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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday,
Sept. 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 188
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Guitar
festival begins Wednesday
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Wednesday is the first day of the XX Festival Internacional de Guitarra in the Teatro Nacional. The festival runs through Sunday and features seven invited international performers and 80 invited Costa Ricans. The festival is dedicated to Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo, who created the famous "Concierto de Aranjuez." He died in 1999. Each night there is a different theme and different artists. Admission is from 8,000 to 15,000 colons. Many student groups are among the performers, including those from the Escuela de Artes Musicales of the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Orquesta de Guitarras of the Universidad Nacional. Naturally the first evening, Wednesday will feature the "Concierto Andaluz," Met opera performances begin Oct. 11 By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The opera season begins Oct. 11 with the presentation of Giuseppe Verdi's "Macbeth" direct from the Metropolitan Opera. The signal is received at the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano for display in the center's Eugene O´Neill Theater in high definition. There are a total of 10 operas that will be shown in the Los Yoses center, including five new productions. They include "The Merry Widow," "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Lady of the Lake." The presentations run through April 25, and all begin in the late morning. Reporter says Sala IV will hear his appeal By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A constitutional complaint against Ottón Solís has been accepted for consideration by the Sala IV constitutional court, according to the complainant, José Rodolfo Ibarra, a reporter. Solís is chairman of the legislative budget committee, and Sept. 10 he ejected from the hearing room reporters, photographers and video crews during consideration of the 2015 budget. Ibarra, a former president of the Colegio de Periodistas, considers this a violation of freedom of the press. The session that followed the ejection was not secret because reporters could hear the session via a speaker. Ibarra also is asking the court to order Solís to abstain from doing the same thing again, the reporter said in a press release. Our reader's opinion
Solís proposal is regressive taxDear A.M. Costa Rica: In your coverage of President Solis’ tax proposals (a value-added tax plus taxation of worldwide income) you mentioned that the value-added tax comes under criticism for the extra paperwork it entails and for the perceived negative impact upon production. What you failed to mention is the most damning consequence of a value-added tax, or any flat tax, upon people of limited financial means. While any flat tax impacts equally (in percentage terms alone) upon everyone, such a tax leaves those with few resources with less to live on post-taxation. Imagine a family with an annual income of (say) $12,000 who pays 10 percent of that in taxes. They would be left with $10,800 to meet their living expenses. Imagine a second family with an annual income of (say) $120,000 who pays the same tax rate. They would be left with $108,000 to meet their expenses. Clearly, the poor suffer more under any flat tax system and that is not consistent with Costa Rica’s general public policy. David C. Murray
Grecia, Alajuela
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| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by A.M. Costa Rica.com Ltda. 2014 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 |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 188 | |
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| Talamanca benefit will give a glimpse of Bribri and
Cabécar life |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The local radio station is putting on a festival this weekend in one of the more remote communities in the Talamancas. The location is Amubri, the home of La Voz de Talamanca, which can be found on 88.3 FM broadcasting along the southern Caribbean coast and into the high Talamancas. The Festival Cultural Ák Wàwok – La Molida en Piedra begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. The staff of the radio station promise a candid look into the culture of both the Bribri and the Cabécar who live in the areas. The community is east of the regional commercial center of Bribri and even further past Suretka. "We are organizing this event with the desire to share with the whole national community a part of the traditions of the Talamanca area that correspond to our most authentic roots and that, although being the base of our identity and our own culture, are, in general, little known," said an invitation. The festival name has to do with the grinding of corn with a stone. The staff said that traditional songs and dance will be presented as well as demonstrations of traditional activities such as weaving. There also will be bow and arrow demonstrations and a big selection of traditional foods. For those who wish to stay overnight, there will be lodging with members of the community, the radio staff said. One of the goals of the event is to raise money for the radio station which provides support for the community, the announcement said. The event has the support of a group of Universidad de Costa Rica students. The native peoples of the Talamancas fought aggressively against the Spanish. Even today there are many monolingual residents, and many are in small distant villages. |
 Talamancan
pictographs from the announcement.
