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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 218
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 Juan
Carlos Valverde with one of his works
Costa Rican
artist featured
in Gallery opening Saturday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rican artist Juan Carlos Valverde will present his paintings starting Saturday at the Hidden Garden Art Gallery west of Liberia. Valverde is described as an all-round artist who designed furniture, paints murals, creates pottery and designs stages for dance groups. His interest in art developed as a child, according to the gallery. He would find clay and wood to create all types of figures and shapes, spending days crafting small cars and other toys. In his early adult life he came to realize that studying visual arts was his driving force, the gallery said in an announcement. After obtaining a degree in fine arts from the University of Costa Rica, Valverde traveled to Spain and Finland, where he studied further, created works, and exhibits, it said. With a hobby in agriculture, he finds ways to cultivate those features within his art, such as using coffee beans in his sculptures, said the gallery. The opening of the exhibit, Pasajes Metafisicos, is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is located five kilometers west of Daniel Oduber airport. More information is available at the gallery Web site. Two brothers gunned down after a dispute in Paraiso By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A man gunned down two brothers at a shopping center in Paraíso de Cartago Sunday morning. The dead men, both with the last name of Ulloa were 18 and 22, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. They were shot in the back and died in the parking lot of the Plaza Paraiso. They lived in La Fuente de Paraíso. The two men were involved in a motorcycle activity in the parking lot, said investigators. The assailant became involved in a dispute with the two brothers, left and returned with a weapon, agents said. They detained a suspect at his home a short time later. He is 20. Weekend weather was drier than forecasters predicted By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country beat the odds over the weekend, and there was a lot more sunshine than rain. Forecasters had predicted a possibility of heavy rain of up to 80 percent for Sunday. The forecast for today calls for a dry morning but with high temperatures driving the creation of clouds and possible rain showers of short duration in the Pacific coast, the Central Valley as well as in the mountains of the Caribbean and the northern zone, according to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional. There is a low pressure area between Cuba and Venezuela that is moving west. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said there is a very low probability that the weather system will spawn a tropical cyclone. But there is likely to be heavier rains in the next few days. The tropical depression in the Pacific has become Tropical Storm Sonia, but it is too far north to have an impact on Costa Rica's weather. The storm was located overnight between the tip of the Baja Peninsula and the Mexican mainland. Third discussion of finances will be Thursday in San José By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's tax authority is having its third open meeting Thursday to discuss budgeting and the quality of governmental public service. The session is at 8 a.m. in the auditorium of the Museo de los Niños off Avenida 9 in northern San José. A video of the four-hour meeting will be broadcast by the Dirección General de Tributación on its Web site. The sessions are an effort to show public support for future proposals for more taxes. YouTube presents its awards as plans for paid songs advance By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The first-ever YouTube Music Awards Sunday, improvised with plenty of celebrity cameos thrown into the mix, saw awards go to rapper Eminem and hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The show made a clear bid for the quirky, a benefit of being streamed by YouTube rather than broadcast on television. If the music itself sometimes felt a little overshadowed by all the hoopla, it shouldn't surprise. The show was also an announcement of sorts by YouTube of its intentions to take a bigger role in the music industry. The music awards market is almost as crowded as the music market itself. YouTube featured big stars such as Lady Gaga to attract attention, while keeping enough of an outsider perspective to differentiate itself from MTV, the Grammys and other music powerhouses. Although the Google-owned site has for years been a go-to place for music fans around the world, the site is now expected to introduce a paid music service by year-end. “There was nothing scripted tonight,” said actor Jason Schwartzman, who, along with performance artist Reggie Watts, hosted the show, which was directed by Spike Jonze. Eminem won the Artist of the Year award. Video of the Year was awarded to Girls' Generation, who are megastars in South Korea but are still making inroads into the U.S. music scene. Breakthrough of the Year went to hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, whose songs include the gay rights anthem, “Same Love”. Walk off the Earth, along with KRNFX, took the Phenomenon Award for their version of Taylor Swift's “I Knew You Were Trouble” while the Innovation Prize went to DeStorm, who won for “See Me Standing”. In an acknowledgement of the hefty amount of user-generated content that goes on YouTube, everything from yawning kittens to cell phone video of major world news, YouTube gave out something called Response of the Year. That prize went to Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix, for their cover of Imagine Dragons “Radioactive.” Stirling is a star among violinists, but does not have the star power of Katy Perry, another of the night's nominees.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 218 | |
