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José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 22, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 121
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Rains expected to continue in northern zone By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Rains stopped in much of the Central Valley about 8 p.m. Sunday, but the weather forecast for the northern zone and the northern part of the province of Limón was for much more rain. The northern zone and parts of Limón were hit with from one to two inches of rain over the weekend, and rain in the mountains caused rivers to run out of their banks. Some communities had waist-deep water. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said Sunday night that from two to four more inches of rain were expected in those areas that already are reeling. The rain was supposed to intensify overnight, and the accumulation of rain was estimated for 12 hours. The northern and southern Pacific also were supposed to get an inch of rain, the weather institute said. That would be welcome because the institute's automatic weather stations showed little rain in Guanacaste and other Pacific communities over the weekend. These are the areas that are in the midsts of a prolonged drought. The national emergency commission announced an alert Sunday, and three shelters were activated for those forced from their homes. The estimate was about 250 flood refugees in Chilamate, Horquetas, El Tigre and Naranjales de Sarapiquí. There also was heavy rain in Pococí, Siquirres and Matina, said the commission. Homes were flooded, and some homes suffered structural damage. There also was flooding in Venecia and Aguas Zarcas de San Carlos. The Río Siquirres was at flood stage. The commission said that the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad shut down the Cariblanco hydro plant as a precaution. Some residents were returning to their homes late Sunday afternoon as the water receded, but, considering the weather institute prediction, that may be premature. In addition to flooding, there were reports of landslides on some major roadways. Other highways were inundated. Emergency commission engineers were to evaluated the latest storm damage today.  Red Sismológica Nacional graphic
Red star shows the estimated epicenter
of a 5.0 earthquake that took place at
1:27 a.m. Sunday on the Caribbean coast. The said Red Sismológica Nacional said the epicenter was 12 kilometers north of Rio Blanco. Reporter in
México murdered in his home
Special to A.M. Costa Rica staff
Another reporter has been murdered in México. Dead is Ismael Díaz López The Inter American Press Association condemned and expressed outrage at the murder and called on the authorities to undertake an urgent and exhaustive investigation to determine if the motive for the crime was related to his work. Díaz López, a reporter with the newspapers Tabasco Hoy and El Criollo, was killed at his home in the Teapa municipality of Villahermosa, Tabasco state. Early in the morning unidentified persons broke into his house and attacked him with a knife. He died as he was being transferred to a local medical center. The Tabasco state attorney general’s office wrote on its Twitter account that the investigation suggests that the most likely motive for the murder is linked to a family conflict, based on previously existing legal evidence. Claudio Paolillo, chairman of the Inter American Press Association’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information and editor of the Montevideo, Uruguay, weekly Búsqueda, added, “This new crime plunges the journalistic activity in Mexico into mourning, and although there is no certainty as to the motive, it is important that there be transparency and due diligence in the investigations so that the case, like many others, does not go unpunished.” Press advocate blames Egypt for censorship By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists is urging Egypt to stop what it describes as a politically motivated campaign against the pan-Arabic Al Jazeera network. A committee statement Sunday also called on Germany to release jailed Al Jazeera reporter Ahmad Mansour immediately. Mansour, an Egyptian-British reporter with the network's Arabic service, was detained Saturday in Berlin on an Egyptian warrant while trying to board a plane to Qatar. A German judge on Sunday ordered him held while prosecutors review the case. Mansour was sentenced in absentia by an Egyptian court last year to 15 years in prison on charges of participating in the torture of an Egyptian lawyer during the 2011 anti-government uprising in Cairo that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. Mansour has repeatedly denied the charges with the network calling them absurd. The Committee to Protect Journalists Sunday described the threat of jail in Egypt as part of an atmosphere of censorship and self-censorship in the country since anti-Islamist President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi took office last year. In a separate case, Egypt released Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste earlier this year after 400 days in prison on charges that included aiding a terrorist group. Two other reporters for the network are awaiting retrial. Critics of the Cairo government accuse the West of ignoring what they say is Egypt's ongoing crackdown on dissent, in exchange for security cooperation with Cairo.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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copyrighted by Consultantes Ro Colorado S.A 2015 and may not be
reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 22, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 121 | |
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| Crooks exploit that vulnerable moment when the driver
