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A.M.
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Published Thursday, May 12, 2016, in Vol. 17, No. 93
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 12, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 93
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Five more
cases of zika reported in Jacó
By the A.M. Costa
Rica staff
Five more cases of zika disease have been confirmed in Jacó in the last 36 hours, according to the latest report of Ministerio de Salud. Tuesday 11 people tested positive for the virus and were all placed under medical surveillance. The other five were confirmed Wednesday morning, according to Garabito Mayor Tobías Murillo. Murillo said the outbreak has taken everyone by surprise and blamed it on the lack of education about the disease. He also blamed the apathy of some neighbors who do not want to get rid of debris, old tires and other objects that may contain water and be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. “I also think that health inspectors have played a rather reactive than preventive role in the town. They are showing off now but were a lot less present in the weeks before. I think the prevention in coastal areas should be more aggressive.” he said. As rainy season settles in, a peak of mosquito transmitted diseases is affecting the coasts of the country. Last week, Dominical residents, in the pacific shore, reported at least 20 cases of dengue in their community. According to Alberto de León, the mayor of Osa, that outbreak has already been addressed.
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 12, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 93
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| Fuerza Pública carries the Playas del Coco effort into the schools | |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Púablic officers are carrying their crackdown in Guanacaste into the night schools. The Minsterio de Seguridad Publica said Wednesday that police officers were using drug dogs to check out the belongings and even the students in the area night high schools. At one school police said they found 17 baggies of marijuana that someone judiciously had stuck in a dumpster. Police said the dog detected drug traces on some of the students and on a motorcycle at one of the schools. Police sweeps of schools are not unusual, but the canton of Carrillo and the community of Playas del Coco in particular are getting special treatment because of a murder there in late February. Police said they also returned to some bars and checked out vehicles and motorcycles. The sweep included communities between Sardinal and Playas del Coco. This is a continuation of the emphasis on the Pacific coast community after an Escazú man, Alejo Leiva Lachner, 21, was set upon by a mob and stabbed fatally in February. |
 Ministero de
Seguridad Pública photo
A drug dog checks out a student’s backpack. |
| Surf
championship in Jacó gains some official government
support |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The International Surfing Association’s World Surfing Games next Aug. 6 to 14 in Jacó has been declared a matter of national interest by President Luis Guillermo Solís. That was confirmed Wednesday by the California-based surfing association. The decree noted that the surfing event will boost tourism through hospitality and transportation services and also provide young people with the opportunity to channel their energies |
through
surfing either by participating competitively or
recreationally. The designation by the president opens up some resources from the public sector. The Municipalidad de Garabito where Jacó is located already is involved deeply in planning. The World Surfing Games could be the first major world championship to take place with surfing as an Olympic sport, the association added. The International Olympic Committee will consider adding surfing as an Olympic sport when it meets earlier in August. |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 12, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 93
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| Many
older Americans report that they never plan to retire |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Both of the leading U.S. presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, 68, and Donald Trump, 69, are pushing 70, an age when most Americans traditionally contemplate retirement, rather than seek one of the world’s most stressful and demanding jobs. But Mrs. Clinton and Trump could be on to something. More than half of older Americans are expected to keep working past the traditional retirement age of 65, according to a recent survey. The reasons vary: some can’t afford to retire while others prefer to stay active. As the baby boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, who are currently between 52 and 70 years old, begin to reach age 65, the United States’ general population will have more older people than ever before. The 65-and-older crowd jumped from 35.5 million in 2002, to 43.1 million in 2012, an increase of 21 percent. That number is expected to more than double by 2060, to 92 million. By 2040, |
there will
be twice as many older people living in America than there
