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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday,
Sept. 8, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 177
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Missing family's
vehicle found in Heredia
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The case of the missing Caribbean coast family continues to be a strange one. Victor Blanco Vega and Andrea Angulo Fernández vanished with their two children Monday night. The Fuerza Pública reported that the family's car turned up over the weekend in Calle Víquez in Llorente de Flores in Heredia. Blanco, a former police officer, faces a criminal trial for robbery in November, so police do not know if he and his family have been abducted or are on the run. His wife is a police officer who is on maternity leave. The family lives in Boston de Matina. Police said that when they found the family's vehicle, someone had removed the license plates. Investigators said they were able to confirm the ownership of the vehicle from the window stickers. Agrochemical use reported to be lower By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rican farmers, who are notorious for their use of chemicals has cut usage more than half, said the Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado. Over six years, the use of active ingredients per hectare fell from 20.1 kilos to 9.1 kilos the agency said. In 2013 farmers planted 767,331 hectares. some 1.9 million acres. Congress returns to talk about terrorists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Congress is back in session today after more than a month away from Washington. The House and Senate must pass a spending bill by the end of September to keep the U.S. government funded. Lawmakers hope to act quickly so they can head home to campaign ahead of November, when the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for election. However, major international developments may command lawmakers' attention. The second beheading last week of an American journalist, Steven Sotloff, elicited an emotional response from many members of Congress across the country. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, a Republican, said the Islamic State militant group poses a singular threat. "What is unique about ISIS's strategy is the release of this information, the way in which it boasts of its capacity to kill and terrorize," said Royce. Royce and others say the U.S. must lead an international coalition to go after Islamic State targets with drones and air strikes. President Barack Obama said he will meet with congressional leaders Tuesday to discuss his strategy for going after the Islamic State and will address the nation Wednesday. The House will hold five hearings this week focusing on terrorism. Some lawmakers say President Obama should seek congressional authorization for a broader military campaign in Iraq, and possibly even in Syria. Steve Billet is a professor at George Washington University. "I think they probably will pass something related to ISIS. What form that actually takes in the end is another issue. Will we move beyond using drones for air strikes? Will we put more people on the ground? Will we actually put people on the ground that will engage in military exercises? That’s a bigger issue," said Billet. Another unresolved issue is immigration reform and the influx of Central American children at the U.S. southern border. The president said Saturday he will postpone any executive action on immigration reform until after the midterm elections. Immigrants' rights groups and pro-immigration lawmakers say they are disappointed and have accused the president of playing politics with immigrants' lives, as more undocumented people are deported daily. Several Republicans also said the president's decision can be attributed to raw politics. For months, the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House have been unable to agree on legislation on a number of pressing issues such as immigration reform, and many lawmakers would like to avoid votes on controversial issues just weeks before the mid-term elections.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 177 | |
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| Potential investor in Jacó banned from job and
securities trading |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The president of a firm that was involved in buying real estate in Jacó has resigned after being ordered to do so by the British Columbia Securities Commission. The outgoing president is Ken Chua, and the firm is Oriens Travel & Hotel Management Corp. A British Columbia securities panel ordered that Chua resign any position he holds as an officer or a director of an issuer or registrant. He is banned from trading in securities, purchasing securities or exchange contracts and from becoming or acting as a director or officer of any issuer or registrant for six years. He is also prohibited, for the same period, from becoming or acting as a registrant or promoter, from engaging in investor relations activities, and from acting in a management or consultative capacity in connection with the securities market, the panel said. The sanctions come after the securities panel said it found that Chua and another man distributed shares of Oriens to three British Columbia residents without filing a prospectus and for which no prospectus exemptions were available. Oriens raised proceeds of U.S. $58,500, it said. In its sanctions decision, the panel noted that Chua, "continues to pose a risk to our investors and our markets" and that Alexander Anderson, the second man, had a limited role in the misconduct. A.M. Cost Rica reported in July that Chua's firm has agreed to buy an interest in half of a building at the north end of Jacó. |
