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José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, July 7, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 132
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Soccer governing
body tightens controls
Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football has announced that its Executive Committee has approved an expansive reform framework that seeks to substantially strengthen governance, management and operations. The reform framework was unanimously approved by the Executive Committee Saturday in Vancouver, Canada. Costa Rica is a member of the confederation. The reform framework is an additional step toward ushering in systemic organizational change to further enhance confederation's business operations through improved governance, increased public disclosure, and enhanced anti-corruption controls, the soccer regional governing body said. Implementation of the reform framework will begin immediately. To develop the reform framework, the confederation convened a three-member special committee including Justino Compean of the Mexican Football Federation, Sunil Gulati of the United States Soccer Federation, and Victor Montagliani of the Canada Soccer Association. This special committee was charged at the request of the confederation’s Executive Committee with overseeing the day-to-day operations in the wake of the U.S. indictments of confederation officials, including recommending reforms to its operations and governance, said an announcement. Proposals contained in the reform framework fall into three categories: Corporate governance, fraud prevention and compliance and transparency, the confederation said. Among other changes, the Executive Committee will now have a minimum number of members who are not affiliated with any soccer-related activities and there will be term limits, said the confederation. There also will be an approved vendor list and outside consultants to help with bidding and to conduct audits to prevent bribery and fraud. Financial statements will be made available on the confederation's Web site as will compensation totals, and a whistleblower's hotline will be established, the organization said.  Refinadora
Costarricense de Petróleo
photo
The raging Río Lajas does not touch a reinstalled petroleumtransmission line of the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo. Workers are trying to reinstall a second line. Both were taken out by the river last week. Lawmakers to delay president's speech By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Lawmakers will be able to negotiate, scrap and politick without an eye on the clock May 1 under a proposal that advanced Monday in the legislature. The Comisión de Reglamento voted to approve a change in legislative rules. Until now, lawmakers met to reorganize at 9 a.m. every May 1 followed by the president's state of the state speech later in the day. Lately, the 9 a.m. session has been dragging on, so the new rule will be for the president to delivery the message at the next regular legislative session. The session for the president's message is highly formal. Diplomats and members of the other branches of government attend. The time has been moved around lately. The speech has been given at night. Lawmakers have been inclined lately to establish the session at 3 or 4 p.m, but that can bring conflict with a prolonged morning session. The rule change would take effect May 1, 2017. Marketing is important even in crime By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A creative marijuana marketer has been provided cigarette paper with each package of the weed, Fuerza Pública officers in Limón determined. They said the vendor was making work easier for his customers. Officers found 90 baggies of marijuana with paper included, they reported, but they were unable to locate the vendor, they said. Obama to host Vietnam's Communist chief By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
President Barack Obama hosts Vietnam's Communist Party leader today at the White House, the latest effort to strengthen ties between the two former foes. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit, the first ever by a Vietnamese Communist leader, comes shortly after the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The two countries normalized relations 20 years ago and have been moving closer together, as regional tensions involving China increase around the South China Sea. A White House statement said Obama looks forward to discussing ways to strengthen bilateral ties. The president also welcomes the opportunity to discuss other issues, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, human rights, and bilateral defense cooperation. Trong is Vietnam's top leader, but is unelected and holds no official government position, making the meeting with Obama unusual. Rights groups and lawmakers are urging President Obama to continue putting pressure on Vietnam to improve its human rights record, and some are questioning whether the White House should be hosting Trong at all. The visit sends the wrong message to Hanoi, according to Human Rights Watch's John Sifton, who said Trong heads a government "in which repression, torture, and religious persecution are the norm." "President Obama should not be rewarding rights abuses on this scale by meeting with Secretary General Trong. But if he must, he needs to raise the volume on the human rights concerns," said Sifton. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers also sent an open letter urging Obama to push for the release of several prominent political and religious prisoners in Vietnam. The nine members of Congress said they "welcome warmer times with the people of Vietnam and recognize the economic and security potential of that country," but said human rights must be "at the forefront of the bilateral relationship." "As the list of detained Vietnamese bloggers and prisoners of conscience gets longer and longer, it is more important than ever that the United States sends a clear message to the Hanoi authorities that respect for human rights is essential for a closer economic and security relationship," the letter said. The U.S. late last year relaxed longstanding rules that kept it from selling weapons to Vietnam. During Tuesday's meeting, Trong is expected to continue pushing for a complete lifting of the arms embargo. Vietnam says it needs U.S. weapons, partly because it is involved in a bitter dispute with China over territory in the South China Sea. The situation escalated last year after China placed a state-owned oil rig near Vietnamese waters. The expanding U.S.-Vietnam relations is a key part of the White House's economic and security shift toward Asia, which is seen as a response to China's growing influence in the region.