were in 2000. The survey included interviews with 1,075 people who were age 50 and older. One-fourth of the older workers said they never plan to retire, and that’s truer among low-income earners than high earners. Thirty-three percent of people earning less than $50,000 a year said they’ll keep working indefinitely, while 20 percent of those with salaries over $100,000 said they’ll never retire. Sixty percent of people aged 50 to 64 said they expect to work past their 65th birthday. More than half of those who are already older than 65 said they plan to keep working, too. However, many of these older workers are putting in fewer hours, an average of 31 per week. Being older doesn’t necessarily mean these employees are complacent. A majority of older workers, especially those who are 65 and older, plan to switch employers, or move into an entirely new profession, as they head off into the twilight years. |
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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 |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 12, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 93
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corruption costs $2 trillion By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
Bribery and corruption cost the world economy as much as $2 trillion every year, money that instead could be used to fight poverty, create jobs, and protect the environment, according to a new report. The report by the International Monetary Fund says the money lost to corruption every year is 2 percent of the global gross domestic product. Fund chief Christine Lagarde says the direct economic costs of corruption are clear. But the indirect costs may be even worse leading to low growth and greater income inequality. "It undermines trust in government and erodes the ethical standards of private citizens," she said Wednesday. Ms. Lagarde says investors look for countries whose public officials are high on the integrity list because they want assurances they will not have to constantly pay bribes. The International Monetary Fund defines corruption as an abuse of public office for private gain. But it also includes tax evasion and arbitrary tax exemptions that give citizens little incentive to pay taxes themselves. Bribery and corruption weaken banking systems and shut people out of the financial markets, said the report. The International Monetary Fund also says the social and environmental costs of corruption are significant, leading to poorly enforced regulations, more pollution, and destruction of natural resources. The report recommends nations adopt international standards for fiscal and financial transparency to fight corruption and make the threat of prosecution for such crimes credible. It also calls a free press a key player in uncovering the problem. Kerry likely to face criticism of U.S. at corruption summit By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry may be gently scolded Thursday when he attends an anti-corruption summit hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron in London. “Corruption is an enemy of progress and the root of so many of the world’s problems,” Cameron said before the summit, which will call into question the practices of rich nations like Britain and the United States. The summit’s aim will be to agree on mechanisms to expose and punish corruption. The meeting will include leaders of Afghanistan, Colombia and Nigeria. In remarks to Oxford University students Wednesday, Kerry said the U.S. was working with countries like Nigeria to combat corruption. "Nigeria saw tens of billions of dollars taken out of the country. Those were schools, those were health care, those were infrastructure, new jobs, hidden in bank accounts around the world," he said. The focus will be not only on corruption in the developing world, but also on transparency in rich nations. This is due in part to revelations in the so-called Panamá Papers about how and where the world’s rich and powerful hide their money. “We have moved away from this idea that it’s the African kleptocrats who are involved in corruption. It’s clear today that financial secrecy is provided by rich countries like the U.S. and the U.K.,” Alex Cobham, director of research at the Tax Justice Network, a London advocacy group, said. Cameron’s summit is taking place after the Panamá Papers leaks revealed his late, wealthy father ran an offshore fund to avoid paying British taxes. Later revelations showed the prime minister had a stake in the dealings, something the British leader has admitted. Cameron’s government has been under pressure to carry out reforms that include a public register of British companies with overseas holdings. There is also pressure for Britain to extend reforms to its offshore possessions after the Panamá Papers revealed more than half of the 210,000 companies exposed were registered in the British Virgin Islands. The Panamá Papers leaks named relatively few Americans and no high-ranking public officials. But anti-corruption advocates see the United States as a major area of concern when it comes to allowing tax evasion and money laundering in states like Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming, which critics say permit businesses to be formed inexpensively and secretively. Kerry may speak in support of reforms in the United States, but expectations are tempered by the fact the U.S. government’s power is limited, since the states have the right to set many of their own banking regulations. Bolstering Kerry’s position at the summit will be steps the Obama administration unveiled this month to combat money laundering, corruption and tax evasion. The actions by the U.S. Treasury Department include requiring financial institutions to find out and verify who actually owns and profits from companies that make use of their services. That information will then be available to law enforcement agencies. But anti-corruption campaigners said the top U.S. diplomat