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A.M.
Costa Rica
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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 190
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 Ministerio
de Seguridad Pública
photo
The Servicio Nacional de
Guardacostas just acquired this JohnDeere tractor for 28 million colons or about $53,000. The vehicle can help in emergencies and also with its crane move the agency's boats and those that have been confiscated in the Limón area. Our reader's opinion Dear A.M. Costa Rica: So the anti-tax fraud bill entered the assembly last Thursday. Well, it seems to be a good measure to prevent tax fraud, doesn't it? On further inspection of the bill, which is not easy to come by since parliaments Web page is a jungle, it turns out that it will increase this country's red tape big time: on each interaction with a public entity, for businesses and individuals alike, there will be a background check with the tax department about your state of affairs. The request will not be executed if there is a debt or an irregularity. We all know from our experience of dealing with the administration here that there WILL be situations here where you simply will be deadlocked. And nobody will care. I personally have been in the situation where I was denied access to my bank account because my residence permit had expired for three days. Now resolve that quickly! I also witnessed how hard it is to de-affiliate yourself with Tribulation Directa. That's where you have to be registered when you are self-employed. You have to bring an AyA receipt to do that. Now, these receipts are not sent out by default any more. You get them by request. So you have to motivate your landlord to take time off from his job during business hours, that's when the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados offices are open, and get the receipt. You can imagine that said person is still registered. And these are two examples of how hard it can be to get things done NOW, without the new bill. I call on everybody to spread the word about the truth of the bill and to initiate a national discussion about its contents. It's not too late since it has not been approved yet. I seriously think that once approved it will make things much worse for everybody in this country! Spread the word! Oh and by the way, the bill also modifies the income tax code in a way that does away with Costa Rican source income-only taxation by default. This privilege will be granted to you, according to the law, by signing a declaration of your (worldwide) patrimony. Unless you do that you will be taxed on your worldwide income. Thomas Hemmer
Santa Ana  Ministerio de
Seguridad Pública
photo
Police officer surveys the logged
area. Illegal tree
planting brings police raid
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Ricans usually are praised for planting trees. But Fuerza Pública officers moved in to prevent eight men from doing just that in Barrio La Gloria, Jicaral, Lepanto, Puntarenas. In addition they made an attempted bribery allegation against one of the men who tried to get the police to allow the men to continue, officers said. The Fuerza Pública said it entered the land in the company of representatives of the Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación. The property was where it appeared that illegal logging had taken place, and the planting of trees represented a change in use, which is illegal, officers said. Photos display examples of poverty By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Photos that have been selected winners in a contest to show poverty will be displayed this weekend in the Museo Nacional. More than 80 persons submitted photo works in the contest that was set up to mark the Día Internacional de la Paz. The contest was organized by the Defensoría de los Habitantes, and the Universidad Veritas. The Defensoría said that the object of the contest was to identify poverty as a form of violence and a challenge to peace. In addition to the four winning photos, those who visit the exhibition will be able to see the results of photo workshops in various economically challenged communities. The photos will be displayed through Sunday. The Defensoría cites statistics from the Estado de la Nación that say 20.7 percent of Costa Rican homes are in poverty and that 6.4 percent are in extreme poverty. China reported planning cap and trade deal By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China has agreed to implement a cap and trade program to limit emissions, according to White House officials. That would be a crucial step toward implementing a landmark climate deal the two countries reached last year. Speaking on condition of anonymity, senior U.S. officials said Chinese President Xi Jinping will announce the program today when he meets with President Barack Obama at the White House for a state visit. The U.S. and China, the world's two biggest polluters, reached an initial agreement last year to reduce emissions of climate change-causing greenhouse gases. Today's announcement aims to shed light on how the two countries will meet those goals. Chinese officials refused to comment on the planned cap and trade announcement. U.S. officials also provided few details, but said the program will go into place by 2017 and will cover some of the worst-polluting sectors of China's economy. Under a cap and trade program, a country sets a limit on its annual amount of emissions. Companies can then buy and sell permits that allow them to pollute a certain amount and are given financial incentives to pollute less. The program was the subject of months of negotiations between U.S. and Chinese officials, and will set a precedent for bilateral cooperation ahead of December's crucial international climate change summit in Paris. The announcement could also inject new life into President Obama's climate initiatives. In his first term, Obama tried and failed to pass a cap and trade program. Many lawmakers said they were opposed because China had not also agreed to cut its emissions. China will also announce other climate initiatives Friday, according to U.S. officials, including plans to fund more low-carbon and energy efficient projects, as well as a program that will help poorer countries reduce emissions. The planned announcement represents a major achievement for the world's two largest countries that have struggled to find areas of cooperation to highlight during Xi's visit. |
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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 Ro Colorado S.A 2015 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 Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 190 | |
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| Correos de Costa Rica honors Registro Nacional, women port
workers |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's postal service has issued a commemorative stamp marking 150 years of the Registro Nacional. The
The Registro is where all the property, mortgage and vehicle records, among others, are kept. The commemorative postmark was used Thursday to cancel all the stamps coming through the agency, correctly known |
 This is the first-day cover and stamp.
