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San
José, Costa Rica, Thursday, June 4, Vol.
15, No.
109
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Ministerio de Seguridad Pública
photo
Chicken-fighting fans mill about
after police arrivePolice close
down fighting bird event
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers and health ministry workers cracked down on another chicken-fighting establishment. This one was in Peñas Blancas de Pérez Zeledón. The ancient blood sport is a firm part of Costa Rican culture. It involves betting, drinking and watching one rooster kill another. Police said they were tipped by a 911 call, but the location of these sites, called a gallera in Spanish, are well known. The Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal also was involved in the raid. Typically the most serious violation was not fighting chickens but the unlicensed sale of alcohol and food. The Municipalidad de Pérez Zeledón is expected to follow up on this case. Police and animal health workers confiscated 20 live and one dead bird as well as alcohol, they said. The operation had its own electrical generating setup, and the interior of the structure was air conditioned, said police. Despite being in an isolated area, there were many persons there and their vehicles. Although such activities are illegal, expats in the southern zone say those who raise the fighting birds are well-known and that large amounts of money are involved in the wagering. Our readers' opinion
Women's League still fighting for peaceIn April of this year 1,000 women, members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, met in the Hague to celebrate 100 years of working for peace. There were two representatives from Costa Rica. The league was founded in Abril 1915 by women from many different countries trying to halt the course of the war which was in its eighth month. Although they did not succeed, they were determined to continue. When the war ended three years later, millions were dead, countries were in chaos and economies were shattered. The women of the league promised to continue “fighting” for peace and for civil rights in spite of incredible odds. The Second World War shattered their dreams for peace soon but also renewed hope as people around the world became aware of the consequences of war. In the 100 years since WILPF was founded, a lot of progress has been made. Women got the vote in most countries, as did minority populations, colonies became independent nations, the United Nations was formed and international cooperation for science, health, and law were established. Conventions and treaties now prohibit landmines, child soldiers, biological and chemical weapons and the use of the seas and space for military purposes. The Arms Trade Treaty ratified in December 2014 oversees arms sales and transfers to prevent arms shipments to groups or armies that violate human rights. Work is under way for a treaty to prohibit nuclear arms. Women of WILPF were a part of every one of those achievements. But the week after the women met in the Hague to pledge their support for peace, the governments of the world continued to gear up for war. Nicaragua announced plans to get combat planes from Russia, Quatar signed an agreement with France to purchase fighter jets and French president Hollande flew to Quatar to sign the agreement. China showed off its "advanced" fighter plane, and Saudi Arabia, with U.S. supplied weapons, bombed Yemen. Within a month Russia presented its newest T-14 tank which will be topped off with 152-mm guns with projectiles that can “burn through a meter of steel.” Fighting continued in the Ukraine, Syria, the Republic of the Congo, Iraq, and there are threats to the peace in north Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Palestine to name but a few armed conflicts. Even countries living in peace prepare for wars. Military spending has increased. Argentina, seeing a threat over the Falkland Islands, tripled its military expenses since 2005. The United Kingdom also increases military spending to defend the Falklands. They plan for war instead of peace. Among the top 15 countries in military spending is Brazil. India, beset by poverty and social problems, is the biggest importer of arms, according to a report from Germany which gladly sells them more. The United States and China top the list for military expenditures. Among other top "defense" spenders are Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Australia. While some western countries are reducing their war expenditures, African and Asian countries are increasing theirs. Even reductions in military spending can be misleading because newer weapons are more potent and require less personnel as “unmanned” weapons take over. More kill for less bill. The tragic story of refugees, millions leaving war-torn areas, victims of wars or ruined economies, is the outcome of choosing war over negotiations and peace. Millions of people are forced to abandon their homelands to live precariously in refugee camps or risk their lives trying to reach safety so that wars can be fought. A generation of children is growing up without the security of homes, schools and family. The clamor for peace has not abated. The women at the Hague in 1915 determined to work for peace. The women meeting in the Hague in 2015 are equally determined. Someday peace will take precedence over war. Olive Branch
