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José, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 151
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 Casa Presidencial
photo
Fuerza Pública officers
discuss eviction plans with residentsGovernment seeks
to help those evicted
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The central government is offering aid to families that have been evicted from 110 hectares of private property in Palmar de Osa. Sergio Alfaro, the minister of the Presidencia, was there Saturday. The families call attention to themselves by perodically blockading a bridge over the Río Térreba. Some of the families have been on the private land for 10 years, according to the government. Others arrived later. And some live elsewhere but use land on the finca, known as Chánguina, to grow crops. The evictions came after a final court decision in the Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo. Alfaro told the squatters that they could receive three months of housing from the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social. The Instituto de Desarrollo Rural is evaluating options to relocate the families on a new agricultural community designed by the Universidad Nacional. The actual evictions were done by the Fuerza Pública. The land situation in the area is complex. There may be up to 400 families living on land they do not own. Many are former banana worker who lost their jobs when a grower of that fruit collapsed. The properties have been through bank auctions and sales. Some land also is on the site where a new international airport has been proposed. There have been smaller evictions in the past, and some residents have returned to their land afterwards. Grecia author launches his new book Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Grecia resident Aaron Aalborg has launched his new book in the United Kingdom. It is "Terminated — The making of a serial killer. Volume 1, from the slums to the Falklands War." The launch and book signing took place Wednesday through Friday. The event was held at historic Gayhurst House, North of London. Over 200 invited guests attended over the three days. A Penman House spokesman said, “We selected this venue, because it was the setting for part of Aaron’s second book "Revolution." Copies of this and his first, "They deserved it" were also being signed.” "Terminated Volume1" is available through Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle versions. All profits will go to the charity Oxfam. Beginning in Scotland’s Glasgow slums, "Terminated Volume 1" is a fast moving tale of love, lust, betrayal, war and espionage. Alex McDonald is the boy from those slums. Despite the odds, he wins a first class education and achieves business success, before becoming embroiled in the events surrounding the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Though a novel, the book draws heavily on recently released secret materials from the United Kingdom government. Alex McDonald struggles with corruption in big business. He faces dilemmas in Argentina and a heroic struggle against a ruthless enemy. The book also deals with the moral issues surrounding mercy killing. Penman House Publishing expects United Kingdom sales to be high and is planning a North American launch for later in the year. Costa Rica involved in canal defense plan By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two officers of the Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas and the press chief of the Ministerio de Seguridad Publica are in Jacksonville, Florida, participating in a multinational exercise to defend the Panama Canal. The ministry said that 19 nations are participating in the exercise known as PANAMAX 2015, hosted by the U.S. Southern Command. The exercise, which involves a number of simulations, concludes Thursday. Costa Rica has been invited because of its proximity to Panamá. The exercise also includes public communications about participation in the defense of the canal, said the ministry. The defense exercise began four years ago. The canal is considered a vital link in world transportation, and about 6 percent of the world's cargo passes through the link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Our reader's opinion
Will ministry really control incinerators?Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Incineration of municipal solid waste to generate electricity is a well-known technology widely used in the United States, Europe, and other developed countries. There are well-developed regulations based on research and continued monitoring for control of emissions from such plants and disposal of their ash, which is considered a toxic waste. The vice-minister for energy of the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía has announced that regulations have been developed for incinerator construction and operation here, based on regulations from Spain and elsewhere in Europe. I don't know if the ministry consulted U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations. What has some local people worried is how strictly incinerators here would be operated consistent with the regulations, and how strictly the ministry would monitor their operation and emissions. Incineration of municipal solid waste to generate electricity and reduce the solid waste load on Costa Rica's existing landfills would help offset emissions of greenhouse gases here caused by thermal electricity generation by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad using diesel and bunker. Municipal waste disposal in landfills results in massive production of methane from decomposing organic waste. Atmospheric methane causes a much higher greenhouse effect, contributing to global climate disruption, than carbon dioxide released from both solid waste incinerators and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad's thermal generating plants. Landfills here are supposedly required to install, operate, and maintain methane burners to avoid release into the atmosphere, but I'm skeptical that a significant proportion of existing landfills comply, and that the ministry even monitors them regularly. The big question is whether municipal incinerators here would be operated consistent with regulations and monitored by the ministry to control smokestack emissions of toxic compounds that could effect downwind inhabitants, watersheds, and wildlife habitat. Loren B. Ford
