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Published Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, in Vol. 17, No. 187
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 187
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Solís
and wife spurn Brazil’s president
By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
President Luis Guillermo Solís, his wife, Mercedes Peñas, and the foreign minister, Manuel González, created political waves here when they stood up and left the United Nations assembly hall when Michael Temer, president of Brazil, began to speak Tuesday. The Costa Rican exodus was joined by Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Cuba, all headed by leftist regimes. A statement from the foreign ministry said that Costa Rica has been following closely the situation in Brazil where president Dilma Rousseff was removed from office by the congress. Temer, the the vice president, took over. Politicians here both praised and criticized the presidential action. Meanwhile in Brazil, a judge ordered former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to stand trial on charges of corruption and money laundering. He is Ms. Rousseff ‘s mentor and she was his hand-picked successor. Students mark International Day of Peace By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Public school students will be celebrating today as the Día Internacional de la Paz at 9 a.m. today at the Parque de la Independencia and the Anfiteatro Municipal de Cartago. Ana Helena Chacón, the nation’s second vice president, will speak, as will other officials. Other observances will take place in the country’s schools. In Cartago winners will be announced in a contest to write a song extolling peace. This is a day designated by the United Nations. The international organization said that the theme this year is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.”
Guide
outlines growing medicinal plants
By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Biologists at Tecnológico de Costa Rica have created a technical guide on the production of medicinal plants. The effort received aid from the Universidad de Costa Rica. The workers at the Cartago university said they see medicinal plants as a way to improve the economic situation of many rural families. The guide contains scientific information that identifies the various plants and outlines how they are cultivated. The guide also shows the geological areas in which the plants thrive. Medicinal plants are available at nearly every farm market in Costa Rica, and several native populations are well-known for producing these types of plant products. The various central markets also have many products on display. The university said that the production could be profitable if done correctly.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 187
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| Bill
would eliminate Oct. 12 holiday in favor of a new one
Dec. 1 |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Christopher Columbus would lose more ground in Costa Rica if a new bill becomes law. The measure, No. 20.107, would eliminate the Oct. 12 Día de la Cultura holiday and create one Dec. 1 to mark the country’s elimination of the army. Oct. 12 is called Columbus day elsewhere, and that used to be the name Costa Rica. But the name was changed for many of the reasons expressed in the current bill. The arrival of the Europeans resulted in enslavement and decimation of the native populations. In Costa Rica, Pablo Presbere, a BriBri leader, carried on a lengthy resistance until he was captured and executed in 1710. A summary prepared for legislator Ronny Monge Salas says |
that
Dec. 1 already is designated the Día de la
Abolición del Ejército, but it is not a national
holiday. “The objective of this bill is to celebrate our particular form of relationship with the world and at the same time open a space for reflexion over how we see ourselves, Costa Ricans, and how they see us from far,” said the summary. Costa Rica now has 11 national holidays. The bill would keep the number the same and designate Dec. 1 a national holiday, but one in which pay for employees who take off is not obligatory. Costa Rica eliminated the army in 1948, in part to prevent a coup. The Oct.12 holiday this year will be observed because the bill is unlikely to be passed in the next three weeks. but the date is being changed to Monday, Oct.17, to create a three-day weekend. |
| Lizzie
Borden still provides the fodder for a dramatic
encounter |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The celebrated and still unsolved 1892 murder case is proving the plot for a play that makes modern observations of the chief suspect, Lizzie Borden. The play is called "Lizzie Borden," and it was one of six winners this year in a theatrical contest conducted by the Compañía Nacional de Teatro. The play opens tonight and runs into October at the Teatro 1887 in the Centro Nacional de la Cultura. Lizzie Borden was accused of killing her stepmother and father with an ax in Fall River, Massachusetts, but she was not convicted and continued to live in the town, facing what the play calls an exile of silence. The play, which won in the gender violence category of the contest, addresses the reactions of her neighbors that the murder suspect endured, according to a summary. The summary also says that one theme is what it meant to be a woman in those years in a patriarchal society. Mexican author Lucía Leonor Enríquez wrote the drama, which invites the audience to participate in a trial to discover the guilt or innocence of Lizzie Borden, said the theater company. The crime already has been featured in many songs, an |
 Grisly poster leaves little to
the imagination.
