 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
 |
|
|
San
José, Costa Rica, Monday,
July 21,
2014, Vol. 14, No. 142
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Unidentified gunmen staged separate attacks on two buses carrying supporters of Nicaragua's governing party that were returning from a national celebration in western Nicaragua early Sunday, killing five people and wounding 24, local authorities said Sunday. Matagalpa Mayor Zadrach Zeledon, a member of the governing Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, told local media that the worst attack happened on the Pan American Highway around 1 a.m. Sunday in a community known as Las Calabazas. Two men and two women died from bullet wounds, he said. The other attack was reported north of Matagalpa, which lies 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital of Managua, on a road between the towns of San Ramon and El Jobo. One man was reported killed there. Official sources have not identified the attackers, but an anti-Sandinista group claimed responsibility on Facebook. The government supporters were heading home after Saturday's commemoration of the ouster of dictator Anastasio Somoza on July 19, 1979. This weekend, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega celebrated the anniversary of the revolution he helped lead 35 years ago. Alongside Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Ortega rallied supporters Saturday in Managua. "Even as we have achieved great victories we still have greater victories ahead." The 68-year-old Ortega, who is serving his third term as president, was part of the Sandinista revolt that ousted Somoza in 1979. He is now facing criticism himself of overstepping his bounds after opposition members said constitutional changes earlier this year are designed to keep Ortega as leader of the impoverished Central American country for life. In January, the largely Sandinista national assembly approved controversial amendments that would allow him to be re-elected indefinitely. Ortega was elected president for one term in 1984, and his government survived the U.S.-backed Contra rebellion throughout the 1980s. He was reelected in 2006, and the Sandinista leader has expressed interest in seeking a new term in 2016. According to the World Bank's most recent estimates in 2009, 42.5 percent of Nicaraguans live at or below the poverty rate, a slight improvement over the 2005 estimate of 48.3 percent.  Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía
y Seguridad Pública photo These
motorcycles were confiscated by police during a sweep of the
30 barrios of Atenas last week. One driver was detained when he hit a police officer who ordered him to stop. Officers said they think the motorcycles have been stolen from around the country. Country's ceramics in Smithsonian expo Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Costa Rica's ancient ceramics are part of a new exposition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian that will run until next February. The exhibition examines seven regions representing distinct Central American cultural areas that are today part of Belize, Costa Rica, El
“This exhibition is an invaluable opportunity to share an incredible Smithsonian collection with Washington’s largest Latino population—los centroamericanos,” said Latino Center Director Eduardo Díaz. “We are inviting them to discover their cultural legacy within the walls of the nation’s museum.” Based on more than two years of research on the museum’s Central American ceramics collections sponsored by the Smithsonian Latino Center, curator Ann McMullen and guest curator Alexander Villa Benitez of George Mason University have selected more than 160 objects from the museum’s collection of more than 12,000 ceramic pieces from the region, augmenting this selection with significant examples of work in gold, jade, copper, marble, shell and stone. Together, these objects span the period from 1000 B.C. to the present and illustrate the richness, complexity and dynamic qualities of Central American civilizations that were connected to peoples in South America, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean through social and trade networks that shared knowledge, technology, artworks and systems of status and political organization, said the museum. The exhibition is accompanied by an interactive Web site that includes 3-D images of select objects and a landmark publication, "Revealing Ancestral Central America," edited by Rosemary A. Joyce, along with a bilingual children’s activity book and family guide. A full schedule of educational and public programs will include a symposium in September featuring leading voices on the interpretation and recovery of the region’s rich heritage, along with hands-on demonstrations, films, concerts and extended programming throughout the run of the exhibition, said the museum. “Cerámica de los Ancestros” represents a pioneering effort to promote a better understanding of the early lives of Central America’s Native peoples and engage new Latino audiences, especially los centroamericanos, who predominate in the Latino community of the greater Washington, D.C., area and consider these civilizations as part of their national and cultural heritage, the museum said For more information and program schedules, visit HERE! Cinnamon studied for anti-bacterial use By the University of Washington staff