The statement adds
that Oriens has been pre-approved for $1.2 million
of financing and expects to raise additional amounts through
asset-backed financing. All the statements from Oriens have come through commercial investment public relations services. Reporters have never been able to reach Chua by telephone. Oriens in its latest statement never mentioned British Columbia or said why Chua was leaving. A company spokesperson said, "In light of recent events, along with those changes soon to be implemented for the growth and well-being of the company, the timing for Mr. Chau's resignation is best for both Oriens' and its shareholders." It said the company soon will name a successor. There was no word of the firm's plans for Jacó. Oriens, a Las Vegas firm, is traded on the pink sheets. Chua and Anderson were identified as British Columbia residents by the securities panel. During its continuing announcement of projects in Jacó, Oriens said it has worked with Hundley's Daystar Properties. Patrick Hundley, the principal in Daystar, said Sunday that his firm has no relationship with Oriens or Chua. Oriens operates an online reservation service. In addition to being barred from the securities industry, the British Columbia panel also ordered Chua to pay to the commission the U.S. $58,500 obtained as a result of his and Oriens' misconduct. He and Oriens are jointly and severally liable for this amount. Furthermore, Chua was ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $35,000, the panel said. |
| Young Ticos come to the rescue when a storm sewer tries to
eat a tire |
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By
Jay Brodell
editor of A.M. Costa Rica The phrase has already been used, but it really was a dark and stormy night, Friday about 7 p.m. on Avenida 7 in a place where police do not like to go. This is a tale of two idiots and a redemption. Idiot No. 1 was the clown who pulled his car forward to block the intersection. Idiot No. 2 is me because I tried to maneuver my car around his because I had the green light and was in a hurry. Klunk! One of my first observations when I arrived in Costa Rica was the depth of the storm gutters. Later, when the rains came, I realized why some are two feet deep. The one I dropped the front right wheel of the car into was a good two and a half feet. A helpful young street vendor suggested that I just back out. Clearly he never had driven. I stared at the front wheel in its concrete vault. The left rear wheel was dangling in the air. I contemplated a $50 tow truck bill to just pull the car to the asphalt. The cavalry came in the form of two groups of young men in their 20s. They quickly concluded they could lift the vehicle out of the pit. I doubted it. |
 A.M.
Costa Rica graphic
The SUV was down by the bow! But I returned to the driver's seat while the eight young men braced themselves and then righted the car. The job was easy to just back up slightly with three wheels on the ground. Another example of Costa Rican kindness when you least expect it. They dispersed so quickly that I did not have a chance to thank them all. But I do so now. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 177 | |||||
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| Scientists sequence genome of robusta coffee species and are
surprised |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The genetic sequence of the coffee plant, robusta, has been deciphered by an international team of scientists. Robusta accounts for about one-third of the coffee consumed worldwide. The coffee grown in Costa Rica is arabica. By laying bare the plant’s genetic building blocks, researchers will be able to improve breeding as well as genetically modify it. Most surprising to geneticists was discovering the genes for caffeine. Scientists have speculated the plant evolved a mechanism for producing caffeine to lure insect pollinators, just as people can get addicted to coffee. It’s also been thought that caffeine, which can be |
toxic, is a
defense against leaf-destroying insects. The researchers determined that coffee's caffeine genes are not related to the genes responsible for caffeine in the cacao tree, the source of chocolate. That they developed separately indicates that caffeine is a valuable evolutionary asset. Having mapped the coffee plant’s genome, researchers say they could potentially make plants resistant to climate change and eliminate caffeine in coffee, producing a better tasting brew for those who only drink the decaffeinated variety. It's estimated that 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day, making it the principal agricultural crop in many tropical countries. The genetic blueprint of the coffee plant robusta is published in the journal Science. |
