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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 129
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 Casa Presdiencial
photo
Luis Guillermos Solís
shares a moment with John Kerry.Kerry meets
Solís in Panamá
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire service reports Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís met with U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry during the presidential inauguration in Panamá Tuesday. Kerry is calling on Central American nations to address a growing immigration crisis that has seen thousands of unaccompanied children arrive illegally across the U.S. border. “We hope to continue working with the Central American and Mexican governments to address the complex root causes of migration and identify ways the United States and countries in the region can more effectively contribute to the effort,” said Jen Psaki, the spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, at a Monday press conference. In Panama the newly elected Juan Carlos Varela was officially sworn in Tuesday. The 50-year-old Varela is the former vice president who had served under Ricardo Martinelli since 2009. Kerry also met with the presidents of El Salvador and Guatemala and the foreign minister of Honduras. Appearing alongside the Central American leaders, Kerry acknowledged the region's struggles with violence and poverty. He said the U.S. understands people who want to look for a better life. But he said the children flooding the U.S. border are being exploited and put in great danger. "There are rules of law and there is a process, and there is false information that is being spread about benefits that might be available to these young people who are looking for that better life,” Kerry said. “We need to work together to communicate to our people, to try to apply the law, and most importantly, to work with each of these countries to address the fundamental, underlying causes of this particular challenge." Most of the children who have crossed into the United States recently have come from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. El Salvador's President Salvador Sánchez Cerén said the three countries already have taken some measures since they learned of the situation. Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina said the three nations' foreign ministers will visit Washington this week. He said there are also discussions about joint meetings among the three countries on security programs, as well as economic teams to generate investment and employment opportunities — a step he said "helps to avoid this type of immigration." The arrival of so many children has overwhelmed U.S. immigration officials, but under U.S. law the immigrants cannot be immediately sent back to their home countries. Some of the children may be reunited with parents already living in the United States. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, is asking Congress for new authority to deport such children. In a letter to congressional leaders Monday, Obama said the U.S. has the legal and moral obligation to care for the 52,000 unaccompanied children and 39,000 women with children who have crossed into the United States along its southwestern border with Mexico since October. But he asked Congress for new funding that could total $2 billion for an aggressive deterrence strategy to carry out deportations and curb the migration. In the United States, the situation has reignited the political debate over immigration. Republicans say Obama's moves to ease immigration rules have encouraged Central Americans to flee violence in their countries and make the risky trip to the U.S. But Obama puts the blame on Republicans for refusing to pass legislation to reform the U.S. immigration system. And the president is now pledging to act without Congress. He said Monday he has asked Homeland Security Secretary Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder for recommendations on possible executive actions he could take. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Guatemala two weeks ago and warned that those crossing the border would be detained. He also announced that the U.S. government is looking to assist countries in the region by solving underlying issues like poverty and violence that make migrants flee. High seas predicted for end of week By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Ocean experts at the Universidad de Costa Rica say that both coasts can expect high seas Friday and thereafter. The choppy conditions in the Caribbean are blamed on a high-pressure area in the North Atlantic and a low-pressure area near Colombia. In the Pacific a low -pressure system in the south is producing waves of up to 12 to 16 meters. These will be reduced to about 3.5 meters, about 11.5 feet, when they reach Costa Rica, said the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología. The waves will be less in the central and north Pacific, the Centro said. On both coasts, a small-boat warning has been issued, and bathers are urged to use caution, said the Centro. The Centro also said that although the waves are not expected to be high, there might be some difficulties at high tides. The Centro urged coastal dwellers to be vigilant. Load of cocaine confiscated off Coco By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The U. S. Coast Guard seized more than two tons of cocaine from a fishing boat found off the coast of Isla del Coco Monday. Three Costa Ricans and one Nicaraguan who were aboard the vessel were detained. Two of them were said to be from Quepos while another lives in Puntarenas. A Fuerza Pública report detailed that there was 2,300 kilograms of cocaine onboard when the U.S. patrol searched the ship named Goliat. The drugs were separated into 113 packs with about 20 kilograms in each container.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 129 | |
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| Guanacaste monkey study suggests that bugs built human brains |
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By the University of Washington at St.