Heredia *Olivia Ramos is the collective name for the Heredia group of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Contact us at peacewomen@gmail.com U.S. court records unsealed Wednesday show that a former executive committee member of soccer's global governing body, admitted accepting bribes in connection with the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. The man, Charles Blazer, a U.S. citizen who spent two decades as one of the world's most powerful soccer officials, secretly pleaded guilty in November 2013 to 10 criminal counts in New York as part of an agreement with U.S. prosecutors, according to the partially redacted transcript of the hearing. Blazer told a U.S. judge that he and others on federation executive committee accepted bribes in connection with the choice of France as the host of the 1998 World Cup. He said he also accepted bribes linked to the 2010 event awarded to South Africa. Also Wednesday, Interpol, an intergovernmental organization that facilitates global police cooperation, issued a red notice for two former federation officials and four executives on charges that included corruption and racketeering. They risk arrest anywhere in the world they travel. The six are among 14 people indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering in a scheme that prosecutors say involved sports media executives paying or agreeing to pay more than $150 million in exchange for marketing rights to tournaments. Two of the six already have been charged in their home countries: former federation vice president Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, and former executive committee member Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay. Warner has been released, and Leoz was placed under house arrest. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the soccer corruption scandal and Tuesday's resignation of federation president Sepp Blatter offer an opportunity for football’s governing body to “improve its public image and ensure its actions are consistent with its mission.” Earlier, U.S. news outlets said Blatter was under investigation in the United States in connection with the corruption scandal. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch declined to comment on the investigation during a news conference Tuesday in Riga, Latvia, where she was attending an EU-U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting. News that Blatter, 79, is the target of probes by federal prosecutors and the FBI came hours after he abruptly resigned his post during a news conference in Zurich. Blatter, who on Friday had been re-elected to a fifth term as federation president, acknowledged that he did not "have a mandate from the entire world of football — the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA." He admitted that "FIFA needs a profound restructuring" and pledged his commitment to that goal. Many of federation's multimillion-dollar sponsors praised Blatter's decision to step down. U.S. soft drink maker Coca-Cola said it was "a positive step for the good of sport, football and its fans." Chung Mong-joon, the billionaire heir of South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate and a former member of executive board, announced Wednesday in Seoul that he was considering running for the federation presidency. The Jordanian government announced that Prince Ali bin al-Hussein was also considering a run for top job. Prince Ali, who is the president of the Jordanian Football Association, lost to Blatter in the presidential election Friday. Blatter has ordered an extraordinary congress of the football federation to choose a new president, and he said he would retain his presidential powers until then. Election of a new president apparently will take months. Experts expect a vote could take place between December of this year and March 2016. Swiss authorities have launched a separate investigation against a group of individuals suspected of mismanagement and money laundering in connection with awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. March for water is today at 9 a.m. By the A.M. Cost Rica staff
Mercedes Peñas Domingo, the country's first lady, is expected to lead a march for water today at 9 a.m. leaving the Fuente de la Hispanidad in front of Mall San Pedro. The destination is the Antigua Aduana some two kilometers away where the Feria del Ambiente 2015. is talking place. Organizers said they expected 2,000 person, including school children. The theme is to conserve water.
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, June 4, Vol. 15, No. 109 |
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Rabies outbreak near Buenos Aires blamed on vampire bats |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Animal health officials report an outbreak of bovine paralytic rabies at Potrero Grande de Buenos Aires. So far one cow has died, but the virus infection is slow to show symptoms, so more cattle might be infected. There are nearly 200 cows on the same ranch. The virus is carried by vampire bats who feed on the blood of cattle. The Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal said that efforts are under way in the area to reduce the population of bats. The government also is providing vaccinations for persons who might have come in contact with the cow. The virus is spread by saliva, and humans can contract it. Infected cow with the paralytic form of the disease are not likely to attack. But there is a second form that makes cows aggressive. The animal health officials suggested vaccinations for household pets, and, of course, a program of vaccination for cattle. Modern vaccines are 100 percent effective against the virus, cattle experts say. During an outbreak in the 1960s when a vaccine was not available. Costa Rican cattle ranchers lost 10,000 head, according to statistics from the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization. |
Servicio Nacional
de Salud Animal photo
A typical Costa Rican vampire bat
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New manual will try to assist in production of culantro coyote | |
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some expats have thought incorrectly that culantro is the Spanish word for coriander or cilantro. These are related but different plants, and the production of culantro coyote, as it is called here, is an important crop in the cantons of Siquirres and Turrialba. To aid the production, the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería just came out with a manual on good practices for raising the biennial herb. Culantro (Eryngium foetidum) has a much stronger taste than cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), according to Purdue University, which notes that the herb is mostly unknown in the United States cusine even though it grows wild in the south. It also has medicinal value. The purpose of the new manual is to produce a crop that is safe for national consumption and export, the agricultural ministry said. The manual favors non-chemical and biological control of insect pests. |
Ministerio de
Agricultura y Ganadería photo
A handful of culantro.
