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José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 195
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 Consejo Nacional de
Vialidad photo
Basically another bridge is being
built underneath the span.Key bridge
gets $4.15 million makeover
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Remember the platina bridge, the one that has frustrated every attempt to make repairs because it was too flexible? What was once just a hole in the concrete of the bridge deck has grown to a 2.2 billion-colon project to basically rebuild the span from the bottom up. That's about $4.15 million. Crews have been at work under the span on the General Cañas highway to reinforce the concrete abutments and pillars and to strengthen the metal underpinnings. The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad, the road agency, plans to widen the bridge to six lanes. That is the width of the highway on either side of the bridge. The agency said that workers found that the steel structures built in 1960 to hold up the bridge were different than in the plans. A summary spoke of the smaller dimensions and lesser quality of the steel girders. That was by way of explaining the cost overruns on the project. The agency said that the difference between the amount allocated for the contract and the higher final cost would come from the national road fund. The bridge got the informal name platina because of steel plates put on the bridge deck as a quick and unsatisfactory fix for the expanding hole in the concrete. Now here is a very handy course By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Prison officials in Pérez Zeledón had no trouble filling a short course to train inmates. Some 15 inmates received certificates of completion Wednesday from the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje and the Ministerio de Justicia y Paz. Now they are ready to put their learning into practice when they leave the prison. The short-course topic? Hydroponics. C-130 crash kills 11 in Afghanistan By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An American C-130 military transport plane crashed at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, killing 11 people. The crash happened shortly after midnight local time Friday. The cause of the accident is under investigation. U.S. defense officials at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan said the crew, comprised of six U.S. service members, died in the crash. Five civilian contractors who worked for NATO's Resolute Support training mission also died in the crash. The Taliban claims to have shot down the aircraft, but that has not been officially confirmed. The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine cargo plane built by Lockheed Martin. There are about 1,000 coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan, including U.S. and Polish forces, as well as about 40,000 Afghan troops, according to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Stronger hurricane batters the Bahamas By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Hurricane Joaquin is causing flooding in lightly populated parts of the Bahamas as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, and could strengthen further, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Joaquin is moving at only six kilometers per hour as it passes over the island chain, with sustained winds of 215 kph (125 mph) and winds reaching out 80 kilometers from the eye of the storm. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to speed up and turn north, toward the U.S., over the next day or so. Some further strengthening is possible on Friday. It is the third hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season. Forecasters predicted storm surges of 1.5 to 3 meters (5 to 10 feet) in the central Bahamas, with up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) of rain in some areas. San Salvador, Cat Island and Rum Cay were expected to experience the most significant effects before the storm shifts northward. U.S. officials in states along the East Coast began preparations for the storm, which could possibly make landfall early next week, nearly three years after Superstorm Sandy devastated New York and New Jersey, killing more than 120 people and causing about $70 billion in property damage. The storm could also affect U.S. military facilities in coastal Virginia as well as the major inland cities of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Murder victim's house contained drugs By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The home where a 27-year-old woman was murdered Wednesday yielded 136 grams of cocaine, 436 grams of marijuana and two firearms, according to the Fuerza Pública. The location was in Cuatro Reinas de Tibás, San José. Neighbors said that an argument preceded the shooting. The woman's male companion was detained by police at the scene. She was identified by the last name of Garita. He was identified by the last name of Araya. Defense lawyer slain in traffic jam By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A traffic jam on the Circunvalación proved fatal to a 65-year-old criminal defense lawyer Thursday because the delay gave a gunman the opportunity to approach the taxi in which the lawyer was riding. The gunman shot the lawyer, identified as Roy Ching Leitón, and then fled on foot, possibly to a waiting vehicle, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. Ching was riding in the front passenger seat. The taxi driver suffered wounds to the arm and leg. The shooting took place at an approach to the Garantías Sociales traffic circle. Ching was involved with the Asociación China de Costa Rica and also had pleaded cases for suspects in major drug cases, according to an Internet search. Quake was felt strongest in capital By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Earthquake experts say that a 4.6 magnitude quake Thursday in the hills overlooking Quepos was felt more strongly in San José due to the soil underneath the capital. The quake took place at 11:51 a.m., said the Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Unversidad de Costa Rica. The epicenter was estimated at 4.8 kilometers east of Naranjo de Aguire and 9.3 kilometers east northeast of Quepos. No incidents of major damage have been reported |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 195 | |
