen Breyer asked why just one group should be excluded from the fundamental right to marry, when not every couple, gay or heterosexual, wants children. Justice Elena Kagan asked how same-sex marriage could possibly harm anyone else and, conversely, how excluding gays and lesbians benefits anyone. She also asked that if child-rearing is the purpose of marriage, why not deny licenses to heterosexual couples who do not want to have kids? Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg piped up with a similar question: Why not exclude 70-year-olds who can no longer have children? She also questioned any static assessment of traditional marriage, noting that marriage is not viewed the same way today as it was centuries or even decades ago. Bursch responded that gay and lesbian couples are seeking societal affirmation and dignity in petitioning for marriage, something the government has no interest in providing. He noted that out-of-wedlock births have skyrocketed in America in recent decades and could become more prevalent if the public’s understanding of marriage is altered. Just as Bonauto did not appear to sway conservative justices, Bursch’s arguments did not seem to find receptive ears among the liberals. Kennedy also challenged Bursch, saying he seemed to be operating under the assumption that gays and lesbians have no noble motives in wanting to marry. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, April 29, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 83 | |||||||||
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 University
of Exeter photo
Researchers say this fish should be
protected.
Parrotfish
credited with building islands
By the University of Exeter news staff
As well as being a beautiful species capable of changing its color, shape and even gender, new research shows that parrotfish, commonly found on healthy coral reefs, can also play a pivotal role in providing the sands necessary to build and maintain coral reef islands. The study, based on work in the Maldives and published in the journal Geology, found that parrotfish produced more than 85 percent of the new sand-grade sediment on the reefs around these reef islands. The fish are popular with divers in Costa Rica, too. Reef islands are unique landforms composed entirely of sediment produced on their surrounding coral reefs. Despite being of vital importance to island development and future maintenance, the sources of the sediment that are most important to island building, and the rates at which this sediment is produced, has remained very poorly examined. Chris Perry, a geographer at the University of Exeter, lead author of the study said: “Previous research has highlighted how important parrotfish are for the general health of coral reefs, specifically because they help to control algal growth and promote coral recruitment. Our study quantifies another fascinating aspect of the species, the major role they can play in producing the sediment necessary to build and sustain reef islands.” Using survey and sedimentary data, the researchers explored the links between reef ecology and sediment production around the island of Vakkaru in the Maldives. They identified parrotfish as the major sand producers, generating more than 85 percent of the new sand-grade sediment produced on the outer reef flat each year. The fish grind up coral during feeding and, after digesting the edible content, excrete the rest as sand, a proportion of which can then be transported to adjacent island shorelines. Perry added: “Coral reef islands are considered to be among the most vulnerable landforms to climate change and especially to future sea-level rise. This study demonstrates the critical links that exist between the ecology of the reefs that surround these islands and the processes of sand supply. We provide evidence that protecting parrotfish populations, and the habitats on which they depend, is likely to be vital to ensuring a continued supply of the sediment from which these Maldivian reef islands are built.” |
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| From Page 7: Cartago firm will add 150 employees By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical firm said it will add 150 more employees in the next year and a half. The job growth comes in the strengthening of the financial services offered by the firm and the incorporation of a new range of services directed at the U.S. market, the British firm said. The firm said it seeks applicants with university experience in administration, accounting, information technology, engineering and similar fields. The firm opened its service center in Costa Rica a bit more than two years ago, it noted. The firm now has 300 employees at its facilities near Terra Mall in Tres Ríos de Cartago. The company has facilities in more than 100 countries. |
