|
|
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
| |
|||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
|
|||
|
San
JosÈ, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 161
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Squatters evicted from property in Palmar Sur have rejected a government offer of relocation, Casa Presidencial said. The evictees blocked the Interamericana Sur once again at a bridge over the RÌo TÈrreba at Palmar Sur. That lasted from Friday afternoon until early Saturday. The government, meanwhile, said it would not negotiate under threats. The government offered families that were removed under a court order two weeks ago homesites on six hectares, about 15 acres, owned by the Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda. The homesites would be loaned, but the Instituto de Desarrollo Territorial would devise a plan for the relocated families to purchase the land, said Casa Presdiencial. The property could accommodate about 60 of the evicted 300 families. The representatives of evictees insisted in their negotiating session Friday in Heredia that the government purchase the property from which they were evicted and then return it to them, said Casa Presidencial. When government negotiators said that this is impossible, the representatives of the former squatters left and the bridge blockade was restored. The families, many of them those of former banana workers, invaded the property in 2001, and their status has been the subject of along legal battle instigated by businessman Oscar EcheverrÌa Heigold, who eventually prevailed. The families have erected tents on one lane of the two-lane bridge, and traffic has been reduced to just that one lane. However, at times, such as overnight Friday, the entire bridge was blocked. The Ministerio de Comercio Exterior said that the blockade was affecting international commerce with Panam·. Some 62 families are receiving financial aid from the government and five families accepted an offer by the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social to move to a rented home, said Casa Presidencial.  Ministerio de Seguridad P™blica
photo
Tourist
police rescued this kinkajou (Potos flavus) from a bank ofthe RÌo Abrojo in southern Costa Rica. The long-tailed, noctural animal was injured but stable, police said. The animal is a relative of the coati and raccoons. Neighbors told police dogs had caused the injury. It was moved to a refuge for recovery. Our readers' opinions
Loss of citizenship not likely for vetsDear A.M. Costa Rica: A.M. Costa Rica published an interesting letter to the editor about the possibility of losing your military pension if you become the naturalized citizen of a country other than the U.S. It's sort of like the possibility of a jail sentence for visiting Cuba without prior official approval. How many times does it happen? I would rather spend my energy on worrying about things that might actually happen. Indeed, if the U.S. were to stop the pension of a vet, it would not be for becoming a dual citizen of non-military little Costa Rica. John French
Heredia Joining Caja is require by law for expats Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I am not sure what Chris is talking about. His first and last paragraphs refer to the Caja. I am not sure if he is talking about the Instituto Nacional de Seguros in the second paragraph, but he clearly is confused. Chris says "Many exploitative expats lie about their prior conditions." If he is talking about INS, I would like to know what he bases this on. It is hard to lie about previous surgeries, and conditions. The Caja does not ask about prior conditions. And exploitative? Expats don't ask to join the Caja. It is required by law. And if an expat is a rentista, he is required to pay a minimum $ 270 a month to the Caja. Socialized medicine does not work and especially in Costa Rica. The Caja is killing people everyday and is full of corruption and waste. It is Third World medicine at its worst. And if the law did not require Gringos to pay the Caja, then Gringos here would have money for real insurance. I just spent two months in Caja hospitals, and they lied right to my face about my condition. Try this Chris, take a referral to a cardiologist to the hospital in Heredia. They will tell you, "OK come back in 10 days and we will give you an appointment.: They could do it as you wait, but it makes them feel powerful if they waste your time and energy. Besides, you needed a heart doctor. If you are going to die in the next 10 days, they saved themselves two minutes work. Robert Savage
Heredia Perpetual tourists take advantage of Caja Dear A.M. Costa Rica: This is a response to a Letter to the Editor of A.M. Costa Rica about expats gaming the Caja health care system here in Costa Rica. First I would like to point out that Costa Rica has made it a requirement for expats to join the Caja as a condition of obtaining residency. It is not like we have a choice. Many, many of us expats would have chosen to NOT join, if we had had the option. Additionally, like insurance companies everywhere, it is the Caja who sets the price of belonging, not the beneficiary. After being forced to join, I and many, many of the expats I know do not use the Caja. Even though we pay every month for the privilege, we either have private insurance or, like myself, pay our own way if medical treatment is needed. We impose no costs on the Caja system. For many of us, belonging to the Caja is only a backup for use in the event of an emergency. Exactly how you think we are taking advantage of the system and putting a burden on Ticos escapes me. Certainly there are some expats who use the system, but just like Ticos, but not every expat needs expensive medical care, regardless of age. I find your base assumption that expats who make payments to, and use the Caja, are somehow taking advantage of the system a bit short-sighted and somewhat offensive. To me, it is being a perpetual tourist that takes advantage of the system. The person lives here and enjoys all the benefits of the country. By leaving and returning every 90 days those persons contribute nothing, yet they have the opportunity to receive emergency medical care from the Caja system if they need it. Who pays for that? Allen Dickinson,
Santa Ana  Air view shows how suspects were arrested.