Seeking ways to prevent some of the most serious food borne illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria, two Washington State University scientists have found promise in an ancient but common cooking spice: cinnamon. Recent findings published in Food Control journal online suggest Cinnamomum cassia oil can work effectively as a natural antibacterial agent in the food industry. The study results add to a body of knowledge that will help improve food safety and reduce or eliminate cases of food poisoning and related deaths. In the study, the essential oil killed several strains of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli known to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “non-O157 STEC.” The study looked at the top six strains of non-O157 STEC, said co-author Lina Sheng, a graduate student in the School of Food Science. The cinnamon cassia oil is effective in low concentrations, she said – about 10 drops diluted in a liter of water killed the bacteria within 24 hours. Rising health concerns about chemical additives have strengthened demand for natural food additives, said co-author Meijun Zhu, an assistant professor in the School of Food Science. “Our focus is on exploring plant-derived natural food bioactive compounds as antimicrobials to control food borne pathogens, in order to ensure safety of fresh produce,” she said. Ms. Sheng said about 110,000 cases of illness are caused annually by non-O157 STEC. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service has a zero tolerance policy for the centers' top six non-O157 STECs in raw ground beef and trimmings, indicating any raw non-intact beef products containing these pathogens will be considered adulterated. This has led Zhu and Ms. Sheng to include the beef industry in the large-scale application of their findings on cinnamon. “The oil can be incorporated into films and coatings for packaging both meat and fresh produce,” Ms. Sheng said. “It can also be added into the washing step of meat, fruits or vegetables to eliminate microorganisms.” Cassia cinnamon is produced primarily in Indonesia and has a stronger smell than the other common cinnamon variety, Ceylon. In addition to Cinnamomum cassia oil, Ms. Sheng plans to take a look at another natural source to kill bacteria. She and her coworkers will study the potential of dandelions to inhibit bacteria related to bovine mastitis, an infection in the mammary glands of dairy cows.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
 |
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 142 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Trickle of pilgrims on roads as emergency agencies prepare
for flood |
|
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The faithful in small numbers have begun their annual trek to Cartago. Firefighters and traffic police were on duty this weekend. The bulk of the Fuerza Pública, 1,000 strong, begins their annual operation early Friday. The holiday Friday for the Anexión del Partido de Nicoya, is situated conveniently so that many Costa Ricans have a three-day weekend. For many there is no need to be in the plaza at the Cartago basilica for the Aug. 2 Mass as long as the route is covered in the days before. Mario Calderón, director of the Policía de Tránsito, said that his officers expect a large flow of pilgrims Friday through next Sunday but that they were aware that this weekend would see some activity, too. An emphasis now are those routes distant from the capital where pilgrims are beginning their trek. This includes the Peñas Blancas border crossing where pilgrims will enter from countries to the north. Also getting early attention are routes in the southern part of the country and in Guanacaste. Perhaps 2 million persons will make the hike. The Cuerpo de Bomberos began the effort for pilgrims at the stations in Paraíso, Pacayas and Cartago this weekend. Other fire stations will be opened for pilgrims as the numbers increase. A report from the fire fighters noted that planning has been going on for months among representatives of the Municipalidad de Cartago, the Ministerio de Salud, the Policía Municipal, the Fuerza Pública, the Junta Administradora de Servicios Eléctricos de Cartago, the Cruz Roja, the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles, the Policía de Tránsito, the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes and officials at the basilica. The center of all this attention is the small statue that seems to represent the Virgin Mary and her infant son, Jesus. Mary is Nuestra |
 Ministerio de Obras Públicas y
Transportes photo
Most pilgrims will decline to go
by train.Señora de los Ángeles, the patroness of the country. Worshippers have been visiting since the middle of the 17th century when a church was constructed. Most seek special favors that they will ask the Virgin to put before God in their name. For the emergency teams the alert does not end Aug.2, the feast day of the Virgin, when Mass is completed and the pilgrims begin to leave. The following day, Aug. 3, priests and other workers at the basilica take the statue out into the streets of Cartago for a long and well-attended procession. For many Costa Ricans, the statue is not a symbol but the actual incarnation of the virgin. For Cartago and the Roman Catholic Church, the annual pilgrimage is a financial boon. |
| Armed with new law, police crack down on unruly fans at
soccer game |
|
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers said they detained 70 persons mostly for disturbances connected to the soccer game Sunday at Estadio Nacional. All the arrests came outside the stadium and some were well away in the nearby Parque la Sabana. Police have an advantage now with a new law that is designed to prevent violence at soccer games. The police are up against the barras, the unruly fan groups, in this case supporting the Liga Deportiva Alajuelense or Deportivo Saprissa. The confrontations began at 9:30 when a youngster smacked a horse of the police mounted detachment. The horse bolted and threw the rider, who required medical attention, said police. Officers detained some 42 members of the fan groups as they confronted each other outside the stadium before the game, which eventually was won by the Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. As police dispersed fans who were not allowed in the stadium due to prior behavior, the members of the barras ended up in small groups throughout the sprawling park. That is when police began to field complaints about drug use and unruly behavior. The remainder of the arrests were as a result of this problem, police said. Those who create trouble at sports events can be barred under terms of the new law for as much as four years. The Fuerza Pública has set up a photo record of troublemakers. |