as Correos de Costa Rica. Thursday also was the Día Nacional de la Mujer Portuaria de Costa Rica. A presidential decree just created the day. Some women actually work on the docks loading and unloading ships. But many, like Ann Mc Kinley Meza and Lianette Medina Zamora have administrative jobs. Ms. Mc Kinley is executive president of Junta de Administración Portuaria y de Desarrollo Económico de la Vertiente Atlántica. Ms. Medina holds the same post at the Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico. |
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| University students compete in a rodeo Saturday in Paraiso |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Saturday is a time for Stetsons, jeans and boots. University students will participate in the Rodeo Interuniversitario at Paraíso de Cartago. Teams and individuals from a number of schools will participate beginning at 10 a.m. Expected are students from the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Universidad de Costa Rica in San Pedro, Universidad Latina, Universidad Veritas, Earth, the Universidad Técnica Nacional, Tecnológico de Costa Rica and the Universidad Internacional de Agricultura y Ganadería in Rivas, Nicaragua. Students want to be able to go to school next week, so there are no events like bronco riding or bull riding. There is a barrel-racing competition, and a couple of events to throw and tie up calves. |
Another event
involves catching and milking a goat. A horse-and-rider event resembles musical chairs, except that the competitors seek a space in tires on the ground instead of in chairs. Animals involved range from 250 to 300 kilos, some 550 to 660 pounds. Visitors also can witness the traditional carrera de cintas, enjoy food and beverages and stick around for the western dance in the evening. The organizers promise secure parking. Admission is 3,500 colons with a 1,000-colon parking fee. The event will close with a fireworks display. |
| San José expected to get solar energy systems to run
the traffic lights |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Consejo de Seguridad Vial has awarded a $1 million contract for installing 77 solar panels at as many traffic light systems in central San José. The job went to Sistema Empresarial RC S.A., which has 300 |
days to do
the job if the deal becomes final. The contract still needs the
approval of the Contraloría General de la República. The systems will use a backup that draws power from the electric grid if the solar energy fails, said the Consejo. Public employees will supervise the job, the Consejo said. |
| 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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copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2015 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's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 190 | |||||
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| Radio operator helps officers locate woman who was on a
steep slope |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A police radio operator is being credited with keeping a cool head and directing officers to a woman who jumped partly down a cliff to save herself. The story began about 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the center of Atenas when a man forced the woman to come with him on a motorcycle. The woman said he drove at high speed toward Toro Amarillo where she believed he was going to kill her. The woman managed to get off the motorcycle in a mountainous area where the man, a former companion, moved to kill her with a sharp instrument, said police. The woman threw herself down a slope at the top of a 200-meter drop. The would-be assailant fled on the motorcycle only to be picked up in Río Cuarto de Grecia a short time later. But officers did not know the whereabout of the woman. About then radio operator Mario Rivas got a call from the woman on her cell telephone. She was trapped on the slope. The technician talked the woman through the process of activating a GPS locator device on her cell telephone and dispatched officers. He remained on the telephone with her and guided officers as the woman reported hearing sirens and in what direction and distance. The woman, who has the last name of Cordero, was reported to be cold, wet and suffering from some bruises. |
 Ministerio
de Seguridad Pública photo
A police officer shows the cold
and wet woman how he was able to pull her up. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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Colorado
S.A. 2015 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's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 190 | |||||||
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 Voice of America//Carolyn Presutti
Pope Francis, who
preaches against consumerism,rides down New York City's posh Fifth Avenue. Thousands
line Fifth Avenue
to see Pope Francis pass by By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
On his first day in New York City, Pope Francis delighted thousands who lined the street to get a quick glimpse of him. The pope transferred from his motorcade to his bulletproof Popemobile to wave and bless the faithful along Fifth Avenue, a posh upscale neighborhood in Manhattan. A group of Catholic schoolgirls from the Dominican Academy and St. George Academy won a contest at their school to stand along the route. They waited three hours before the pope drove right in front of them. Then he stopped, turned toward them and made the sign of the cross. Stephanie Redman broke into tears. "I've always loved every pope the Catholic Church has had, like Pope John Paul. I've always loved them and looked up to them. I have little cards of them in my room. To actually see him walk by is such a great experience," she said. Olivia Lashishka squealed with delight as she hugged her classmates. "I feel