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| $300 million government city project is off to a shaky start |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The proposed $300 million government city in the center of San José has gotten off to a shaky start. Officials from the transport ministry were at the legislature Thursday to explain why the country's budget and contract watchdog scuttled the first project, a new building for the ministry. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes announced the contract for the building and only allowed five days for bids to be presented. Specifications for the building called for prefabricated concrete, so only three firms that use this technique were able to bid. Naturally other contractors screamed foul, and this week the Contraloría General de la República rejected the contract the ministry had made with one of the construction firms. Luis Gerardo González, who handled construction for the ministry had answers for every question lawmakers directed to him. He said the Contraloría initially said that a bid period of three days was sufficient, and the ministry allowed five days. He defended the prefabricated specification on the ground that the ministry is under a court order to leave its current location. A 2012 Sala IV ruling said that the ministry had to leave the sprawling complex and return the land to the Liceo de Costa Rica by 2018. |
 Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes graphic
This is a rendering of the
proposed office tower.González said building was cheaper than renting a new building. The $11 million tower for the public works ministry is just the first step. The central government plans to accommodate 11 public agencies in the same high-traffic area of Plaza Víquez. The area would be called Ciudad Gobierno. Carlos Segnini Villalobos, the minister, announced also Thursday that the agency would begin again the process for seeking construction contracts after studying the objections from the Contraloría. |
| Illegal dock in Limón seems to be immune to any
official effort |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Someone put up a dock and a house at Porte de Limón, and government officials do not know how to handle the situation. The head of the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura was at the legislature Thursday to tell lawmakers that his agency is only in the business of checking the fish that are discharged onto land. He is Gustavo Meneses. Néstor Mattis, the mayor of Limón, said that he had sent municipal inspectors to the site three times to close it down. |
Lawmaker
Antonio Álvarez Desanti, said there were at least seven
cases of illegal docks in Costa Rica and that this showed building one
illegally was easier than going through all the paperwork to get
permission. None seems to know who built the dock or for what purpose it was erected at the Caribbean port. Some lawmakers also expressed their unhappiness that they had asked President Luis Guillermo Solís to investigate the dock more than two weeks ago and that they had yet to get a reply. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 195 | |||||
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| Experiment shows that even heat-stressed coral wants a
balanced diet |
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By the University of Miami news staff
A new study found that a nutrient-rich, balanced diet is beneficial to corals during stressful thermal events. The researchers concluded that the particular nutrient balance in seawater is what matters most. The work was by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco. To test which nutrients were more beneficial to corals during elevated temperature conditions, the scientists fed them two types, inorganic nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus commonly found in the ocean as a result of fertilizers and sewage runoff, and organic nutrients of zooplankton, tiny animals in the ocean that coral are known to feed on. The research team placed specimens of the yellow scroll coral (Turbinaria reniformis), collected from the Red Sea in separate seawater tanks with varying temperature and nutrients. The corals were subjected to two different inorganic nutrient enrichment scenarios, increased nitrogen only or increased nitrogen and phosphorus at varying temperatures. The temperatures were 25 degrees C to represent normal temperature conditions and 30 degrees C to represent thermal stress conditions. Some of the corals also received organic nutrient enrichment of the tiny zooplankton during the laboratory experiment. All of the corals were then returned to normal temperature conditions to examine their recovery. “We found that the coral’s resilience to thermal stress totally depends on the kind of inorganic enrichment, if it's ‘balanced’ or not,” said Erica Towle, an alumna of the Rosenstiel School. The researchers found that excess nitrogen alone and zooplankton made high-temperature bleaching events worse. While excess nitrogen in combination with extra phosphorus and zooplankton afford the coral resilience to |
 University of Miami/ Erica Towle
This was the experiment
setup that delivered various organic and inorganic matter to yellow
scroll coral (Turbinaria reniformis).bleaching. This study is one of the first to assess the three-way interaction between the two types of nutrients enrichment and thermal stress on coral health. The UM Rosenstiel School research team published a previous study in 2015 that showed the critically endangered Staghorn coral may benefit from supplemental nutrition to mitigate the adverse impacts of global climate change. The results revealed that temperature, carbon dioxide and feeding each had significant effects on the coral’s growth rate. That study was the first to document that an endangered coral species, which was once found widely throughout South Florida and the Caribbean, can buffer the effects of increased carbon dioxide in the ocean by increasing feeding rates. “Excess nutrients from land sources and thermal stress will likely occur in concert in the future so it's important to assess them together,” said Ms. Towle. “Incorporating nutrient levels in thermal bleaching models will likely be very important for coral reef managers in the future as ocean waters warm.” |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 195 | |||||||