 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía
Police take away one arrested
youngster.y Seguridad Pública photo The measure was approved in February after years of violent behavior inside stadiums and outside. Frequently rival fan groups would smash through barriers designed to keep them separate and engage in serious fighting. Outside, buses containing fans from one team sometimes were stoned by fans of the other team. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
 |
|
||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 142 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Country gets more time from China to evaluate refinery and
road projects |
|
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
China has accepted a pair of requests from President Luis Guillermo Solís concerning contracts for the improvements of Ruta 32 and the construction of the petroleum refinery in Moín. Costa Rica now has five months to reevaluate the plans to widen Ruta 32 and will be able to renegotiate the Moín deal in order to correct some inconsistencies in the contract. Solís met with China President Xi Jinping last week in Brazil to not only receive his approval of these project adjustments but also to strengthen the diplomatic bond between the two countries. “China's acceptance confirms the fraternal relationship and the understanding of the Chinese government with respect to the Costa Rican government's worries,” Solís said. “It marks a turning point in this strategic bond and offers our country expected boosts in development over the next few years.” The $465 million project would widen the highway to four lanes from Limón to Río Frio. Solís said he requested the extension so that his staff could look more closely at the deal and its long-term implications. Xi also promised that the Chinese government will take a more |
hands-on
role with the Moín refinery and further negotiations will be
directly
through the two governments and not the China National Petroleum Corp.,
the state-owned company contracted to build the oil installation, Casa
Presidencial reported. Last year Costa Rica's watchdog agency, the Contraloría General de la República, said there were deficiencies evident in a feasibility study done for the oil refinery. It found that the Chinese petroleum firm was closely related to the firm that conducted the study, which is a conflict of interest that violates Costa Rican law. Xi said that he wants to encourage his country's companies to undertake projects all around the world, as long as they are working within the framework of the host's laws. By the end of their meeting, Solís accepted Xi's invitation to visit Beijing at the beginning of 2015. The two presidents are expected to discuss further projects between the two nations. The forum was officially agreed upon by regional heads of state and Xi during his recent trip to Brazil. The session was of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which was created in 2011 as a regional body that denounces imperialism and doesn't include the United States or Canada. |
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
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
 |
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 142 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Central American leaders to meet Obama Friday By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama will meet this week at the White House with the presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to talk about the surge of child immigrants across the U.S. border. The White House said that Obama has invited Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, and Salvadoran President Salvador Sánchez Ceren to discuss the influx Friday. U.S. officials have been urging the Central American governments to do more to reduce the exodus of unaccompanied children trying to illegally enter the United States. The child migrants have triggered a political and border crisis in the United States. Friday, the U.S. deported another group of Central American migrants, including children, from the southwestern state of New Mexico. The Obama administration is seeking to deport more than 50,000 children to their home countries, where many of them fled impoverished and crime-ridden communities but also were drawn to the U.S. by rumors that they could stay if they got into the country. The United States says they are unlikely to qualify for humanitarian relief to remain. The U.S. Senate a year ago approved immigration reforms that would have allowed the 11 million immigrants already in the country illegally to eventually obtain U.S. citizenship. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is opposed, though, and says it will not vote on the issue this year. Earlier this month, the president asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency funding to deal with the immigration surge of unaccompanied children. U.S. residents' views mixed on handling illegal children By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Immigration has been a hot topic in American politics for years. But the recent surge of attention is different. While historically, the debate has been about migrant workers threatening the American job market, now, it’s about children coming to the U.S. all alone. And they’re being housed around the United States while their legal status is resolved. This is happening all over the country. Americans picketing the recent influx of immigrant children from Central America into the United States. By law they can not be deported without a court hearing, but with thousands of cases to process the system is backlogged. On one road, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is holding some children at the Youth for Tomorrow Center in Virginia’s Prince William County. That does not sit well with County Chairman Corey Stewart, who said, “The federal government never told us that these kids were going to be located in Prince William County. We’re concerned, potentially, even about communicable diseases.” Area residents seem divided on the issue. At a nearby supermarket some shared the chairman's opposition. “Nobody asked us before they brought them here. And I might not object, but nobody asked us. They showed up here. Who’s going to deal with it if there’s a problem?” asked Michael Oaks of Bristow, Virginia. Tony of Manassas, Virginia, said, “I feel that our government, the Democratic Party, has forced them on us. Not asked us to take them in, they forced it on us.” “I’m more worried about just trying to get around the whole immigration problem, the president just doing whatever he wants,” said Laura Castillo of Mourinton, Virginia. Others, though, took a more positive view: Marcus Smith of Bristow said, “Yeah, I just feel you got to take care of kids no matter what the situation is or how they got here.” Un Lee of Bristow said, “As long as they are properly quarantined and the appropriate health departments are aware of it and taking care of it, I’m just going to trust them to do what’s necessary." “At this point, it is what it is, if they’re here, if they have a chance to not let them come here, then great, but if they’re here, you got to help them, right? They’re kids,” said Charise French of Manassas. Astronaut urges more effort for U.S. to explore in space By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Forty-five years ago this month, the first humans walked on the moon. It was during an era of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. World politics have changed since then, and so has the nature of space exploration. More than four decades ago, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step onto the moon. With the planting of an American flag on the lunar surface, the United States claimed the lead in space exploration. No longer, said Aldrin. “We’re in not very good shape. We can’t even take our people to our space station that cost the United States $100 billion,” he said. Aldrin said lunar exploration needs to continue in order to take the next giant step to Mars... adding, that will take cooperation with other countries that have joined the space-faring community. “We need to lead at the moon. The only way we can lead at the moon is to cooperate with the Chinese and not compete with anybody, but help them as best we can. Every way we help will be a stepping stone for us to get to Mars,” said Aldrin. Mars is the goal for the U.S. space agency, but in an interview, NASA’s Ellen Stofan said getting there will take time. “Getting to Mars is really hard, and it’s not just because it’s really far away. It takes about eight months to get there. It’s because we don’t have the technology right now to allow us to do it,” said Ms. Stofan. She said in order to get to Mars, the U.S. has to work with other countries “Most missions we do, whether they are planetary or astrophysics, we do it with international partners. It’s really the way we do business now," she said. And those partners are not just foreign governments. They include private companies that will be taking astronauts to the space station from U.S. soil in 2017. Companies, including Virgin Galactic, are also catering to scientists as well as space tourists. Virgin's William Pomerantz said they aim to send their first customers into space sometime this year. “Our ability is to take you up into outer space itself give you the view out the window and give your experiments several minutes of really high quality micro gravity. So you’re now seeing this new generation of entrepreneurs, many of whom grew up watching those Apollo missions, who are now taking those technologies first developed by NASA and they’re further developing them." Space engineer John Spencer, the founder of the Space Tourism Society, expects space tourism to become a big industry. “The next decade will really be the breakthrough decade with hundreds of companies involved in space experiences, tourism return to the moon for tourism experiences. Exploration for Mars is starting,” said Spencer. Battery research center sees effort directed at new vehicle By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In 2012, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science awarded a $120 million grant to a new technology center focused on battery development headquartered at Argonne National Laboratory in suburban Chicago, Illinois. The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research brings together scientists and engineers from government, national laboratories, and industry to provide them with the tools, funding, and space to make the next technological breakthrough in energy storage. Smaller. Lighter. Longer Lasting. That's what consumers want in the batteries they use to power personal electronics. At the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, researchers hope to meet the demand. This is the birthplace of the lithium ion battery technology, but center scientists and engineers have bigger and smaller goals in mind. “Five times the energy density at one fifth the cost.” And all this is five years, according to deputy director Jeffrey Chamberlain. Cell phones, he says, are the devices