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José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 159
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 Ministerio de Seguridad Pública photo
Police found this
smorgasbørd of drugs in a raid in Pueblo Nuevo de Alajuela. They
said there were 858 small packages of crack and 88 baggies of marijuana.Bolero planned for
tonight and Friday
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and four Costa Rican singers will present 16 pieces tonight and tomorrow in a concert called “Boleros de Costa Rica.” The concert is at 8 p.m. in the Teatro Nacional. Marvin Araya is the invited director, and the singers are Ricardo Padilla, Sandra Solano, Jenny Solano and Maykel Vargas. Bolero is a major part of Latin music. The pieces that will be presented tonight and Friday were arranged for orchestra by Costa Rican composers Walter Flores, Álvaro Esquivel and Carlos Guzmán. Tech investment is topic of summit By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Those involved in the cloud computing and data businesses will meet Tuesday at the Hotel Wyndham Herradura to consider what Costa Rica needs to attract specialized investments in that area. Some 700 persons are expected to attend the event, called Data Center Summit 2015. The event has the participation of the ministries of Ciencia, Tecnología y Telecomunicaciones and Comercio Exterioires. Robbers kill motorist on way to bank By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Robbers killed the manager of a construction materials firm and wounded another employee in the center of Heredia Wednesday. The two men were in a car headed for a bank when robbers on a motorcycle pulled up alongside, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. The dead man was identified by the last name of Sánchez. He was 28. The critically wounded man was identified by the last name of Villalobos. He is 32. Dear A.M. Costa Rica: How much are expats paying for Caja? Less than $1,000 per year? What is the value of the treatments received? Often, considerably more. Who is paying for the difference? Costa Ricans. As an American, I do not appreciate knowing that my tax dollars often go to people who misuse social services. No matter who they are or where they are from. Why would Costa Ricans feel any differently? Many expats move here when they are older and retired. All of us will require more medical care as we age. I do not feel it is responsible to have the expectation that we will utilize a system that we have contributed very little towards. I view Caja as an additional tax of which there are many. It can be avoided by being a perpetual tourist and making a border run every 90 days and staying out of the country for three days, or you can just pay it. All expats should have private insurance. It's expensive compared to the Caja, but now the risk is shifted to a company and away from the Ticos. The Caja system is already struggling, so we should not add to the problem. The fact that the quality of healthcare in Costa Rica is relatively high is important. How we access the system is also very important. Ticos have a very unflattering slang expression, Pinche Gringo. It basically translates to "Cheap Gringo". It is not specific to healthcare, but a general characterization. I hate it. The Big Mac index was invented by The Economist in 1986 as a lighthearted guide to compare purchasing-power in different countries. The cost of a Big Mac in Costa Rica is very close to that of the United States, which means the cost of living is very close. I realize I may be offending many people who have a different view. I do not feel I have the right to tell anyone how they should live. All I ask is that people try to see it from the other side and fight against the negative stereotype that exists. I realize generosity can be expressed in many ways and not just financially. It is important to me to be considered a generous expat, and I still have a lot of room to improve. Diego Rodríguez
Atenas  Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
photo
Virginia
also recalls Confederate plates
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Sons of Confederate Veterans have another battle on their hands if they intend to fight a Virginia plan to remove specialty license plates that depict the Confederate battle flag. The banner was the battle flag of the Confederate States during the American Civil War. The defeat of the Confederate States brought an end to slavery in the United States. The Virginia specialty plates honor the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, an organization that says it is the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Drivers must be members of the group to have the distinctive plates on their vehicle. Of the 8.2 million active license plates in Virginia, fewer than 1,700 are the specialty Confederate flag plates. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe called for the removal of the plates shortly after nine people were killed at a black church in South Carolina. A white man charged in the killings posed with a Confederate flag in online photos before the shooting. In a statement, McAuliffe said displaying the flag on state-issued license tags was “unnecessarily divisive and hurtful to too many of our people.” Virginia was forced to issue the plates in 2002, after a court judge decided banning the flag from the license plate curtailed drivers’ right to free speech. However, in June of 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Texas did not have to approve a similar specialty plate because license plates reflect the state’s speech, rather than the driver’s. Reacting to the high court ruling, Charles Kelly Barrow, commander in chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, called it a sad day for the First Amendment. “It is unfortunate