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| Police presence increased along the
southern Caribbean coast |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The police presence in the southern Caribbean is being beefed up in advance of the tourism high season. The tourist police have a permanent location now in Playa Cocles, and security cameras are being installed in Cocles, Manzanillo and Puerto Viejo. The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo has donated two new all-terrain patrol vehicles as well as money for hanging the 11 security cameras, said the security ministry. The Caribbean coast has been victimized by several robbery bands recently, but the police now promise patrols 24 hours a day. There are 10 more officers stationed there to do that job, the ministry noted. There also are six more motorcycles. The new facility is a three-story structure. The local Cámara de Turismo has been seeking better police protection for years. The area's reputation as a laid-back beach community has been challenged by armed robberies and invasions of major hotels. Some merchants have contacted A.M. Costa Rica to report that they were closing their businesses and leaving the area. |
 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía
This is the new police facility
on the Caribbean.y Seguridad Pública/Alonso Alvarez V. The tourism-base economy has certainly suffered from the bad publicity. There have been a series of changes, including efforts to allow tourists who may have been victims of crimes to travel easily to BriBri, the canton's administrative center, to file complaints. |
| Agents suspect money laundering in
detention of seven travelers |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Policía de Control de Drogas have detained seven Guatemalans and a Costa Rican on allegations that they are involved in the importation of money for laundering. The seven arrived on a flight from Guatemala Saturday afternoon. Agents said that each was carrying an amount of cash, mostly in U.S. currency, that was less than $10,000, the reporting threshold. The new arrivals were detained about 1 p.m. Saturday in La |
Garita de Alajuela. Agents
confiscated some $60,000 in U.S. currency and much smaller amounts in
other currencies. This is believed to be the first arrest here of those involved in a scheme that has been popular in other countries. The Central American states to the north have reported a flood of young men entering their countries with cash just short of the amount that would require reporting. The suspicion is that the money comes form the sale of drugs and is being moved south to the cartels. |
| Fuerza Pública reports success in
containing Halloween crimes |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Fuerza Pública reported Friday that its officers had detained 44 persons over Halloween. The significant fact is that the arrests were not for misbehaving in the so-called Noche de la Bruja but for other violations. Last year the police force detained 129 persons in 2012 and 142 in 2011, it said. In anticipation of difficulties with |
youngsters, police set up 82 control
points and details of police went to commercial centers, night spots,
banks, automatic tellers, parks and bus stations. They sought to short
circuit youthful behavior before it started. The agency said that 35 of the arrests were for drug offenses and two were persons sought in arrest warrants. There were no detentions for the usual Halloween crimes, offense against property, robberies and assaults, the agency said. |
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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, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 218 | |||||
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| Twin studies cite need to screen elderly for microbleeding
in the brain |
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By
the University of California at Irving news staff
As growing numbers of America’s baby boomers reach retirement, neuroscientists are expanding their efforts to understand and treat one of the leading health issues affecting this population: age-related neurological deterioration, including stroke and dementia. One factor coming under increased study is cerebral microbleeds, experienced by nearly 20 percent of people by age 60 and nearly 40 percent by age 80. Research into these small areas of brain bleeding, caused by a breakdown of miniscule blood vessels, is shedding light on how the condition may contribute to these neurological changes. With microbleeds common in older individuals, physicians need to take it into consideration when treating other brain-related issues, said Mark Fisher, professor of neurology at the University of California at Irvine. This is especially important with stroke prevention measures, which often involve medications that interfere with blood clotting and could exacerbate microbleeds, he said. Stroke risk escalates with age, especially after 55, making stroke one of the leading causes of disability and death in the elderly, he added. In two current papers published online in Frontiers in Neurology and Stroke, Fisher writes about the brain’s intricate system to protect itself against |
hemorrhaging.