arrives home |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Riding in a vehicle is considerably safer than walking along a city street, but even then there are vulnerabilities. Plenty of motorists have found that are at the mercy of crooks when they stop their vehicle to enter their secure garage or home driveway. That is the time when armed men come from the shadows and take the vehicle. That happens even with electric doors. This is not a new crime, although the frequency might be greater. Such cases have taken place for decades. The latest victim is long-time Pozos de Santa Ana resident Christopher Morehead. He was confronted by a crook at his |
home Thursday
about 8 p.m., said the Judicial Investigating
Organization. He resisted and suffered a bullet wound to his left side,
agents said. Morehead, identified as a U.S. citizen, went to Hospital San Juan de Dios. Typically stolen vehicles are dismantled for parts because this sidesteps the need to falsify paperwork. Whether such a crime can be called a traditional bajonazo requires splitting linguistic hairs. A bajonazo usually takes place when a motorist stops at a traffic light and a crook appears with a firearm. The word comes from the Spanish and means a low blow, either literally as in bullfighting or figuratively. In Costa Rica, the work also suggests that the crook made the individual get down out of the car (bajarse). |
| La Nación takes a chance in asking readers to pay for
their news |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Spanish-language daily La Nación has made the decision to set up a paywall for its digital edition. The newspaper said that the first page will continue to be free and those who do not subscribe can see 15 pages free each month. Editorials will continue to be free. The newspaper seeks 500 colons a month, less than $1, for the first three months. Then the price goes up to 3,000 colons a month. There are also packages with the print edition and with the company's El Financiero financial newspaper. This is a risky move for Grupo Nacion GN S.A. Paywalls have been successful elsewhere, particularly with top-of-the-line news sites like The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. They also have been successful at small town newspapers where the publisher has a monopoly on local news. And they have been successful for sites like ESPN.com where a specialized product caters to gamblers. La Nación does not seem to fit any of these categories. Instead, the daily newspaper market has at least three major competitors: El Diario Extra, CR Hoy and La República. There are a host of smaller online publications, and many publish specialized and locally generated news. Then there are the scavenger sites that steal the news from the larger publications. Of the three, only CR Hoy is digital only. The others have major investments in the printing process. The American Press Institute, a U.S. research and educational organization, said that The Times has in excess |
 This is what a paywall looks like.
of 700,000 paid subscribers and the revenue stream is worth tens of millions of dollars. Over the last five years, however, a number of major U.S. newspapers have eliminated paywalls, some in favor of a metering system. Others, like the Atlantic magazine, have adopted related business to provide income. Atlantic created Atlantic Books, noted the Poynter Institute, a Florida organization that trains newspaper professionals. The San Francisco Chronicle dropped its paywall after six months in 2013, said Poynter. The American Journalism Review magazine reported a year ago that Dutch media companies have created a national paywall through which most major newspaper can be reached. It said that Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland did the same. Even though La Nación charges thousands of dollars for a daily ad, the money is far from profit. Newsprint approaches $800 a ton, although some cheaper prices prevail in China. Delivery and retail sales also are expensive. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 22, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 121 | |||||
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| Ancient art of Japanese tattoo is on display at an exhibt in
Virginia |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Bradley Miller is getting a snake tattoo at Tattoo Paradise, a busy tattoo and body piercing shop in a culturally diverse neighborhood in northwest Washington. “Before, I had skulls and simpler, not-as-detailed tattoos, so I wanted to get a tattoo that had more detail and more finesse and more pop,” said the Virginia resident who works as a bouncer at a bar next to the shop. Miller is among a growing number of young Americans getting tattoos. In fact, one in five adults in the U.S. (21 percent) now has at least one tattoo, which is an increase from previous years. Some walk into tattoo shops like the one in Washington, and choose simple words, shapes or pictures. Others choose traditional, Japanese-style tattoos that are more elaborate and take longer to create. Japanese tattoo as an ancient art form is the focus of a new exhibit, titled Perseverance, at the renowned Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. It features a series of photographic portraits of people with tattoos that were created by some of the world's finest Japanese-style tattoo artists. Lee Anne Chesterfield is the museum's interim deputy director for Art and Education. “What you’ll see in this exhibition — and what you’ll see throughout America today actually — is a great synthesis of the traditional Japanese tattoo with the modern American take on that,” she said. "This exhibit shows everything from the very strict, traditional Japanese tattoo through to what you would see in