Louis news service
Figuring out how to survive on a lean-season diet of hard-to-reach ants, slugs and other bugs may have spurred the development of bigger brains and higher-level cognitive functions in the ancestors of humans and other primates, suggests research from Washington University in St. Louis. “Challenges associated with finding food have long been recognized as important in shaping evolution of the brain and cognition in primates, including humans,” said Amanda D. Melin, assistant professor of anthropology and lead author of the study. “Our work suggests that digging for insects when food was scarce may have contributed to hominid cognitive evolution and set the stage for advanced tool use.” Based on a five-year study of capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica, the research provides support for an evolutionary theory that links the development of sensorimotor skills, such as increased manual dexterity, tool use, and innovative problem solving, to the creative challenges of foraging for insects and other foods that are buried, embedded or otherwise hard to procure. Published in the June 2014 Journal of Human Evolution, the study is the first to provide detailed evidence from the field on how seasonal changes in food supplies influence the foraging patterns of wild capuchin monkeys. The study is co-authored by biologist Hilary C. Young and
This study suggests that fallback foods can also play an important role in shaping brain evolution among primates that fall back on insect-based diets, and that this influence is most pronounced among primates that evolve in habitats with wide seasonal variations, such as the wet-dry cycles found in some South American forests.  University of Washington at St. Louis photo
A capuchin monkey of the Cebus variety dines on a bright
green katydid grasshopper. |
 University of Washington at St. Louis /E.
Visalberghi
An adult female tufted capuchin
monkey of the Sapajus lineage
using a stone tool and a sandstone anvil to crack a palm nut as her
infant hangs on.“Capuchin monkeys are excellent models for examining evolution of brain size and intelligence for their small body size, they have impressively large brains,” Ms. Melin said. “Accessing hidden and well-protected insects living in tree branches and under bark is a cognitively demanding task, but provides a high-quality reward: fat and protein, which is needed to fuel big brains.” But when it comes to using tools, not all capuchin monkey strains and lineages are created equal, and Ms. Melin’s theories may explain why. Perhaps the most notable difference between the robust (tufted, genus Sapajus) and gracile (untufted, genus Cebus) capuchin lineages is their variation in tool use. While Cebus monkeys are known for clever food-foraging tricks, such as banging snails or fruits against branches, they can’t hold a stick to their Sapajus cousins when it comes to the innovative use and modification of sophisticated tools. One explanation, Ms. Melin said, is that Cebus capuchins have historically and consistently occupied tropical rain forests, whereas the Sapajus lineage spread from their origins in the Atlantic rainforest into drier, more temperate and seasonal habitat types. “Primates who extract foods in the most seasonal environments are expected to experience the strongest selection in the sensorimotor intelligence domain, which includes cognition related to object handling,” Ms. Melin said. “This may explain the occurrence of tool use in some capuchin lineages, but not in others.” Genetic analysis of mitochondrial chromosomes suggests that the Sapajus-Cebus diversification occurred millions of years ago in the late Miocene epoch. “We predict that the last common ancestor of Cebus and Sapajus had a level of SMI more closely resembling extant Cebus monkeys, and that further expansion of SMI evolved in the robust lineage to facilitate increased access to varied embedded fallback foods, necessitated by more intense periods of fruit shortage,” she said. One of the more compelling modern examples of this behavior, said Ms. Melin, is the seasonal consumption of termites by chimpanzees, whose use of tools to extract this protein-rich food source is an important survival technique in harsh environments. While it’s hard to decipher the extent of seasonal dietary variations from the fossil record, stable isotope analyses indicate seasonal variation in diet for at least one South African hominid, Paranthropus robustus. Other isotopic research suggests that early human diets may have included a range of extractable foods, such as termites, plant roots and tubers. Modern humans frequently consume insects, which are seasonally important when other animal foods are limited. This study suggests that the ingenuity required to survive on a diet of elusive insects has been a key factor in the development of uniquely human skills: It may well have been bugs that helped build the brains. |
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| Former director named to again head Museo Nacional |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
María del Rocío Fernández Salazar has been named to again head the Museo Nacional. Her appointment comes at a time when the country seeks to capitalize on the major publicity that has been given to the pre-Columbian Delta del Diquís culture and the stone spheres there. |
Ms.
