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José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 157
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By the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration news staff
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center’s updated 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook calls for a 90 percent chance of a below-normal hurricane season. A below-normal season is now even more likely than predicted in May, when the likelihood of a below-normal season was 70 percent. The 90 percent probability of a below-normal season is the highest confidence level given by the agency since seasonal hurricane outlooks began in 1998. “Tropical storms and hurricanes can and do strike the United States, even in below-normal seasons and during El Niño events,” said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. “Regardless of our call for below-normal storm activity, people along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts should remain prepared and vigilant, especially now that the peak months of the hurricane season have started.” Two tropical storms already have struck the United States this year. Ana made landfall in South Carolina in May, and Bill made landfall in Texas in June. The updated outlook also lowers the overall expected storm activity this season. The outlook now includes a 70 percent chance of six to 10 named storms (from 6 to 11 in the initial May outlook), of which one to four will become hurricanes (from three to six in May), and zero to one will become major hurricanes (from zero to two in May). These ranges, which include the three named storms to-date (Ana, Bill, and Claudette), are centered well below the seasonal averages of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Forecasters attribute the high likelihood of a below-normal season to three primary factors: • El Niño has strengthened as predicted, and the agency's latest El Niño forecast calls for a significant El Niño to continue through the remainder of the hurricane season; • Atmospheric conditions typically associated with a significant El Niño, such as strong vertical wind shear and enhanced sinking motion across the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, are now present. These conditions make it difficult for storms to develop, and they are predicted to continue through the remaining four months of the hurricane season; and • Tropical Atlantic sea-surface temperatures are predicted to remain below average and much cooler than the rest of the global tropics. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Lightning bolts bracketed the metro area By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Thunderstorms Monday afternoon rained down 107 lightning bolts on the metro area, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said. The storms were spawned from another of those tropical waves that swept across the country. Rain was from 10 to 30 millimeters, from about four tenths of an inch to 1.2 inches. The weather institute maintains its own sensing devices for lightning. The agency said that storms were expected to continue into the early evening along the Pacific. The weather agency also said that there was a strong chance of more thunderstorms this morning in the northern zone and along the Caribbean coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center does not show any storm generating areas in the entire Atlantic. Seaweed causes concern among tourists By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
North American tourists are expressing their seaweed concerns on social networks, and they are getting a variety of responses. The chatter comes from an unusually heavy crop of sargassum that is turning up on beaches in the northern Caribbean and the eastern coast of México. The dead seaweed is smelly. Tourism officials on the many Caribbean islands have been expressing their concern and finding money to keep the beaches clear. They are expected to launch publicity campaigns to retain their expected share of tourists. In some places the wind has created seaweed mats three meters high, said reports from the islands. The discussions on some travel Web sites reflect the anxiety of potential tourists. They are worried about spending money to travel to a smelly beach. They also advance theories. One said that the extensive seaweed crop is due to global warming and higher sea temperatures. In fact, the Atlantic is cooler this year than normal. Seaside farmers in some parts of Europe harvest seaweed to compost it into nutrients for their crops. New and infectious frog parasite identified By the University of Exeter news staff