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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U.N. Internet forum considers surveillance of journalists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In the wake of major whistleblower scandals, from the emergence of WikiLeaks to Edward Snowden's revelations about mass state surveillance operations conducted by the United States, concerns over increasing national and international surveillance is dominating the dialogue of several round-table talks at this year's U.N.-sponsored Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul. At the heart of the debate: the rapid growth of companies selling powerful Internet surveillance software in a lucrative international market that remains largely unregulated and, some say, unregulable. While U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has proposed measures to protect journalists and bloggers from surveillance, the specter of an unregulated multi-billion dollar, privately-run surveillance software industry has been, for some, one of the most alarming concerns. "It's sold all over the world ... and what we have to do — since journalists and bloggers and net citizens can be spied on by this kind of surveillance technology, which its extremely powerful— is try to regulate the export," said Gregoire Pouget of Reporters Without Borders. Laura Tresca, Brazilian representative for the anti-censorship group Article 19, says Latin America is also becoming a big market for the new software industry. "Brazil in the last four years spent nearly $200 million on software and technology for surveillance in Brazil. The excuse was the World Cup, but we have several evidence that this software was used to monitor activists to avoid protests," she said. Scott Busby of the U.S. State Department says it is using current regulations used to control the weapons industry to try to monitor the distribution of surveillance software. "It’s an issue of great concern to us, not only because some of the companies doing this are American companies," he said. "I would point out is being addressed under the VASNA arrangement, for the non-proliferation of dangerous items. It formally dealt with weapons and now looking at surveillance technologies." But experts and activists say surveillance software is very different from weapons and that the industry will need specific regulations. Silvia Grundmann, head of the media division of the Council of Europe, says European companies are among the leaders in the surveillance software industry. She says finding the balance between human rights, the Internet and trade is invariably a time-consuming process. "If you go into new regulation, new laws either on the domestic level or the international level — notably international level — it takes a long period time," she said. "And during this period of time journalists get surveilled and they might even lose their lives as a result of it. So I think time is crucial factor there, and my call is to use domestic laws." Pouget agrees. "There is a really new market, which is around $5 billion .... so more and more companies will invest in that, so we need to regulate," he said. "Otherwise, every state — democracy or not — will use this technology, and these technologies will [become] less and less expensive and more widely used." For now, Pouget says, the prohibitive cost of the software means only nation-states can afford it. But as the cost of the software declines, large companies and even wealthy individuals may be able to purchase it, at which point the power of surveillance enjoyed by a few nation-states could find its way to the mass market. Ebola in Liberia continues to stress health system By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The ebola caseload continues to grow in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, even as more people accept the disease and try to stay safe. Health workers are struggling to identify and isolate the sick before they can infect others. The outbreak has paralyzed the country’s public health system, and existing Ebola treatment units are having to turn suspected cases away. And health volunteers are now even going door-to-door looking for the sick. There was a brief celebration amid all the sickness and death when 12 Ebola survivors were released from the government-run ELWA-2 treatment unit. Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyensuah said they are making progress every day in Monrovia but added to that the struggle is far from over. “The fact is that transmission is still going on. I’m not saying that transmission has been broken. No, I cannot deceive the world,” said Nyensuah. In an effort to outflank the virus health volunteers have started doing rounds in Monrovia’s West Point shantytown. They don’t use the word "ebola" and introduce themselves casually. “We are here on health matters,” said one in a group of volunteers stopping at a local home. “We want to know as to whether you have any sick persons. Somebody suffering from malaria, fever, typhoid, pressure?” A resident responded that there were no sick people in the home. It's the height of the malaria and typhoid season, and those people need care, but ebola also has similar symptoms. Suspected cases must be found and taken to isolation, the volunteers say. Back at the area’s health center, the waiting room is near empty. Staff say people are scared to come, scared it may be contaminated or that they may be taken to isolation. Contact tracers deliver their reports. They have just visited about 150 people related to 30 suspected ebola victims. Supervisor Marie Hiding says these daily follow-ups are chipping away at resistance. “Because when you see someone going to your house every day asking ‘Oh how are you coming on? Are you sick today? No.’ They will be happy to see us because they see that we care for them and we are concerned.” The government lifted the quarantine on West Point Aug. 30. Authorities barricaded the area after a mob attacked the holding center for suspected ebola patients on Aug. 17. The quarantine led to panic and was criticized as counterproductive. But Liberia’s information minister, Lewis Brown, defended it. “There was a level of denial that needed, in our mind, shock therapy, that needed to be awakened to the fact that 'look, this is deadly. This is serious. This is no hanky-panky business.'” But as resistance fades, another challenge is amplified. Where can sick people go? Ebola treatment units in the capital are full. Doctors Without Borders is expanding one of the units to add 280 beds. Other agencies are building five more units to open later this month. British government plans sweeteners for Scotland By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The British government scrambled Sunday to respond to a lurch in the opinion polls toward a vote for Scottish independence this month by pledging greater autonomy for Scotland if it chooses to stay within the United Kingdom. British finance minister George Osborne said on Sunday greater tax, welfare and spending powers would be announced in the coming days and would be implemented if Scotland votes in a historic referendum on Sept. 18 to remain in the 300-year-old union with England. The government's offer came after a YouGov poll published in The Sunday Times newspaper gave the "Yes" camp 51 percent support compared to the "No" camp's 49 percent, excluding undecided voters. Six percent said they had not made up their minds. A month ago, the no vote held a 22-point lead. Although the two-point lead is within the margin of error, the findings dramatically up the stakes ahead of the vote, giving momentum to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and his separatist Scottish National Party. Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the British government's Better Together campaign seemed to be engulfed in panic as the competition for votes tightens. Ms. Sturgeon said that if the British government was serious about giving Scotland more financial powers it would not have waited until two weeks before the referendum. "There is no option of more powers short of independence on the ballot paper," she said. "There is no guarantee whatsoever that if Scotland votes 'no' we will get a single additional power for the Scottish Parliament." Osborne said the changes, being agreed by all three major parties in the British parliament, would be put into effect the moment there was a no vote in the referendum. “You will see in the next few days a plan of action to give more powers to Scotland. ... Then Scotland will have the best of both worlds. They will both avoid the risks of separation but have more control over their own destiny, which is where I think many Scots want to be,” Osborne said. “More tax-raising powers, much greater fiscal autonomy ... more control over public expenditure, more control over welfare rates and a host of other changes," he added. Osborne's comments echo those of former British Prime Minister and opposition Labor party lawmaker Gordon Brown, who said on Friday he would spearhead a push for Scotland to gain more powers if it voted against independence. British Prime Minister David Cameron had, ironically, vetoed a third ballot option for greater devolution, betting that the stark choice of yes or no to independence would deliver a clear victory for the status quo as cautious voters turned away from an uncertain future. After months of surveys showing nationalists heading for defeat, recent polls have seen the gap narrow to the extent that they raise the real prospect that secessionists could achieve their goal of breaking with England. “A two-point gap is too small for us to call the outcome. But the fact that the contest is too close to call is itself remarkable, as Better Together seemed to have victory in the bag,” YouGov President Peter Kellner wrote on his blog. “In the past four weeks support for the union has drained away at an astonishing rate. The Yes campaign has not just invaded No territory; it has launched a blitzkrieg.” A separate poll on Sunday by Panelbase, commissioned by the pro-independence campaign, showed the 'no' camp ahead by four points, 52-48. The poll showed support for a breakaway rising but still short of a majority at 48 percent. When undecideds were included, that fell to 44 percent. Former hostage identifies one of his jailers in Syria By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A French journalist held hostage for months by extremists in Syria has identified one of his captors as Mehdi Nemmouche, the French national accused of killing four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May. Journalist Nicolas Henin named Nemmouche on Saturday, saying he was among his jailers from July to December of last year. Nemmouche is of Algerian decent. He was arrested in France and extradited to Brussels this year after the Jewish Museum attack. Henin said he was very violent toward prisoners, including Syrians held in the same building as the French journalist. Henin was one of four French journalists freed from captivity in Syria in April. While captive, Henin was held for a time with slain American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Recent videos released by the Islamic State extremist group show the two men being beheaded. Serena Williams wins third Women's Open championship By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