Fernández was museum director from 2008 to 2010 in the
Óscar Arias Sánchez administration. The appointment was
by Elizabeth Fonseca, the minister of Cultura y Juventud. Ms. Fernández is not an anthropologist or archaeologist, She is a journalist and has worked at La Nación and other publications, according to the ministry. At the Universidad de Costa Rica, she specialized in cultural journalism, an announcement said. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 129 | |||||
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| Reduction in harmful traffic noise is goal of Swedish
university report |
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By
the Chalmers University of Technology
Traffic noise is the second biggest environmental problem in the EU, according to World Health Organization. After air pollution, noise is affecting health the most. But legislation regarding noise pollution is insufficient. A new report shows how negative health effects of noise can be reduced. Several means are easiest to apply in dense cities. Cars today produce as much noise on the outside as they did 40 years ago. However, heavy vehicles have become somewhat quieter. The number of people exposed to noise pollution in cities remains high. Traffic noise is today linked to stress-related health problems such as stroke and heart disease. “In recent years, the scientific basis for assessment has broadened considerably. But the legislation to protect residents of unhealthy noise levels is completely inadequate,” says Tor Kihlman, professor emeritus of applied acoustics at Chalmers in Sweden. Last fall, Kihlman and Wolfgang Kropp initiated a meeting between international experts from the automotive industry, universities and government agencies in Innsbruck to discuss technical possibilities to achieve better urban environments. No simple technical solution exists for solving the traffic noise problem – neither at the source nor for preventing noise from reaching ears. In order to achieve improvements, concerted actions from everyone involved are required, but such coordination of actions is lacking today and the division of responsibilities is unclear, says Tor Kihlman. “Many of the needed measures are ideal for implementation in dense cities. They are often in line with what is required to tackle climate change. Here are double benefits to point to,” says Kihlman, mentioning three examples: the procurement of quiet public transport, reduced speed, and the usage of buildings as effective noise barriers, through good urban planning. The new report describes the first steps needed, politically, for |
 Chalmers University of Technology graphic
society to move towards substantially reduced health effects caused by traffic noise. “The problems with traffic noise from roads cannot be satisfactory resolved by only taking actions at the source of the noise, not with foreseeable technology. Therefore, the report is also covering planning and construction measures. But today’s methods of measuring and describing the noise emissions are neither sufficient nor adequate from the exposed citizens’ point of view, says Kihlman. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 129 | |||||||
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| EU Human Rights Court upholds French burqa ban By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The European Court of Human Rights has upheld France's ban on the Muslim burqa and other full-face coverings in public. The Strasbourg court ruled Tuesday that the ban does not violate religious freedom. It says the French government's desire to encourage people to live together is a legitimate reason for the ban. Decisions by the court cannot be appealed. A French Muslim woman brought suit against the ban. Her lawyer argued that the burqa is as much a part of her identity as her own DNA. French authorities banned the veil in public in 2012, calling it a security risk because it conceals the wearer's identity. France has Europe's largest Muslim population, but is officially a secular country  Voice of America photo
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
Michelle Howard
First
female four-star admiral
is now second in command By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
For the first time in its 236-year history, the U.S. Navy has a woman as its second-highest ranking officer. Michelle Howard was promoted Tuesday to a four-star admiral and assumed her new duties as vice chief of naval operations. Ms. Howard received her fourth star at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery with her family and fellow servicemen. "If you don't believe today was the first, when I called to order, a four-star shoulder board for women, they didn't exist. A special contract was let, and you folks are seeing the first set in the history of the United States Navy," said Ms. Howard. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was the promoting officer. "The Navy picked the best officer to be the VCNO. That's the only thing that happened here today," said Mabus. Since 1982, when she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Ms. Howard has achieved many historic firsts in her career. She was the first African-American woman to achieve three-star rank in the U.S. armed forces, as well as being the first woman to achieve the rank of admiral in the Navy. She also was the first African-American woman to command a naval ship. Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert said the honors mean extra obligations. “She will bear the burden of a role model, and she is ready to bear that very well, and I am very excited about that because we need lots more women in the Navy,” said Greenert. Ms. Howard was in the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, and in 2009 participated in the naval task force dispatched to rescue the U.S.-flagged merchant vessel Maersk Alabama and its captain Richard Phillips, who had been kidnapped by Somali pirates. "I was just three days in the job when we got word that Captain Philips had been kidnapped," recalled Ms. Howard. American women serving in the military have broken many barriers in recent years and can compete for positions that once were closed to them. Ms. Howard said her promotion can serve as further encouragement. Ms. Howard is the third woman in the U.S. military to reach a four-star rank. One is in the Army and the other in the Air Force. “We, as a Navy and as a nation, have just got to quit wasting the talent and the ability based on race or gender or anything else," said Mabus. Officials from all military service branches have announced plans to open combat positions to women who meet physical or performance standards by 2016.  Voice
of America photo
Touch is part of the
experienceVirtual lab
considers ideas
for future military projects By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Mixed Reality Lab at University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies is developing a futuristic workspace for the Navy using virtual reality. Called E2C2, codename "Blueshark," the project's goal is to see how virtual reality can transform the way the Navy communicates and collaborates, elements both essential to warfare. Recently members of the public, such as film student Dean Moro, got a sneak preview of the possibilities. “Your eyes are fully immersed in fully stereoscopic 3-D environment and once your eyes are there, your mind is there," said Moro, utilizing a workstation replete with headset, gloves and sensors. "Your ears are there, you’re being guided by a sergeant who has a computer voice but nonetheless it works. And probably the most potent about this experience in particular is that your touch is there as well." According to lab director Mark Bolas, the aim is to imagine technology that will be available in 15 years so Navy ships can become lighter, better protected and provide more information to sailors to help them make better decisions. ”Instead of looking at data on 2-D screens, for example, you can have it floating as a 3-D map in front of you," he said. “If you’re going to build a ship, you better be thinking about the design of that ship at least 15 years before you build it because that’s how long it’s going to take to make it.” Bolas and his team visited different types of ships to learn about real world problems and how virtual reality and 3-D models can help, from ship design to more operational improvements, including using strategically-placed cameras. “In our demonstration here you can see that you can put yourself in the eyeball of a drone that’s out miles away from the ship but instead of trying to figure from some video feed what the drone is seeing you’re actually flying in that drone,” Bolas said. The new software and hardware in the near future may also mean the end of computer monitors, he added. “Any dumb surface can become an active surface by knowing where you’re touching by tracking the hand and knowing you’re pushing against it," he said. For Moro the film student, the possibilities aren't limited to the armed forces. He sees a range of industries benefiting from this kind of workspace of the future. “This is maybe a more productive way for creative people to work," he said. "Because you’re using your entire body to work instead of hunched over at a laptop typing.” Lab director Bolas says many of these virtual reality technologies may hit the commercial market before they end up on a Navy ship. Fitness in children linked to success in academics By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Numerous studies show children across the world are becoming less fit, result is a spike in obesity, diabetes and other related diseases. That's why schools across the U.S., such as Lincoln Elementary in Redondo Beach, California, have instituted programs like the walking school bus in which kids carry a large cardboard cutout of a school bus and join other kids along the way. Parents see it as a way to get the kids exercising in the morning, while kids see it as a way to have fun and talk to their