Grecia suspects
caught after chase
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Three men held up the La Providencia supermarket in Grecia Friday, and police detained two suspects after a chase on the Interamericana highway. A third suspect fled, police said. Police cut the vehicle off both back and front under the eyes of officers in a helicopter. The robbers took about 80,000 colons in cash, some $152, the cash register and cell telephones, police said. California acts to eradicate plague carriers By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Health officials in California are closing a campground at one of America's most popular wilderness destinations, Yosemite National Park, after tests on dead rodents found them to be carrying the plague. Authorities said the four-day shutdown beginning Monday would allow workers to fumigate rodent burrows for fleas that carry the infectious bacterial disease. State health officials began examining the park for signs of plague last month when a child from Los Angeles was diagnosed with the disease after visiting the Stanislaus National Forest and camping at the nearby Crane Flat site. That site was shut for four days and treated with an insecticide. The U.S. National Park Service said the unidentified child, the first reported plague case linked to Yosemite since 1959, is recovering. Plague cases are typically linked to chipmunks and squirrels, and experts say fleas can transfer the disease from the rodents to other animals and humans. Early symptoms including chills, high fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. Authorities say the infection can be fatal if not treated in its early stages. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 1,006 probable human plague cases have been recorded between 1900 and 2012. More than 80 percent of them were identified as bubonic plague. U.S. immigration agents in bribery scheme Special to A.M. Costa Rica
A former official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who went on to operate an immigration consulting service, has been found guilty of participating in a scheme to pay bribes to current government employees to obtain green cards and citizenship for immigrants. The convicted man is George Wu, 62, of Pico Rivera, California, who worked as a border protection officer until early 2012, and then operated Great Eastern Immigration Services. He was found guilty Thursday of paying bribes in an effort to obtain citizenship and legal permanent resident status for several immigrants. Wu, another immigration consultant named Michael Bui and others solicited money from immigrants in exchange for help in obtaining benefits from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that included lawful permanent residence and citizenship. Some of the money paid by the immigrants was used to pay bribes to public officials in exchange for granting immigration benefits, said the government.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this Web site are
copyrighted by Consultantes R‚o Colorado S.A 2015 and may not be
reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
|
| San JosÈ, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 161 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Costa Rica call center figure ordered to repay victims $6.4
million |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A U.S. expat, guilty of one of those telephone business opportunity scams, has been ordered to pay $6.4 million in restitution. That is in addition to a prison sentence of 70 months and five years supervised release. The man is Gregory Scott Garrett, who worked with USA Beverages Inc., Twin Peaks Gourmet Coffee, Inc., and a string of other companies that took money from U.S. citizens with the promise that they would be able to start a vending business. He is known locally as John White. He has a family in Costa Rica. Garrett and his lawyer, Arcelio Hern·ndez, waged a lengthy and unsuccessful fight to avoid extradition to the United States. He even sought refugee status here without success. |
White was
indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 29, 2011,
arrested in Costa Rica in 2012, extradited to the United States in 2015
and pleaded guilty April 29 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail
and wire fraud in connection with the business opportunity scheme,
according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Garrett admitted that the conspiracy used various means to make it appear to potential purchasers that the businesses were located entirely in the United States, the department said. The companies used bank accounts, office space and other services in the Southern District of Florida and elsewhere. In reality, White and his co-conspirators operated out of call centers in Costa Rica, including Escaz™. Nine of those other defendants have been convicted in the United States with sentences ranging from three to 16 years in prison, and the two remaining defendants are not yet in the custody of the United States, the Justice Department said. |
| Mrs. Bender's trial to resume today after unusual