La Argentina de Grecia Ford, who holds a doctorate, is president of Eco-Energía--Advanced Sustainable Biomass Energy. Postal service reports higher income By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Correos de Costa Rica said its income in the first half of the year was 8 percent higher than in the first six months of 2014 due to innovations and new services in the face of falling income from regular mail. The postal service now handles many government services such as license plate renewals and delivery of passports and cédulas. Photojournalist murdered in México By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A Mexican photojournalist who went into hiding after being harassed was among five people found dead from gunshot wounds inside a Mexico City apartment. The photojournalist, Ruben Espinosa, worked for the investigative magazine Proceso, which said his sister identified his body Saturday. He was found with two gunshot wounds along with four dead women in an apartment in the Narvarte neighborhood of the Mexican capital. Several weeks ago, Espinosa fled Veracruz in southeastern Mexico following what Proceso said was harassment outside his home and work by unidentified individuals. Veracruz has been a dangerous state for reporters. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 11 journalists have been killed there since 2010, the most recent just a month ago. Press freedom group Article 19 denounced Espinosa’s killing in a statement Saturday, saying it marks a new milestone in violence against the press in Mexico and that impunity grows with each case. The Committee to Protect Journalists says 34 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, making it the 10th deadliest country for reporters. Harper calls for elections in Canada By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper dissolved parliament Sunday and set an election for Oct. 19. Harper and his Conservative party are seeking a fourth term in office after nearly a decade in power. But they will face a tough campaign against the opposition New Democrat Party and its leader, Tom Mulcair, as the country struggles to cope with a declining economy and the global plunge in the price of oil, a major Canadian export. Harper has gradually pushed his generally center-left country toward more conservative policies, lowering taxes, supporting the oil industry against environmental attacks and increasing military spending. If the 56-year-old Harper wins, he would be the first prime minister to win four consecutive elections in more than a century.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 151 | |
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| Annual pilgrimage being called a success by law enforcement
officials |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The annual pilgrimage to Cartago has ended with many participants nursing sore muscles and feeling good about the weekend. Law enforcement is calling the pilgrimage the most successful in recent years. But there was one fatality, the victim of an unexpected train. The Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles stepped up train service in order to carry pilgrims to Cartago Saturday night and Sunday morning. That is why a pickup driver with the last name of Céspedes was blindsided by a train at 4:45 a.m. on Calle 33 in Barrio Escalante. Train service usually does not start until 5:30 a.m., and the crossing has no automatic gates. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the Cartago-bound train carried the pickup some distance and smashed it against a post. The driver was thrown from the cab, agents said. Officers of the Policía Turística reported that they detained a bold robber who tried to take a cell telephone from a woman in the plaza in front of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles. In nearby Barrio Los Ángeles de Cartago two other suspects were detained after a couple was confronted by two men with knives. The pilgrimage was a weekend affair this year and started Friday to end with a Mass and speeches Sunday morning. President Luis Guillermo Solís used the time to ask for divine guidance for his decisions and spiritual help in putting through his tax plan. The president is receiving a lot of criticism because he has failed to present the tax proposals even though they have been promised repeatedly. Commentators in Spanish-language publications suggest that there is discord within the administration over the proposals. José Francisco Ulloa, the bishop of Cartago who spoke before the president, directed attention to unemployment. |
 Ministerio de Seguridad Pública photo
The faithful spent early
Sunday in the plaza Solís might be concerned at the impact his tax proposals will have on job growth. Certainly there are enough problems for which divine intervention would be helpful. In addition to the growing governmental deficit, there is the drought on the Pacific coast, flood damage in the northeastern part of the country, continual news reports of overly generous public employee salaries and pensions and other problems that are not yet headline material. Some news outlets were miffed that Solís shunned reporters when he left the basilica after speaking. The latest figures from the Cruz Roja said that its staffers helped more than 800 pilgrims and that 17 persons were sent to hospitals. The bulk of the care was to persons with medical conditions. Not all the persons with medical problems went to the Cruz Roja. The basilica saw arrivals on crutches, in wheelchairs and others with obvious conditions. All were seeking the help from the Virgen de los Angeles. |
| An A.M.