Scientists have found that a newly identified and highly infectious tadpole disease is found in a diverse range of frog populations across the world. The discovery sheds new light on some of the threats facing fragile frog populations, which are in decline worldwide. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, led by the University of Exeter and the Natural History Museum in London, describes the molecular methods used to test frog tadpoles for a newly identified infectious agent. Tadpoles from six countries across three continents were tested for protists, single-celled microbes with complex cells which store their DNA in a nucleus, like human cells. The previously unidentified parasite was present in tadpole livers in both tropical and temperate sites, and across all continents tested. The infectious agent was identified as a distant relative of Perkinsea sp., a marine parasite found in animals and algae. Thomas Richards from the University of Exeter said: "Global frog populations are suffering serious declines and infectious disease has been shown to be a significant factor. Our work has revealed a previously unidentified microbial group that infects tadpole livers in frog populations across the globe. "We now need to figure out if this novel microbe, a distant relative of oyster parasites, causes significant disease and could be contributing to the frog population declines." It is widely recognized that amphibians are among the most threatened animal groups: for example, in 2008, 32 percent of species were listed as ‘threatened or extinct’ and 42 percent were listed as in decline. Lawmaker opposed taxing lottery sales By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The central government knows how to make a bad deal worse. A proposed change in sale taxes would impose the levy on the sale of lottery tickets. Now lottery tickets are a bad deal because much of the money spent goes to charities and social causes under the control of the Junta de Protección Social. Consequently there is a much smaller payout to lottery ticket purchases. In addition, many tickets, perhaps some winners, remain unsold each week, and any prizes generated revert back to the Junta. Michael Arce Sancho, a lawmaker, has presented a motion that would keep lottery ticket sales free of sales tax. The prizes, including the big ones, are tax-free to winners, although there has been some discussion in the government to change that. Light plane crash generates a mystery By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
That single-engine light plane that crashed in Colombia's Choco region Sunday was reported to have been stolen that same day. Investigators and Aviation Civil officials are trying to figure out what happened. The aircraft with its owner as pilot made an hour-long flight from Tobías Bolaños airport in Pavas Sunday morning to Puerto Jiménez on the Osa peninsula. The pilot, identified as Carlos Montes de Oca, filed a flight plan. Officials here were alerted to the situation when the emergency locational device on the aircraft went off and began sending signals. The device was triggered by the crash just short of the runway at a small airport in Pizarro, Colombia. Workers at the Dirección de Aviación Civil managed to locate Montes de Oca, who was visiting Matapalo on the Pacific coast. Fuerza Pública officers checked the Puerto Jiménez airport and could not find the plane. Officials here and in Colombia still are trying to get a confirmed identity of the dead pilot. He was reported to be carrying a considerable amount of cash. Study shows brain and football link By the Boston University School of Medicine
news staff
Former National Football League players who started playing tackle football before the age of 12 were found to have a higher risk of altered brain development compared to those who started playing at a later age. The study is the first to demonstrate a link between early exposure to repetitive head impacts and later life structural brain changes. Led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital, the study appears online in the Journal of Neurotrauma. The researchers examined 40 former NFL players between the ages of 40 and 65 who had more than 12 years of organized football participation, with at least two years at the NFL level. Half of the players participated in tackle football before the age of 12 and half began at age 12 or later. The number of concussions sustained was similar between the two groups. All of these players experienced at least six months of memory and thinking problems. "To examine brain development in these players, we used an advanced technique called diffusor tensor imaging, a type of magnetic resonance imaging that specifically looks at the movement of water molecules along white matter tracts, which are the super-highways within the brain for relaying commands and information," explained study co-author, Inga Koerte, professor of neurobiological research at the University of Munich and visiting professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. The results showed that the research participants who started playing football before age 12 were more likely to have alterations of the white matter tracts of the corpus callosum, the largest structure of the brain that connects the two cerebral hemispheres. According to the researchers there is growing evidence that there is a critical window of brain development between ages 10 and 12, when the brain may be especially susceptible to injury. While the study shows there may be a neurodevelopmental window susceptible to repeated head impacts, such as those experienced playing tackle football, the authors underscore the fact that this is a small study with just 40 individuals, and results cannot be generalized to individuals who did not go on to play professional football. Previous research by the same investigators showed that there was a difference in former NFL players' cognitive functions depending on whether they started playing before or after age 12 with the former group at a higher risk of developing mood, behavioral or cognitive impairment later in life.