orchestral work and even an opera over the years. The crime has many aspects. Lizzie Borden and her sister did not get along with their stepmother, and the father was a skinflint despite being wealthy. The director is Dayanara Guevara, and curtain time is 8 p.m. |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 187
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| Bill
would freeze Río Naranjo projects to protect Manuel
Antonio park |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A new bill in the legislature seeks to prevent hydro projects along the Río Naranjo and protect Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. The Naranjo is one of two rivers that bracket the famous park on the central Pacific coast. The bill would suspend construction of any hydro project for 25 years and seems to target one project in particular. This is the Represa Hidroeléctrica los Llanos in the community of Naranjillo in Dota. The bill says that the project has impact on the Reserva Forestal Los Santos and would cause the loss of forest and terrain. The bill also said that some 30,000 residents of the Quepos area are threatened by water and material that can be an avalanche |
coming
down the river. The bill also would freeze gravel
extraction along the river except for municipal uses. The bill, No. 20.098, covers a vast area, the entire river watershed, an estimated 323 square kilometers and about 0.63 percent of the national territory. Despite being the crown jewel of the country’s national park system, Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio always is having problems due to budget shortfalls. Just this month a local television station showed that someone is planting a rice field and African palms for oil in an isolated area of the park. The bill addresses other problems, such as those that cause silt to flow down from above and concessions that take water from the river. |
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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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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of
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Colorado S.A. 2016 and may not be reproduced anywhere
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, Vol. 17, No. 187
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in world is of epic proportions By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
President Barack Obama hosted the first Leaders Summit on Refugees in New York City Tuesday, saying the world is facing a crisis of epic proportions. "We are here because right now in crowded camps in cities around the world there are families from Darfur in Chad, Palestinians in Lebanon, Afghans in Pakistan, Colombians in Ecuador, who’ve endured years, in some cases, decades, as refugees surviving on rations and aid and who dream of someday, somehow, having a home of their own,” the president said. Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini, a member of the refugee Olympic team, introduced Obama. She told her family’s story, saying they were refugees on a boat, and that when the engine failed, she and others had to get out and pull the boat by swimming. Just a year later, Mardini said, she had the chance to compete in the Rio Olympics on the refugee team. She offered this message: “It is not a choice to flee from your home. . . . Refugees can achieve great things if given the opportunity.” Obama told Ms. Mardini he could not be prouder of her, "for your courage and your resilience and the great example that you're setting for children everywhere — including your 8-year-old sister, who I know must look up to you.” He said she was the face of so many young girls and boys who have had to flee their homes. Earlier Tuesday, the White House announced that 51 private U.S. companies had pledged to invest $650 million to help refugees around the world. The companies include Airbnb, IBM, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Chobani, Uber, Ikea and Microsoft. They have vowed to provide various types of in-kind support to refugees, including Chromebook computers from Google, plus educational, job training and employment opportunities. New York bombing suspect faces terrorism allegations By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
U.S. officials unsealed a criminal indictment against Afghan-born bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, charging him with planting a series of bombs in New York and New Jersey over the past three days in an act of terrorism. Charges against Rahami included an allegation that he tried to use a weapon of mass destruction. The young man already had been charged with attempted murder following a shootout with police in New Jersey. He now is in a hospital recovering from gunshot wounds suffered at the time of his arrest. The disclosure of the terrorism case against the 28-year-old man followed the FBI's admission earlier Tuesday that it looked into Rahami's activities two years ago, but found insufficient evidence to launch a full-scale investigation. The FBI said it carried out an assessment of Rahami in 2014, based on a tip from his father, who told agents at the time that he was concerned about his son's possible involvement with extremists. However, during a subsequent meeting with investigators, Mohammad Rahami revised his story, saying the source of his worries were the young man's associations with criminals and thugs. The FBI said it took a look at the younger Rahami's activities and found nothing that would warrant further investigation. At the time of the FBI's involvement in 2014, Rahami was in jail for allegedly stabbing his brother. Prosecutors in New Jersey initially charged the 28-year-old with five counts of attempted murder stemming from his shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey, where he was found sleeping in the doorway of a bar Monday morning. Two police officers were wounded in that clash. Rahami was born in Afghanistan, emigrated to the U.S. when he was 7 years old, and has since become a naturalized American citizen. Surveillance video has shown him in the vicinity of the spot where a bomb went off Saturday night in New York City, and also walking near the spot several hundred meters away where another, unexploded bomb was recovered hours after the original explosion. Police also have linked Rahami to an explosion in a garbage can Saturday morning in Seaside Park, New Jersey. The blast was relatively minor, because part of the device failed to detonate, but it forced cancellation of a charity foot race organized by members of the U.S. Marine Corps. Rahami is known to have traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan several years ago. When he was shot, investigators said, Rahami was carrying a notebook containing extremist ramblings, including references to Anwar al-Awliki, an American-born Muslim cleric killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011. Trump and Mrs. Clinton trade barbs over their qualifications By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton attacked each other Tuesday as unfit to carry the U.S. fight to defeat Islamic State jihadists. Trump, a brash real estate billionaire seeking his first elected office, claimed Mrs. Clinton "demonstrates a level of ignorance about the terror threat . . . that is disqualifying for a person seeking the presidency." He told college students at a rally in the mid-Atlantic state of North Carolina, a key election battleground for both candidates, that "when she says my opposition to radical Islamic terror provides aid and comfort to the enemy, we know that Hillary Clinton has once again demonstrated that she's really unfit for office." "Her comments are not only reckless, but beneath the dignity of the office that she seeks," Trump charged. Mrs. Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of State looking to become the country's first female president, alleged Monday that Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric has made him a recruiting sergeant for the terrorists. But Trump told his North Carolina supporters, "I'm being tough. How is that a recruiting tool?" Mrs. Clinton stayed off the campaign trail Tuesday while preparing for next Monday's first debate with Trump. But she spoke with national security advisers to discuss last weekend's bombing in New York, allegedly carried out by a naturalized U.S. citizen of Afghan descent. She said recent violent attacks in the U.S. showed that "to defeat the terrorists, we need experienced, steady leadership." She did not name Trump, but said it was important to not "lose our cool and start ranting and waving our arms." Mrs. Clinton said it was not the time for extreme proposals, adding, "that's what the terrorists are aiming for." Earlier, Trump belittled Mrs. Clinton's lack of a public appearance Tuesday, saying on his Twitter account, "Hillary Clinton is taking the day off again. She needs the rest. Sleep well Hillary — see you at the debate!" Trump and Clinton are locked in a tight contest to become the country's 45th president, to replace President Barack Obama when he leaves office next January. Trump, a one-time television reality show host, has erased most of the 8-percentage-point edge Clinton held over him in early August. An average of national polls compiled by RealClearPolitics shows her currently holding a 1.3-percentage-point lead seven weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 election. The margin of error in polls is typically 3-4 percentage points. One of the candidate's sons, Donald Trump Jr., also drew a big response Monday with a picture he posted on Twitter comparing Syrian refugees to Skittles candy and decrying a "politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first." "If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful?" reads the text above a bowl of the candy. Skittles maker Wrigley issued a statement rebuffing the younger Trump's post. European terror networks seen as having roots in past By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
There are direct links between the al-Qaida terror networks of the last decade and the Islamic State-linked terror cells in Europe that have carried out a series of attacks in recent months, according to a new report. The study by the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based research institution, looked at the al-Qaida-linked terror networks in Europe in the early 2000s, around the time of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led invasion of Afghanistan, and the current networks linked to Islamic State that were responsible for the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels. Time and again, the same names appeared. “The recidivism of those individuals who had originally been convicted of al-Qaida activism, almost training and grooming those individuals who would go on to be involved in the Paris and Brussels attacks,” said Rupert Sutton, co-author of the report. Those individuals included Abdelhamid Abaaoud, chief coordinator of the Paris attacks in November 2015, and Najeem Laachraoui, one of the network's chief bomb makers, who detonated a suicide bomb at Brussels airport in March. “They were connected to a number of individuals with previous convictions for al-Qaida activity, and to a cleric called Khalid Zerkani, who acted almost as a father figure to a number of these individuals. He was actually known as Papa Noel because he used the proceeds of his petty crime to shower them with gifts and look after them at the same time as radicalizing them,” Sutton said. Many of the elder members of former al-Qaida networks had traveled to fight in Afghanistan the previous decade, and passed on their knowledge to embryonic terror cells in Europe as the Syrian civil war became a rallying call for jihadist fighters. “Providing them with expertise on bomb-making or network formation, but also providing them with advice on perhaps how to travel to a conflict zone to gain training, how to gain combat experience and how to use those conflict zones as areas in which you can formulate your own ideas and formulate your own attacks," Sutton said. He added combat experience appears key, as the most serious Islamic State-linked terror plots in Europe have been planned by European citizens returning from the Syrian frontline, however, those individuals are often beneath intelligence radars. “Often these individuals perhaps haven't come into contact with the authorities in the past. So whilst there are direct connections between the two networks, the individuals that are recruited by those veterans perhaps have only come into contact with the police through a record of petty crime," he said. Sutton said former al-Qaida operatives also passed on expertise in how to evade detection on their return to Europe. “Perhaps one of the most worrying factors is that a number of these individuals were stopped by police on their returns, showed fake identities and gave fake names, and were able to continue on their journey.” The report's authors say the links show the need to improve efforts to challenge radicalization in prisons and develop better ways of preventing offenders from being drawn into terrorism. Fitness tracker are reported failing losing-weight test By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