developments |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The murder trial in PÈrez ZeledÛn of Ann Patton Bender is expected to resume today after two unusual developments. The medical examiner who gave conflicting testimony in two previous trials, Gretchen Flores SandÌ, failed to show up to testify last week. She generally is considered the prosecutor's most important witness. And prosecutors were reported to have said they would appeal the case yet again if the Tribunal Penal de PÈrez ZeledÛn renders an acquittal. Mrs. Bender, a U.S. citizen, is on trial for the 2010 shooting death of her husband, multimillionaire John Bender, also a U.S. citizen. The husband and wife were alone in their five-story 8,000-square-foot glass-walled showplace mansion when Bender died. The prosecution claims Mrs. Bender shot him. She has testified that she was struggling with him to prevent the suicide when the firearm went off. The Benders usually carried weapons because their 5,000-acre private wildlife refuge in La Florida de Bar™ was plagued by poachers and others. The case has generated international interest, and a U.S. television crew was reported to be at the trial. Mrs. Bender has been involved in the case since the Jan. 8, 2010, death, and has spent considerable time in prison. A trial court Jan. 21, 2013, gave the benefit of the doubt to Mrs. Bender. She was set free because judges said that there was not sufficient evidence that she had killed her husband. Bender was said to be bipolar and had attempted suicide once before. However, prosecutors appealed the decision. |
A second new
trial panel in PerÈz ZeledÛn convicted the woman May 27, 2014 imposed a sentence of 22 years and remanded her to prison. She finally got out last February based on the order of the Tribunal de ApelaciÛn de Sentencia de Cartago, which voided the sentence and ordered yet a new trial. CBS news hired a husband and wife team of forensic experts who raised serious doubt about the investigation and the evidence that was used to convict the woman. They said that the testimony of Ms. Patton was plausible. Prosecutors based much of their case on the location where the bullet entered the head and said that this would have been difficult for a left-handed person. Those close to the case note that Bender could use both hands well and that there is a photo showing him wearing a pistol holster on his right side. They also questioned the testimony of Dr. SandÌ, the medical examiner, and noted that she changed her testimony between the two trials. The transcript of the second trial shows that Dr. Flores relied on word of mouth from someone she does not remember to conclude that Bender was left-handed. The CBS experts said that investigators also failed to photograph the scene correctly, test the blood stains on the bed sheets or even fingerprint the gun. The Poder Judicial said that 12 witnesses were scheduled to testify during the latest trial. The state has a special interest in the case because neighbors had reported that after Mrs. Bender went into custody law enforcement for some reason cleaned out the mansion of all its furnishings. The goods and furniture are supposed to be in storage. The government also confiscated a large amount of jewels and jewelry, the property of Mrs. Bender, on the grounds that the items were smuggled into the country. |
| Expat cattleman takes another step to produce super prime
signature beef |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An expat cattleman has taken a major step in his effort to create a signature beef line for Costa Rica. The cattleman has combined successfully tropical cows with the legendary Japanese Wagyū strain from which comes the renowned Kobe beef. And now he is using an expensive dry-aging process that is familiar to only high-end restauranteurs and specialty butchers elsewhere. Dry-aged or wet-aged, hardly anyone is able to find the Kobe beef outside of Japan. The cattleman, Loray Greiner and his wife, Susanne, announced over the weekend that they have succeeded after a four-year effort. Greiner's plans were the subject of a news article two years ago when he said that he sees his mission to be developing a Costa Rican cattle industry known for exceptionally high quality and unique pieces of meat. He said he wants to help Tico cattle ranchers to regain their dignity. "Wagyū, sometimes called Kobe beef, is prized for its tenderness," he said over the weekend in an email. "And the ratio of good fat, mono-unsaturated. to bad fat, saturated, is the healthiest of all cattle breeds." He pointed out that his cows spend every day of their lives on his pastures with no hormones or antibiotics. "The pastures they were raised in were nourished with organic fertilizers from Earth University, and no herbicides were used to control weeds," he said. "In short, these animals were bred, born, and raised with the highest level of care and attention while enjoying the cleanest, most-natural environment we could provide." Greiner is following in the footsteps of his late father, Fred, who spent years trying to develop just the right pasture mix. The meat carries the name Hacienda Sur artisan beef after a ranch at Parrita. The label is not typical in that it carries the ID number of the cow, its birth date and the date of packaging. The label also notes that the animal was half Waygū, and a quarter heat-tolerant Red Angus and Brahman. Greiner did not stop with the extensive genetic efforts with the cows. He