like I was surrounded by family because we all have the same beliefs," she said. "He was blessing us. I feel really grateful." High school sophomore Sean De Ganon won a school raffle and invited his friend Emily Gefell for a chance to see the pope. She called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." De Ganon views Pope Francis as a different type of pope from those in the past. "He's much more tolerant of social issues and forgiving," he said. "Going to a Jesuit school and seeing a pope who's a Jesuit is a new experience. You feel connected to him." Alejandro Flores Sanchez brought his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter, Alexa, from Mexico City two days ago for a chance to see the pope. He stood along the fence with Alexa on his shoulders, hoping for a blessing for all his children, including his twin 6-month-old sons back home in Mexico City. “We’re really excited," he said. "We really hope that the pope can bless this kid, the one my wife has in her belly and the two we have at home.” To Sanchez, the pope transcends his humanity: "He's the best friend of God. It's a matter of faith. You have to make sure your kids learn that from us, as fathers. I think he's the contact of God with us and the symbol of the church. He's more than a man." After traveling by the crowds gathered on Fifth Avenue, the pope entered St. Patrick's Cathedral and offered evening prayers before an invited group of bishops, priests, deacons and faithful church workers. Some traditionalists unhappy by the ecumenical Francis By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In 2006, before he was Pope Francis, Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was invited to an open-air Pentecostal worship service in the Argentine capital. Argentina was, and still is, a hive of intensely charismatic evangelical Christianity, which for decades has been poaching Catholics from the church throughout Latin America. The Luna Park stadium was filled with some 7,000 worshipers. The preachers asked Bergoglio if they could pray for him. “The first thing that occurred to me was to get on my knees, a very Catholic gesture, to receive their prayer,” the archbishop recalled in "On Heaven and Earth," a book of dialogues he published in 2010 with his friend, Argentine Rabbi Avraham Skorka. Traditionalist Argentine Catholics were outraged. Some accused him of committing the sin of apostasy by praying with people of another faith. But Bergoglio believed that a Catholic should be able to pray even with an agnostic. “With his doubt, we can look up together to find transcendence, each one praying according to his tradition,” the archbishop told the rabbi and, directing himself to his critics, he added: “What’s the problem?” Those three words, “What's the problem?” in a 220-page book, may have been a foreshadow of the “Who am I to judge?” answer he gave, as pope, when asked about gays. The question has become symbolic of this pope's pastoral style. But his no-big-deal take on ecumenical prayer is also a reminder that, aside from being the first Latin American pontiff, Francis is really the first one who has pastored extensively in a multi-faith environment, and lived out the ecumenical spirit set out by the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s. It is easy to forget that before that transformative council, pope after pope inveighed against ecumenical activities, and that some Catholics are still opposed. After "On Heaven and Earth" was published in the United States, Francis' decision to accept an evangelical blessing was condemned by the arch-traditionalist newspaper Catholic Family News, which calls joint prayers "the greatest error of our age.” Post-Vatican II popes have been ecumenical, but not all got it right: when Benedict XVI cited a Byzantine emperor's anti-Islamic polemic in a 2006 speech at the University of Regensburg in Germany, violence broke out in several Arab countries. Benedict later apologized and said it was not his own view. One of the iconic images of Francis' papacy so far is at the Western Wall in Jerusalem – a symbol of Jewish suffering and hope – where he was photographed embracing both Rabbi Skorka and the Argentine Imam Omar Abboud. Rev. Thomas Reese of the National Catholic Reporter says Francis' message to Catholics is not just to talk to people of other faiths, but learn from them too. “In fact, he believes that Catholicism can learn from the evangelicals: We have to be more Gospel-based in our preaching, we have to be more experimental, we have to get out of church and go preach in the streets,” Reese says. “Rather than feeling threatened by other religious groups, he wants to reach out, he wants to be in dialogue.” He will be able to do that in United States as well. Today the pope will attend a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City where 2,606 Americans were killed by a group of Muslims who militantly believed theirs was the only true faith. Francis' outlook stems from Argentina being a land of many cultures and varieties of religious experience largely as a result of immigration that parallels what happened in the United States, says Austen Ivereigh, author of "The Great Reformer, Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope." As a consequence, Ivereigh says, Francis understands multiculturalism the way Americans do. “He was born of Italian immigrants who could just as easily have come to New York or Philadelphia, but they went to Buenos Aires during that great age of immigration,” says Ivereigh. “There's an awful lot in common between his own background, and the background of Americans.” Most of disasters in 2014 said to be related to climate By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A new report finds most natural disasters in 2014 were climate-related. The 2015 World Disasters Report, issued Thursday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, say