would get a message, quietly but repeatedly, at the anti-corruption summit. “He will hear the world identifies the U.S. as the biggest noncooperative jurisdiction,” Cobham said. Analysts say Washington and London are taking the need for anti-corruption reforms seriously. Both see it as a matter of legitimacy and security, especially following the financial crisis of the past decade that has resulted in poverty, unemployment and frustration among millions. Tim Evans, a professor of political economy at London’s Middlesex University, sees the summit and, more broadly, the drive to combat corruption as signs of concern among the elite nations. “They’re worried at the loss of legitimacy that will come from rich and powerful people being able to evade taxes and get away with it," he said. "So, I think there’s huge pressure on elites to be seen to be engaging the subject and to be doing something about it.” “Given some of the things, some of the riots and problems we’ve seen in Europe and in the United States in recent years, the politicians are fearful and they’re becoming focused on trying to rebuild trust and transparency,” Evans said. The one-day summit in London is off to a somewhat awkward start after the British prime minister was overheard on camera, in a conversation with Queen Elizabeth, describing Afghanistan and Nigeria as "fantastically corrupt."  Voice of America
photo
Anti-submarine unmanned vessel at dock.Pentagon shows off
gadgets
with James Bondish qualities By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
Unmanned submarine hunters, gecko-inspired wall climbing material and even upward falling containers that spring into action from the ocean floor: That's just a taste of the U.S. military's latest technological innovations on display Wednesday at the Pentagon. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA, showed off more than 60 of its inventions, concepts and programs as part of the agency's Demo Day. The annual event provides the Defense Department community with an up-close look at projects in various stages of development and readiness. The technological creations range from those intended for use from undersea to outer space. They aim to improve all aspects of warfare, from ground combat to cyber, even developing seeds of surprise, what one official described as projects that are above and beyond what the enemy would ever expect. One project is an unmanned surface vessel 40 meters long and just 3.3 meters wide. Only a small-scale version made it into the Pentagon. It weighs 127 metric tons and can travel 10,000 nautical miles on a single tank of gas. While this skinny ship would be cramped for humans, said Defense Advanced Research Projects spokesman Jared Adams, it could detect and track enemy submarines and even could be used to run security perimeters around aircraft carrier groups. The ship would decrease the number of sailors needed to defend a carrier, saving the military tens of millions of dollars spent on crew members currently needed to carry out the same level of defense. "You could build maybe 50 of these for the price of one warship," Scott Littlefield, the boat’s program manager, said. Littlefield said the new vessel would be a much safer option when sailing in dangerous waters. "Because it's unmanned, we can take a lot more chances with it," he said. "Ultimately in a war, if you lost this, but you didn't lose a manned warship, that's a trade we want to be able to make." A vessel like that is stationed off the coast of San Diego. The Upward Falling Payload concept is intended to create unmanned, nonlethal systems that lie on the ocean floor for years at a time. The military plans to remotely activate these deep-sea nodes when needed to fall upward or be pushed to the ocean surface. The research agency’s Web site says these pre-positioned nodes could enable a full range of maritime missions in a more cost-effective manner than existing assets. This program is in the second of three phases, according to Adams. Geckskin is a product of the Z-Man program, which seeks to build synthetic versions of the biological systems of geckos and spiders to optimize a human's climbing ability with heavy combat loads without the use of ropes and ladders. The synthetically fabricated reversible adhesive was inspired by the gecko's ability to scale various vertical surfaces, according to the agency’s Web site. Geckskin is a stiff fabric with a rubber-like substance that could enable increased adhesion. The agency says a demonstration in 2012 showed that a 16-square-inch sheet of Geckskin adhering to a vertical glass wall could support a static load of up to 660 pounds or about 270 kilograms. Plan X is a cybersecurity program that maps out the invisible realm of cyberspace, known by Plan X developer and former Marine Frank Pound as a cyberbattlefield. Without Plan X, computer analysts must read thousands of data points gathered through hours of system monitoring to see a cyberattack. Plan X simplifies the process in a user-friendly platform that allows a person to view cyberwarfare as if he were viewing physical warfare. "This is something that commanders up in U.S. Cyber Command can use to keep track of all their cybermission forces, what missions they are executing in cyberspace, how those missions are behaving, what units are involved and things like that," Pound said. Since last year, Plan X has moved from a very early prototype stage to a functional prototype. Pound said the latest version of Plan X would participate in a national exercise called Cyber Guard in Suffolk, Virginia next month. Facebook says it plans reply to questions from Congress By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