friends on the way to school. Experts say parents and schools have to find ways to keep kids active, even if they are participating in interactive exercise programs, like the WII Fit jogging program. The World Health Organization recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 17 should do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows that most American children are physically unfit. Yet studies on children and exercise show that fitness contributes to more than good physical health. Researchers at the U.S. Institute of Medicine looked at children's exercise programs and found they actually help students academically. University of Texas epidemiology professor Harold Kohl led the study. "The evidence is really emerging in the last five or six years," he said. "Both cognitive studies, brain imaging studies and others show the acute effects that a bout or two of physical activity has on blood profusion in the brain — in the centers that really help children learn to recall things faster and think faster." Kohl says that overall, physically active kids are more likely to achieve their full academic potential compared to children who are not physically active. Another study from the University of Illinois shows similar results, according to Community Health Professor Charles Hillman. "We find that following a bout of walking, children have higher academic achievement scores in reading and mathematics," he said. Hillman says children in his study who had regular physical activity improved academically, but he also says when teachers build physical activity into the classroom or get children to exercise before class, they are then at their peak for learning. Hong Kong police arrest 500 in pro-democracy rally By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Police in Hong Kong arrested more than 500 protesters from an overnight sit-in early Wednesday that followed a massive pro-democracy rally. The protesters were charged with illegal assembly and obstructing police after vowing to stay in the city's financial district until 8 a.m. Most protesters did not put up a struggle. Others, chanting political slogans, had to be dragged away from the Chater Road protest site. Organizers say 510,000 people attended the protest on the 17th anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese governance. Police put the figure at just under 100,000. The annual protest took on added significance this year amid a campaign to pressure Beijing to allow Hong Kong residents to elect their leader. Many of the protesters chanted anti-China slogans and carried signs demanding real democracy as they marched from Victoria Park to the financial district. The protest follows an unofficial referendum in which nearly 800,000 Hong Kong residents voted to be allowed more control over the nomination of candidates in a 2017 election. Beijing says it will fulfill its promise to allow the semi-autonomous territory to elect its leader in 2017, but insists only mainland-approved candidates can run. Chinese state media on Wednesday quoted mainland officials as saying Tuesday's protest shows the civil and political rights of Hong Kong residents are respected. But Zhang Xiaoming, Beijing's top official in Hong Kong, said any decision concerning the 2017 election would not be affected by the size of the protest or the referendum. Mass protests have, in the past, convinced Beijing to alter its policies toward Hong Kong. In 2003, half a million people showed up for a pro-democracy protest, prompting China to scrap proposed anti-subversion laws. But this time Communist Party leaders appear to be standing firm. The party last month issued a white paper emphasizing its comprehensive jurisdiction over Hong Kong, which it stressed did not enjoy full autonomy. Hong Kong residents enjoy more civil and political rights than their counterparts on the mainland due to Beijing's 1997 agreement with Britain. But discontent with perceived Chinese interference in Hong Kong is rising and a heavy-handed response by the mainland could trigger more protests. Occupy Central, a coalition of protest groups, has threatened to shut down the city's financial district later this year if its demands for electoral reforms are not met. Iraq turns to the Russians for air power against rebels By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Sunni militants bent on establishing an Islamic caliphate are putting pressure on Baghdad. It has nervous Iraqi officials looking for help anywhere they can find it, even if it means turning away from the United States. In the skies over Baghdad, there are signs of hope, not from the U.S., but from the Russians. For weeks, Iraqi officials have simmered over a lack of U.S. air strikes against the militants. In Washington, Iraqi ambassador Lukman Faily made no apologies for seeking help elsewhere. “We have a need. There is a void. If the U.S. can’t fill that void, whomever is available, including Russia, then they are welcome to fill that void,” said Faily. The safety of Baghdad and its