where consumers will first notice a change. “So instead of charging it every day, they might be able to charge it every few days or every week. Or instead of having certain power and capability, they might be able to get to a kind of power that might be unimagined,” says he. Chamberlain says the ultimate goal is to change the worldwide automotive market. “The bigger mission we are on is trying to store energy in a way that is cost-effective and safe so that we can compete directly with the internal combustion engine using electricity or electric transport,” says Chamberlain. Argonne’s Energy Systems Division Director Don Hillebrand says more power for personal electronics is an easy sell, but consumers demand change when it comes to cars. “Some consumers want an all-electric vehicle. The big debate right now is how many of them are there? That number changes based on how much gasoline costs. Really at what point does gasoline get expensive enough that it drives more people into wanting all-electrics?” asks Hillebrand. Hillebrand says the sales figures this year, about ten thousand electric vehicles sold per month in the United States, is below industry expectations, but the battery the center is developing could change the picture. “It’s showing steady growth as we go forward. That number needs to be ten times bigger for us to really say that this program has been a success, and getting to that ten times is really tied to getting the battery to what we need it to be,” says Hillebrand. But if that battery development is successful, and sales of electric powered vehicles take off, there will be increased demand on the existing power grid to recharge those batteries - a problem the scientists and researchers at the center are also tackling by developing a large scale battery for the grid. Cigarette firm told to pay billions in smoker's death By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A jury in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida has ordered the country's second largest cigarette maker to pay $23.6 billion to the widow of a longtime chain smoker who died of lung cancer at age 36. The jury also ordered the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to pay $16.8 million in compensatory damages. Cynthia Robinson sued Reynolds in 2008 on behalf of her late husband, Michael Johnson. She claimed the company conspired to conceal the health dangers and addictive nature of its products. Johnson had smoked for more than 20 years, beginning when he was about 13 years old and his widow said he had tried several times to quit. Reynolds plans to appeal the court decision. A lawyer for the cigarette maker said the size of the landmark award went "far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness." Washington State wildfire continues to spread By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services U.S. emergency officials say a massive wildfire in the northwestern state of Washington is growing unchecked and spreading in new directions, pushed by powerful, erratic winds. Since last Monday, the lightening-sparked Carlton Complex, as it is called, has scorched about 870 square kilometers of dry timber and grasslands, downing phone and power lines and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people in the scenic Methow Valley north of the city of Seattle. No serious injuries have been reported, but there is concern about several people whose whereabouts are not known. The massive blaze is one of several major wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest, which is suffering under hot, dry weather, gusting winds and lightning. Concern voiced for survival of battered Malaysian airline By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Malaysia is reeling from the second air disaster in four months involving the country’s flag carrier. Flight 340 vanished in March and despite an extensive search, no debris has been found. And on Thursday, Flight 17, likely hit by a surface-to-air missile, came apart over eastern Ukraine. The two incidents together have left more than 500 people dead. It is a scene eerily reminiscent of just a few months ago. Anguished relatives of passengers at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport. Malaysia’s flag carrier is under global scrutiny and questions are being raised about its chances of survival in the wake of tragedy. Malaysian government officials are back in the same cramped hotel conference room, struggling to answer tough questions from correspondents who have flown in from around the world. The transport minister was asked if Malaysia Airlines, taking a shorter route over eastern Ukraine where military aircraft had recently been shot down by pro-Russian insurgents, put fuel cost savings ahead of safety. Malaysia Transportation Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said, “That’s not true. And as mentioned just now, other airlines are taking the same route.” As search teams continued recovering bodies scattered across Ukrainian farmland, Russia’s degree of responsibility in the destruction of a large airliner is being scrutinized. Australia’s prime minister, Tony Abbott, is among the leaders most blunt in demanding an explanation from Moscow. “The initial response of the Russian ambassador was to blame Ukraine for this, and I have to say that is deeply, deeply unsatisfactory,” said Abbott. Malaysia Flight 17, after a stop here, was to continue to Australia. And more than 100 aboard were headed there to attend an international AIDS Conference. The loss to the medical research community is incalculable. As one grieving colleague put it: ‘What if the cure for AIDS was on that plane?’” Additional danger found for tiny plastic bits in sea By the University of Exeter news service