That wearable fitness tracker many hoped would help them shed a few kilos probably isn’t working, a new study claims. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh say that over a two-year trial, people who only took part in health counseling lost more weight than those who wore a fitness tracker and took counseling. In fact, those who took only counseling lost nearly six kilograms, while those who also used a fitness tracker only lost 3.5 kilograms. “These devices should not be relied upon as tools for weight management in place of effective behavioral counseling for physical activity and diet,” said John Jakicic, the study’s lead researcher and chair of Pitt’s Department of Health and Physical Activity. The study looked at 470 subjects between 18 and 35 with body mass indices between 25 and 39 when the study began. That ranges from overweight to obese. Over three quarters of the participants were women and 29 percent were minorities. Participants were all put on a low-calorie diet and were told to up their physical activity. They also received group counseling sessions about diet and nutrition. They had their weight monitored every six months over the 24-month study. After six months, researchers divided the group into two, one that continued with counseling on a monthly basis and those who were given a wearable fitness tracker. Eighteen months later, both groups showed significant improvements in body composition, fitness, physical activity, and diet, with no significant difference between groups. However, when it came to losing weight, the group that got the counseling lost nearly twice as much. “The findings of our study are important because effective long-term treatments are needed to address America’s obesity epidemic,” said Jakicic. “We’ve found that questions remain regarding the effectiveness of wearable devices and how to best use them to modify physical activity and diet behaviors in adults seeking weight loss.” The study was released Tuesday in the journal JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. Ex-president in Brazil told to stand trial for corruption By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
A Brazilian judge has ordered former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to stand trial on charges of corruption and money laundering. Judge Sergio Moro ruled Tuesday that Lula, who served as president from 2003 to 2011, will be tried for allegedly accepting $1.15 million in bribes connected to a sweeping kickback probe at state-run oil company Petrobras. Also on trial will be the former first lady and six others. Lula's hand-chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, was found guilty of breaking budget rules and was dismissed from the presidency last month. Ms. Rousseff’s successor, former vice president Michel Temer, has pulled the country to the political and economic right, trying to boost Brazil out of its worst economic recession since the 1930s. In explaining his decision, Moro said Silva and others benefited from renovations at a beachfront apartment in the coastal city of Guaruja in Sao Paulo state. The improvements were made by the construction company OAS, which is one of those involved in the kickback scheme at Petrobras. Lula has denied all charges against him, but the decision may prevent Brazil's power player from making a political comeback in the 2018 presidential campaign. It could also derail any hopes the Partido dos Trabalhadores had of returning to power, according to some experts. Despite the corruption allegations facing the party and several of its former coalition partners, the most recent polls have shown Lula remains a leading candidate for 2018. Lula was charged with three counts each of corruption, which carries a maximum sentence of 16 years per count, and money laundering, with a possible sentence of up to 10 years per count. If found guilty, however, the sentence would be determined by the judge. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents
of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2016 and may not be reproduced anywhere
without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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A.M. Costa Rica sixth news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica,
Wednesday,
Sept. 21, 2016, Vol.
17, No. 187
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Turrialba volcano seems to settle down By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Turrialba volcano continued to emit ash, gas and vapor until about 4 p.m. Tuesday when the mountain seemed to quiet down. The change was reflected in the data received from monitoring equipment. The volcano observers said that the mountain produced a series of what were called pulses all day as it ejected more material. However, the ash clouds were not very high, and persons living north of San José said conditions were much better than Monday when there was a continual rain of ash. Conditions allowed operations to resume around 11 a.m. at Juan Santamaría airport. Some 5,000 passengers were grounded after midday Monday when the volcano dumped ash on the airport. The national emergency commission continued a low-level alert and restrictions on travel within five kilometers of the volcano. Local emergency commissions in the cantons of Alvarado, Oreamuno and Turrialba have been mobilized. Some 581 residents of the communities of La Fuente, El Tapojo, Las Virtudes, La Central and La Pastora, near the volcano are receiving trucked water. The government also is continuing to buy hay for the animals that are on the slopes of the volcano. These are mostly milk cows that have not been moved by their owners. About the best the experts can do is watch because no one really knows what the mountain will do. In fact, after dark and when there are clouds, scientists lose sight of the mountain peak, and they must rely on their monitoring equipment. Charlotte shooting generates protest By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Protesters clashed with police and shut down a major highway overnight in the eastern U.S. city of Charlotte, North Carolina, after a black officer shot dead a black man at an apartment complex. Police said the shooting happened Tuesday afternoon as officers were looking for someone else and saw 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott get out of a car with a gun. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney told reporters that the officer who shot Scott felt he posed an imminent threat and that a gun was recovered at the scene. Family members said Scott was unarmed. The protests began shortly after the shooting and extended into Wednesday. |
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| From Page 7: New apps to help coffee and fish producers By the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
USAID has created a series of tools that help coffee and fish producers keep track of climate conditions that may affect their business. They are Coffee Cloud and Clima Pesca. The development was done with the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza. They both are apps for smart phones that give immediate information on climate, including satellite data. An announcement said that the apps were the result of three years of work. The apps also allow the user to connect to their national organizations for additional information. Although the program talks about climate change, the apps address the little picture and not the big picture. Agricultural producers and those in fishing are interested in minute-to-minute and day-to-day changes, such as the weather, that affect their businesses. |