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| Bipartisan coalition pushes reform of U.S. criminal laws By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
As an assistant U.S. attorney in 2004, Sen. Mike Lee knew a young father who sold marijuana three times over 72 hours. "He happened to have a gun on his person at the time. As it turned out, the way our mandatory minimum sentencing laws overlapped and were applied to that case produced a 55-year minimum mandatory sentence,” he said. Lee, a Republican, said that case is why his priority when he arrived in the Senate was the reduction of minimum mandatory sentencing laws. He stood with a bipartisan group of senators Thursday to announce an agreement on a criminal justice reform bill. The effort brought together crime conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats who wanted to scale back sentences even more. The bipartisan bill reduces mandatory minimum drug sentences that were handed down in an era when a tough on crime stance resulted in a surge in the prison population. Those mandatory minimums were joined by a three-strikes law which mandated life sentences without parole for a third felony involving drugs. Since then, prison populations in the U.S. have skyrocketed. The United States now incarcerates more criminals than any other country in the world. According to the World Prison Brief by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, the U.S. tops the list with 2,217,000 inmates, followed by China with 1,657,812 and Russia with 649,500. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat, demonstrated his passion about the reform bill, saying if it were senatorial protocol, he would hug all the senators who were standing behind him. “This bill is for me, a moment where, after decades of our country moving in the wrong direction, after decades of seeing our federal prison population explode 800 percent, we have gotten our criminal justice system with this piece of legislation moving this country forward,” he said. The bill addresses rehabilitation, giving inmates an opportunity to work off sentencing amounts through specific programs. Sen. Dick Durbin says the bill gives judges more discretion in handing down sentences. The Democratic whip says it increases opportunities for those currently in prison, to give them the tools to better adjust to society when they are released. "We believe that there are people who are incarcerated today for lengthy sentences at great expense, who frankly should not be in those prisons," he said. "We think resources spent on those incarcerations are better spent on good law enforcement in our communities, in good work by prosecutors and good work in our criminal justice system to prevent crime.” The bill allows for juvenile records to be removed after sentences are served and limits solitary confinement for those young offenders. Julie Stewart leads the non-profit group, Families Against Mandatory Minimums. She started the organization in 1991 after her brother received a mandatory five years without parole for a first offense of growing marijuana. “This bill isn’t the full repeal of mandatory minimum sentences we ultimately need, but it is a substantial improvement over the status quo and will fix some of the worst injustices created by federal mandatory sentences,” she said. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called it a "landmark piece of legislation, the biggest criminal justice reform in a generation. It’s the product of a very thoughtful bipartisan deliberation by the Congress. There are things in here that each of us likes. There are items that each of us would rather do without." The senators say their bipartisan handprint on the bill is proof it will pass in the Senate. But, they gave no prediction of what will happen to it in the House of Representatives. Not all agree with pope's call to welcome immigration By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
In his address to the U.S. Congress, Pope Francis urged American leaders to welcome immigrants who come to the United States with respect and empathy. “Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the second World War,” the pontiff said. “We must not be taken aback by their numbers…but rather view them as persons…to respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal.” A new poll suggests a slim majority of Americans agree with the pope’s compassionate view of immigrants. While 41 percent of Americans said immigrants are a burden to the country, because they take jobs, housing and health care, 51 percent disagreed, saying immigrants strengthen the United States with their hard work and talents. American attitudes have evolved a bit since 1994, when 63 percent of Americans said immigrants were a burden and just 31 percent thought their presence helped strengthen the nation. The United States is home to 41 million immigrants, the largest immigrant population in the world. America also boasts the largest economy of any of the nations in the Pew Research Center survey. Pope Francis has also encouraged European Catholics to welcome some of the thousands of migrants flowing in from Syria and other countries. The pope’s call might be most welcome in Germany, where 66 percent of people believe the foreign-born make their country stronger. Six million immigrants born outside the European Union live in Germany, which has one of the strongest economies in Europe. However, in a 2014 survey, a majority of Germans believed immigrants were failing to assimilate and made overall crime worse. In Great Britain, home to 5.2 million people born outside the EU, 52 percent of respondents have a positive view of immigrants. While Americans, the British and Germans hold the most positive views of immigrants, Greeks and Italians hold the most negative views, with vast majorities saying immigrants are a burden. The economies of both of those countries have struggled in recent years, and both nations are feeling the heavy impact of waves of African and Middle Eastern migrants. U.N. refugee agency says Europe will get 1.4 million By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says 700,000 asylum-seekers will reach Europe via the Mediterranean this year, and it projected that approximately the same