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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, Aug. 11, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 157 | |
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| Strong wave system is headed north to Pacific beaches,
expert says |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Oceanographer Omar G. Lizano Rodríguez says that a strong and energetic system of waves is headed northeast and should arrive at Costa Rica's Pacific beaches today. He said that the direction, from the southwest, means that the system will continue up the Gulf of Nicoya and crash into the beaches at Playa Caldera and Puntarenas. The waves are in the three-meter range, the oceanographer said. Further north the conditions will be augmented by high winds |
that will
make the seas even more choppy, he said. Lizano said the major danger
is to small boats at the mouths of
rivers and along beaches. The waves are being generated by storms far to the south, he said, adding that the heavy seas should moderate by Friday. Conditions are supposed to be more dangerous for small boats under seven meters in the vicinity of the Isla del Coco in the distant Pacific. Lizano is at the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología of the Universidad de Costa Rica. |
Farm work is demanding enough, but these police officers were spending 10 days in the mountains seeking out marijuana plantations and destroying them in all kinds of weather and scorching temperatures. |
 Ministerio de Seguridad Pública photo
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| Anti-drug police say they are running into more powerful marijuana |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Anti-drug officers say they have encountered a more potent form of marijuana as they sought to clear hundreds of thousands of plants in the southern part of the county. Police said that the new variety of marijuana seems to resemble that which has been imported from Jamaica. The plants appear to have more concentrations of cannabinoids that smokers seek. Police officers were up close and personal with the plants for 10 days as they cut down and destroyed crops in Balsar, Villa Colón, Paso Real, Santa Rosa, Sinaí, Potrero Grande and Cajón. They said they chopped down 246,697 plants at 20 locations. The work is hot and on uneven land. Although some of the |
plants may
have sprouted naturally, police said they suspect that many had been
cultivated. In one location they said they found 450 pounds of dried marijuana. Costa Rican marijuana is readily available, and many plants do grow wild. But recreational smokers generally prefer the strong imported variety. That is why there is smuggling from Jamaica to the Caribbean coast. The Policía de Control de Drogas has the assistance of the Unidad de Intervención Policial of the Fuerza Pública and the Policía de Fronteras. The Ministerio de Seguridad Pública said police destroyed more than a million plants this year. |
| 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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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 157 | |||||
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| Sexual text messaging now among top 10 in child health survey |
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By the University of Michigan Health System
news staff
With more kids online and using cell phones at increasingly younger ages, two issues have quickly climbed higher on the public’s list of major health concerns for children across the U.S: sexting and Internet safety. Compared with 2014, Internet safety rose from the eighth to the fourth biggest problem, ahead of school violence and smoking. This is according to the annual survey of top children’s health concerns conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Sexting saw the biggest jump, now the sixth top-ranked issue, up from 13th. Childhood obesity, bullying, and drug abuse remained the top three child health concerns for a second year in a row, while child abuse and neglect ranked fifth. Smoking and tobacco use, usually rated near the top of the list, dropped from the fourth top concern to the seventh, which may reflect the decline in smoking and tobacco use by youth in recent years. “The major health issues that people are most worried about for children across the country reflect the health initiatives providers, communities and policy makers should be focused on,” says Matthew M. Davis, director of the National Poll on Children’s Health. He is a professor of pediatrics and internal medicine in the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan Medical School. “The increasing level of concern about Internet safety and sexting that are now ranked even higher than smoking as major childhood health issues really dominates the story this year,” adds Davis. “We found that while the public may find benefits to today’s shifting media environment, whether through cell phones or other technology, many also recognize risks that may make young people vulnerable.” Expanding use of smart phones and other technology potentially exposes children and teens to the danger of predators and other harms like cyber-bullying. Sexting, sending and receiving sexually suggestive text messages and photos, has also led to cases of teens around the country suffering from low self-esteem and even committing suicide following photos being widely shared among peers, the university noted. Sexting and Internet safety, however, were not as high on the list for African American adults, who rated depression fourth, school safety fifth and alcohol abuse as the seventh |
 highest childhood health concerns. Hunger climbed from spot No. 15 in 2014 to the 10th biggest childhood health concern among African American respondents in 2015. “We found that adults from different communities across the U.S. see the challenges of child health differently,” Davis says. “It’s important to understand the priorities of different communities we are trying to reach as we work to safeguard children’s health and help them live the healthiest lives they can.” While white, African American and Hispanic respondents all list childhood obesity and bullying in the top three child health issues, Hispanics list child abuse and neglect as the No. 3 health concern for kids across the U.S. Overall, the public viewed child abuse and neglect as the fifth major health concern. “Since we began tracking how the public rates child health problems nearly a decade ago, we have found persistent and consistent concern for child abuse and neglect,” Davis says. “This is an area we must continue to focus on in medical care, in our public health efforts and also in our health policy making.” |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 157 | |||||||