that the court has not extended the same sense of inclusion, diversity and tolerance to the estimated 70 million Americans of Confederate descent that is the right of every other American,” Barrow wrote in a statement. “The idea of inclusion, diversity, and tolerance apparently does not apply under law to those of us whose heritage is unpopular in some quarters.” After the Supreme Court ruling, the Virginia judge dissolved his 2001 order saying it was no longer good law. “When the Supreme Court speaks, district courts must listen,” U.S. District Judge Jackson L. Kiser wrote in his order. “Specialty license plates represent the government’s speech, and the Commonwealth may choose, consonant with the First Amendment, the message it wishes to convey on those plates.” With that decision, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, the state agency that issues license plates, will begin the administrative process of recalling and replacing the distinctive Sons of Confederate Veterans plates with a new design that complies with Virginia law. In the next few months, people who currently have the plates will be sent a new set of plates in the mail and will have 30 days to put them on their vehicle. Drivers will also be asked to send their old plates in for recycling. And if they don’t return the old plates, which are likely to become keepsakes? “The main concern is that we don’t want people driving on the roads with cancelled, inactive license plates,” said motor vehicle department spokeswoman Brandy Brubaker. “So within that 30-day time period they need to affix them to the vehicle. Driving without a license plate is a violation of Virginia law so that’s the most important part.” There’s no word on what the new design will look like. The Virginia agency plans to work with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to come up with an acceptable replacement. Ms. Brubaker doesn’t know what design will ultimately appear on the new plates, but she knows what won’t. “It won’t have the Confederate battle flag on it,” she said. “Obviously designing and manufacturing new plates takes time, but we want to get this done as quickly as we can.” Africa reported polio-free for full year By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Africa has marked a full year since its last recorded case of polio, a key step in the future eradication of the disease. The last recorded case of polio in the continent was in Somalia last year, following an outbreak in the Horn of Africa region two years ago that left more than 200 people paralyzed. The Somali government is not yet declaring the disease completely eradicated from the country. "The chance for re-emergence is there, but we will be vigilant," Abdiqani Omar, director general of Somalia's Health Ministry, said in an interview. Omar says health workers have not been able to vaccinate or spread awareness campaigns to areas controlled by the al-Shabab militant group. Experts warn that continued success in the battle against polio depends on the continuation of vaccination campaigns and the close monitoring of suspected cases. Nigeria marked one year since its last recorded case of polio in July. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world that have active cases of the disease. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease transmitted person to person, often through fecal matter and contaminated water. It mainly affects children, causing permanent paralysis and even death. Polio is easily prevented through vaccination, but there is no cure.
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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, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 159 | |
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| Great houses will be visited The mansions in the vicinity of Parque Morazán will be the focus of another of the architectural tours sponsored by Alianza Francesa. This one is Aug. 22. The French cultural organization said that this home, called the Casa del Señor Cecil Lindo, will be on the tour. Also part of the program is the Casa de las Acasias, also known as the Max Gurdián Rojas mansion which now is the Restaurante Del Mar. Architect and historian Andrés Fernández is the guide. Reservations with Alianza Francesa is required. |
 Alianza Francesa photo
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Chained
One way to
keep kids at home
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Every parent knows that raising a teenager can be daunting. What do you do with a girl, 16, who stays out all night. How about a son, just barely an adult, who is in the marijuana business? Although many parents have considered it, few have actually chained a child to furniture to insure compliance. But the Fuerza Pública said that a woman in San Ramón de Alajuela did just that in order to keep her daughter at home while the mother went to work. Child welfare experts frown on this practice, so the mother was taken to see prosecutors. The girl had a chain affixed to her ankle. Meanwhile in Taras de Cartago a father turned in his 21-year-old son after discovering marijuana in the house. The Fuerza Pública said there was 3.8 kilos. |
 Minsterio de Seguridad Púbica photo
The mother is off to see
prosecutors |
| Construction chamber expresses its opposition to the tax
package |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Cámara Costarricense de la Construcción is expressing its concern over a tax package that the central government is presenting to the legislature. Based on an initial outline, the chamber said that the average family would pay about 12 percent more for a new home because of the proposed taxes. The government is presenting a value-added tax and a bill to increase the higher rates for income taxes. |
The chamber
said raising the sales tax from 13 to 15 percent would