number will arrive in 2016. The U.N. refugee agency almost doubled the estimate of the migrant and refugee influx into Europe in 2015. It also appealed for $128 million in donations to cope with the refugee crisis, a much higher sum than the $30.5 million it requested last month. The agency said more than 520,000 people, more than half from Syria, have reached Europe this year, while close to 3,000 people have died during the attempt. Meanwhile, Greek authorities have opened a disused Olympic venue to house more than 400 migrants who have been camping out in Athens' Victoria Square. Police on Thursday escorted buses carrying the migrants, many from Syria and Afghanistan, to Galatsi Olympic Hall. The venue was home to table tennis and gymnastics competitions during the 2004 Olympics. City officials have been trying to ease citizens' concerns about the number of migrants camping out in the open in central Athens. Greece is on the front lines of the European migrant crisis and has been overwhelmed with people who travel across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East and Africa to seek better lives in the European Union. At the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to the world to approach Europe's refugee crisis with creativity, compassion, and courage. Ban told a meeting of 70 ministers at the General Assembly that "the future does not belong to those who seek to build walls or exploit fears." He stressed the need for cooperation among all those who are struggling to cope with the crisis, with all efforts focused on saving lives. Otherwise, Ban said, "the winners will be smugglers, traffickers and unscrupulous employers. Those who lose will be the dispossessed, the hungry, the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the children." Jury convicts two Mexicans in killing of U.S. border agent By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A federal jury in Tucson, Arizona found two Mexican men guilty Thursday for the 2010 murder of U.S. border patrol agent Brian Terry. Ivan Soto-Barraza and Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza both face life in prison when they are sentenced in December on charges including first degree murder. The two were part of a gang who crossed into the United States in December, 2010 with the intention of robbing drug traffickers but wound up in a shootout with border patrol agents. One of the bullets fired by the gang struck and killed Terry. Two other men already pleaded guilty while another two suspects are still at large. U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said while Thursday's verdict cannot undo the tragedy of Brian Terry's death, it brings another measure of justice to the agent's family. Ovarian cancer fighters seek help from U.S. Congress By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The bipartisan Congressional Ovarian Cancer Caucus was launched Tuesday in Washington to bring more awareness of and research into a disease that kills more than 14,000 women each year. Reps. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin and Rosa DeLaura of Connecticut came together after both were personally touched by ovarian cancer. Calaneet Balas, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance chief executive, said the caucus will remind Congress of the need for funding. The alliance has been working for nearly 18 years now, and with a lot of champions on Capitol Hill, Ms. Balas said. “We’ve been able to raise about $2.2 billion for research and awareness, but this caucus is going to be really focused on continuing that awareness all year round on the Hill through members, as well as focusing on increasing some of those appropriations for research and education.” The alliance says that the survival rate for ovarian cancer has improved, but that there is no test for early detection. Symptoms are often confused with those of other diseases, leaving 85 percent of women diagnosed when the disease is in its later stages. More than 50 percent of these women will not live more than five years after being diagnosed, the alliance said. Ms. Balas said researchers are making progress in understanding how gene mutation might put a woman at an elevated risk for ovarian cancer. She pointed to the case of actor Angelina Jolie, whose mother died of the disease. Ms. Jolie "had that BRCA gene and had a prophylactic double mastectomy and ovariectomy" as a preventive measure, she said. Ms. Balas added that scientists are starting to understand the genetics of the tumors, which could lead to the development of more effective diagnoses. New fabric halts travels of those tiny dust mites By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Many people around the world suffer from dust-related allergies, caused mainly by tiny mites that live in bed linen. Polish scientists report they have successfully tested a fabric that is impenetrable to the microscopic creatures. We don’t like to think about it, but most of us share our beds with thousands of tiny, 0.3-millimeter wide creatures called dust mites. Even more disagreeable is the fact that, along with ordinary house dust, we breathe in their feces, which contains enzymes called proteases. These, in turn, can cause symptoms from mild wheezing and coughing to severe asthma attacks. Dust mites are notoriously hard to get rid of, especially from bed linen, because they can easily pass through pores in the fabric. Barbara Majkowska-Wojciechowska of Lodz Medical University is part of a team that has created a new way to fight dust mites. “Our method here has allowed us to create a barrier for dust mites and allergens. This is unique,” she said. Unlike most other anti-allergen fabrics, the new material stops the mites but allows the passage of air and moisture. That makes the sheets more comfortable. Allergy sufferers who tested it say the symptoms were reduced up to 70 percent. “They told us that they have finally begun to sleep normally in bed, because they had previously struggled with sleep and it was really tough for them. They could not even lie in their beds because they suffered from asthma attacks, stuffy nose, and watery eyes. Suddenly they began to sleep,” said Ms. Majkowska-Wojciechowska. Researchers say repeated washing did not reduce the anti-allergic feature of the new fabric. They expect that after additional testing it will be ready for the market. In the meantime, dust allergy sufferers are advised to keep their homes dry, vacuum floors often and wash their bed linen in hot water. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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Obama is