This system seems to break down as humans get older, resulting in
microbleeds that develop spontaneously and become increasingly common
with aging. “The next step in stroke prevention will require that we address both blood clotting and protection of the blood vessels,” Fisher said. “This seems to be the best way to reduce the risk of microbleeds when it’s necessary to limit blood clotting for stroke prevention.” In his stroke article, Fisher describes how newer medications interfere with blood clotting to protect against stroke while at the same time protecting the blood vessel wall to help prevent bleeding. And in Frontiers in Neurology, he suggests that MRI screening be used more strategically to identify patients with microbleeds, allowing their physicians to adjust treatments accordingly. “With the prevalence of microbleeds, it’s important that we better understand this neurological factor as we develop and proceed with brain-related treatments for the elderly,” Fisher said. “Identifying and controlling microbleeds may be an important step in a therapeutic approach to maximize brain health during the process of aging. This is a critical issue requiring further study.” His work is supported by the National Institutes of Health. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 218 | |||||
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| Environmentalists are urged to embrace nuclear generation By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Four prominent climate scientists are urging environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear energy systems as an alternative to fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. The U.S. and Australia-based scientists made the appeal in a letter issued Sunday and addressed to people influencing environmental policy but opposed to nuclear power. Many environmentalists believe nuclear plants are too dangerous and expensive to replace fossil fuels. They say governments instead should invest in energy sources such as solar and wind to meet the world's needs. But the authors of the letter say solar and wind systems cannot be developed fast enough to deliver cheap and reliable power at the scale the global economy requires. They say there must be a substantial role for nuclear power in any credible solution to stabilizing the climate. The four scientists say the risks of expanding nuclear energy are much smaller than those of continuing to rely on fossil fuel power plants, which they say treat the atmosphere as a waste dump. U.S. environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, rejected the letter's emphasis on nuclear power. Spokesman Bob Deans says the world gains nothing from substituting one set of environmental nightmares for another. "We're concerned with safety, sustainability and cost. What we saw in Fukushima was a reminder of the risk of a catastrophic disaster from nuclear power plants," he said. "Sustainability - we have problems. We have yet to figure out, 60 years after the dawn of this technology, how to deal with the waste from nuclear power plants. And there's also a security problem with having a terrorist get their hands on some of this material that can be used to make weapons. Finally, it's the cost issue. Nuclear power is one of the costliest ways to produce electricity right now." Deans said this organization believes the United States should invest in making homes, workplaces and vehicles more energy efficient, so that people can do more with less. He also highlighted China's investment in wind and solar power as a positive step by one of the world's top polluters. But China also is seeking to export its nuclear energy technology after launching 17 domestic reactors and starting construction of 28 more, a rate of nuclear development that far outpaces the United States. Deans said China is dealing with a unique energy challenge because it is trying to rapidly lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. "We certainly understand China's growing energy needs, no question about that," he said. "At the same time, there is no more technologically advanced country in the world than Japan, and what we've seen in Fukushima has been an unrolling disaster that the Japanese have yet to get a handle on. That needs to be a warning to everyone around the world that we need to be very careful about this technology." The pro-nuclear letter was written by Kenneth Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution, Kerry Emanuel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, James Hansen of Columbia University and Tom Wigley of the University of Adelaide. Two French radio reporters found dead in chaotic Mali By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
France said Sunday that two French journalists found dead in the northern Mali region of Kidal had been coldly assassinated by militants and vowed to step up security measures in the area. Radio journalists Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were abducted after interviewing a member of the MNLA Tuareg separatist group in northern Mali. Their bodies were found Saturday by a French patrol 12 kilometers (eight miles) outside Kidal, the birthplace of a Tuareg uprising last year that plunged Mali into chaos, leading to a coup in the capital Bamako and the occupation of the northern half of the country by militants linked to al-Qaida. Full details of why the journalists were killed and who carried out the attack were not immediately clear, but Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius put the blame firmly on militants operating in the region. “The assassins are those that we are fighting, the terrorist groups that refuse democracy and elections,” Fabius said, calling the killings heinous and revolting. Fabius said one of the journalists had been shot twice, and the other three times. He said French forces had tried to find the hostage takers, but to no avail. Paris launched air strikes and sent thousands of soldiers into Mali at the start of the year to drive back al-Qaida-linked rebels it said could turn the West African country into a base for international attacks. Although Malian, U.N. and French troops are stationed in Kidal, none is heavily deployed. The Malian army's contingent is generally symbolic, and soldiers are confined to their base. There are some 200 U.N. peacekeepers who are officially in control of security, and France also has about 200 troops, though their operations in the region have focused on the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains to the north, which served for years as a hideout for militants. “Security in the area and the surrounding areas will be increased,” Fabius said, after a specially convened meeting between President Francois Hollande and key cabinet ministers. He did not elaborate. Mali government spokesman Mahamane Baby echoes those comments saying President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Hollande had agreed that the status quo could not remain during a telephone call late on Saturday. The journalists' deaths came just days after four French hostages kidnapped in Niger by al-Qaida's north African wing were released following secret talks with officials from the West African country. They had been held for three years. Paris