seriously affect the construction industry. It also pointed out that
the government plans to double the transfer tax on real estate from 1.5
percent to 3 percent. Guillermo Carazo, president of the chamber, based his estimate on a new home valued now at 20 million colons. He said taxes would add 2,400,000 colons to the price. The chamber said it has been expressing its views to Helio Fallas, minister of Hacienda and other officials there since the middle of April both in meetings and in written messages. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 159 | |||||
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| Complex origin of lager beer yeasts uncovered by molecular
biologists |
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By the University of Wisconsin-Madison news
staff
From Austrian monks to American craft brewers, beer geeks are everywhere. But making a good beer not only depends on the best ingredients, but also the best yeast. The beer world is divided into ales and lagers. The original and highly versatile yeast, Saccharromyces cerevisiae, has been used for millennium to make ales, wine and bread. But the second great beer innovation was the origins of lager beer during the 15th century, when Bavarians first noticed that beer stored in the caves during the winter continued to ferment (from the German lagern: to store). The result was a lighter and smoother beer that, after sharing it with their neighboring Bohemians, went on to dominate 19th and 20th century beers tastes, especially in America. Lager yeasts are hybrid strains, made of two different yeast species, S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus, which was discovered in 2011. Lagers now represent a whopping 94 percent of the world beer market. But the origins of different hybrid lineages has been a bone of contention for lager beer makers. In a new study in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, graduate student Emily Clare Baker, corresponding author Chris Todd Hittinger and others attempted to solve the mystery. Taking advantage of a newly described wild yeast species from Patagonia, Saccharomyces eubayanus, the research team was able to complete and assemble a high-quality genome of S. eubayanus using next-generation sequencing. They compared it to domesticated hybrids that are used to brew lager style beers, allowing for the first time the ability of study the complete genomes of both parental yeast species contributing to lager beer. They show two independent origin events for S. cerevisiae and S. eubanyus hybrids that brew lager beers. The findings show that domestication for beer making has placed yeast on similar evolutionary trajectories multiple times. In this context, these results suggest that the Saaz and Frohberg lineages (named for their area of origin) were created by at least two distinct hybridization events between nearly identical strains of S. eubayanus with relatively more diverse ale strains of S. cerevisiae. "Lager yeasts did not just originate once. This unlikely marriage between two species, genetically as different from one another as humans and birds, happened at least twice. Although these hybrids were different from the start, they |
 University
of Wisconsin-Madison/A. B. Hulfachor
A new study in the journal
Molecular Biology and Evolution examined the innovations and origins of
lager beer. also changed in some predictable ways during their domestication," said corresponding author Hittinger of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The blueprint of the powerhouses of the yeast cell, called mitochondrial genome sequences, proved that S. eubayanus served as the main donor of mtDNA for lager yeasts of Frohberg lineage. They also found that both the Saaz and Frohberg yeasts contained both S. cerevisiae (99.57 percent identical to strain S288c) and S. eubayanus (99.55 percent identical to FM1318) genomes. They also compared the mitochondrial genomes and found S. eubayanus to be smaller than Frohberg yeast and S. cerevisiae. In addition, since being adapted for beer making, the S. eubayanus genomes have experienced increased rates of evolution, including in some genes involved in metabolism. The findings have now clarified the origins of the major lineages of the hybrid yeasts used to brew lagers, and will provide a roadmap for future research in the domestication of lager yeasts. |
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, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 159 | |||||||
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| U.S. Flag going up Friday at new embassy in Havana By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Friday U.S. Marines will hoist the American flag outside of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, marking the ceremonial re-opening of the diplomatic facility after the U.S. and Cuba agreed to restore ties that were severed over 50 years ago. Both the U.S. and Cuban embassies re-opened July 20. The Cuban government hosted a lavish event for its re-opening last month, but the U.S. chose to hold off on its formal ceremony until Secretary of State John Kerry could lead a delegation to Havana. The day-long ceremony in Havana will include a series of events with U.S. lawmakers and other government officials, Cuban government representatives and civil society members, said a senior State Department official. “There are people going to Havana for this event who have not been to Cuba before and that includes some Cuban Americans and that has to be incredibly emotional,” the official said in a Wednesday briefing. However, the State Department said there is no planned meeting between Kerry and Cuban President Raúl Castro. The senior State Department official indicated that Cuban dissidents would not be part of the flag-raising ceremony at the U.S. Embassy. “It is principally a