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| More Chinese hacking said to affect top U.S. officials By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S. media outlet is reporting that Chinese hackers have been accessing the private emails of top U.S. administration officials since at least 2010. NBC News cited a U.S. intelligence official and a top secret National Security Agency briefing, which it said Monday detailed the cyber hacking. The official was cited as saying that the private emails of all top national security and trade officials were targeted, and said the email hacking is still going on. The report said the intrusions all involved the private emails of the officials and not government email accounts which are more secure. It said the Chinese were also able to collect the email address books of the targeted officials and used them to send malware to the officials' friends and colleagues. Google disclosed in 2011 that the private Gmail accounts of some U.S. officials had been hacked. The NBC report says the NSA briefing shows that private email accounts from other providers were also compromised. The time period of the hacking overlaps with Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account when she was secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. The targeted officials have not been publicly identified. More arrests in Ferguson after scuffle with protestors By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Ferguson, Missouri, was on edge again Monday night, a day after a protest marking the anniversary of the shooting death of Michael Brown ended with gunshots and the critical wounding of another black teenager. Police have arrested at least two people after a scuffle ensued when protestors tried to take the center of a busy intersection and police moved in to disperse. During the late afternoon, rush hour protesters blocked an interstate highway, leading to an unspecified number of arrests. Earlier, St. Louis County officials had declared a state of emergency in the embattled city, after violence erupted on the first anniversary of the shooting death of the unarmed black teenager Brown by a white police officer after a street confrontation. St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger declared the emergency after prosecutors filed 10 charges against an 18-year-old suspect accused of shooting at an unmarked police car late Sunday before four officers returned fire and critically wounded him. "The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger," Stenger said. His state of emergency allows county Police Chief Jon Belmar to take control of law enforcement in and near Ferguson, although it was not immediately clear what steps police might take to preserve order. While Ferguson swept up after Sunday’s violence, about 50 people were arrested Monday in front of the courthouse in the nearby city of St. Louis. At least 150 people had marched peacefully several kilometers from a St. Louis church, demanding federal action to stop unfair policing. They were arrested when they blocked the courthouse’s entrance. Author and academic Cornel West was among those arrested. Police Chief Belmar said the wounded suspect, Tyrone Harris Jr., was among six who fired shots during Sunday's protest, which until that point had been a peaceful street demonstration commemorating the year-ago killing of Michael Brown. Harris's father, Tyrone Harris Sr., said he believed his son, a friend of Brown's, was unarmed and called the police version of Sunday night's violence a bunch of lies. Belmar said detectives had been tracking a man they feared was armed and he was then involved in an exchange of 40 or 50 shots between two groups of people, before shooting the officers' vehicle. "They were criminals. They were not protesters," Belmar said of the groups that exchanged shots. "Protesters are people that are out there that are talking about a way to effect change, whatever that may be. That is not what is happening here." Belmar told a news conference that the outbreak of violence was an impediment to positive change. He said police first increased their presence in that area after reports of looting, and that some people threw bottles that shattered near officers. He also reported one officer was injured by a flying brick Sunday night in Ferguson. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch strongly condemned the violence. "Not only does violence obscure any message of peaceful protest," Ms. Lynch said, "it places the community, as well as the officers who seek to protect it, in harm's way." After the shooting, police ordered people still gathered in the area to leave and used smoke grenades to disperse the crowd. Several of those in the crowd criticized the police on Twitter, saying the smoke was fired after people were already complying. Earlier Sunday, the situation was peaceful as marchers began at the site where Brown was shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. The demonstrations that followed Brown's killing threw the St. Louis suburb into the national spotlight and sparked calls for better treatment of minorities by police. New Jersey man charged with trying to join terrorists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A U.S. man has been arrested and charged with conspiring and attempting to join Islamic State militants. The complaint, filed at the U.S. District Court in the eastern state of New Jersey, charges Nader Saadeh conspired with his brother, Alaa Saadeh, and others from New York and New Jersey to provide material support to the terror group. The document says an informant tipped off the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in April about his increased radicalization and plans to join the Islamic State. The complaint says Saadeh traveled to Amman, Jordan, in May and planned to continue to Islamic State strongholds in Iraq or Syria by way of Turkey, but was detained by Jordanian authorities. Saadeh faces up to 40 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000 if convicted of the charges. During the investigation, the FBI obtained computer files showing that Saadeh viewed IS propaganda videos and researched flights to Turkey. The FBI also obtained messages sent by his mother and other family members pleading with him not to join the militant group. Alaa Saadeh, was arrested June 29 and faces charges of conspiring to support Islamic State and witness tampering. California resident admits seeking Islamic State role Special to A.M. Costa Rica