angered by new massacre
at community college in Oregon By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An angry President Barack Obama demanded the American people push Congress to pass common sense gun laws after a gunman murdered nine people Thursday and wounded seven at an Oregon college. A grim Obama appeared on television hours after the shootings to tell the nation that the majority of Americans, including law-abiding gun owners, want tougher laws. He said Americans have become numb to what has become routine in the U.S., a mass shooting, followed by his White House statements, and the response by those who oppose more gun control. He said the argument that more guns make people safer cannot be done with a straight face. Obama appealed to voters to remember who supports and opposes gun laws in next year's elections. The president seemed to be unaware that Oregon has a background check law for retail gun purchasers and has just expanded the law to cover private transactions. He used his talk to promote background checks. Details of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on the U.S. Pacific coast, remain unclear, including the exact number of victims. But Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin confirmed that the shooter was killed exchanging gunfire with police. Hanlin said the 26-year-old gunman opened fire in one of the classrooms and police immediately responded to emergency telephone calls. At a news conference late Thursday, Hanlin said, "we think we know who the shooter is," but added that he will never use the shooter's name. He said, "I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act." He encouraged members of the media to avoid using, repeating, or sensationalizing the shooter's name. Other sources said that the prime suspect was Chris Harper-Mercer, who lived near the college. The man had three handguns and what appeared to be a rifle. The interim president of the college, Rita Cavin, appeared at the same news conference to offer her condolences to the families of the victims and "the families of anybody who was hurt today, emotionally or physically." She said "this has been a long, sad, tragic day" at the college and thanked the many people she said rushed to the aid of the school and its students and staff. The sheriff said many law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are involved in the investigation. Officials are making sure the campus is safe and looking for a motive. Authorities believe the gunman was familiar with the college and the building. They also say he wrote on a social media Web site about what he was planning to do. One survivor told reporters that the shooter demanded to know the religion of everyone in the classroom before he started shooting. But investigators believe this was a case of domestic terrorism with no ties to any international group. Sheriff Hanlin called Thursday's incident a huge shock to the quiet rural county, where few residents are strangers. About 3,000 students attend Umpqua Community College. Fifty-eight percent of them are female. Most of the students are 30 and older who go to the school part-time to prepare to change careers. In another incident Thursday, a gunman in Inglis, Florida, was reported to have killed three people, including himself, in a confrontation at a private home. At least one other person was reported injured. |
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| From Page 7: World Bank chief rejects trickle down view By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim challenged governments around the world Thursday to address the problem of inequality by promoting the idea of shared prosperity. But he said doing so will require tailoring policies to help the bottom 40 percent of populations in developing countries. Kim described a three-step process to reduce inequality: Growing the economy, investing in people, and safety nets to reduce the risks of falling back into poverty. Kim said the strategies will differ from one country to the next. “A low income country may need to ramp up agricultural productivity. Middle income countries may focus more on urbanization, building safe, clean, livable cities. For countries where most children don’t go to primary school, this has to be the first goal that is achieved,” said Kim. Kim rejected trickle-down economics The World Bank says economic growth, accompanied by rising wages and job creation, has been the most important factor in reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity over the past 50 years. But Kim said economic growth alone will not be enough to reduce growing income inequality. Speaking to an audience at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, Kim cited a recent Oxfam study that shows the richest 85 people in the world control as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent. “We reject trickle down notions that assume that any undifferentiated growth permeates and fortifies the soil and everything starts to bloom even for the poor. We need to find an economic growth model that lifts up the poorest citizens rather than enriching only those at the top,” said Kim. In an era of slowing global growth, Kim said countries need to do everything they can to boost growth. That includes enacting reforms, such as eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. Another important step is to build more equitable and more transparent tax collection policies. But Kim said investing in people, especially in their health and education, may be one of the most critical actions any country can take to promote growth. One of the most cost effective investments, said Kim, is making sure citizens have access to universal health care. “Only when everyone in the world can expect to receive health care and be healthy can we really seriously talk about equality of opportunity,” said Kim. For every dollar invested in health care, Kim said, the returns have been tenfold. In just the past 10 years, Kim said health insurance initiatives have accounted for 24 percent of all income growth in low- and middle income countries. |