government-to-government event,” the official said, “signifying this new relationship and the re-opening of the embassy.” The official added there would be a second, larger ceremony, later in the day at the residence of Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the U.S. chief of missions. That ceremony will include a range of civil society members, including political, human rights and media activists. A Cuban-American human rights advocate based in Washington said the U.S. move to normalize relations with Cuba may be a set-back for Cuban dissidents. “It is a fairy tale to assume that just because the president makes concessions to Raúl Castro, then Raúl Castro will behave and stop abusing the people of Cuba,” said Frank Calzon, head of the Center for a Free Cuba. Citing the Cuban government’s continued arrests of anti-government protesters and dissidents, he said the Castro government had been emboldened, because it had yet to receive U.S. pressure to improve human rights. However, the senior State Department official said the move to re-establish relations would allow the U.S. to continue and hopefully accelerate its engagement with Cuba on issues such as human rights and law enforcement. Some U.S. lawmakers have also questioned the Obama administration’s decision to move forward with engagement, in the wake of human rights concerns. “We are so hungry for this deal that we are willing to overlook a hundred peaceful dissidents arrested just a few hours before the opening of our embassy,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban American. “It is a cruel insult to the freedom loving people of Cuba and it is a dangerous situation for U.S. national security,” she said at a Wednesday news conference in Miami. Other lawmakers have expressed support, including, Sen. Patrick Leahy. “Finally, after 55 years a failed, punitive and ineffective policy of isolation is ending,” he said in a July statement, reacting to plans to re-open the U.S. embassy in Havana. The embassy reopening will allow more Americans to travel to Cuba and give Cubans increased access to the U.S. Embassy in Havana. But Cubans may not see much of an immediate difference in their day-to-day lives. “In the immediate short term, it won’t benefit the ordinary Cuban very much except to give them some hope,” said an American University international relations professor, Philip Brenner, who has traveled to Cuba more than 30 times. He said Congress would need to lift the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba for them to see significant change. “The big impact on the lives of Cubans is the embargo and to the extent that the United States and Cuba can now work towards ending that embargo ultimately will benefit them.” Barack Obama has expressed support for lifting the embargo, first imposed on Cuba in the 1960’s. China lets its yuan currency dip for third straight day By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China has allowed the value of its yuan currency to weaken against the dollar for a third consecutive day. The central bank today set the yuan's daily reference point just over 1 percent lower from the previous day at about 6.40 per dollar. Beijing strictly controls the yuan, allowing it to trade within a range of 2 percent above or below the reference point, which it sets daily. So far, the currency has lost around 4 percent since the initial change in the market midpoint. The bank this week said the one-time correction was meant to give the market a greater role in determining the value of the yuan. But many investors are worried the intervention signals growth in the world's second-largest economy is slowing more than originally thought. There are also concerns it could prompt other nations to devalue their currency, since a weaker yuan makes Chinese exports more competitive for foreign buyers. Vietnam on Wednesday did just that. Under the new rules, Vietnam's currency, the dong, can be traded within 2 percent above or below the daily reference point. The previous rules allowed trading within 1 percent. "As China is Vietnam's largest trading partner, an adjustment of Chinese currency will have a negative impact on Vietnam's economy," said the State Bank of Vietnam. The Chinese move prompted two consecutive days of decline in some major world stock markets. But trading in most Asian countries was up just after opening today. U.S. stocks on Wednesday initially declined but recovered most of their losses by the end of trading. In an interview, Peterson Institute scholar Nicholas Lardy says the change gives Beijing more flexibility in managing the economy. He says the change also improves the chances China’s currency will play a larger role in international commerce. A Duke University business professor, Campbell Harvey, says China wants the yuan to eventually become a reserve currency like the dollar and the euro. He says such currencies must be driven by market forces. Beijing’s change in currency exchange policy brought criticism from several members of the U.S. Congress who say it continues a practice that gives Chinese exporters an unfair advantage, and hurts American jobs. Exchange rates are among many issues likely to be on the agenda for September’s planned visit to Washington by China’s President Xi Jinping. Jimmy Carter tells the world that he has contracted cancer By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Former president Jimmy Carter announced Wednesday that he has cancer, discovered recently during liver surgery. Carter, 90, announced the diagnosis in a short statement. He did not specify what type of cancer he has, saying only that it was in "other parts" of his body. "A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week," he said. The 39th president will undergo treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. Good wishes poured in on social media after Carter's