Costa Rica editorial $35 million convention center will be another government boondoggle |
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| The central
government continues its efforts to build a convention center, an
investment of some $35 million. Spearheaded by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, the center is supposed to generate more tourism for Costa Rica. We think it will be another white elephant. The reason why private sources have not built such an ambitious project is because it would not be profitable. Certainly some hotels and restaurants in the vicinity of the Heredia location west of the capital will benefit. But even for a 5 percent return, the government would need to generate $33,600 a week in income from the convention center. Considering the fact that the tourism institute and the central government could not market themselves out of a paper bag, the chances of this happening is not even slim. Such convention centers have shown themselves to be white elephants in many U.S. communities. Certainly some with adjacent attractions, such as in Las Vegas, have shown themselves to be marginally beneficial. |
What the
government does not understand is that management and promotion are key
to such ventures. Yes, having a sprawling facility to house the conventions of national political parties would be great. But not profitable. Much of this money will come from the tourism institute, the cash cow for several government projects. A convention center is a business, not a real estate investment. The new stadium, donated by China, presents a similar situation. There are salaries and continual upkeep. And there is marketing. The tourism institute has shown itself to be most inept at marketing. But everyone in the industry knows this and conducts individual marketing program. Can anyone really see a weekly procession of conventions, perhaps two or three a week, out in Heredia. If not, the convention center will be another financial disaster for a country that can ill afford another one. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 151 | |||||
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| Some health advocates taking aim at sugar in soft drinks
with
tax idea |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some international health experts are taking aim at a major Costa Rican export: sugar. The health experts want to tax sugar 20 percent to subsidize the cost of fruit and vegetables and reduce obesity, according to the British Medical Journal. If the idea catches on, the impact would be felt by Costa Rica's 7,515 sugar producers who employ 20,000 permanent workers and 10,000 temporary ones, according to the most recent estimate. Sirpa Sarlio-Lähteenkorva, adviser at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Finland, said that a specific tax on sugar would reduce consumption, according to the British Medical Journal, adding that she said "Increasing evidence suggests that taxes on soft drinks, sugar, and snacks can change diets and improve health, especially in lower socioeconomic groups." Costa Rica produces more than 400,000 metric tons of sugar each year, although drought in Guanacaste has cut the 2015 production. Much of that is for domestic consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that each Costa Rican consumes about 52 kilos of sugar each year, but there still remains160,000 metric tons for exports. More than half of that goes to the United States, said the department. The City of Berkeley, California, was the first U.S. community to put a tax on non-alcoholic drinks that contain sugar. A public referendum passed last November, and the tax is one U.S. cent per ounce of beverage. The measure is called the Healthy Child Initiative. Similar taxes in other communities did not pass. Professor Sarlio-Lähteenkorva points out that taxes for health face many challenges, as recently seen with Denmark's short experiment with a tax on saturated fat, which seems to have reduced consumption of fats by 10 to 15 percent but worries about border trade and lobbying by industry led to its withdrawal, according to the British Medical Journal. The food industry also argues that consumption taxes are ineffective, unfair, and damage the industry, it said. The Berkeley tax may not be for health purposes entirely. The money collected goes into the city's general fund rather than into some form of project to improve the eating habits of citizens. |
 Coca-Cola graphic
The tax idea is aimed mainly at sugary soft
drinks like this.
Only four of 53 countries in Europe have adopted food taxes, all with the stated aim of raising revenue, not improving health. Others who have studied the proposal have reported that a tax on sugar would have little effect on consumption. Jack Winkler, emeritus professor of nutrition policy at London Metropolitan University, argued in the British Medical Journal that such taxes would have to be enormous to have any effect. "Sugar taxes are unlikely to be adopted and would not make much difference anyway," he was quoted as saying. |
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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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 151 | |||||||
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| Doping by athletes revealed in leaked blood test reports By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The world of international track and field was reeling Sunday after reports that 146 medals at the Olympics and world championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes with suspicious blood test results. The World Anti-Doping Agency said Sunday it was very alarmed by the reports in two European media outlets. German broadcaster ARD and The Sunday Times newspaper in Britain said they obtained access to the results of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes. The files came from the database of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were leaked by a whistleblower. The news organizations showed the data to two experts, who concluded distance running was in the same state as cycling had been when Lance Armstrong won the seven Tour de France victories of which he has since been stripped. The reports said more than 800 of the athletes recorded one or more abnormal results, defined as a result that had less than one chance in a 100 of being natural. Among them, the athletes accounted for 146 medals at top events, including 55 golds. Russian athletes had by far the most suspicious results, followed distantly by Ukraine, Morocco, Spain, Kenya, Turkey and others. Anti-doping scientist Robin Parisotto, who reviewed the data from the 11-year period along with blood doping expert Michael Ashenden, said many athletes appeared to "have doped with impunity, and it is damning that the IAAF appears to have idly sat by and let this happen.'' Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko suggested there was an ulterior motive to the allegations and Athletics Kenya said it was considering legal action against ARD and The Sunday Times. Both media reports were released just three weeks before the world championships in Beijing, which run from Aug. 22 to 30. Britain and France prepare to block more immigrants By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Britain and France said Sunday it was a top priority for them to block the onslaught of thousands of migrants seeking passage to England via the Eurotunnel. In a joint statement published in British and French newspapers, British Home Secretary Theresa May and her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, called on other European Union countries and the international community to help curb the flow of refugees from Africa to Europe. "Our streets are not paved with gold," they said. The two officials said the thousands of migrants who have sought passage from Calais, France, on trains or trucks into Britain in recent weeks have often made their way there after first landing in Italy and Greece via Mediterranean boat trips from Africa. May and Cazeneuve said the crisis should not be addressed by easing immigration policies, but rather by reducing the number of migrants who are crossing into Europe from Africa. At least 10 migrants have died attempting the France-to-Britain passage. Britain and France say they are bolstering security at the French entry to the Eurotunnel, adding more police and private security guards, more fencing and infra-red detectors and floodlighting. New bridge with many firsts takes shape over Bosphorus By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A new bridge, the widest in the world, being constructed over the Bosphorus Strait, will provide another transportation route connecting Europe and Asia. Thousands of employees and engineers are working 24 hours a day on construction of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey. The suspension bridge is almost 60 meters (200 feet) wide with eight traffic lanes and two rail lines. It will stretch over 2 kilometers with about 1.5 kilometers over water, and will be the longest suspension bridge in the world carrying a rail system. The project that started in 2013 is reported to have an estimated cost of $3 billion. Istanbul’s third Bosphorus bridge has a catwalk that was completed July 26, which will be used to extend the main cable between the two support towers. The height of the tower in Garipçe village on the European side is 322 meters and the other tower in Poyrazköy district on the Asian side is 318 meters high. It has also been reported that employees and engineers can now cross the bridge by foot. Empire State Building hosts display of endangered animals By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Photos of endangered wildlife and an image of Cecil the lion were projected on New York's iconic Empire State Building Saturday as part of a promotion for the documentary film "Racing to Extinction." People gathered in streets and rooftops in Manhattan to see the image highlights that covered 33 floors of the building. Cecil, the lion killed during a controversial hunt in Zimbabwe by an American dentist, was among several animals highlighted on the building. "I think it is a wonderful message to get out there, especially in light of the events that happened in the past week, which I was very upset about . . . But I think the world needs to be aware of how fragile and how mankind is so abusive to animals worldwide," said Travis Threlkel, the chief creative officer of Obscura Digital and one of the people who created the projection event. Organizers called the event, which lasted several hours, the first of its kind. They hoped it would spark conversations about extinction. Bin Laden family members die in London air accident By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Family members of the late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden were among four people killed Friday in a private jet crash near London, a Saudi ambassador said. British and Saudi media reports said three passengers were relatives of the late al-Qaida leader. The pilot also died in the crash. The Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom used the embassy's official Twitter account to offer condolences to the bin Laden family without confirming their identities. "The embassy will follow up on the incident and its circumstances with the concerned British authorities and work on speeding up the handover of the bodies of the victims to the kingdom for prayer and burial," said Ambassador Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Bin Abdel-Aziz in a statement tweeted by the embassy late Friday. Police said the executive jet crashed into a parking lot near a car auction site and burst into flames while trying to land at Blackbushe Airport, 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of London. The plane was en route from Malpensa Airport in Milan. Trotsky home in Istanbul goes on real estate market By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The former Istanbul house of Marxist revolutionary, theorist, Soviet politician, Red Army founder and hero of the 1917 October Revolution, Leon Trotsky, is now listed for sale by a real estate web portal. The Hanifi family, who owns the property, is asking $4.4 million including the land, but with a condition that the buyer agrees to preserve the Trotsky name. The family wanted Turkey's culture and tourism ministry to buy the