Facebook said Wednesday that it would respond to a U.S. senator who requested information from the company about recent allegations that conservative viewpoints were intentionally excluded from its trending topics section. Republican John Thune of South Dakota, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday asking for company officials to appear before the committee. Thune wants Facebook to respond to a report by technology blog Gizmodo that some contractors who managed Facebook's trending topics section excluded content that expressed conservative views. Facebook Vice President Tom Stocky said Monday that his team had found no evidence of exclusion. But on Wednesday, a Facebook spokesperson said "We have Senator Thune's request for more information about how trending topics works and look forward to addressing his questions." The company also said it was deeply committed to allowing all viewpoints no matter where they fall on the political spectrum. The social media giant said it was investigating the allegations and would fix any operational practices that were inadequate. Thune asked Facebook to respond to his letter by May 24. Because millions of viewers read Facebook's trending topics, some Republicans are concerned that any acts of censorship could influence the opinions of voters before the general election in November. 2013 Texas fertilizer blast being considered deliberate By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
More than three years after a fire at a fertilizer plant in central Texas caused a powerful explosion equivalent to more than 7,000 kilograms of TNT, investigators say it was deliberately set. "We came to the conclusion after we ruled out all reasonable accidental and natural causes, and after the extensive testing that we conducted," said Special Agent Robert Elder of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Asked if investigators found any indication of how the fire was started, Elder said he could not provide any details. "The reason is we want to make sure the integrity of the case is maintained," he said, "so that when we interview someone, they have direct knowledge and are not repeating something we put out in the media." The massive blast killed 15 people and devastated the Texas town named West. As to the possible reason for setting the fire, Elder would not speculate. Law enforcement agencies are asking the public to assist by providing any tips they might have concerning who might have been involved. The ATF is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person or persons responsible for setting the fire. The fire started April 17, 2013, in a storage facility at the West Fertilizer Co. plant. Around 20 minutes after firefighters arrived to deal with the fire, a huge explosion occurred, killing 15 people, including 12 emergency personnel, and destroying houses, schools, apartment buildings and businesses on the north side of West, which has a population of about 2,800. John Crowder, pastor of the First Baptist Church in West, said that after hearing the ATF investigation's conclusion, he still has hope that no one had intended such a tragedy. "What the ATF is talking about is how did that fire get started and, apparently, they have decided that somebody started that fire; I don't think that means somebody intended an explosion necessarily," he said. Crowder was out of town when the explosion occurred, but arrived shortly afterward to find that much of the central Texas town had been cordoned off. "I went on in to the community center where they had set up triage and I spent most of the night kind of walking around helping folks there," he said. "But, man, that was surreal. We had almost, but not quite, as many first responders in our town as the total population of our town." For weeks after the disaster, people in West mourned the deaths of the 12 victims and comforted the hundreds of people who had been injured or had lost their homes. In many cases, people who were left homeless found shelter with relatives or friends, but some left the town and resettled elsewhere. Crowder said some people in the community are still suffering emotional distress from the disaster. Crowder, who serves on the board of a foundation that distributed money from private charitable donations to people in need as a result of the disaster, said approximately 150 houses have been constructed in West over the past three years. In addition, the city has replaced infrastructure, schools and parks that were damaged by the explosion. Crowder said the character of the people, many of whom are descendants of Czech immigrants, helped speed the recovery. "Our recovery has been absolutely remarkable," he said, "these folks are so resilient, so strong, such a strong work ethic." As a result of the explosion in West, the state of Texas has strengthened regulations on fertilizer plants, requiring regular inspections by state fire marshals and greater separation of flammable materials from ammonium nitrate, a volatile chemical used as a fertilizer. A number of lawsuits filed after the explosion at West have been settled in out-of-court agreements, but a trial involving claims against several chemical companies connected to the West Fertilizer plant, which was originally set for next week, has been re-scheduled for July 25. Congress tries to take action on opiate abuse epidemic By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