announcement. President Barack Obama spoke to Carter late Wednesday and wished him a full and speedy recovery on behalf of himself and first lady Michelle Obama. "Jimmy, you're as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you,'' Obama said in a written statement. Carter underwent surgery Aug. 3 to remove a small mass in his liver. Since leaving the Oval Office in 1981, the former president has established the Carter Foundation and has traveled the world, working on issues like health care, global democracy, women and children's rights and affordable housing. He recently finished a book tour to promote "A Full Life: Reflections at 90," his latest work. He has written more than 20 books since leaving office. Deaths of black youths spawns Black Lives Matter group By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Increasingly, when there are protests against U.S. racial injustice, like in Ferguson, Missouri, and at political rallies like the one for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders that was halted in Seattle Saturday, they are associated with the group Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter is a young grassroots activist movement that began in July 2013 after the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. The movement gathered momentum and visibility the next year when unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot by a white policeman after a street confrontation in Ferguson. Black Lives Matter is very much on the scene in Ferguson now as the anniversary of that shooting death is marked. “Not a moment, but a movement,” says the group’s Web site, which does little to explain its philosophy for many Americans, who are just getting used to hearing the group’s name. “We embrace a diversity of tactics,” says the Black Lives Matter Web site. “We are a decentralized network aiming to build the leadership and power of black people.” “Right now, we’re playing catchup,” said the Rev. John Richard Bryant, who was asked about Black Lives Matter during a speech in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. Bryant, 72, who is black, said about the young protesters, “The way they respond may not be the way we responded years ago — nonviolence — we’ve got to catch up to that.” He added that when incidents of racial injustice are captured on cellphone cameras, the result is a “deep, deep feeling of frustration in the souls of people who feel that in this culture, in this society, their lives don’t matter.” Bryant is senior bishop of the Fourth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. An AME church in Charleston, South Carolina, was the scene of a mass shooting in June in which nine black people died. A white man has been charged in the attack. Bryant may think he is catching up to Black Lives Matter, but he said he is in complete sympathy with the movement. He said racism is eating away at the fiber of the U.S., and that white America views black America as menacing. “The man who killed Michael Brown said he looked like a monster, and the grand jury agreed. … It’s a challenge to law enforcement, prosecutors when they see a black differently than they see a white,” he said. Bryant also cited a lack of understanding on the part of politicians and others who try to turn Black Lives Matter into something more inclusive. “They act as if black lives don’t matter," he said. "I resent it when I say black lives matter and people respond all lives matter. I ain’t talking about all lives.” Bryant likens American society, often referred to as a melting pot, to a stew. In a stew, he said, the carrots are separate from the potatoes and from the greens. They all contribute to the dish, but they are all different.  Voice of America/Obon 2015
At a Tokyo hotel, the
delegation of U.S. WorldWar II vets and family members show off some of the captured war flags they were returning. World War II vets return souvenir flags from battles By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
People in Japan and around the world lit peace lanterns this past week to mark the 70th anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More ceremonies lie ahead to mark the Japanese surrender. Commemorations, of course, can be large or small. Six U.S. World War II veterans flew to Tokyo this month carrying 70 captured flags to return for the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. By all accounts, it was a personal journey aiming to promote healing and reconciliation. Seventy years after he last set foot in Japan during World War II, retired American chiropractor Dallas Britt, now 89, was back to return something that didn't belong to him: a flag. "This flag was taken off of a dead soldier, just happened to be a souvenir to be picked up," Britt said. "It has a red rising sun in the middle of it. Then it has all this Japanese writing all around it." During the war, many soldiers collected mementos from the battlefield, especially flags. The war prize was so common these banners have an English name, “good luck flag.” For the Japanese soldiers, the flags were often a personal item, a traditional send-off gift from family or coworkers. The Japanese name for "good luck flag" is yosegaki hinomaru, which literally translated means “group-written flag.” Britt took the flag during a 1945 battle that ousted the Japanese from the small island of Ie Shima, near Okinawa. He said he did not understand until this summer the significance the flag might hold for the fallen soldier's family. "It is like if you found a dead G.I. and taking his dog tags off of him and being able to send it back to his parents," Britt said. "That's the only connection they would have because you wouldn't know where he was buried or nothing else. What a wonderful thing to be able to return it to these people and get it back to their relatives," Britt said. A relatively new