A resident of the City of Orange, California, pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and making a false statement in a passport application. The man, Adam Dandach, 21, pleaded guilty before U. S. District Judge James V. Selna. In a plea agreement filed in federal court, Dandach admitted that, beginning in approximately November 2013 and continuing until July 2, 2014, he attempted to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State forces with the purpose of providing material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization. He further admitted that he knew that Islamic State was a designated foreign terrorist organization that engaged in terrorist activity and terrorism. “This case demonstrates the need for continued vigilance and swift action to fight the false allure of foreign terrorist organizations that threaten the security of the United States,” said U. S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. According to court documents, on July 1, 2014, Dandach purchased a ticket to fly from Santa Ana to Istanbul. The FBI intercepted Dandach at the John Wayne International Airport the following day. Dandach told FBI special agents that his ultimate destination was Syria and that he intended to pledge allegiance to Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He explained that he wished to live under the control of the Islamic State and intended to undergo weapons training. Dandach also admitted that he made a false statement in a passport application, namely that he had lost his previous passport. In fact, a family member had taken Dandach’s passport from him during the previous year when he expressed an interest in traveling to Syria. Judge Selna is scheduled to sentence Dandach Jan. 11. At that time, the defendant will face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for making a false statement in a passport application. Chinese TV figure faces punishment for Mao slurs By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services Popular Chinese TV celebrity Bi Fujian will face severe punishment after making disparaging comments about Communist Party founder Mao Zedong, state media reported. In April at a private dinner, Bi, a talent show host on China Central Television, was videotaped singing a Cultural Revolution-era opera called "Taking Tiger Mountain" and adding his own commentary about Mao between lines. He referred to Mao using a vulgar Chinese insult and also sang "he has ruined us all." The videotape went viral on social media sites and sparked an investigation by CCTV, where Bi had worked since 1989. He has since apologized and been suspended by CCTV. However, the China Discipline Inspection Daily, a newspaper under the party's anti-graft watchdog, said Sunday those disparaging remarks harmed Mao's image and represented a serious violation of political disciplines. The report released last week said the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television had ordered CCTV to deal with the matter severely and to educate its entire staff within the broadcasting system. In a statement on his official microblog, Bi, 56, said he felt extreme remorse and hurt for the effect of his words. The decision to investigate Bi has generated much anger on the Internet, with many people saying he should not be rebuked. One Weibo poll found 80 percent of respondents said Bi should not apologize. Mao, who died in 1976, remains a divisive figure. His image adorns banknotes and his embalmed body attracts hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors each day in Beijing. While the ruling Communist Party has acknowledged Mao made mistakes, there has yet to be an official accounting for the chaos of the Cultural Revolution or the millions of deaths from starvation during the 1958-61 Great Leap Forward. On-demand mobile apps growing in convenience By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
There is a growing number of applications that can be downloaded onto mobile devices that offer a wide range of on-demand services to make life more convenient. From finding a ride, to getting an in-home massage, just one button on a phone can make it all happen. Los Angeles is the home to many of the companies developing on-demand apps. Samuel Davis came to Los Angeles for a shot at showbiz. When he’s not on stage, he’s in his truck. “I’m really into improv and comedy and acting whatnot, so whenever I’m not doing that I want to try and make some extra money in my spare time," said Davis. The extra money comes from being a driver for a business called Buddytruk. It’s a mobile application that connects a user to a local driver or buddy who owns a truck nearby to help the user move something. On average, the truck will be at the designated location in less than half an hour, says founder Brian Foley. “Business is going well. We’ve had a great response. We’ve grown over 1000 percent a year to date. 2000 percent since we launched, so we’re really excited," said Foley. Furniture store West Elm Santa Monica offers Buddytruk as an option for its customers, says general manager Stacy Johnson. “I mean they were just so much more affordable. It’s on demand, and so it’s very convenient for our clients," said Johnson. Buddytruk is one of a growing number of mobile apps that offer on-demand services. They range from ride-sharing services and food deliveries to home massages, like Soothe. Merlin Kauffman founded the massage company in 2013, and says in less than 12 months, it has grown to operate in 13 cities. “I think it’s about accessibility and the ability to get something and be instantly gratified. Uber kind of set the trend in that direction and it’s become the new expected norm," said Kauffman of the taxi app. Michael Hammond uses Soothe for massages, and has many other on demand apps on his phone. “You press a button and the money is taken care of. The transportation is taken care of, and the delivery is taken care of and then an hour later, less