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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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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, July 7, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 132 | |
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| Page One is HERE! Page 2 is HERE! Page 4 is HERE! | NEXT PAGE |
| The rains returns for both the Caribbean and the Pacific
coasts |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Caribbean and the northern zone just can't get a break. The national emergency commission imposed an alert on the Caribbean, Sarapiquí and Turrialba Monday afternoon in expectation of more rain. Highway officials said at mid-afternoon that Ruta 32, the main San José-Limón road, was closed again due to a series of landslides. The alternate route to the northern zone, Ruta 126 through Vera Blanca, also was closed by slides. Officials said they hoped to get Ruta 32 reopened today. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that the instability in the weather came from the passage of another tropical wave and that this affected the central and south Pacific and the Nicoya peninsula. |
The weather
institute said that a low pressure area at Panamá was
likely to move into Costa Rican territory early today and bring more
rain to the Pacific coast. During Monday that area got up to two inches of rain. About the same amount was expected over night. Still, the real concern was for northeastern Costa Rica that had been soaked again over the weekend. The weather institute in an evening report said that up to 2.5 inches had fallen over 12 hours in the Caribbean and the northern zone and that more was expected overnight The emergency commission said that up to four inches could be expected in the mountains. Strong winds were predicted for the Central Valley. |
| Loser in cross-cultural divorce case here writes a book for
his kids |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The end of a marriage can be heart wrenching and messy.
Murphy said he and his Costa Rican wife were living in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area with their three children when they decided to move to Costa Rica. Murphy is no novice with international living. He taught |
English in
Egypt and says he has been in 19 countries. When he and his
wife decided to move, he was teaching in Philadelphia. According to Murphy he drove his wife and three kids to the airport believing that they soon would be reunited in Costa Rica. He said what happened then was 18 months in the Costa Rica justice system with a divorce action that included allegations of domestic violence. He denies the domestic violence allegation. The title of the book is "Time Capsule of a Costa Rican Kidnapping," although strictly speaking what happened was not a kidnapping and probably not an abduction. Murphy published his account with the online service CreateSpace. Murphy admits to his own wrongdoing. He said that when he was slapped with a $1,600-a-month child support edict he headed to the Nicaraguan border and bribed his way out of Costa Rica. He now lives in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, where he is about to publish a novel. His book about his Costa Rican case became available June 21, according to his Web site. |
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| Life in Costa Rica brings out his poetic side featured in 'A
Year of Days' |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Poets are supposed to take two or more mental images, mix them and create an unexpected third. That why James Just's first book of poetry on daily life in Costa Rica is being called evocative. That is, the words generate images or emotional responses. The book of poetry is titled "A Year of Days," and it is a collection of daily observations about life with his wife, Irina, and their two dogs on el Cajón Ridge in the mountains outside of Grecia, according to an announcement. His poetry resonates deeply with all who have found stimulating new lives in Costa Rica, said the announcement. Just has been here for three years. Previously he was is the U.S. pacific coast and has been a restaurateur, vintner and environmental activist. The book is illustrated by French artist Gesa Emde. An Amazon summary says of the poems in part: |
"We feel fresh rhythms of sun and rain and wind. We discover exotic plants and animals. We connect with fellow adventures from all over the world. We meet Tico friends, patient and generous with outlanders bringing strange customs and a foreign tongue. We sample local foods and savor an enchanting culture. We learn to relax and relish la pure vida." The book is available at Amazon HERE, Barnes and Noble HERE, Booklocker HERE, iTunes HERE and Kobo HERE. |
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| 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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be
reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, July 7, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 132 | |||||
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| Page 1 is HERE!
Page 2 is HERE!