Gary Mendell lost his son to drug addiction and suicide four-and-a-half years ago. After eight tries at rehabilitation, Brian Mendell had finally conquered his addiction but he couldn’t escape the stigma of his battle. “He took his own life out of shame and guilt over what he had done to us as a family and what he had done to his life,” Mendell said. He is one of the millions of family members across the United States who have suffered as a result of America’s growing opiate abuse epidemic. Mendell founded the Shatterproof Foundation as a way of fighting an epidemic that will kill 30,000 Americans this year. The U.S. Congress took up that fight this week with a series of bills addressing a startling reality: the United States represents only 5 percent of the global population but Americans consume 80 percent of the world’s supply of pain medication. Opiate use in the United States has quadrupled since 1999, helped along by low cost and ease of access to opiate pain-killers and a lack of understanding about their dangers. The wide-ranging pieces of legislation reflect the complexity of addressing an opiate abuse problem that has only received major attention in the past decade, with policy-makers and healthcare professionals struggling to care for the 4.5 million people in the U.S. who are estimated to be addicted to prescription opiates. “The dying is happening every hour, every day, across this country,” said Rep. Susan Brooks, a Republican from Indiana sponsoring a resolution under consideration this week that would address the so-called culture of prescribing pain medications too quickly and easily to patients and without consideration of the possible dangers. A recent review found physicians checked a patient’s history only 14 percent of the time before prescribing an opiate pain-killer. Brooks’ resolution is one of 18 initiatives up for votes this week in the House of Representatives. The Senate is considering similar legislation and, in a rare bi-partisan effort, both Democrats and Republicans hope to unite their efforts for the president to sign one comprehensive bill into law. “There’s not a silver bullet for this problem,” said Bradley Stein, a RAND Corp. senior scientist who studies government-level efforts to combat opiate addiction. Stein said the multiple pieces of legislation address the problem using a variety of approaches. “I’m encouraged seeing the aspects of the legislation trying to reduce the supply of opioids out there that may be contributing to the epidemic,” he said, “as well as efforts to increase access to some of the most effective treatments that we know are really needed to help people who are struggling with addiction.” The bi-partisan effort has met with praise, but Gary Mendell shares concerns with some House Democrats about how the structure and funding of the legislation would work in practice. Mendell noted the legislation as it stands now is not yet funded, although that could change when the House combines its work with the Senate. If the structure remains in place, states would receive grants from existing funds to implement the programs and approaches. “Only when money is appropriated will there be any effect at all,” Mendell said. He has also advocated for a number of low or no-cost approaches, including mandatory education of physicians on drug prescription guidelines and widespread stocking of kits that provide antidotes to opiate overdoses. But Mendell said the key approach in the battle will be understanding opiate addiction as a medical issue, not a subject of shame. “He often told me ‘Dad, I don’t feel like a patient. I feel like an outcast,” Mendell said of his son. “He should have felt like a patient treated with a disease and he wasn’t. Society looked at him and said ‘Why don’t you just stop? You’re a loser’ and that’s the message he got from society.” The stakes for changing perspectives and finding effective treatments are critical. “This is a problem that affects all aspects of American society,” said RAND Corp.'s Stein. “It affects all communities and as it has become more common it’s become one of those situations where increasing numbers of people know someone struggling with this addiction.” House Speaker Paul Ryan acknowledged the need for understanding in the battle against opiate abuse during his weekly press conference Wednesday. “No one should seek help and receive mistreatment in return,” Ryan said, noting the effort was personal for many members of Congress. “This is not just about process. This is not just about legislation. This is about saving people’s lives,” he added. Italian parliament approves civil unions for homosexuals By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
Italy joined the rest of the European Union Wednesday and granted legal recognition to gay civil unions, overcoming fierce opposition from the powerful Catholic Church. The vote in the lower house of parliament was 372 to 51, with 99 abstentions. The senate gave its approval in February. Italy was the last of the 28 EU members to recognize gay unions, but gay marriage is still banned in the country. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on his Facebook page that Wednesday was "a day of celebration for many people. We are writing another important page of the Italy we want." Same-sex couples in Italy will now have almost all the same legal and civil rights as married couples. While gay rights activists are celebrating, they say they are disappointed that the law did not include the right to adopt children. The government pulled that provision from the bill to ensure its passage. Man who shot Trayvon Martin is auctioning his firearm By the A.M. Costa Rica Wire
services