also chose to build his own dry-aging facility. That process is identified with bringing out remarkable depth of flavor. "We chose to dry age because you get a superior product in both texture and flavor similar to the benefits you get from aging cheese in a cave or wine in a cellar," he said. "For starters, the aging allows enzymes to tenderize the meat with time. The process also removes moisture from the meat. It's like taking a broth and reducing it down to a demi-glace sauce. You're driving the moisture out, so you're intensifying the flavors." Conventional beef is subjected to wet-aging. The meat is wrapped in a plastic bag for a few days. That way the meat does not lose moisture and weight. With dry aging there is more moisture loss, sometimes up to 20 percent, and the flavor is concentrated over the 45 days. |
 Loray
Greiner photo
These are examples of the special beef
strain.
Greiner's view is backed up
by
extensive online reports.
He also noted that dry-aged meat becomes darker, and those who are unfamiliar with the luxury meat might think it is bad. He said he had been told that some producers of wet-aged beef even put coloring on their meat to keep it a bright red. Dry-aged beef is dark. "Well, I'm not going to put food coloring on this beef," he said. "But I do think I need to inform people that dry-aged beef does look different from what you buy in the grocery store." That difference comes from an elaborate dry-aging facility that the cattleman has custom made. And the process is equally elaborate. Aging has to be done just
above the freezing point. Greiner even had to
have constructed what amounts to an airlock to maintain the interior
temperature.
"We're pretty proud of our dry-aging room, which is solar powered, has what are almost certainly the tightest tolerances in Central America, features data logging and wireless alarms, as well as two cutting-edge, high-tech sanitation systems," he said. The room maintains the temperature with a variation of just a single degree and 4 percent for moisture. The system blows bacteria-killing ozone and hydroxyl periodically to eliminate mold. Other dry-aging facilities allow a layer of mold to grow on the exterior of meat cuts in the same way that certain premium hams develop a mold crust. Greiner said that two of the three big industrial refrigeration companies he contacted declined to participate because they said they could not meet the specifications. The meat needs extra care in the kitchen, too. "If it is over cooked, it will quickly become dry and tough," he said. I would not recommend cooking more than medium rare. A good sear on both sides with a generous sprinkling of coarse salt, and a great glass of wine is all you need." His next challenge is marketing. He is trying to set up a delivery route through Escaz™. The meat is not inexpensive. Prices range from 8,000 colons (about $15) a kilo for ground beef to 20,000 colons ($39) a kilo for top cuts. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this Web site are
copyrighted by Consultantes RÌo Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not
be
reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
 |
 |
||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San JosÈ, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 161 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| Researchers pinpoint exactly what caffeine does to the human
brain |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
It's in coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks. There's even a bit of it in chocolate. In fact, caffeine is one of the most widely-consumed substances in the world, and there are many people who say they can't start their day without it. "It makes us feel better, particularly if we haven't slept well or we've been working late at night," noted neurologist Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, adding "we really don't completely understand why." So she and her colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, decided to get to the bottom of this phenomenon and their work reveals how caffeine changes our brains to give us that buzz. The researchers brought volunteers into the lab and had them swallow caffeine tablets ó the equivalent of drinking 2 or 3 cups of strong coffee ó then put them into a PET scanner and observed subsequent brain activity. Like other drugs, caffeine boosts the natural activity of a brain chemical called dopamine, which motivates us to seek out the things in life that bring pleasure and happiness. Drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine flood the brain with dopamine, which can lead to addiction. But Volkow found that caffeine works slightly differently. It increases the number of receptors that dopamine molecules can latch onto, which makes us feel perky and alert. "This was, interestingly, exactly the opposite of what we observed with sleep deprivation," Ms. Volkow said, explaining that just one night of sleep deprivation saw the number of dopamine receptors go down. The same thing happens as we start to feel tired late in the day, so caffeine blocks that natural process to keep us awake. But if caffeine is changing brains and affecting the same molecule as cocaine, is it addictive? |
 A.M. Costa Rica file photo
This is just one of the