Page 3 is HERE! Page 5 is HERE! Page 6 is HERE! The sports page is HERE! Opinion is HERE! Classifieds are HERE! Plus useful links |
Next Page |
| World Health urges much higher
taxes to reduce use of tobacco |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The World Health Organization is calling for governments to raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products. A new report presents strong evidence that increasing taxes is one of the best ways to help curb the global tobacco epidemic. The World Health Organization says raising taxes on tobacco makes the products less affordable. It says this is one of the most effective, low-cost ways to stop people from smoking. It notes this measure has the added benefit of boosting the tax revenues of national coffers. Douglas Bettcher is the organization's director of the Department for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases. He said he considers this a win-win policy. “Some economists early this year in a Copenhagen consensus referred to it as a phenomenal best buy. Not only a best buy, phenomenal best buy because it is the most cost-effective measure to reduce the consumption and prevalence of tobacco and therefore to save lives,” said Bettcher. Bettcher said evidence from countries such as China and France shows higher prices on tobacco products led to declines in smoking prevalence and tobacco-related deaths from illnesses, such as lung cancer. |
Data from
Turkey, a middle-income country, finds a 13 percent
reduction
in smoking prevalence between 2009 and 2014 following a 50 percent
increase in tobacco taxes. Despite such progress, World Health reports taxation is the least implemented tobacco control measure around the world. It says only 33 countries impose taxes of more than 75 percent of the retail price of a packet of cigarettes. Bettcher blames this on what he calls devious tactics by the tobacco industry. “The most common myth the tobacco industry promotes is that increase in tobacco taxation will lead to an increase in illicit trade in tobacco products. This has been disproven . . . . Furthermore, illicit trade in tobacco products itself ought to be tackled. Illicit trade fuels corruption and circulation of illicit products, as well as reducing revenue for governments,” he said. The World Health Organization reports around six million people, most in developing countries, die prematurely from tobacco related illnesses each year. This is more than all deaths from HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. The U.N. health agency predicts the number of tobacco-linked deaths will rise to more than eight million people a year by 2030 unless strong measures are taken to control the epidemic. |
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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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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| Hundreds of thousand hear Mass celebrated by Francis By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered in Ecuador Monday for a chance to hear Mass celebrated by Pope Francis, who began a three-country tour with an open-air service in the southwestern port city of Guayaquil. The 78-year-old Jesuit pontiff landed a day earlier in the capital, Quito, on the first leg of his visit. Government and church dignitaries greeted him, along with colorfully dressed children and adults waving the papal flag and standing on either side of a long red carpet. He is expected to return to the capital today for another public service in the city's Bicentennial Park before heading to Bolivia and Paraguay. Francis is skipping his native Argentina on his ninth trip abroad in two years, but plans to head to his homeland next year. As he left Rome, the pope said he wanted to emphasize the plight of impoverished people in the three countries he is visiting, "especially children in need, the elderly, the sick, the imprisoned, the poor, those who are victims of this throwaway culture." The Roman Catholic Church has about 1.2 billion followers, with a large portion of them in Latin America. Ecuador has been hit in recent weeks with anti-government demonstrations, protests aimed partly at the call by embattled President Rafael Correa for increased inheritance taxes. Protest leaders have called for a moratorium during the papal visit out of deference to Francis. Later in the trip, the pope is planning a visit to a violent Bolivian prison, a meeting with Bolivian trash collectors and a stop at a flood-prone Paraguayan shantytown. Press advocate tells pope of Ecuador's culture of fear Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Within the framework of Pope Francis’ journey to Ecuador the Inter American Press Association sent him a public message in which it expresses its concern at the systematic violation by the government of the South American nation of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and of the press. After remarking on his “pilgrimage to these lands” which will also take him to Bolivia and Paraguay the press association stressed the situation in Ecuador, where it said “President Rafael Correa has enforced the silencing of all those that dissent from the official truth.” The message was published by numerous publications. In the “Message from the Inter American Press Association to His Holiness Pope Francis,” the Inter American Press Association declared that the Ecuadorean government has been “using propaganda as a battering ram and the Communication Law as an instrument of censorship” to punish media and impose a culture of fear. The association told Pope Francis that “we hope that your words can inspire changes to the official policy of censorship that is practiced by the government of Ecuador — or, at the very least, ease the suffering of those who cannot fully enjoy their inalienable right to freedom of expression.” Demise of dinosaurs seen as opening way for fish