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| Government will get letter backing moratorium on incineration |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Environmental activists are supporting a government moratorium on incinerators. The movement “Hacia Basura Cero” said that it will send to the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Mares a letter signed by more than 100 representatives of international organizations, national groups and citizens in defense of the moratorium. That moratorium was in a decree that was issued June 27. The |
decree says the
moratorium stays in effect until there exists
scientific and technical certainty that incineration causes no injury
to health or the environment. The organization, which stands for toward zero garbage, would prefer an extensive system of selection and recycling, which it calls an integral management of waste. Some municipalities have been studying the use of incinerators to end their garbage problem. There are international firms that say they also can produce energy with the burning of the trash. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 188 | |||||
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| Chinese bottled water study shows plastic can give off toxic
chemicals |
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By
the University of Florida news service
Americans can take a warning from a University of Florida study of bottled water in China ─ don’t drink the liquid if you’ve left it somewhere warm for a long time. Plastic water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate. When heated, the material releases the chemicals antimony and bisphenol A, commonly called BPA. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said BPA is not a major concern at low levels found in beverage containers, it continues to study the chemical’s impacts. Some health officials, including those at the Mayo Clinic, say the chemical can cause negative effects on children’s health. And antimony is considered a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization. A soil and water science professor, Lena Ma, led a research team that studied chemicals released in 16 brands of bottled water kept at 158 degrees F. for four weeks, what researchers deemed a worst-case scenario for human consumption. Of the 16 brands, only one exceeded the EPA standard for antimony and BPA. Based on the study, storage at warm temperatures would seem to not be a big problem, Professor Ma said. But she said more research is needed to know if other brands are safe. Ma’s study found that as bottles warmed over the four-week period, antimony and BPA levels increased. “If you store the water long enough, there may be a concern,” said Professor Ma, who has a research program at Nanjing University in China. The scientist warned against leaving bottled water in a hot garage for weeks on end or in a car all day during the summer. Because of what Professor Ma calls cultural differences and because Chinese citizens have less faith in their tap water, some leave bottled water in their car trunks for weeks. China consumed 9.6 billion gallons of bottled water in 2011, making that country the commodity’s largest market. By comparison, Americans drank 9.1 billion gallons of bottled water that year, according to the International Bottled Water Association. While most Americans don’t store bottled water in their cars for |
 University of Florida photo
There may be more than water
insideextended
periods, they often keep it there for a day or two. Drinking
that water occasionally won’t be dangerous, but doing so regularly
could cause health issues, the professor said. And it’s not just water
containers that merit more study, she said.
“More attention should be given to other drinks packaged with polyethylene terephthalate plastic, such as milk, coffee and acidic juice,” she said. “We only tested the pure water. If it is acidic juice, the story may be different.” Although not part of the study, Professor Ma touts tap water over bottled water. Both are regulated by the federal government |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
news page
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 188 | |||||||
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| U.S. and other war planes target militants in Syria By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United States and partner nations are carrying out the first air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, the Pentagon said Monday, in ongoing operations that mark the opening of a new, far more complicated front in battle against the militants. “I can confirm that U.S. military and partner nation forces are undertaking military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria using a mix of fighter, bomber and Tomahawk land attack missiles,” Rear Admiral John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement. “Given that these operations are ongoing, we are not in a position to provide additional details at this time,” he said. The Pentagon did not specify which nations are involved in the air strikes. U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have been pressing countries to join a U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State group. U.S. officials have warned the Syrian government not to interfere with any U.S. air action against the militants. Obama announced in a speech on Sept. 10 that he had authorized the expanded use of air strikes against the Islamic State, including in Syria. The air strikes that first began in Iraq in August have helped Iraqi and Kurdish forces push back against the militants, who took control of large areas in northern and western Iraq as well as eastern Syria. In the past week, the advance by the Islamic State has also included Kurdish areas in northern Syria, along the Turkish border, leading to more than 130,000 people crossing into Turkey to escape the militants. Earlier Monday, Hadi al-Bahra, the leader of Syria's main opposition coalition called for immediate air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria. "We must begin air strikes in Syria immediately. As we speak, hundreds of thousands of civilians in northern Syria -- in Kobane area, in the al-Arab area -- are trapped in a brutal siege by ISIS. Time is of the essence to avert catastrophe," he said. Protecting civilians threatened by the Islamic State in Iraq was the initial justification for U.S. air strikes there, and Syrian opposition leaders have been hoping Obama would move quickly to expand attacks across the border where opposition forces are fighting both the Islamic State and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the strength of Islamic State finances and the size of the area under its control make it a more dangerous threat than al-Qaida. In an interview with MSNBC television Monday, he said the Obama administration is determined to prevent that threat from reaching the United States. "We learned with al-Qaida you cannot leave this extremist cultism ungoverned spaces to plot what they want. They are dangerous to every country in the region, and you cannot have a challenge to the norms of international behavior, the rule of law, to states and leave it unchallenged," he said. U.S. air strikes in support of a ground offensive by Iraqi forces are pushing Islamic State fighters back toward Syria. Kerry told MSNBC there are no plans for such U.S. ground forces in Iraq as "this is a fight for the region." "Every country in the region is deeply threatened by this. And that includes Iran, includes Lebanon, includes all of the neighborhood," Kerry said. " And it is absolutely fair and appropriate for the world to expect that that region will fight for itself." Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani Monday told the group's followers to attack citizens of the United States, France, and any other countries that join a coalition against the militants. Kerry is in New York to continue building that coalition after traveling last week to Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. He discussed those efforts Sunday in separate talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif as well as Monday in meetings with U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. 3 Afghan officers detained after skipping U.S. training By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Three Afghan military officers who went missing during a training exercise at a U.S. military base in the U.S. northeastern state of Massachusetts were detained by the Canadian Border Patrol as they tried to cross into Canada. U.S. authorities say the members of the Afghanistan national army were taken into custody around Noon Monday near Niagara Falls, New York, along the northeastern border with Canada. The three soldiers were identified as Maj. Jan Mohammad Arash, Capt. Mohammad Nasir Askarzada and Capt. Noorullah Aminyar. U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, says the U.S. is still working with Canadian and Afghan authorities to determine the next steps in dealing with the runaway Afghans. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi said earlier in the day he hoped officials would return the three to Afghanistan and deny any asylum request they might make. Authorities at Joint Base Cape Cod reported the three missing Saturday. They were last seen at a shopping mall in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Pentagon spokesman Warren said the military was not concerned the three might hurt civilians during their disappearance. “We believe based on the extensive vetting that we did prior to them deploying to United States that they posed no threat. The State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and U.S. forces participated in the vetting process,” he said. Massachusetts National Guard officials say the three did not have access to weapons as part of the training exercise, that involves about 200 soldiers from six countries, including 15 others from Afghanistan. A Pentagon official describes the exercise as tabletop training, in which the participants sit at computer terminals and coordinate on various presented scenarios. The United States has conducted the annual training sessions since 2004 as a way to promote better military coordination with other countries. The week-long exercise is scheduled to end on Wednesday. Patent office teleworkers are said to be teleloafers By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A unit of the U. S. Government, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is under scrutiny both by Congress and the news media for alleged fraud perpetrated by employees teleworking from home. Roughly 3,800 of the agency's 8,300 patent examiners work from home full-time. Some 2,700 more telecommute part-time. Investigators have been looking into reports that some of these teleworkers did little or no work but got paid their full salaries. And, the allegations claim supervisors not only knew about it, but also, acted to cover up the situation. While there have been comments for years within the patent community about these irregularities, a formal probe was launched in 2012 by Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser. His investigation started with the complaints of four internal whistleblowers. He then audited various units of the patent office for possible fraud. Within the agency's Patent and Trial Appeal Board. 19 new paralegal specialists were hired in 2009 despite a reported lack of work for them. Zinser’s report says management knew about this but instructed the paralegals to put down hours watching TV and other personal activities as other time so they would get full pay. According to a story published in August in Government Executive, Zinser’s report said “One senior manager described that billing code as the ‘I don’t have work, but I’m going to get paid’ code.” “Our investigation uncovered substantial, pervasive waste at the PTAB that endured for more than four years, and resulted in the misuse of federal resources totaling at least $5.09 million,” the report said. The patent office fraud story has, in recent months, been the subject of investigative reporting by the Washington Post newspaper. And, the story has also caught the eye of U.S. Rep. Darryl Issa, the chairman of the House of Representatives’ Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In August, Issa’s committee held hearings on the patent office and the teleworking fraud. Aug. 19, the committee sent Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker a formal letter citing the newspaper’s reports, and requesting documents on points raised in those stories. “According to the Post, patent examiners ‘repeatedly lied about the hours they were putting in, and many were receiving bonuses for work they didn’t do.’ In one instance, an examiner received full pay despite missing 304 hours of work,” the letter said. “The employee was caught twice for cheating but not fired. Another employee racked up $12,533 in salary while showing no evidence of working.” “According to one manager, an examiner used a ‘mouse-mover’ program to create the appearance that he was working,” the letter said. “While the manger reported the incident to a top official, no disciplinary action was taken.” Even more damaging was the contention in the committee’s letter that the report from the patent office to Inspector General Zinser was substantially altered from its original form. According to the Washington Post, patent "officials removed damaging information from an internal report to avoid disclosure of abuses in the telework program. The internal report ‘describes a culture of fraud that is overlooked by senior leaders, lax enforcement of the rules, and the resulting frustration of many front-line supervisors.’” This month, Commerce Department and patent office officials met with the staffs of the House Oversight and Government Reform and the House Judiciary Committees to discuss the points raised by Issa’s letter. Afterward, patent office spokesman Todd Elmer countered allegations of selectively editing the Inspector General’s