sources of caffine.According to Ms. Volkow, no. "The reality is that caffeine does not produce these compulsive patterns that you see with other drugs . . . catastrophic consequences, so, in that respect, caffeine is not addictive in the same sense." While caffeine does just enough to keep people zipping along without taking them over the edge, it is possible to have too much. Laura Juliano, a clinical psychologist at American University, agrees with Ms. Volkow's assertion that it's not addictive, but warns that, in excess, caffeine can affect someone's daily functioning and well-being. For these individuals, she says, not drinking caffeine can cause a host of negative symptoms, headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms, and excessive fatigue. Indeed, symptoms of caffeine withdrawal are often mistaken for other illnesses. Ms. Juliano says that more research is needed so doctors are better prepared to recognize excessive caffeine use and withdrawal as the actual disorder. In moderation, however, caffeine has been shown to provide a number of short-term and long-term health benefits. Recent research points to moderate caffeine consumption as a likely buffer against cognitive decline and Alzheimer's Disease later in life. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes RÌo
Colorado
S.A. 2015 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
|
A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
 |
| San JosÈ, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 161 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 |
 |
| AT&T cited as NSA partners in massive U.S. spy scheme By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. telecommunications giant AT&T gave valuable assistance to the National Security Agency's program to spy on domestic Internet and telephone traffic, according to The New York Times. The newspaper Saturday cited newly disclosed NSA documents leaked by fugitive former contractor Edward Snowden. While the documents do not specifically name AT&T, they use code names that the Times and several ex-intelligence officials said point to the telecommunications company. The article says the documents are dated from 2003 through 2013 and show how AT&T used legal rules and secret court orders to give the NSA access to billions of emails sent through its U.S. network. They include Internet traffic at U.N. headquarters in New York. It also handed over more than 1 billion telephone call records to the NSA. According to the documents, the NSA regarded AT&T as a partner in the domestic surveillance business, not a contractor. AT&T spokesman Brad Burns said that the company does not "provide information to any investigating authorities without a court order or other mandatory process, other than if a person's life is in danger and time is of the essence. For example, in a kidnapping situation, we could provide help tracking down called numbers to assist law enforcement." Documents leaked by Snowden showing that the NSA had spied on the telephone calls and emails of U.S. citizens and foreigners with no court order outraged millions who saw the actions as violations of their right to privacy. The NSA says the activities helped foil several terrorist plots and were a key in keeping the country safe. The administration of former president George W. Bush authorized the spying under the Patriot Act, which Congress passed not long after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. President Barack Obama signed a bill earlier this year reforming the way the NSA collects electronic communications. Trump says he would deport all illegal immigrants in U.S. By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Real estate mogul Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, said Sunday that illegal immigrants will have to leave the U.S. if he is elected. In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press about his political views, Trump said, "We're going to keep families together, but they have to go. . . . We either have a country or we don't have a country." There are 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, according to government estimates. Although some non-government estimates run as high as 34 million. Trump has taken a hard line against them as he runs to succeed President Barack Obama, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Trump has accused Mexico of allowing criminals and rapists to illegally enter the United States and vowed to build an impenetrable wall along U.S.