house and turn it into a museum. The three-story building and its garden occupy an area of 3,600 square meters on Istanbul’s Büyükada Island in the Sea of Marmara. It has 18 rooms, five bathrooms and a spectacular view overlooking the sea. Although poorly maintained, the property’s natural lobster pool still exists. Trotsky was expelled from the Soviet Union in February of 1929 by then Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and lived in Büyükada for four years with his second wife, one grandchild and three male guards. He died in 1940 from injuries sustained when he was attacked in his home in Mexico City. Israel uses drastic law to jail ultra-nationalists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Israel has ordered detentions without trial of Israeli citizens suspected of waging violence against Palestinians, as part of a crackdown against those responsible for a deadly arson attack on a Palestinian family in the occupied West Bank. The so-called administrative detention practice, historically used by Israeli authorities to curb Palestinian unrest, permits detainees to be held indefinitely without charges while authorities gather evidence in criminal cases. The Israeli security cabinet approved the measure Sunday, two days after suspected Jewish ultra-nationalists torched a Palestinian home in the West bank town of Duma. An 18-month-old toddler burned to death in his bed, while his parents and brother suffered severe injuries. A Jewish Star of David was spray-painted on a wall of the home along with the words revenge and long live the Messiah. There has been no claim of responsibility. But officials are quoted as saying evidence at the crime scene was consistent with other vandalism and hate crimes by Jewish extremists that have targeted Christians, Arabs and activists in the West Bank. In a separate attack linked to Jewish extremism, a right-wing Orthodox Jew stabbed six people Thursday as they marched in a gay rights parade in Jerusalem. Authorities say one of the victims, a 16-year-old girl, died of her injuries Sunday. The alleged attacker was released from prison three weeks ago, after serving a term for another knife attack on a gay rights march in 2005. Israel has in the past used administrative detention provisions to jail Palestinians for months without trial, and has defended the practice as necessary to prevent attacks by Palestinian militants. But Jewish human rights groups have routinely accused the government of abusing the procedure during times of high tension and violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinians. Obama unveils new rules to cut power plant emissions By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama is set to unveil new regulations Monday aimed at cutting carbon pollution that comes from the nation’s power plants. Obama’s Clean Power Plan would reduce reliance on coal-fired electricity and move towards renewable energy. The goal is for plants to reduce their carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030. The plan cuts emissions about 9 percent deeper than a preliminary version of the regulations released last year. Individual states would be responsible for coming up with their own plans to meet the target, but under the new plan they would get two more years to do so. The plans would have to go into effect by 2022. White House officials say the new version, if implemented, would increase the amount of power in the United States that is generated by renewable energy sources to 28 percent. ‘Not a problem for another generation’ The president said in a video posted early Sunday on the White House Facebook page that the climate is changing, and that the issue is “not a problem for another generation.” “It’s changing in ways that threaten our economy, our security and our health,” Obama said. “This isn’t opinion, it’s fact backed up by decades of carefully collected data and overwhelming scientific consensus. And it has serious implications for the way that we live now.” He cited hotter summers, higher sea levels and more frequent extreme weather, calling them disasters that are more expensive and dangerous. The plan is expected to face opposition as power companies and the Republican-led Congress raise questions about the cost of reforms and effect on consumers. The White House says it projects average households will save $85 a year on their electric bills by 2030. Legal challenges to the regulations are expected from as many as 25 states, and the cases are likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Tom Cruise is still doing stunts in new 'Mission' film By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
"Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" is the fifth installment of the successful 20-year-old spy franchise, based on the 1960s TV series. With 53-year-old Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise still at the helm, the intelligent thriller offers an excellent plot and breathtaking action. As in the previous films of the series, Cruise insists on performing all of his own stunts. His greatest challenge? Surpassing his prior daredevil acts. In this installment, the Impossible Missions Force faces its deadliest enemy yet: a group of powerful rogue agents turned against its masters. Calling itself the Syndicate, it wreaks havoc in the global economy by assassinating world leaders. Ethan Hunt, played by Cruise, and his team, the only force able to stop them, are disbanded by the CIA, forcing them to operate off the radar. One unexpected asset: mysterious team member Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson, an independent agent who warns Hunt of the Syndicate's sheer invincibility. "I really wanted to make this for an international audience, and I wanted to bring you to places that you might not otherwise be able to go to," filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote and directed MI5, said in a Paramount Pictures release. "And that’s why we explored Vienna the way we do. That’s why we explore London the way we do, and Morocco was no different.” The production team chose Morocco to stage its pulse-pounding motorcycle chase, where Cruise's character swerves down a winding mountain road without even