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Tot kills tot in a household shooting mishap in Matina |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial agents said that a 4 year old in Palestina de Matina shot his 2-year-old sister dead Wednesday morning in the family home. Agents said that a loaded rifle was the weapon and that the |
shooting took
place while the mother was outside the rural home
doing chores. The weapon had been stored beneath a staircase in
the
home, agents said. The girl suffered a bullet wound in the right eye, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. The youngsters were not identified. |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, June 4, Vol. 15, No. 109 |
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Effects of rising sea levels is theme of California photo
exhibit |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Scientists say the sea levels are rising and will continue to do so indefinitely. Coastal communities around the world are already feeling the impact of the rising waters. Many cities and towns are adapting to this new reality. Their response has been photographed and is being presented at an exhibit called "Sink or Swim: Designing for a Sea Change." Devastating storms and floods are part of a new reality around the globe, said oceanographer and president of the Aquarium of the Pacific, Jerry Schubel. “Global climate change is resulting in rising seas, coastal flooding and increasingly powerful storm surges,” he said. A video of the rising water produced by the aquarium shows how low-lying places around the world that flood historically are the areas that are immediately vulnerable to the sea level change. Meteorologist Dan Cayan with Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego said recent trends will continue. “In the last couple of decades it’s risen at a greater rate. We think very confidently it will accelerate in the next several decades,” said Cayan. Scientists estimate by the end of the century, the seas will rise by an average of almost a meter around the world and continue to climb. |
“Sea level
rise will not end in 2100. It’s an ongoing problem, as
the planet adjusts to a new, essentially a new energy balance because
of greenhouse gases,” said Cayan. Cayan said greenhouse gases are warming the planet, “and as the climate warms, the potential for unleashing stored water on Earth, largely in Greenland, Antarctica, holds a lot of potential sea level rise in the future." How people around the world are affected by flooding and how they are adapting to the rising sea is shown in the photo exhibit "Sink or Swim," said guest curator Frances Anderton. “We have the issue of the rising seas but that is coupled with our desire to live on coastlines. There is an intense level of development on coastlines,” said Anderton. One photo in the exhibit, taken in Bangladesh by Jonas Bendiksen, shows students attending a floating school on a wooden boat. Another photo, taken by Iwan Baan, features a more high-tech floating building from the Netherlands, a contemporary house boat made of aluminum and glass. Scientists say city planners in coastal communities must continue to come up with innovative ways to adapt to rising seas. Through futuristic infrastructure and buildings that are water-friendly, communities will better withstand the fiercer storms of the changing environment and minimize human suffering. |
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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Live anthrax distributed to many more locations By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Pentagon says the case of live anthrax spores accidentally shipped to commercial and military labs in the U.S. and overseas is much worse than first reported. An initial review says 51 labs in 17 states and Washington, D.C., and in three other countries, Australia, Canada, and South Korea, may have gotten the potentially dangerous shipment. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said Wednesday that those numbers could grow as the investigation proceeds. But Work stressed there is no danger to the general public and little risk for the lab workers. "There are no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax infection among any workers in any of the labs that have received these samples over the last 10 years," said Work. He also said the concentration of the samples were too low to infect the average healthy person. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is leading the investigation. The anthrax samples were sent out from a U.S. military laboratory in the western state of Utah. Work says the probe will focus on why radiation failed to kill the spores and why testing failed to reveal that the spores were not dead. The anthrax was being used to develop a test to identify biological threats in the field. Contact with live anthrax can lead to a severe flu-like illness that could be fatal if not treated early. Harvard given $400 million by an 1980 business grad By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