-Mexican border. "Nobody's getting through that wall," he said in the interview. On other foreign policy issues, Trump said if elected he would take away the wealth of Islamic State insurgents in Iraq by recapturing oil fields they have seized. He said he would give Iraq something but would hand most of the new-found money to families of American soldiers wounded and killed during the eight-year U.S. war in Iraq. In the last year, the U.S. has launched hundreds of air strikes against Islamic State positions in support of Iraqi ground troops, but Obama has balked at again sending in U.S. ground forces. Trump described former U.S. national security contractor Edward Snowden, now living in Russia after leaking a vast cache of details about U.S. surveillance programs, as a "total traitor . . . a disgrace." He called Secretary of State John Kerry incompetent for his negotiation of the international deal to restrain Iran's nuclear program and predicted that "Iran will end up being nuclear." Trump, who is reported to be a multibillionaire, is self-funding his campaign and told reporters at the State Fair in Iowa Saturday that he would be willing to spend a billion dollars of his own money on his campaign. Most of his opponents are relying on extensive fundraising efforts. The leading Democratic presidential contender, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has attempted to group Trump with other Republican candidates who U.S. political analysts believe will eventually overtake him, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, also from Florida. "Don't let the circus distract you," Mrs. Clinton told one political rally on Friday. "If you look at their policies, most of the other candidates are just like Trump without the pizzazz or the hair." Trump and Sanders becoming the odd couple in U.S. politics By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire
services
A year ago, who would have believed that the two dominant political figures in the early stages of the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign would be Republican contender Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders? The election is still more than 14 months away and a lot can and will happen between now and then, but the rise of Trump and Sanders and why they are striking some chords with the public says a lot about the current state of U.S. politics. Trumpís image as a self-funded political outsider and straight-talker has great appeal with conservative Republican voters who lament the direction of the country and who are nostalgic for the way things used to be. Trumpís background as a reality TV star has served him well. He is a master showman and enjoys the limelight, teasing an audience this week in Michigan by looking into the future. ìLadies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,î he said to loud applause. So far, Trumpís record of verbal attacks on Mexican illegal immigrants and his fellow Republican White House contenders have not hurt him much in the polls, where he leads both nationally and in key early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. And despite mixed reviews in the first Republican debate and concerns about his blunt style, Trump, who also boasts a multi-billion dollar real estate empire, remains atop the polls and continues to draw enthusiastic crowds. ìWe have heads being chopped off because they are Christian in the Middle East,î Trump said of other Republican contenders in his Michigan speech. ìWe have borders where people are being killed all up. The world is cracking up and they are worried about my tone. I should be toning it down, down.î Fellow Republican contender Jeb Bush told supporters at a rally in Nevada that Trumpís rhetoric is divisive and could hurt the Republican Party in next yearís election. ìIím frustrated like you are that the system isnít working and the government is not working on our behalf. But there is no reason to be paralyzed by anger,î Bush said. Other rivals are stepping up their direct attacks, including with an anti-Trump ad issued this week by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. The Paul ad highlights past Trump comments praising Democrats including frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Despite the Trump surge in recent months, Republicans still have 17 candidates to choose from and a long way to go before the field gets sorted out, said analyst Josh Kraushaar, the executive editor of the Hotline. ìJeb Bush is one of the frontrunners and he didnít really own the debate stage. It is a real warning sign that there is no frontrunner in this Republican field and this Republican nomination is wide open.î Democrats have their own surprise contender in Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who continues to draw huge crowds among liberal Democrats looking for an alternative to Mrs. Clinton. Sanders has focused on income inequality and the power of wealthy individuals and corporations influencing politics. ìWhen we stand united, we can create a new America,î Sanders told a huge crowd in California this week. Sanders leads in a recent New Hampshire poll as Mrs. Clinton battles doubts about her trustworthiness fueled by a controversy over her email practices while secretary of State. Mrs. Clintonís difficulties have increasingly become the focus of the Republican presidential field. ìThey think Hillary Clinton is vulnerable and the scandal over her email server is certainly giving them optimism on that front,î said Kraushaar. ìSo they think this is a very ripe time to run, and they feel Democrats are vulnerable come 2016.î Mrs. Clinton has long been seen as the Democratic frontrunner. But her political problems of late have some Democrats urging a run by Vice President Joe Biden, who so far has not ruled out a bid. In fact, the official Draft Biden effort recently announced the hiring of additional staff. There are also reports that aides to former vice president Al Gore, the loser of the 2000 election, have urged him to consider entering the race. No official comment from Gore on that as yet. But analysts warn that if Mrs. Clinton remains embattled, pressure could mount on other well-known Democrats to make a late entry into the race. U.S. senator off the fence in opposition to Iran deal By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