The Florida man who sparked the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States with the shooting of an unarmed teenager four years ago is now selling the gun he used in the killing. George Zimmerman listed the gun in an online auction beginning Thursday and required an opening bid of at least $5,000. The man on a neighborhood watch patrol shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012 during a struggle. The teen was walking back to a relative's home after purchasing snacks at a convenience store in the town of Sanford when he was confronted by Zimmerman. Zimmerman was arrested six weeks later, but a jury later acquitted him of second degree murder. He said the shooting was an act of self-defense. The U.S. Justice Department said last year it would not file civil rights charges against Zimmerman, saying the evidence in the case did not meet the high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution. Zimmerman told local Florida television station WOGX he recently got the gun back from the Justice Department. "I thought it's time to move past the firearm and if I sell it and it sells, I move past it, otherwise it's going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again," he said. He said he is free to do whatever he likes with his possessions. In the listing, Zimmerman calls the gun an American Firearm Icon and a piece of American history. He says a portion of the money from the sale will go to what he calls fighting Black Lives Matter violence against police, working to end the "persecution career" of the prosecutor who charged him as well as the anti-firearm rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Black Lives Matter began non-violent street protests Martin's killing and gained national attention following the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. Since then, the deaths of other unarmed black males at the hands of police officers have inspired more protests across the country. |
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| 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. 2016 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 sixth news page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 12, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 93
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Caribbean, Latin tourism called strong Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The Caribbean and Central and South America show strong growth in international tourism receipts, according to the World Tourism Organization, a United Nations agency. The Americas continued to enjoy robust results both in international arrivals and receipts in 2015, with a strong U.S. dollar fueling outbound travel from the United States and benefiting many destinations across the region, the agency reported. The Caribbean, Central America and South America all recorded 7 percent growth in receipts, while North America saw a 3 percent increase. Security software found to be unsafe By the Concordia
University news staff
New research shows security software might actually make online computing less safe. For the study, Mohammad Mannan, assistant professor at Concordia University and doctoral student Xavier de Carné de Carnavalet examined 14 commonly used software programs that claim to make computers safer by protecting data, blocking out viruses or shielding users from questionable content on the Internet. Time and again, the researchers at the Montreal institution found that these programs were doing more harm than good. “Out of the products we analyzed, we found that all of them lower the level of security normally provided by current browsers, and often bring serious security vulnerabilities,” says de Carnavalet, who was surprised by how widespread the problem has become. “While a couple of fishy ad-related products were known to behave badly in the same set-up, it’s stunning to observe that products intended to bring security and safety to users can fail as badly.” At the root of the problem is how security applications act as gatekeepers, filtering dangerous or unwanted elements by inspecting secure web pages before they reach the browser. Normally, browsers themselves have to check the certificate delivered by a Web site, and verify that it has been issued by a proper entity, called a certification authority. But security products make the computer think that they are themselves a fully entitled authority, thus allowing them to fool browsers into trusting any certificate issued by the products. “We reported our findings to the respective vendors so they can fix their products,” says Mannan. “Not all of them have responded yet, but we hope to bring their attention to these issues.” |
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| From Page 7: Expotur kicks off its 32nd annual edition By the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The 32nd edition of Expotur began Wednesday night at a ceremony at the Teatro Nacional. A summary said that 200 potential tourism buyers from 28 countries attended and will meet with 256 Costa Rican and regional tourism businesses. The negotiations are Thursday and Friday at Parque Viva. Unlike other years, there does not seem to be an opportunity for the public to attend on the weekends. Educator Agustín Abrahams received the Pionero del Turismo award, and JetBlue was honored for its international promotions. Diego Vargas, a Channel 11 television personality, received the Amigo de Costa Rica award. Expotur is put on by the Asociación Costarricense de Profesionales en Turismo. In addition to the commercial negotiations, many foreigners in tourism attend Expotur for the trips that introduce them to the country and for the evening parties at the various hotels. |