By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The asteroid that triggered a mass extinction and the demise of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago gave rise to a modern age of fishes, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The ocean was a different place at the time of the massive die off. Sharks and octopus-like creatures were big players, but paleobiologist Elizabeth Sibert said there were large marine reptiles and fish as well, “Except the fish weren’t very dominant.” The University of California San Diego graduate student worked with co-author Richard Norris at the university and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The two compared micro-fossil fish teeth and shark scales in sediment cores that dated before and after the mass extinction. “Basically the deeper down you get, the older you get,” Ms. Sibert explained. “So we looked at sediments from 75 million years ago to about 45 million years ago, looking every 200,000 years in some cases and 10,000 years in other cases.” Prior to the mass die-off, the ratio of fish to shark was stable, but Ms. Sibert said that changed dramatically when the asteroid hit. “We see that instead of having about equal number of shark fossils and fish fossils, we see that the fish fossils more than double and that trend continues while the shark fossils stay approximately the same,” she said. The study suggests that the extinction event killed many animals at both the top and bottom of the food chain, opening niches to the ray-finned fish, which today represent nearly all fish species. Norris said he was surprised with the speed at which the fish multiplied, suggesting that they “were released from predation or competition by the extinction of other groups of marine life.” “And they radiated into all these newly vacated spots, and possibly some new things that wouldn’t have existed at all if the extinction hadn’t happened,” Ms. Sibert added. Ninety-nine percent of all fish species in the world from goldfish to tuna and salmon are classified as ray-finned fish. They have boney skeletons and teeth that are well preserved in the ocean mud. The next step for the researchers is to return to the micro-fossil record to find out how the fish responded to other stresses in the ocean Data gathering by social nets leads to new, encrypted site By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In ways both obvious and subtle, Facebook may be the best proof of the old adage “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The social network is free for anyone to join, but in exchange it’s constantly vacuuming up public and private data about its members. And that’s often done in hidden ways. For example, following the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, millions of Facebook users recently modified their profile picture with a simple app created by the social network. The app overlays a transparent rainbow filter on pictures, giving users an easy way to voice their support of the decision. It seems trivial, but in fact there may be more behind it than just a nice rainbow. Facebook is constantly collecting data about the behavior of its members and in the past has even intentionally manipulated its algorithms to conduct experiments on users – all without their knowledge or consent. Even for something as simple as how people change their photos, and later change them back, observers are already asking how Facebook engineers will quietly use this rainbow filter data for the company’s benefit without users’ knowledge. Privacy activists have long complained that large social networks like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and others use members’ private information without consent or transparency. But so far, there have been few alternatives. That’s something Bill Ottman is hoping to change. Ottman is the founder and CEO of a new social network called Minds.com, a social network that’s free, completely open-source coded, and fully encrypted. Still only a few weeks old, Minds has already received one high-profile vote of confidence from the privacy-centric hacker collective called Anonymous. “Those things are all very important, because we know about all the surveillance activity happening on social networks,” Ottman said. “Users are essentially being denied access to information that could potentially empower them. We wanted to build a network that was totally transparent and would protect people’s freedom.” Among the privacy features offered by Minds, Ottman says one of the most popular is full, end-to-end encryption of all users’ passwords, emails, and messages with each other. “We at Minds have zero knowledge of the content of user’s messages,” Ottman said. “Zero-knowledge is a cryptographic principle where the company puts a wall of privacy between themselves and their users. Even if we were requested to hand those over, we couldn’t. We did that intentionally, because we don’t believe it’s our place to be the man in the middle.” FBI director James Comey has been warning of the dangers of zero-knowledge encryption, saying it threatens to take the country into a very dark place. But Ottman says it’s clearly an option that users want, and even noted a recent U.N. report that called access to encryption “…necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age.” Another unique feature of Minds is a system that rewards users for each action they take while online with a credit. Those credits can then be spent expand the reach of users’ posts. “For every action on the app, you’re earning virtual coins,” Ottman said. “You can then use those coins to boost your own content to totally new audiences. Just for participating in the larger community, we will expand your reach by letting you earn this currency and then spend it to boost your posts.” Another major difference from networks like Facebook that claim license to user’s posted materials, Ottman said Minds allows members to either reserve all rights for