climate change will lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of future hazards. Compared to previous years, 2014 was in many ways a statistically better year in regard to global disasters. The latest report cites 317 disasters worldwide, the lowest number of the decade or 17 percent below the average. Lead editor of the report, Mo Hamza, says nearly 107 million people were affected by these disasters. He acknowledges this is an increase on the previous year. “But, this number is still well below the highest number of disasters in the past decade, which occurred in 2005 when a total of 810 disasters were reported," he said. "In 2014, disasters caused 8,186 deaths worldwide. Nevertheless, the mortality level was almost 90 percent lower than the decade's average.” Asia is the most disaster-prone region in the world. The report finds 48 percent of all disasters occurred in Asia in 2014. More than 85 percent of those killed and affected globally also were in Asia. The report ranks China as the world’s most disaster-affected country in the world, noting 731 people were killed in an earthquake in August 2014. It says drought, storms and flooding affected more than 58 million people in China. “There is no doubt that extreme events impacted by climate change in terms of frequency and magnitude, that is no longer in doubt," he said. "But what matters as much is how vulnerable populations are in the hot spots, that is in low-lying deltas and in coastal zones, for example.” The report shows floods and landslides accounted for nearly half of all natural disasters in 2014 and were responsible for 63 percent of disaster-affected deaths. It cites floods in India, Pakistan, and the Balkans among the most severe. It calls the impact of drought, which affected 39 percent of all people last year, a disaster often overlooked by the more visually dramatic floods. Yet, it says this forgotten, silent disaster severely affects the economic well-being of millions of people, especially in the Sahel region of Africa. The report estimates economic losses in 2014 at $99.2 billion, well below the annual average of $147 billion seen during the past 10 years. New genetic tests can tell responses to chemotherapy By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Breast cancer patients dread chemotherapy because of its many side effects, such as sickness and hair loss, together with potential lung, liver and bone damage. But studies show that some patients do not benefit from chemotherapy. A new gene-based test now helps doctors screen those patients and avoid the unnecessary treatment. When samples of breast tissue show the presence of a malignant tumor, doctors often prescribe surgery followed by a six-month treatment of medicine, which can include chemotherapy to prevent further spread of cancer cells. Chemotherapy kills the remaining cancer cells but also has adverse side effects: nausea, hair loss, fatigue, as well as possible infertility and damage to some organs. “We know that some drugs can affect the heart. There's a question about long-term effects of slightly increasing the risks of dementia for instance. Apart from that, of course, there's the unpleasantness of the four months of treatment that's required, and it'll often take people out of work for six months," said Simon Holt, of the Prince Phillip Hospital in Wales. A new test developed in the U.S., called Oncotype DX, determines how the patient will respond to chemotherapy. “Oncotype DX is effectively telling you about the inside workings of the cell, which particular genes have gone wrong to create that particular cancer, and, from a reading of those genes, we can then get more information about whether this tumor is the sort that is likely to spread to some other part of the body, or not," Holt said. Avoiding chemotherapy after surgery means that patients can resume their normal lives except for regular checkups to make sure they remain cancer free. Oncotype DX is one of several gene-based tests that can tell doctors how likely the recurrence of the disease is, and it is most accurate in the early stages. Similar tests, such as Prosigna and Endopredict, are undergoing clinical trials in the UK, Germany and Austria. So far, Oncotype DX is used only in cases of breast cancer, but researchers say similar tests can be developed for other types of cancer. Chinese leader in Washington for his official welcome today By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington Thursday for a state visit and talks with President Barack Obama expected to be clouded by differences over alleged Chinese cyber spying, Beijing's economic policies and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Vice President Joe Biden led the welcoming delegation as Xi's plane touched down at Joint Base Andrews on the second leg of a week-long trip that began in Seattle, where the Chinese leader sought to reassure U.S. companies that he is working to create a more favorable investment climate in his country. Later, President Obama hosted Xi at a private working dinner, where White House aides said they would begin grappling with the main issues that divide their countries. Today Xi will be treated to full honors, including a 21-gun salute, a formal summit, a joint news conference and a black tie state dinner. U.S. officials earlier said cyber security is expected to be a focal point in talks between the U.S. and Chinese presidents. State Department spokesman John Kirby said, “We continue to have serious concerns about China’s practices in the cyber realm and that is probably not going to be abated anytime soon.” President Obama has said he is considering U.S. sanctions against China in response to attacks. Cyber attacks are among the "difficult issues in the U.S.-China relationship" that 26 Congress members are urging Obama to take up in talks with Xi. In a letter Monday, the representatives urged the president to directly address "pressing areas of disagreement." China's human rights record is another source of friction, and several rights groups are urging President Obama to not shy away from the issue during his meetings with President Xi. "It's a big and complicated relationship, and so there are a lot of topics vying for attention," acknowledged Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "But we certainly think that the deterioration of the rights situation in China under Xi merits special attention." When the Chinese leader spoke Tuesday in Seattle, dozens of protesters gathered to condemn what they see as Beijing's harsh policies in Tibet and its crackdown against other political dissidents. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 190 | |||||||||