America's prestigious Harvard University said Wednesday it has received its biggest gift ever, $400 million from Wall Street hedge fund billionaire John Paulson. The university said the money would support its School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, which is being renamed for the 59-year-old donor, a 1980 Harvard Business School graduate. Harvard's science and engineering school has expanded rapidly in recent years. Its research laboratories have led advances in such diverse fields as the development of self-organizing robots and an implantable cancer vaccine. Paulson's fortune is estimated at more than $11 billion. In the U.S. investment world, he is acclaimed for betting correctly against sub-prime mortgage bonds as the U.S. housing market plunged in 2007 in the months ahead of the country's steepest economic decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s. In announcing his gift to Harvard, Paulson said, "There is nothing more important to improve humanity than education." Harvard's endowment now totals $36.4 billion, making it the world's richest university. Documental explores firms involved in African mining By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Industrial mining firms have been put on trial, symbolically, in a documentary film being shot in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A so-called tribunal, organized by Swiss film maker Milo Rau, has been hearing testimony for and against the firms, mainly against them, during two days of hearings in the city of Bukavu. Rau is a 38-year-old film director with his own production company, called the Institute of Political Murder. He has been described by a German newspaper as the most controversial director of his generation. His Congo film will center on a two-day citizens tribunal that he organized in the eastern city of Bukavu. The event had no legal authority, but he persuaded real lawyers, including some who have worked at the International Criminal Court, to take part. They conducted the proceedings with a jury of Congolese politics and mining experts, in front of a large local audience, including the governor of South Kivu province. The first day of hearings concentrated on disputes around two mining concessions, owned by multinational firms Alphamin Resources and Banro. Alphamin has only started industrial mining in Congo in the past year, but Banro has been mining industrially in South Kivu since 2011. Three witnesses complained that Banro had not adequately compensated them for being evicted from the company's land. A witness told the tribunal that she and her family had had three houses on Banro’s concession at Luwhindja before they were evicted. She said the company had built two houses at a new site for her and for one of her children, but another of her children was not given a house. Her other main complaint was that Banro resettled her at a site where she cannot raise her livestock. The leading investigator at the tribunal was Sylvestre Bisimwa, who regularly works at the International Criminal Court. Bisimwa asked another witness, Peter Mugisho, an activist from Luwhindja, why Banro chose to resettle the evicted families at an unsuitable site. "I do not think Banro chose the site," he replied. "There was a process whereby some members of the community were consulted, but they did not consult the people directly concerned." Several witnesses wore masks and spoke through voice distorting machines to conceal their identity. One of these anonymous witnesses claimed he was a former member of a rebel group, and said his group had been formed to defend the interests of small-scale miners at the Bisie mining site. Other witnesses and audience members said for the many miners who have already been evicted by these two firms and for the estimated two million or more artisanal miners still working in the country, industrial mining is not good news because they will likely struggle to make as good a living in other occupations. The expert jury reached a similar conclusion. Jury member Venantie Bisimwa Nabintu summed up their views. "At this stage," she said, "our judgment is that no industrial mining operation has been accompanied by adequate investment in infrastructure, job creation or support to local communities." “If they made this investment," she adds, "the mining companies could contribute to peace and democracy in the region.” She also said that mining firms have taken advantage of the country’s instability to acquire concessions on terms unfavorable to local communities, which in the jurors’ view amounted to pillage. Banro declined to be represented at the tribunal. In 2014 the company reported that since starting work some 10 years ago it had invested $766 million at its two sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including $40 million on local roads and buildings and about $4.5 million on social projects. Rau's film on the mining issue and the tribunal is scheduled for release in the late 2016. Canadian report faults police communications By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A police report into last October's terrorist attack on the Canadian parliament building shows officers missed their chance to stop the gunman because of miscommunication and a lack of proper training. The report by Ontario Provincial Police released Wednesday said "the approach to the security and protection of Parliament Hill is highly inadequate . . . a grim reminder that Canada is ill-prepared to prevent and respond to such attacks." The gunman, Muslim convert Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed a security guard at a Canadian war memorial in Ottawa before commandeering a car and speeding to the nearby parliament building. A woman who witnessed the attack tried to run for cover in a police woman's car. The report says the officer's radio message to another police car that could have intercepted the gunman was garbled. The report also says Zehaf-Bibeau was able to storm the building because guards at the front door were unarmed. Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who did have guns, were under orders never to enter parliament with weapons. Zehaf-Bibeau fired a number of shots in the halls before officers killed him. The report says if the gunman had been better organized, there could have been casualties. Canadian police have revised security procedures since the attack. Airbus April crash blamed on failure of three engines By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Airbus says three out of four plane engines failed in the crash of an A400M military plane last month near Seville, Spain, that killed four people. Airbus Defense and Space made the announcement in Paris Wednesday, saying Spanish accident investigators confirmed that the engines of the plane were faulty in the May 9 crash. It said the investigators made the judgment after completing preliminary analysis of the airplane's digital flight data and cockpit voice recorders. Airbus blames the failures on a software problem. Two members of the crew survived the crash. Airbus says the aircraft was under flight trials at the airport and was scheduled to be delivered to a Turkish buyer. Possible site of first farms today is unforgiving desert By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
New findings by archeologists excavating a prehistoric site in Jordan may shed new light on the way early humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to farmers. But the discoveries also reveal the dramatic consequences of ancient climate changes. Driving through arid, barren lava fields in Jordan’s Black Desert, it is hard to imagine that about 14,000 years ago, this was the area where humans started a revolutionary transition from hunting and gathering to farming. University of Copenhagen archaeologist Tobias Richter, who leads the excavation, says findings made so far show that after the last Ice Age, there was much more water here than there is today. “When people appeared to have started to settle here, this would have been an extensive wetland area with birds, with lots of wetland plants that we found in the excavation, water fowl, herds of gazelle, of wild ass, of onager, roaming around this landscape. One can imagine it perhaps a little bit like the Serengeti in Africa," said Richter. At this site, close to the Syrian border, scientists have found evidence that the area was occupied by a large number of humans who may have decided to stay because of the abundance of animals suitable for hunting. Researchers think the lush richness of the land is also why the hunters eventually decided to settle down and begin farming. Stone artifacts, along with bones of a child and an adult found nearby, may help scientists piece together a story about the lives of Neolithic humans, what plants and animals they grew and how they interacted within their social groups. The project’s finds coordinator, Erin Estrup, showed off an ancient stone pestle, evidence that these early farmers grew seed pods and many other crops. “We can then identify different species of plants which in turn will tell us what sort of things were growing out here. It's hard to imagine right now because it's all desert, but back many, many years ago, it was actually really nice and very, very green, and we can tell that from these plant remains," said Estrup. On the environmental side, the dramatic transition from lush green steppes to now barren rocks in this part of Jordan is also strong evidence, scientists say, that climate changes occurred in the past and may happen in the future. Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida
Kahlo Museums Trust photo
Frida Kahlo is depicted in
a 1940 self-portrait.Big Apple
exhibit highlights
Frida
Kahlo's interest in plants
By the New York Botanical Garden news staff
The first solo presentation of artist Frida Kahlo’s work in New York City in more than 10 years, "Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life," focuses on the artist’s engagement with nature in her native country of Mexico, as seen in her garden and decoration of her home, as well as her complex use of plant imagery in her painting. On view through Nov. 1, The New York Botanical Garden’s exhibition is the first to focus exclusively on Ms. Kahlo’s intense interest in the botanical world. Guest curated by distinguished art historian and specialist in Mexican art, Adriana Zavala, the exhibition transforms many of The New York Botanical Garden’s spaces and gardens. It reproduces Ms. Kahlo’s studio and garden at the Casa Azul and includes a rare display of more than a dozen original paintings and drawings. Accompanying programs invite visitors to learn about Ms. Kahlo’s Mexico in new ways through poetry, lectures. Bilingual texts in English and Spanish provide historical and cultural background, with photos of the garden as it appeared during Ms. Kahlo’s lifetime. Visitors entering the exhibition view a version of Kahlo’s garden at the Casa Azul, the artist’s lifelong home outside of Mexico City, which she transformed with traditional Mexican folkart objects, colonial-era art, religious \paintings, and native Mexican plants. A scale version of the pyramid at the Casa Azul, originally created to display pre-Hispanic art collected by Ms. Kahlo’s husband, famed muralist Diego Rivera, showcases traditional terra-cotta pots filled with Mexican cacti and succulents. Frida Kahlo, who died in 1954, is revered as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. She was highly political and a friend of Leon Trotsky, the exiled Bolshevik |