report. The Post says that Elmer stated that many of the conclusions contained in the original report, which Elmer referred to as a draft, were “partial and unsupported by the facts and record of the investigation.” “Since the anonymous complaints at issue were first raised two years ago, we have implemented new requirements for all teleworkers, and provided new policies for supervisors so they can identify any potential abuse and take appropriate actions,” Elmer said in a statement. Joining Elmer in countering the report and the Post’s stories is the head of the union that represents federal patent examiners. He is Robert Budens, and he put out an e-mail to examiners saying the union finds the report contains unfounded allegations, ridiculous on their face. Budens says his union is making an effort to set the record straight regarding claims of telework abuse. He says his examiners “are highly educated professionals who have helped this agency turn the tide,” which he called “The top of the ‘Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.’” White House fence jumper has ammunition in his car By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A federal prosecutor in Washington said more than 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets were found in the car of the knife-carrying man accused of jumping the fence at the White House last week and dashing into the presidential mansion before being apprehended. The prosecutor Monday outlined the government's case against Omar Gonzalez, the U.S. military veteran accused in Friday's incident, as he made his first court appearance. This also was not his first run-in with law enforcement. Prosecutors said Gonzalez was stopped, but not arrested, in August, after he walked past the White House with a hatchet in his waistband. And he was arrested in July after state police found weapons in his car following a high-speed chase in nearby Virginia. Security at the White House, the residence for U.S. presidents for more than two centuries, was more visible Monday in the aftermath of the unsettling incident. Secret Service agents patrolled with dogs on the sidewalk outside the White House, while other agents could be seen on the rooftop. Secret Service chief Julia Pierson ordered the extra patrols and increased surveillance along the black fence surrounding the White House. The presidential security agency is investigating how the intruder was able to scale the fence and run through the mansion's front door before being stopped. Inside the presidential building Monday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the Secret Service has launched a review of the Friday 19 incident and has taken a number of immediate steps to ramp up security. Earnest said providing security is a challenging task for the Secret Service, which must balance the need to protect the president and his family while ensuring that the White House continues to remain the people’s house. The press secretary said President Barack Obama was concerned by the incident but has complete confidence in the Secret Service, remarks the commander-in-chief later reinforced to reporters following the signing of the America’s Promise Summit Declaration to benefit the country’s youth. “The Secret Service does a great job. I am grateful for the sacrifices they make on my behalf and on my family’s behalf,” he said. The White House is one of the most secure buildings in the U.S., but in the wake of the intrusion, the Secret Service is now considering whether to establish new checkpoints to screen tourists even before they approach the residence. For now, in addition to increased Secret Service patrols, the White House says it is taking the simple step of making sure the front door -- used by thousands of tourists and staff each day -- is locked when not in use. Gonzalez faces charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. After being apprehended, Gonzalez, a retired Army sergeant who served in Iraq, told a Secret Service agent that “he was concerned that the atmosphere was collapsing and needed to get the information to the president of the United States so that he could get the word out to the people,” according to an affidavit released by prosecutors. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 188 | |||||||||
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 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía y Seguridad Pública photo
Fuerza Pública
officers captured these three suspects and confiscated twofirearms. They said the trio were suspects of robbing pedestrians in Siquirres. Police say man created false documents By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Immigration police have detained a man called one of the biggest providers of false identity documents. The man was detained near Hospital México in La Uruca. He was in the act of delivering a fake work permit, said the Policía Profesional de Migración. This is the second time that the man, identified by the last names of Castillo Barquero, has been detained on the same charge. In 2012 police raided the man's home where they found equipment for making fake documents. The main customers for the documents were Nicaraguans and others who were seeking work in Costa Rica. The immigration police said that the detained man told his customers that the documents were legitimate. He charged 30,000 colons or about $55 for a work permit and 70,000 colons (nearly $130) for a cédula de residencia known as a DIMEX, said police. Those who would buy the documents were located at Parque de la Merced and outside the immigration offices in La Uruca, said police. Job seekers have to show such documents to potential employers are part of the hiring process. Off-duty police officer dies in crash By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A police officer died Monday when he was involved in a vehicle crash while on his way to work, said the security ministry The officer was identified as José Andrés Blanco Pereira, 28. He was riding a motorcycle that collided with a truck about 4:10 p.m. near Cahuita. He was assigned to the Tuba Creek police station. Blanco lived in Amubri and had served in the Fuerza Pública for six years, said the ministry. |
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| From Page 7: Tico firms seeking tourists in Paris By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The tourism institute said that it is participating with 11 Costa Rican companies at the International French Travel Market Top Resa in Paris starting today. The show, which is considered a major business to business exposition, ends Friday. Wilhelm von Breymann, the minister of Turismo, noted that France is the third ranking source of European tourists after Germany and Spain. There were 39,728 French tourists in 2013, said the institute, the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. French tourism in general is predicted to increase 14 percent this year. Abut 88 percent of the visitors to the expo are French, and the rest come from many other countries, said the institute. |