than an hour, you receive whatever you want," said Hammond. Around the world, more people have smart phones than ever before, and they are more willing to share information in exchange for services, says technology management expert Terry Kramer. “We’re in this perfect storm for this dramatic growth in on-demand apps," said Kramer. New technologies make on demand services possible. “As the millennial generation kind of ages and is used to more technology. They’re digital natives, etcetera. I think you’ll find more and more usage there and then outside the U.S., massive interest," said Kramer. While the on-demand apps industry is still in its early stages, Kramer says it is disrupting business for traditional brick and mortar stores. He predicts two possible outcomes. “There’s a clever way to incorporate these offerings into more traditional offerings. The second one can be disaster, which is brick and mortar can eventually go away," he said. Entrepreneurs say mobile apps offering on demand services will continue to provide consumers with ever more choices, giving people more time to do what they want. World population estimated to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 By the American Statistical Association
news staff
The world’s population will increase from today’s 7.3 billion people to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion at century’s end, John R. Wilmoth, the director of the U.N. Population Division, told a session focused on demographic forecasting at the 2015 Joint Statistical Meetings in Seattle Monday. The U.N. projection suggests there will not be an end to world population growth this century unless there are unprecedented fertility declines in those parts of sub-Saharan Africa that are still experiencing rapid population growth. The U.N. estimated the probability that world population growth will end within this century to be 23 percent. Wilmoth’s presentation was made as part of an invited session titled “Better Demographic Forecasts, Better Policy Decisions.” Wilmoth told the audience that according to models of demographic change derived from historical experience, it is estimated the global population will be between 9.5 and 13.3 billion people in 2100. In the United States, the population is projected to add 1.5 million people per year on average until the end of the century, pushing the current count of 322 million people to 450 million, he said. |
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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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 Museo de Arte Costarricense
photo
Guillermo Porras at work Artist says
Caribbean influenced work
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rican artist Guillermo Porras says he was lucky to have been born on the Caribbean coast because the colors and the nature there have influenced his art. Porras, a professor of painting and drawing at the Facultad de Bellas Artes of the Universidad de Costa Rica, has an exposition that opens Thursday at the Museo de Arte Costarricense in La Sabana. There are 33 works, including some that are new, said the museum. The exposition is called “Vento Sud” or Southern Wind. His work is mostly in acrylics. The exposition runs until Oct. 11. Google creates umbrella firm for ventures By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S.-based technology giant Google says it is reorganizing in order to separate its profitable Internet-based ventures from its less well-known initiatives. Google chief executive officer Larry Page announced in a blog post Monday that he and co-founder Sergey Brin will head a new holding company called Alphabet, which will oversee the original Google company that includes its now-iconic search engine and its popular YouTube video service, along with several different ventures originally created under the Google brand that will now be run as separate entities. The new divisions include an effort to prolong human life, a venture building hi-speed Internet networks in several cities, a drone delivery service, and the research lab designing a self-operating automobile. Page and Brin, who founded Google back in 1998, will hold the posts of Alphabet CEO and president respectively. In his blog post, Page explained in that "in the technology industry, where revolutionary ideas drive the next big growth areas, you need to be a bit uncomfortable to stay relevant." He says the new Alphabet company will allow these new separate divisions the independence to conduct and develop their own innovative efforts. Google's new operating structure will emulate that of noted U.S. financier Warren Buffet, who owns dozens of companies through his Berkshire Hathaway holding company, all of which operate independently. The reorganization is also aimed at satisfying the concerns of Wall Street investors, who have been calling for greater transparency of Google's overall financial health out of concern that the company has been distracted from focusing on its core businesses. |
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Page 7: China devalues its currency to compete By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China's central bank devalued its currency today in what it said was a one-time move to make rates more market-oriented. The yuan is allowed to fluctuate 2 percent above or below a central point set daily by the People's Bank of China. The bank cut the central rate by 1.9 percent as a result of the change that it said would enhance "the market-orientation and benchmark status of central parity." Beginning today, the bank said the central point would reflect the previous day's closing price "in conjunction with demand and supply condition in the foreign exchange market and exchange rate movement of the major currencies." A drop in the yuan will make China's exports cheaper overseas. Today's move follows the announcement that July exports were down more than 8 percent from the same time last year. Earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund said China’s currency is no longer undervalued given its recent appreciation, but urged the government to pick up the pace in loosening controls on the exchange rate. Yuan appreciation against the currencies of China’s major trading partners, especially the U.S., has been a subject of hot debate for years. The U.S. has accused China of keeping the yuan low to encourage exports, an accusation China denies. |