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Rebels, government
hurry to make peace
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Colombia's chief negotiator said Thursday that his government and Marxists rebels would definitely meet a March 23 deadline for a peace agreement. "We can say without excessive rhetoric that peace is about to break out in Colombia," Humberto de la Calle told reporters in Havana. "I think we have begun the countdown for war to die and life to win." De la Calle said both sides had been instructed to speed up final negotiations and work hard to meet that deadline. The government and rebels reached a major breakthrough Wednesday in talks aimed at ending more than 50 years of bloodshed. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and rebel commander Timoleon Jiménez, also known as Timochenko, met for the first time to say that the two sides had finally agreed on the touchy issue of justice for crimes committed by the rebels. The matter had been the one major obstacle left in the three years of talks sponsored by Cuba and Norway. The deal would grant a general amnesty to rebel fighters, except for those who had committed such serious offenses such as war crimes, rape and kidnappings. Rebels who confess to less serious crimes may not have to go to prison. They may instead have their freedom of movement restricted and be ordered to compensate their victims. Rebel negotiators have always vowed to keep their fighters out of jail. The agreement also orders rebels to disarm within 60 days of the signing of the deal. Details of how they will give up their weapons are still to be worked out. "We are on different sides, but today we advance in the same direction, in the most noble direction a society can take, which is toward peace," Santos said Wednesday, minutes before a forced handshake with Timochenko. The surprise agreement after years of negotiations was achieved partly because of rebel efforts to make the announcement during the visit of Pope Francis to Cuba this week. Rebel negotiators worked through a final 20-hour session last Thursday to achieve this goal, people involved said. "Without even being present physically in the room, the pope was a very important presence,'' said Douglass Cassel, a University of Notre Dame law professor who was one of three lawyers for the government who hammered out the final workings of Wednesday's agreement. The agreement was announced a day after the pope left the Communist-led island for the U.S. leg of his trip. The Fuerzas Armandas Revolucionarias de Colombia guerrillas had wanted to meet with the pope in Havana, but the Vatican made it clear that no such meeting would take place. Instead, Francis issued a broad appeal during his Sunday Mass in Cuba exhorting both sides not to let the best chance at peace in decades pass them by. "Let's join efforts to achieve peace," Timochenko later posted on the rebels' Twitter feed. An immediate test for success in implementing the deal will come in a referendum giving Colombians a chance to endorse or reject any deal, which must also clear congress. Foreshadowing what's likely to be a bitter political fight, conservative former president Alvaro Uribe called Wednesday's agreement a gift to the the rebels, even before details were known. "This is a bad example for society that will generate more violence,'' said Uribe, whose military offensive last decade winnowed the rebel ranks and pushed its leaders to the negotiating table. Supporters, however, are optimistic. |
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| From
Page 7: U.S. rate hike expected by end of year By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The head of the U.S. central bank said Thursday that she expected the Federal Reserve to begin raising interest rates from record lows by the end of this year. Janet Yellen made the comments in a speech after officials delayed a long-predicted interest rate hike last week. The delay prompted investors and others to question the timing of the rate increase. In a lengthy academic presentation, Ms. Yellen said interest rate increases would come when inflation seemed likely to move closer to the central bank's 2 percent target rate. She said inflation had been held down by temporary factors, like the rising strength of the dollar and the falling price of oil. She also said inflation that was too low could hurt the economy by increasing the cost of repaying loans and prompting investors to put money into risky ventures. Ms. Yellen spoke on a day that brought mixed news about the U.S. economy, with the Caterpillar company announcing it would cut 10,000 jobs and close a number of facilities over the next couple of years. Caterpillar was hurt by falling demand for commodities that are produced with the help of its equipment. Meanwhile, the number of Americans signing up for unemployment insurance rose slightly last week but remained below 300,000. Experts said the relatively low level of layoffs was a sign of a healthy job market. A separate report said sales of new homes rose solidly in August. |