With a month left before the deadline for U.S. Congress to vote on the international deal limiting Iran's nuclear program, President Barack Obama appears to have lost his only chance to get any Republican support for the agreement. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a main target of White House lobbying, said Saturday that while he supported the negotiation process with Iran, he will vote against the deal. Flake said the benefits of limiting Iran's nuclear ability for a period of time do not outweigh what he called severe limitations the deal puts on Congress and future presidential administrations "in responding to Iran's non-nuclear behavior in the region." "Hoping that Iran's nuclear ambitions might change after a 15-year sabbatical might be a bet worth making," Flake said in a statement. "Believing that Iran's regional behavior will change tomorrow -- while giving up tools to deter or modify such behavior -- is not." At the close of the negotiations in mid-July, Congress began a 60-day review period during which it can vote to approve or reject the deal. Voting no would mean not lifting congressionally imposed sanctions, which would go against part of what Iran would gain in exchange for limiting its nuclear activity. Obama has promised to use his veto power if the House of Representatives and Senate reject the pact negotiated between Iran and a group of six world powers that also included Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany. Without Republican support, the president will need support from Democrats who make up a minority in the House and the Senate in order to prevent both from overriding the veto. But an override would take a two-thirds majority in both chambers, a high threshold that will be difficult for opponents of the deal to reach. Republicans hold 54 of the Senate's 100 seats and would need at least 13 Democrats to vote no. So far, just Sen. Chuck Schumer has said he will oppose the deal, while 20 Senate Democrats have said they will support it. The Senate will begin its debate when Congress reconvenes Sept. 8. Meanwhile, in the House, Republicans hold 247 of the 435 seats, meaning they need 43 Democrats to join their side. Ten House Democrats say they will reject the agreement, while 46 have pledged their support. Iran cannot get full relief from the sanctions that have hurt its economy until the U.N. nuclear agency says the government has complied with requests in a longstanding probe of its past nuclear activity, as well as new measure to shrink its current atomic program. The International Atomic Energy Agency came to an agreement with Iran last month to wrap up its investigation by December and issue a final assessment on allegations that Iran worked to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has long insisted its program is solely for peaceful purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Iran had met a deadline to turn over documents linked to the investigation. "Iran today provided the IAEA with its explanation in writing and related documents as agreed in the road map for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear program," the agency said on Saturday, confirming Iran had met a deadline. The information also included a confidential explanation that is not likely to veer from previous Iranian denials of work on such weapons. The investigation has been deadlocked for years with Iran asserting the allegations about the possible militarization of its past nuclear activities are based on false intelligence from the U.S., Israel and other adversaries. Western diplomats from International Atomic Energy Agency member nations who are familiar with the probe are doubtful that Iran will diverge from claiming that all its nuclear activities are and were peaceful, despite what they say is evidence to the contrary. The International Atomic Energy Agency says it takes no information at face value. Under the road map, the International Atomic Energy Agency could ask Tehran to provide more clarification by Oct. 15 so the agency can write a final report by the end of the year. Civil rights activist Bond reported to have died at 75 By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. civil rights activist Julian Bond has died. He was 75. Bond died Saturday night in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, after a brief unspecified illness. President Barack Obama released a statement Sunday, saying, "Julian Bond helped change this country for the better. And what better way to be remembered than that. "Julian Bond was a hero and, Iím privileged to say, a friend. . . . Michelle and I have benefited from his example, his counsel, and his friendship ñ and we offer our prayers and sympathies to his wife, Pamela, and his children," Obama said. Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said upon Bond's death that "the country has lost one of its most passionate and eloquent voices for the cause of justice." Bond was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was a founding member of the iconic Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960 and served as its communications director for five years. Bond led student protests against segregation in America's volatile South during the country's civil rights era in the 1960s. A graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Bond was elected to the state of Georgia's House of Representatives in 1965. However, white members of the House refused to swear in Bond because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court heard Bond's case and ruled that Georgia's legislative body had denied him his freedom of speech and had to seat him. The Nashville, Tennessee, native served in Georgia's House until 1975 and then served six terms in Georgia's Senate from 1975 to 1986. In 1968, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Bond was the first African-American nominated as vice president of the United States. However, he had to withdraw his name because he was too young to serve. In 1986, Bond ran to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, but lost to John Lewis, another civil rights champion. Bond was chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from 1998 until 2010. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes RÌo
Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not be reproduced anywhere without
permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
|
||||||||
| San JosÈ, Costa Rica, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 161 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
||
|
An orchid hunt
can lead to confrontation
Trails are good things for walking. The problem is that a trail cut through the local foliage is likely to disappear very quickly unless used on a daily basis. But with so many different trails to chose from, how are you supposed to use each one every day, especially in the rainy season.
There are a lot of downed trees and tree limbs out here, and some of them harbor orchids and bromeliads. I wear gloves and carry a large sack (which keeps getting hung up on or snagged by branches), a trowel, and a machete. All very necessary tools for removing things from rotted wood. The river's roar is louder and suddenly the dogs take off in its direction barking up a storm, so I hurry to catch up. They are on the bank and seem furious with something in the river . . . a tapir! And it's a big fellow, a monster. It must weigh 500 pounds. Huge, and from the sound of its grunting, not at all happy with being barked at by my dogs, but standing its ground in a small pool. This must be the tapir whose footprints we have found in the garden, the one eating fallen fruit. Why didn't I bring my camera? Maybe it was just showing off, but the dogs, one a German shepherd, find their courage and jump into the river and right at the tapir. Does he run? Not this big guy. He gives a kind of bellow and jumps right back at them! Well, you have never seen two dogs run away from something as fast as these two did. Run like mad, not over to poor defenseless me, waiting by the river, but run like mad in the direction of home leaving me all alone with a large angry tapir. I freeze. Then, talking very quietly to this grunting monster who is giving me the evil eye, I start to back away into the trees. I keep moving away very slowly until I can no longer see him. Back at the house, my dogs are waiting for me. They don't look in the least ashamed of themselves and don't seem troubled when I scowl at them in disgust. Me? I need a shower.  Plant
for the Week
Someone asked me why I never take a picture of a vegetable,
so here is a picture of a vegetable - Costa Rican spinach. It is
green and leafy and even the newest leaves are hard to chew. It doesn't
taste like spinach either but it's good in soup.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 |
| Costa Rican News |
AMCostaRicaArchives.com |
Retire NOW
in Costa Rica |
CostaRicaReport.com |
| Fine Dining
in Costa Rica |
The CAFTA Report |
Fish
fabulous Costa Rica |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents of this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes RÌo
Colorado S.A. 2015 and may not be reproduced anywhere without
permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
| From Page 7: Even government victimized by fake emails By the A.M. Costa Rica staff No one seems to be immune from the theft of their email address. A spam message arrived Sunday bearing the return address of a Costa Rican government agency, the DirecciÛn Nacional de Desarrollo de la Comunidad. Either a spammer accessed the government server or simply counterfeited the return address. Spammers also have been known to use fake addresses that say the messages come from A.M. Costa Rica. The newspaper does not arrange marriages with Russian brides, provide solutions to hair loss, provide cheap air fares, sell pet insurance or do the many services these fake messages attribute to it. A.M. Costa Rica staffers get thousands of spam emails each day, including some purportedly sent by someone at the newspaper. The fact that email messages are cheap leads some firms to advertise that way. Their legitimate commercial messages mix with spams, trojans, worms and other types of malware. They create a serious public relations problem for email advertisers. |