posted content, or license it under Creative Commons. “If they want their material shared, they’ll still receive attribution under the Commons license. If they don’t want anyone to have license to it, including us, they’ll also have that right,” he said. But while privacy-minded potential users might find these options attractive, Minds – like other social network start-ups – faces a major challenge: attracting a critical mass of users to make the site work. “Facebook is the biggest social network in the world. Just about everybody’s there, even though they have all these questionable practices” Ottoman said. “Even if you don’t want to be there, you’re really pressured to be there if you want to communicate with certain people. We think that’s too bad.” Ottman said rather than thinking of either/or, Minds gives privacy-minded users an opportunity to have both, and diversify their social networking experiences. “Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants a voice,” he said. Cholera vaccines called effective in short term By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The World Health Organization says cholera vaccines are effectively controlling the spread of the deadly disease in a number of high-risk areas around the globe, but the lack of vaccines limits the ability to protect all people in need. According to newly released data by the U.N. agency, there are an estimated three to five million cases of cholera annually, which can cause up to 120,000 deaths worldwide. The virulent illness, which can kill in a matter of hours, is caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water and thrives in unsanitary conditions. An oral cholera vaccine has been around since 1991, but has been given mainly to travelers, but funding from international agencies has allowed World Health officials to dip into stockpile of two million doses of the vaccine for use in high-risk places. Cholera expert Dominique Legros says the vaccine is proving to be an efficient tool to control outbreaks effectively, and that he expects increased production of the vaccine in coming years, with up to three million doses available for use in endemic hotspots and emergency situations. Despite increased access to vaccines, however, improved sanitation, particularly in developing countries, is key. “The long-term solution for cholera . . . . It is access to safe water, access to sanitation," he said. "But really, it works as sort of key to the door. It shows that something can be done. That impact can be achieved very quickly with the vaccine and then we can take ... a follow-up with water and sanitation intervention.” Cholera can occur at any time during the year, and World Health says about 40 million people are at risk of infection in Africa, where hot spots include the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Tanzania, South Sudan, Mozambique and fishing communities in Ghana. As of July 4, World Health had received reports of 632 cholera cases including 30 deaths from 75 villages in Juba County. Officials says more than 17,800 cases of cholera, including 150 deaths, have occurred this year in Tanzania. Cosby said in deposition he bought drugs for sex By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Comedian Bill Cosby admitted in a 2005 deposition that he obtained Quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with. He admitted giving the sedative to at least one woman. According to court documents unsealed Monday, the veteran comedian made the admission during his testimony in a civil case brought by a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, who alleged that Cosby tricked her into taking drugs before he sexually assaulted her. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum of money. Dozens of women have come forward in the past year to allege that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them in incidents dating back decades. His attorneys have consistently denied the allegations. Cosby testified that in the 1970s he obtained seven prescriptions for Quaaludes, the brand name for a sedative and muscle relaxant that was widely used as a recreational drug at the time. "When you got the Quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these Quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" Cosby was asked in the 2005 deposition. "Yes," he replied. Suspicion grows that fakes were used by Islamic State By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The ancient Muslim antiquities from Palmyra that the Islamic State said it took from a smuggler and destroyed may have been fakes, Syrian observers said Friday. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the so-called smuggler might have been an Islamic State member. It said the Islamic State might be planning to sell the original statues and that the ones being smashed in photographs released by the militants were phony. Even so, the chief of the U.N,'s cultural organization, is condemning Islamic State's apparent destruction of Muslim artifacts. Irina Bokova said Friday, "These new destructions of cultural goods of the site of Palmyra reflect the brutality and ignorance of extremist groups and their disregard of local communities and of the Syrian people." Among the statues that may have been destroyed is the Lion Statue of Athena, a 2,000-year-old piece that has stood outside Palmyra since archaeologists discovered it in 1977. Palmyra is a world heritage site. The Islamic State seized the city in May, raising fears that it would bulldoze ancient buildings and destroy priceless artifacts the same way it did in Iraqi cities. The extremists regard statues and idols as blasphemous. Leading EU leaders say next move is up to Greece By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The eurozone’s two most powerful members, France and Germany, say the door is open for resolving the Greek crisis, but that the next move is up to Athens. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered similar messages to Greece Tuesday that were both conciliatory and a sober reminder that the clock is ticking. In a brief statement with Ms. Merkel following talks in Paris, Hollande said the door is open for discussions on resolving the Greek debt crisis and keeping Athens in the eurozone. But, he said it is now up to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his government to come up with concrete and credible proposals that can translate into a lasting program for the country. Eurozone leaders hope those proposals will arrive by this evening, when they hold a summit in Brussels to find a way out of an escalating crisis. The resounding no to more austerity delivered by Greek voters in Sunday’s referendum has increased fears of financial collapse in Greece and the country’s exit from the 19 member euro currency union and even of the EU. Ms. Merkel said pre-conditions for fresh talks on a new rescue package for Greece are not yet there. It is now up to Tsipras, she said, to offer a precise program and to find a way out. Despite the show of unity in Paris, France and Germany have offered different reactions to the Greek crisis. Hollande, along with Spanish and Italian leaders, have adopted a more conciliatory approach than Berlin. Still, Hollande noted that while Europe goes beyond the economy and finance and embraces values and principles, it is also about shared responsibility. |
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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, Tuesday, July 7, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 132 | |||||||||
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In the wake of the racially-charged killing of nine African-Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, last month, many have called for the removal of symbols of the Confederacy from public spaces. Dylann Roof, who was charged with the murders, allegedly posted pictures of himself holding the Confederate battle flag to his Web site before the shooting spree, along with a racist manifesto. In addition to the Confederate battle flag, some are also calling for the removal statues of Confederate leaders and the renaming of streets and schools named after Confederates. But that task would be an immense undertaking as the South is replete with homages to the short-lived Confederate States of America. For example, overlooking Washington, D.C., from the Virginia side of the Potomac River and right in the middle of Arlington National Cemetery sits Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. Lee, the South’s leading general, owned the plantation there prior to the Civil War. In the surrounding Virginia suburbs, there are schools named after southern Civil War figures like Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart, two prominent Confederate generals. Just 90 minutes from Washington, in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy, a major thoroughfare called Monument Avenue, is lined with statues and memorials to Confederate soldiers and politicians. After most wars, statues and memorials are erected to honor the victors, not the vanquished. Historians say the memorials are the result of an organized effort by some in the South who set about revising the history of the Civil War, starting nearly immediately after hostilities ended. “The South reversed the dictum that the winners write the history books,” said Brian Matthew Jordan, an associate professor of history at Sam Houston State University in Texas and author of the book "Marching Home" about Union veterans in the post-war era. Some of the groups are still around today, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. According to the United Daughters Web site, the group seeks to “collect and preserve the material necessary for a truthful history of the War Between the States and to protect, preserve, and mark the places made historic by Confederate valor” and to “assist descendants of worthy Confederates in securing a proper education.” The movement was spurred by several southern groups that wanted to change the narrative about the Civil War. Called the Lost Cause movement, it set out to divorce the Confederacy from slavery and make the war about states’ rights and self-government. In turn, Confederate soldiers were portrayed as heroes for fighting with honor and courage in the face of overwhelming numbers on the battlefield, ideals that all Americans admire and respect. Much of that was a revisionist interpretation, but Jordan says there was enough of a kernel of truth in the Lost Cause myths to spur its widespread attraction. And in the North, too, there was a desire to put the war behind the country as quickly as possible. “The Lost Cause took effect immediately,” said Jordan. “It was a mainstream historical memory for at least the first half century after the war.” It was during this time that many of the statues and memorials went up. Reconstruction in the immediate post-war years helped galvanize the Lost Cause movement because it was seen by southerners as an attempt by the north to destroy their way of life. |
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| From Page 7: Ministry warns of credit card hidden charges By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The idea may seem obvious, but the economics ministry said that credit card users also should consider additional fees when picking a vendor. For example, some 77 percent of the cards in use carry a cost for renewing, said the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio. The charge ranges from 400 colons to 107,622 colons, the ministry said. That is an amount less than a U.S. dollar to about $204. There also are charges for withdrawing money from automatic tellers. Some card vendors allow a certain amount of free withdrawals a month. Others do not. And the rules change if the card is used at a machine operated by an entity other than the card issuer, the ministry noted. |