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Ministerio de
Seguridad Púbica photo
A good samaritan found this
injured porcupine in Barrio LosAngeles in the center of Parrita. Police said the woman had some difficulty in corralling the spiny creature. It had an injured foot and was turned over to environmental workers. Craigslist blamed for HIV increase By the University of Maryland news staff
The introduction of Craigslist led to an increase in HIV-infection cases of 13.5 percent in Florida over four years, according to a new study conducted at the University of Maryland. The estimated medical costs for those patients will amount to $710 million over the course of their lives. Online hookup sites have made it easier for people to have casual sex and also easier to transmit sexually transmitted diseases. The new study measured the magnitude of the effect of one platform on HIV-infection rates in one state, and offered a detailed look at the varying effects on subpopulations by race, gender and socio-economic status. Looking at the period 2002 to 2006, it found that Craigslist led to an additional 1,149 Floridians contracting HIV. The study underscores the need for broader communication and dissemination of the risks posed by the type of online matching platforms studied here, noted Ritu Agarwal, a professor at the University of Maryland, and Brad N. Greenwood, an assistant professor at Temple University. The study also found that the new HIV cases came disproportionately from one racial-ethnic group, African Americans, who accounted for some 63 percent of the new cases. "That is a bit of paradox," says Agarwal, "because research suggests that the African American community is one which uses the Internet the least, even though the gap is narrowing." Craigslist's arrival in different cities and different counties at different times made it possible to isolate the effects of the matching platforms; the phased rollout amounted to a natural experiment. Perhaps most surprising of all, given the relatively high rates of infection among bi- and homosexual men, there was not a statistically significant difference in HIV-infection-rate increases across men and women. It could be the case that homosexual men with HIV who used Craigslist were more likely to practice safe sex than infected heterosexuals, the authors speculated. Or matching platforms may lead to more homosexual activity by men who do not identify publicly as homosexuals, who then spread the virus to their female partners. The question demands more research, the authors said. Agarwal and Greenwood were careful to note that they weren't making a statement about the overall value of Craigslist. Nevertheless, the study offers a reminder of the downside of connectivity. "While there is a general belief that connectivity is good on average, unfortunately on average means that some people are going to benefit more and others are going to lose more," Agarwal says. “We need to better understand both the beneficial as well as the punitive effects of the Internet on individual and public health." |
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From
Page 7: Slower economic growth forecast for 2015 By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The world economy will grow slower than expected this year and will pick up in 2016, if there is investment. That is the latest forecast by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In its latest global outlook launched in Paris Wednesday, the organization predicts growth for China and the United States will slow this year, compared to 2014. The organization cut its forecast for China to 6.8 percent this year, compared to 7.4 last year. The U.S. economy is only expected to grow by 2 percent this year, down from 2.4 percent last year. The organization also trimmed forecasts for other big economies, like Japan and Canada. Presenting the latest bi-yearly outlook, Secretary-General Angel Gurria said the process of healing from the worst economic crisis in decades has been slow. “Years of weak investment, years of weak consumption, have dragged down potential growth, which in turn has reduced investment prospects for companies, and employment prospects for our citizens,” said Gurria. The organization represents many of the world’s richest nations, and its outlook for some regions was more upbeat. Growth in the eurozone is expected to pick up slightly to 1.4 percent this year, partly thanks to the European Central Bank’s supportive monetary policies. The report’s big message was for more investment. If that happens, Gurria said, it will boost world growth to nearly 4 percent in 2016 and finally turn the page on the economic crisis that hit in 2008. The organization also predicts unemployment will drop next year, but Gurria said 40 million people will still be out of work, more than seven million more than before the crisis. |