surroundings has been a growing concern, and U.S. military officials acknowledge the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is posing problems by its sheer presence. “We continue to see ISIL putting pressure on Baghdad from the north and the west. That hasn’t let up,” said Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby. The Islamic State of Iraq continued its show of force across the border in Syria, where it paraded captured weapons while an audio recording of its leader, posted on the Internet, called on Muslims to join his self-declared caliphate. “I understand they’ve declared this caliphate. But declaring it doesn’t make it so,” said Kirby. Still, the U.S isn’t taking any chances, saying 300 new troops being sent to Baghdad will have the support of drones and Apache attack helicopters to protect the embassy, facilities at the Baghdad airport and personnel. As for Iraq’s allegations the U.S. isn’t doing enough, Pentagon officials say U.S. military advisers are still assessing the threat and Iraq’s needs and that the Iraqis can talk to whomever they like as long as those countries do nothing to further inflame sectarian tensions. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 129 | |||||||||
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U.S., despite
super goaltending, falls
to Belgium and two extra time shots By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
World Cup drama remained alive Tuesday in Brazil, with Argentina and Belgium winning in extra time to advance to the quarterfinals. It was the final day of competition in the opening round of the knockout stage, in which five of the eight contests were decided in extra time. Argentina beat Switzerland in Sao Paulo, 1-0, after breaking through in the 118th minute. Superstar striker Lionel Messi set up the winner with a pass to the right of the box to Angel Di Maria, who blasted it into the corner of the net. Switzerland had a free kick from the top of the box in the waning moments, but it was blocked by the Argentine wall. The two teams waged a tight, scoreless battle through regulation and nearly all of extra time. The Argentines thought in advance that the game would be decided following the first 90 minutes, according to Di Maria. "We know that this could happen to us, but we gave our souls out there on the pitch, we fought with our lives for each ball, and we ended up as the winners," Di Maria said. Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld praised Argentina, which has won all four of its matches in this year's World Cup. "We made life very tough on them," Hitzfeld said. "They kept their cool. It shows Argentina has a good team." Argentina will now meet Belgium in the quarterfinals. The game is a rematch of their 1986 World Cup semifinal match, when Argentina beat Belgium, 2-0, and went on to win the World Cup led by the legendary Diego Maradona. It is the last time the Argentines captured the championship. In Salvador Tuesday, Belgium took a 2-0 lead in extra time and held on to eliminate the United States, 2-1. The Belgians applied relentless pressure on U.S. goalie Tim Howard. Howard responded by putting forth one of the greatest efforts by a goalie in World Cup history with 16 saves. But Belgium beat him in the third minute of extra time when Kevin De Bruyne scored following a pass from substitute Romelu Kukaku. A few minutes later, De Bruyne returned the favor with a pass to Kukaku, whose goal gave Belgium a 2-0 edge. The U.S. did not fold. Forward Julian Green scored in the 107th minute to create a 2-1 game, becoming at age 19 one of the youngest players ever to score in the World Cup. Sparked by Green's goal, the Americans generated other good scoring opportunities as the clock wound down. Belgian goalie Thibaut Courtois, one of the best in the world, made an excellent save on Clint Dempsey to prevent the game from going into a penalty shootout. The U.S. had a chance to win in stoppage time, but forward Chris Wondolowski sent a point-blank shot over the cross bar. Afterward, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann described Howard's performance as phenomenal. "He had an absolutely amazing match, you can give him the biggest compliments in the world," Klinsmann said. "He kept us in the game over the 120 minutes." The Americans were hoping to get a boost from star forward Jozy Altidore, who suffered a hamstring injury in the team's opening win against Ghana and was medically cleared to play Tuesday. But Altidore did not play against the Belgians. Against Belgium, the U.S. also lost standout Fabian Johnson to a hamstring injury. All of the quarterfinal matchups are now set. On Friday, France takes on Germany in Rio de Janeiro and Colombia faces Brazil in Fortaleza. On Saturday in Salvador, surprising Costa Rica plays the Netherlands, the 2010 runner-up, and Argentina plays Belgium in Brasilia. Brazil, the consensus favorite to win it all, is seeking an unprecedented sixth World Cup championship. |
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