New York and Los Angeles and their take on Japanese tattoo." Chesterfield says that it really all started with Don Ed Hardy. "One of the most famous tattoo artists in our country — bringing the Japanese tradition to America." That tradition includes the use of symbolic Japanese images, koi, dragons, cherry blossoms, that flow seamlessly into a full body tattoo, or form a shoulder and arm sleeve or a full back tattoo. Kip Fulbeck is the exhibition artist, designer and photographer who curated the exhibit along with renowned master tattoo artist Takahiro Horitaka Kitamura. The two hand-picked seven of the world’s leading tattoo artists — as well as several others who practice Japanese-style tattooing — to represent the contemporary world of this centuries-old art form. The artists were inspired by the ancient art of Japanese tattooing and deeply influenced by the traditional Japanese arts of calligraphy and ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking. Fulbeck's photographs include full-body as well as candid and close-up shots of tattooed individuals, "to show them as people as well as canvases of art," he said. But Fulbeck pointed out that while Japanese tattoo is revered around the world, it's regarded quite differently in its country of origin. |
 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts photo
An example of the Japanese
art."If I were to tell any of your viewers about a Hokusai print, which is a woodblock print, they would say that it is an art form. Or Kabuki Theater, which is an art form. Or Japanese calligraphy, ceramics and pottery, that is an art form. But tattooing is still related with the Yakuza, or the Japanese mafia, so it's not considered an art form." Fulbeck hopes to dispel that stereotype. “Did I photograph some Yakuza? Sure," he said. "But I also photographed police officers, firefighters, professors, CEOs, and teachers . . . . So I would like people to recognize that this is an amazing type of artistry that has been honed over thousands of years." "So what I want to do with this art exhibit," he explained, "is to show that Japanese tattooing is a vibrant, and current art form that is influencing multiple facets around the world." Fulbeck's own tattoos — on his arms, chest and back — were created by three master artists, including co-curator Takahiro Horitaka Kitamura over dozens of sessions. "The relationship with the tattooer and client in Japanese tattooing is a bit different because it's so extensive, because it lasts for so long," he explained. That kind of commitment develops into a personal and respectful relationship. "Traditional Japanese tattooing isn’t Western, where the customer is always right and you go into a store and say 'I want this, this, and this now,'" he said. "To go to someone at this level, these artists, you let them do what they want to do.” "The tattoo artists are going to put in 50, 100, 200 hours — or longer — on an artwork, artwork that has a limited lifespan, it has an expiration date. They finish that piece, they take a picture, it's gone. That person gets hit by a bus, they're done. That person is going to die and the work then goes. So it's really a very Zen idea of it's in the moment, right now." To make the point, Fulbeck explained that all the clients featured in the exhibit "were really, deeply reverential to their tattooers." When he photographed a large panel of thirteen people for example, he said they all took off work and traveled to be there for that shoot, out of respect for their tattooer. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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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 Fifth
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 22, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 121 | |||||||
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Shooting in Charleston, S.C. even touches Nosara By Greg Smith*
Special to A.M. Costa Rica Two South Carolina state legislators with ties to Nosara were particularly hard hit by the shooting death of nine people in a Charleston, South Carolina, church late Wednesday. One of those killed was the Rev. Clementa “Clem” Pinckney, a South Carolina state senator and former member of the state's House of Representatives. He has been described as the conscience of the South Carolina General Assembly. Former South Carolina representative Jim Battle owns a home in Bosque Verde, a residential development in Nosara. Battle served 16 years before retiring in 2006. For four of those years, he served alongside Pinckney. When contacted Thursday, Battle said, “I am devastated by this tragic event. It is hard for me to comprehend how something like this can still happen in a civilized society. “Pinckney came into the House the same time I did, as a freshman and a friend. I worked closely with him when we were trying to get a new deep-water port for the state. He has relatives here in my home county who are very close friends of mine." Luke Rankin, also a property owner in Bosque Verde, is a 22-year veteran of the South Carolina Senate. Pinckney moved from the House to the Senate 15 years ago. Pinckney and Rankin became close friends. “This has been a beautiful and most touching day filled with memorials in the Senate,” said Rankin Thursday. I attended a church service at an AME church. There was wonderful music and there were wonderful tributes to a genuinely sincere and good man. At the service, Jeremiah Wright from Chicago spoke most eloquently. The command and depth of Clem’s voice in the Senate equaled that of James Earl Jones, and his manner and smile were most disarming, said Rankin. A fellow senator said that if there was any praise of his accomplishments, it never came from his own lips. “We in the senate take some comfort in the constancy of certain daily rituals, customs and traditions," said Rankin. "Things like the sergeant-at-arms formally placing the sword of state in its cradle at the rostrum to open each session and like the requirement that, before being allowed to speak to the body, a senator must rise from his seat and be recognized by the presiding officer, who says, ‘The senator from Georgetown, for what purpose do you rise?’ “One of those daily rituals is the roll call before every session, always alphabetical. “An odd moment, most poignant for me personally, came later in the day of all the memorials, when the official roll was called. Clem's desk was draped in black. It was the first time in the past 15 years when Pinckney’s name was not called just before mine.” *Smith, a Nosara resident, is a former state senator in South Carolina. Multiple shooting again generate anti-gun reaction By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
America’s latest horrific act of gun violence is forcing Washington to wrestle anew with the easy availability of deadly weaponry in a nation that constitutionally protects the right to bear arms. Gunfire slays more than 10,000 people annually in the United States, including nine churchgoers last week in Charleston, South Carolina. Amid the grief, reports surfaced that suspected shooter Dylann Roof was given a gun as a birthday present earlier this year. That such a troubled young man had a firearm shows America has a problem to confront, according to President Barack Obama. “Every country has violent, hateful, or mentally unstable people,” said Obama late last week. “What’s different is not every country is awash with easily-accessible guns. And so I refuse to act as if this is the new normal.” Already, the issue is reverberating in next year’s presidential race. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton noted the Charleston tragedy followed shooting rampages at a Connecticut elementary school and a Colorado movie theater. “We have to face hard truths about race, violence, guns and division,” said Clinton. “How many innocent people in our country from little children to church members to movie theater attendees, how many people do we need to see cut down before we act?” America’s biggest gun-rights lobby, the National Rifle Association, has not shied from the fight. The group’s leader, Wayne LaPierre, recently pledged to defeat Mrs. Clinton, and, in 2012, famously declared: “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." The association’s political clout is such that prominent Republicans lined up to address its annual national convention this year, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who is now running for president. “I have a message for the Obama administration,” said Bush. “Why don’t you focus more on keeping weapons out of the hands of Islamic terrorists and less on keeping weapons out of the hands of law-abiding Americans?” The U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights affirms the right to bear arms, and the United States has almost as many privately-owned guns as citizens. Two years ago, the Senate tried and failed to pass legislation to better scrutinize gun buyers. President Obama says such measures are politically-perilous but will be embraced one day. “I know, today’s politics makes it less likely that we will see any sort of serious gun safety legislation,” Obama said. “I want to be clear: I am not resigned. I have faith we will eventually do the right thing.” Suspected gunman displayed racist opinions on Web site By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
He called himself the Last Rhodesian, a self-declared white nationalist who sympathized with apartheid-era southern Africa, and the antebellum period in the United States, when slavery thrived. In dozens of photos posted to a now-defunct Web site believed to belong to Dylann Roof, the accused killer of nine people in a South Carolina church stares at the camera intently, smiling slightly only while posing for a picture in front of the Museum and Library of Confederate History. In one image, the 21-year-old holds up a U.S. flag, flames licking at the red, white and blue. In another, he carries a Confederate flag, the symbol of the southern states during the country's civil war. Roof is alone in every frame. Sometimes, he holds a gun. "Segregation was not a bad thing. It was a defensive measure," reads a nearly 2,500-word manifesto on the site. It said segregation "existed to protect us from them . . . . Not only did it protect us from having to interact with them, and from being physically harmed by them, but it protected us from being brought down to their level." The hatred in the essay is largely directed at one group, the black community. The writer laments a perceived inaction by white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. "We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the Internet," the manifesto reads. "Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me." The Associated Press reported that the FBI was investigating the Web site. Online sleuthing by Twitter users brought the site registered under Roof's name to the media's attention Saturday. The writing and photos are reportedly from before the shooting. It was created in February, according to an online registration document. Roof sat with a prayer group at the historically black church Emanuel AME Church in the southeastern city of Charleston last Wednesday night for an hour before raising a gun and killing nine people because of their skin color, according to police. Arrested on Thursday, Roof faces nine counts of murder. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told NBC News she absolutely wanted the accused killed to face the death penalty. "This is the worst hate that I’ve seen and that the country has seen in a long time," she said. Federal officials are investigating the case alongside Charleston police to assess whether hate crime charges can be brought against Roof. "The coward who murdered nine parishioners in a church set a new and depraved standard of inhumanity," Cornell William Brooks, head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said after Roof's arrest. "We, as Americans, by our resolve, determination, and commitment, through our faith, will set an infinitely higher standard of humanity." World day for yoga brings millions of people to the mat By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Millions of people around the world have taken part in a global event honoring Yoga, an ancient practice they say brings them health, happiness and peace. Sunday was the first ever International Day of Yoga, as proclaimed by the United Nations last year. Thousands brought their mats to New York City's Times Square for a day-long session of free yoga classes. The city holds the yoga event marking the first day of summer every year, but this was the first time it was held as part of a worldwide yoga day. A few blocks away, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, dressed in white, joined hundreds of other yoga devotees for an early-morning session in the plaza outside U.N. headquarters. In India, where yoga originated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped lead a countrywide yoga class, saying the international day marks a new era of peace and harmony. Google will honor requests to trash revenge porn postings By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. technology company Google says it plans to honor requests to remove from its Internet search engine unauthorized nude or sexually explicit images in a crackdown on what is known as revenge porn. The term refers to images posted online, often by former partners or spouses following a broken relationship, by extortionists who demand ransom to take down the pictures or by hackers who steal the pictures from people's personal accounts and publish them on various Web sites. "Revenge porn images are intensely personal and emotionally damaging, and serve only to degrade the victims — predominantly women," said Amit Singhal, Google's senior vice president of search, in a blog entry posted Friday. Singhal said that in the coming weeks, the company would post a Web form that people can download to submit the requests. He also said this policy was narrow and limited, similar to how Google treats requests to remove highly sensitive personal information, such as bank account numbers and signatures. "We know this won't solve the problem of revenge porn. We aren't able, of course, to remove these images from the Web sites themselves. But we hope that honoring people's requests to remove such imagery from our search results can help," Singhal said. Earlier this year, social networking site Twitter took similar action, banning intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject's consent. The social forum Reddit has also updated its privacy policy so that such content is not posted without the subject's permission. Laws banning revenge porn have been passed in at least 17 U.S. states. U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier of California wants to introduce legislation to make revenge porn a federal crime. Earlier this year, a California man, Kevin Bollaert, was convicted of running a revenge porn site and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Pope Francis say he weeps over condition of migrants By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Pope Francis said Sunday the plight of migrants seeking to escape war and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East brings tears to his eyes. Francis spoke to a group of laborers in the Italian city of Turin while European Union ministers haggle over who is to take care of more 100,000 refugees who have arrived on European shores via Italy since January. The pope denounced what he said is a system that treats people like merchandise, and said the refugees should not be blamed for trying to get jobs. "If immigration increases competition, they cannot be blamed because they are the victims of inequality, of this throwaway economy, and the wars." Francis also heaped strong criticism on arms manufacturers and those who invest in such companies, calling them hypocrites for claiming to be Christians. Reaching back into history, Pope Francis condemned world powers for doing nothing to stop the massacre of Armenians in the First World War and taking little action during the Nazi Holocaust in World War II. "The great powers had photographs of the railways that brought trains to the concentration camps, to Auschwitz, to kill Jews, Christians, Gypsies, homosexuals," Francis said. "But tell me why didn't they bomb them? The great powers...divided Europe like a cake." Francis also prayed before the renowned Shroud of Turin, a piece of ancient cloth bearing what believers say is the image of Jesus Christ. Some say the cloth was his burial shroud. Others call it a fake. Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has earned a reputation as an outspoken religious leader, frequently taking up subjects rarely addressed by other prominent figures. Last week, he demanded action to fight global warming, accusing industrialized countries of exploiting the poor while turning the planet into "an immense pile of filth." He has also called for more tolerance toward homosexuals and blasted what he has descried as unbridled capitalism. Polio virus can hide itself for years, World Health says By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Only a few hundred cases of paralytic polio still exist worldwide, thanks to massive vaccination campaigns. But a new study concludes that so-called silent cases of polio can infect populations for years, threatening to reignite disease epidemics. The World Health Organization designates a region polio-free if there have been no active infections for three or more years. However, people can be infected with the polio virus for years and not develop any symptoms. It's estimated that in only one out of every 400 cases does the virus cause paralysis. Writing in the journal PLoS Biology, researchers from the University of Michigan say continued surveillance is necessary because these silent infections can spark a resurgence of active polio. Micaela Martinez-Bakker led a six-year polio study in which she and her colleagues looked at data on the incidence of polio in the United States before introduction of the Salk vaccine in 1955. Before widespread vaccination, Ms. Martinez-Bakker said, it was not uncommon for children around the world to have antibodies to polio by age 15, a sign that they had been exposed to the disease but hadn't become sick. Today, Ms. Martinez-Bakker said, there are pockets of unvaccinated children living in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in some African countries. Many of them could be asymptomatic carriers of the viral illness. “Individuals who are infected, whether or not they show signs of the disease, still shed that virus through their feces," she said. So sewage can be checked on a regular basis for polio virus, she noted. Ms. Martinez-Bakker said the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the World Health Organization have been checking sewage samples for evidence of silent infections, but not in every country where these asymptomatic infections could trigger the recurrence of active polio cases. “And even if the virus would go locally extinct in one part of the country . . . the fact that it was maintained in other states would allow it to be reintroduced,” she said. Using a mathematical model, Ms. Martinez-Bakker found that 3 million people in the United States were infected with asymptomatic polio at the height of the epidemic in 1952, despite the fact that there were only 57,000 cases of paralytic polio in the country. She said extensive, global surveillance for asymptomatic polio should continue long after it looks as if the battle has been won. |
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| The
contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not be reproduced anywhere without
permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 22, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 121 | |||||||||
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I have written a bit about my favorite ground cover, maní (perennial peanut), which is now blooming in profusion in the Arenal area. Why? Well, those long roots make it perfect for hilly areas. But what if you
If your lawn is for looking at and not playing on, there are a number of grasses that do well here. Please understand that if you are living in the drier parts of the country where the dry season really is dry, I would never ever suggest that you try to maintain a lawn. If you have a house on the northwest coast, try a pattern of different colored small stones, perhaps a boulder or two and some nice succulents. If you have difficulty picturing the result, check out pictures of Japanese gardens. In areas with decent year-round moisture, pick a grass for your rainfall and your traffic conditions. We have a wide choice of grasses. Some of the best are: St. Augustine (general purpose, low traffic), carpet grass (axonopus, coarse, tolerates high traffic), siglap grass (a type of zoysia with dense growth), and centipede (low traffic, creeping). Having decided on your lawn, you need to turn your attention to those shady areas because if you don’t, you will find that we have weeds that are quite happy in those areas. They will start out there and creep into your lawn at the first opportunity. You could, of course, opt for letting your lawn curl around the shade while you head out every few days to pull out those weeds before they can take over. This can be a reasonable option for areas without heavy rainfall, but when those big storms hit, you are going to have trouble. Without a cover of some sort, you will find that soil washes away from the roots, leaving them exposed. Next week, some ideas for those shady spots.  Plant for the Week
The color on this fuchsia is eye-popping! The plant is a wonderful choice for color in light shade and works especially well in hanging pots. Why? Well, fuchsias can be fussy. Too much water and the roots rot (Can you say, “Hello, rainy season”?), too much sun and heat and they weaken. If you put them in-ground in a shady area, make sure that your plant is sitting on a slightly mounded area for drainage. If you would like to suggest a topic for this column, simply send a letter to the editor. And, for more garden tips, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arenal-Gardeners/413220712106845 |
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| From Page 7: Meeting planned to outline motorcycle safety By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Road safety and health officials will be meeting today to announce a plan outlining the current situation involving motorcycles in the country. The meeting comes after a weekend in which at lest six persons died in motorcycle accidents. They include two motorcycle drivers who died after a head-on collision early Sunday on the highway between Sixaola and Bribrí in southeastern Costa Rica. A woman passenger was hospitalized, and investigators said they still did not know what happened. Weekends usually see a handful of fatalities involving motorcycles. The meeting today also will involve officials from the Instituto Nacional de Seguros, the state firm that insures motorists. |