wearing a helmet. But he does not seem to mind. “I feel fortunate 'cause I get to work with the best bikes so that we can do very extreme things," Cruise said, according to the Paramount release. "We are not doing a lot of CGI . We don’t have other stunt people doing this," he said of computer-generated imagery. Cruise also performed the stunt in which he had to jump into thousands of gallons of water without an oxygen tank. The film sequence lasts over three minutes, and Cruise had to train to hold his breath for longer than that. “We are doing up to six-and-a-half-minute breath holds," he said. "It surprised me, actually, the physical toll that it took and how challenging it was.” But despite the action scenes, Cruise still acknowledges that what audiences love most in the "Mission: Impossible" movies is a good story, so the script is king, he said. “I want to be on the edge of my seat when I am watching a movie," he said. "I want to deliver that for an audience, and that is storytelling." Simon Pegg plays Hunt's sidekick, Benji Dunn. The tech guru endures a lot of stunt action next to Hunt, but Pegg said in the Paramount release that "none of those stunts would have any effect if you don’t care really about the people involved in them. I think the important thing for us is to create characters that you cared about so when they were in those situations, you gave a damn, you know?" The rest of the cast, which includes Jeremy Renner and Alec Baldwin, is as charismatic. But the star remains Cruise, who in every "Mission: Impossible" installment keeps raising the bar in the stunts he performs. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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Could there be any berries more different than surinam cherries and black raspberries? Smooth and shiny from a tree against bubbly and
But it goes further than just the local name, mora, and what you actually have in your hand. It comes down to a classic logic premise: “All berries are fruits but not all fruits are berries.” What is more confusing is that berries aren’t berries. Sigh. No matter what you call them, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries aren’t berries because their seeds are on the outside of the fruit. But blueberries are berries and so are surinam cherries, tomatoes, papayas, and bananas because the seeds are on the inside. Even the eggplant is classed as a berry (try wrapping your head around that one). To go back to our logic statement: “All berries have interior seeds. Strawberries have seeds on the exterior. Therefore, strawberries are not berries.” Oh the things we thought we knew that were all wrong. So what is a berry? A berry is a fruit that usually has an edible exterior (Usually seems to be how the banana snuck in there). Plants that produce berries have flowers with a single ovary. Plants that produce what we thought were berries (the blackberry and strawberry, for example) have flowers with many ovaries. So we have gone from why everything seems to be a mora to the sex life of fruit. A long journey in a short space. But I am stubborn, I am. I absolutely refuse to call something a strawfruit or a red raspfruit, just because that’s what science says they are. I guess, in the end, my only questions are going to be: Can I eat it and is it tasty. And I am willing to bet you feel the same way.
If you would like to suggest a topic for this column, simply send a letter to the editor. And, for more garden tips, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arenal-Gardeners/413220712106845 |
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| From Page 7: Pacific trade treaty fails to win approval By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Negotiations on a major trade deal have ended for now without agreement. At a news conference late Friday, however, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said the 12 nations involved have made significant progress and are more confident than ever that a deal is within reach. "After more than a week of productive meetings we've made significant progress and will continue to work on resolving a limited number of remaining issues, paving the way for the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations," Froman said. Negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership have been underway for years, and the deal was thought to be close to completion. This week, trade ministers gathered in Hawaii to move the complex deal forward. The treaty could cover 40 percent of the global economy. No date has been set for the next meeting on the agreement, but the trade ministers said work on resolving the problem areas will go forward. The issues are politically sensitive, including efforts to allow more imports of rice to Japan, more imports of sugar to the United States, greater access to Canada's dairy market and expanding patent protection to a new class of promising drugs for 12 years. Previous trade agreements focused on cutting tariffs to encourage trade by making it cheaper. Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said Friday each nation's interests clashed over an intellectual property issue, preventing completion of a deal. "The participating nations interests were at odds over the issue intellectual property and could not complete negotiations to come to a deal," Amari said in a separate news conference. He also said trade ministers shared a view that they will continue to make efforts toward an early agreement. Trade treaty supporters said this proposed pact would harmonize rules and laws between trading partners to make it easier to sell goods and services around the world. The treaty has sparked demonstrations in some nations and is controversial in the United States. The U.S. Congress saw a related trade issue pass by a narrow margin after a major political squabble. Failure to seal the agreement is a setback for U.S. President Barack Obama. The pact is seen as the economic arm of the administration's pivot to Asia and an opportunity to balance out China's influence in the region. The Maui talks were also seen as the last chance to get a deal in time to pass the U.S. Congress this year, before 2016 presidential elections muddy the waters. |