Microplastics are worse for crabs and other marine life than previously thought, a new study shows The tiny plastic particles polluting the seas are not only orally ingested by marine creatures, but also enter their systems through their gills, according to a new study led by the University of Exeter. Scientists also discovered that when microplastics are drawn in through this method they take over six times longer to leave the body compared with standard digestion. Lead author Andrew Watts of Biosciences at the University of Exeter said: “Many studies on microplastics only consider ingestion as a route of uptake into animals. The results we have just published stress other routes such as ventilation. We have shown this for crabs, but the same could apply for other crustaceans, molluscs and fish – simply any animal which draws water into a gill-like structure to carry out gas exchange. “This is highly important from an ecological point of view, as if these plastics are retained longer within the animal there is more chance of them being passed up the food chain.” The researchers used fluorescently labelled polystyrene microspheres to show how ingested microplastics were retained within the body tissues of the common shore crab, Carcinus maenas. Multiphoton imaging suggested that most microspheres were retained in the foregut after sticking to hair-like structures within the crabs. Plastic is part of everyday lives and has grown in use substantially over the past seven decades – from 1.7 million tons in 1950 to an estimated 288 million tons in 2013. Around 40 per cent of this is believed to come from packaging material, most of which is single use and therefore disposed of. It has been suggested that 10 per cent of plastic which is thrown away ends up in the marine environment. At 2013 production levels this equates to 11 million tons of packaging ending up in the marine environment every year. This plastic is then degraded by wave action, heat or UV damage and is created into microplastic. Watts said: “This is a human issue. We have put this plastic there, mostly accidently, but it is our problem to solve. The best way to do this is to reduce our dependency on plastic. It comes back to the old phrase: reduce, reuse and recycle.” The study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, was funded by CleanSeas, a multidisciplinary and collaborative research project addressing marine litter from different perspectives. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
|
||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, July 21, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 142 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
||
|
Owners taking over
from Daystar in Jacó
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The manager of a new property group in Jacó, known as Lost Beach, said he is promising to better manage the properties that had been handled by DayStar owner Patrick Hundley. He said that after an investigation into Hundley and DayStar accounting procedures, he believes that the company is virtually bankrupt and has a history of shoddy money management. Byker and his partner, Denny Cherette, released an accompanying press statement recently to announce their efforts to reconcile the homeowners' accounts. According to Byker, Lost Beach is designed to offer a fresh structure to these properties and will offer rentals, resale, management, and maintenance services. “Two Grand Rapids area real estate developers have established Lost Beach companies to restore the credibility and long term value of the beachfront resort properties currently managed by DayStar in Jacó,” the statement reads. “The new companies are entirely independent of DayStar and its incarcerated owner, Patrick Hundley.” Hundley is also originally from the Grand Rapids area. So, too, is Dag Hascall, the owner of Croc's Casino Resort in Jacó, which is scheduled to be open by the end of the year. Hundley's lawyer said last week that the DayStar owner is in the process of coming up with $1.5 million for bail to be released from prison in Pérez Zeledón, where he has been since Feb. 17. Byker said he owns 25 condominium units under DayStar, which he continues to rent out and lease. Byker added that he is appointing Lisle Head to manage Lost Beach operations in Jacó. Two U.S. citizens dumped into sea By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A small fishing boat overturned Friday off of Ballena in the canton of Osa. Two U.S. fishermen were dumped into the pacific, said the Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas. One managed to swim to safety, rescue workers said. The second clung to the overturned craft until help arrived. He was identified as Richard King, 63. Guardacostas crewmen took him and the towed craft to the coast, said the security ministry. |
| Costa Rican News |
AMCostaRicaArchives.com |
Retire NOW
in Costa Rica |
CostaRicaReport.com |
| Fine Dining
in Costa Rica |
The CAFTA Report |
Fish
fabulous Costa Rica |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| From Page 7: FedEx faces drug distribution indictment By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A federal grand jury in San Francisco has indicted the FedEx Corp. on charges it knowingly shipped controlled substances, drugs whose distribution is controlled by the government, to people without valid prescriptions. The drugs were purchased from illegal online pharmacies. The government says it has warned the shipping company multiple times since 2004 that pharmacies were using it to ship drugs, but the company failed to stop the shipments, leading to Thursday's announcement of a criminal prosecution against the shipper. FedEx says the company is not responsible for drug interdiction and that it will defend itself in court. FedEx also says it repeatedly has asked the government for a list of the online pharmacies and the government has failed to provide it. |