humanitarian nonprofit conceived this mission to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. Rex and Keiko Ziak, the Japanese-American couple who founded Obon 2015, gathered 70 flags from aging veterans or their children around the U.S. Rex Ziak says they could've just mailed the flags to a Japanese ministry, but concluded hand delivery by former combatants would send a more powerful message. "We thought, 'When in history has there ever been a time when soldiers who were fighting against an enemy return 70 years later with items that were taken from the battlefield as souvenirs showing I captured and dominated this enemy?' And now they are being returned with the sentiment of, ‘Here, we hope this brings closure.’" Britt was joined on the repatriation mission by five other World War II combat veterans. Ed Johann of Lincoln City, Oregon, who survived the 1941 surprise Japanese attack on the U.S. base in Hawaii, says the group traveled in the spirit of reconciliation. "I have no animosity towards any of those people. Their military and our military were just following orders. We had no say-so. Our feelings didn't matter." None other than the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, personally accepted the returned flags at a carefully choreographed ceremony in his office. A phalanx of photographers snapped away and filmed as the Ziaks and two of the aging veterans delivered the war souvenirs in white boxes. Prime Minister Abe and Rex Ziak both spoke about finding peace, friendship and closure. The photographers were ushered out. Then Abe unfurled the one silk flag that was presented to him unpacked - the one Dallas Britt plucked from the battlefield so long ago. Abe closely examined the messages and names written on it. Those inscriptions will provide clues to track down relatives or descendants of the fallen soldier who had carried it into battle. Abe noticed the soldier's son and daughter wrote on the good luck flag. Their father never returned from battle. Seven decades later, a trace of him could arrive home out of the blue. |
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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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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers said Wednesday that they had detained a suspect in the murders of at least seven women in the southern section of San José. The arrest was in Bajo de María Reina, Hatillo, officers said. The man, identified by the last name of Berrocal, lives in Tirrases de Curridabat, they said. He is 30 years old. Police said that the arrest was made early in the morning in what is called a bunker, a fortified place for the consumption of drugs. The women in this case who were killed this year were known drug users, said investigators when the bodies were found. The Fuerza Pública said they also located the suspect's car at the site. The car is believed to have been the one identified at the scenes where some of the bodies were dumped. Editor's Note: This article ran in afternoon version of Wednesday's paper. Expat organization to mark eight years By the InterNations news staff
InterNations, a social network for people who live and work abroad, is celebrating its 8th anniversary in September with a fast-growing community of currently 1.8 million members in 390 cities around the world with a series of local, themed events. InterNations is present in 166 countries worldwide, including Costa Rica, and continues to help millions of expats adjust to their new life abroad. Since its founding in September 2007, InterNations has brought together almost two million members from around the world. The platform has grown from a network of friends living abroad to the No. 1 platform for expats and global minds worldwide. In the last three years alone, InterNations experienced remarkable growth and as a result doubled its number of registered members and the size of its staff, it said. The founder and co-CEO of InterNations is Malte Zeeck “Every time you move to a new place, you are confronted with the same problems because you have to essentially start all over again," he said. "Finding new friends, making business contacts and sorting out your daily life can be a daunting task, but we strive to make this transition easier for expats. InterNations is the most successful global network for expats because the problems that it solves are faced by everyone who lives or works abroad.” InterNations offers global networking opportunities, local events and expat-relevant information. The platform operates both online and offline: on the Web site, expats can discuss topical issues in the local and world forums and find destination guides that will provide valuable tips and information for life abroad. Additionally, around 4,000 events and activities are organized worldwide each month, allowing expats to meet and interact with other global minds in their city. To mark the anniversary, InterNations communities around the world will be hosting events celebrating InterNations’ mission to help expats feel at home abroad, meet people and find information about their new environment. |
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Page 7: Drug firm inaugurates $5.5 million facility By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The local subsidiary of the Swiss pharmaceutical firm, Roche Centroamérica y Caribe, is investing $5.5 million in a new service and distribution center in Heredia. The center is designed to service 23 countries in the region, the firm said. The facility is in Ultrapark in La Aurora de Heredia, a free zone. The new facility will mean the firm will hire 40 new workers to join the 175 who already work there. President Luis Guillermo Solís said the new facility was a vote of confidence in the country. He spoke at an inauguration ceremony Wednesday. |