American Serena Williams has won her third consecutive U.S. Open women's tennis championship. In a dominating performance Sunday evening in Flushing Meadows, New York, the 32-year-old Williams beat her good friend, 24-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. With her victory, Ms. Williams ties Americans Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with 18 career Grand Slam tournament wins, fourth on the all-time list. Six of her championships have come at the U.S. Open, which Ms. Williams won in 1999 at age 17 for her first Grand Slam title. Both Ms. Evert and Ms. Navratilova came on court during the awards ceremony to give Williams a hug, and they presented her with an 18-carat gold Tiffany bracelet with the number 18 on it, to commemorate the milestone. Williams also won $4 million in prize money, $3 million for winning Sunday's championship, plus a $1 million bonus for finishing first in the U.S. Open Series, which are seven domestic hard court tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open. Two surprise players will meet in the U.S. Open men's final today: 14th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia and 10th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan. Nishikori, the first Asian-born player to reach a U.S. Open men's final, upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in Saturday's semifinals, and Cilic knocked off 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer of Switzerland. This is the first time the men's U.S. Open final will feature two players seeded 10th or lower. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 177 | |||||||||
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What can you do about the rain?
Here I sit with my feet up and a nice cup of tea by my side while I listen to the rain….again. So it seems like a good time to talk about drainage. If your land has a natural slope or your house is built on a hill, you
But it’s not just problems with drainage from running water. What we also have here is rain so intense that the lovely garden soil we worked so hard to build is washing away. Bummer. Even carefully planned and built raised beds are threatened by splash erosion. The rain is hitting the soil so hard that it creates craters right down to our seeds washing them away. Sometimes it even carries away our tender seedlings. Not good at all. But what to do? All the solutions I have tried so far have involved a lot of work. Putting plastic up the sides of the raised beds and weighting it with rocks was only a little effective. I rejected putting boards on the slopes because they attract insects. And I once moved a board in the garden and found a rather long colorful snake hiding under it. Non-poisonous, but startling nevertheless. We watched each other for a while before it decided to vacate the area. (Had it been a large spider, well, the result would have been different. I don’t like spiders.) So, what does work? I have now set things up so that the valleys between the beds all slope in one direction – an outlet under the fence (fence keeps the chickens out) that slopes away to the forest. I still have to go out and pull some of the soil back up to the mounds, but it helps. What helps the most? Shade cloth. Not just for shade anymore. The rain pummels it, but the cloth slows it down and lets it drip softly on my plants. And it seems that a lot of the rain flows down the cloth itself and off into the trench around the raised beds. Some soil still slides off the beds but nowhere near as much as on the unprotected beds. If you have a rainy season solution that works for you, let me know. Especially if it doesn’t involve too much work. Plant of the Day
If you would like to suggest a topic for this column, simply send a letter to the editor. And, for more garden tips, visit the Arenal Gardeners Facebook page. |
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| From Pasge 7: Goat milk will be available as powder By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Goat milk producers now have a plant that will convert 4,000 liters of the product a day into powder. The plant in Aguas Zarcas has just started to provide the powdered milk to SuperMolina in San Ramón and Muñoz & Nanne in San Pedro. The Cooperatica de Productores de Leche de Cabra de la Zona Norte de Alajuela said that soon the product will be in the major chains. The project was a joint one with Comercializadora Valley of Tres Ríos de La Unión de Cartago. By creating a milk powder, not only will the milk last much longer, but the cooperative plans exports to Panamá. The powdered milk will be marketed under the Caprinito label. The cooperative is made up of 95 members in San Carlos, Guatuso, Los Chiles, Upala y Sarapiquí, the organization said. They collectively have about 4,000 animals. |