dismissed media reports the government had used public funds to pay a ransom of some $20 million. Malaria cases in U.S. are up, and most come from overseas By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The number of malaria cases in the United States has reached a 40-year high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2011, 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the United States, according to data published in a supplement of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Thursday by the Centers. It was the highest number of cases since 1971 and represents a 14 percent increase from 2010. “Malaria isn’t something many doctors see frequently in the United States thanks to successful malaria elimination efforts in the 1940s,” said Centers Director Tom Frieden, “The increase in malaria cases reminds us that Americans remain vulnerable and must be vigilant against diseases like malaria because our world is so interconnected by travel.” Almost all of the malaria cases reported in the U.S. were acquired overseas. More than two-thirds of the cases were imported from Africa, and nearly two-thirds of those were acquired in West Africa. For the first time, India was the country from which the most cases were imported. Cases showed seasonal peaks in January and August. Malaria is caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of an infective female Anopheles mosquito. In 2010, it caused an estimated 660,000 deaths and 219 million cases globally. The signs and symptoms of malaria illness are varied, but the majority of patients have fever. NSA pressed to change, as director plans retirement By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Outrage over the U.S. National Security Agency's widespread collection of telephone and Internet data from American allies could lead to a changed landscape for the spy agency. Allegations the National Security Agency has been eavesdropping on phone and Internet communications of world leaders have angered U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere. U.S.-based Internet companies Yahoo and Google were upset to learn the NSA has been secretly tapping their data, searching private information about hundreds of millions of people. The flood of revelations about NSA bulk data collections sets the stage for Congress to impose new restrictions on the super secret agency's activities. The NSA director, Army Gen. Keith Alexander, is retiring early next year, and his successor will need to restore confidence in his agency, according to Paul Tiao, a former adviser to the director and now a partner at the Hunton and Williams law firm. "So it is going to be important for the NSA director to be able to manage and build relationships of trust, both with foreign leaders and his counterparts in signals-intelligence agencies overseas, but also with industry, with industry leaders," he said. Alexander was making retirement plans before former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed classified agency documents exposing the surveillance programs. But how will the spymaster's tenure be remembered? A senior fellow at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, James Andrew Lewis, says Alexander is widely respected for running NSA, while establishing and leading the spy agency's military counterpart, Cyber Command. "I have asked people, you know, after the Snowden thing, what is likely to happen to Alexander, and the answer you get from senior administration officials and from Republicans is that he is irreplaceable," he said. Former NSA official and whistleblower William Binney says the NSA spying violates the U.S. Constitution, and he disputes Alexander's claim that massive domestic data collection is needed to prevent acts of terrorism. Binney does not, however, expect the next NSA leader to abandon phone and Internet spying. "I do not believe that anything is going to change unless they change the policy and what they are doing at NSA," he said. "That is their mission," said Tiao, explaining that he also expects the surveillance to continue. "To collect communications on terrorists, on foreign intelligence actors, on cyberthreat actors." Some people are calling for separate leaders for NSA and Cyber Command, saying Alexander wields too much power by holding both jobs. But Lewis says Alexander has performed responsibly. "It is very tightly controlled," he said. "He is part of the chain of command. There have not been any problems." Either way, President Barack Obama's choice for the next leader or leaders of NSA and Cyber Command will need to work closely with Congress and America's allies. PGA will set up China tour to develop professional golf By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. PGA Tour has announced it is expanding into China next year with a new developmental professional golf circuit. PGA Tour China will feature 12 events in 2014 with about $200,000 in prizes for each event. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Fincham made the announcement Sunday in Shanghai. He said PGA Tour China will provide open competition on a quality tour for elite players from China and other countries with the opportunity to advance to top global professional tours. Fincham said the new tour builds on the U.S. Professional Golf Association's longstanding relationship with the China Golf Association. A top official with the Chinese organization, Zhang Xiaoning, said the partnership will raise the level of golf in the country and prepare the players for significant global events. The European and OneAsia Tours have had a presence in China for several years. Fincham said he does not expect the new tour to have any negative effect on those organizations. The PGA already operates two tours outside the U.S. - PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour LatinoAmerica. Kenyan marathoners prevail in race around New York City By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Defending champion Geoffrey Mutai and Priscah Jeptoo won the men's and women's races at the New York City Marathon on Sunday for a Kenyan sweep in chilly, windy conditions through the city's five boroughs. After last year's race was canceled due to damage inflicted on the city by Superstorm Sandy, the race marked a triumphant return as a record 50,740 runners started from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. Ms. Jeptoo overtook front-running Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba with about two miles to go to win going away in two hours, 25 minutes and seven seconds and claim a huge payday in a race that began in 46 degrees F (8 C) with winds of 17 mph (27 kph). London Marathon winner Ms. Jeptoo trailed 2011 New York runner-up Deba, who lives and trains in the Big Apple, by nearly four minutes before shifting into catch-up mode from the 16-mile mark to reel in her rival, who suffered from stomach cramping during the race. The win brought Ms. Jeptoo a World Marathon Majors bonus of $500,000 in addition to the New York prize of $100,000. “This is a great moment for me, and this is a day I will not forget for the rest of my life,” said Ms. Jeptoo. Deba finished second, 49 seconds back, in a race run under tight security in the aftermath of April's Boston Marathon bombings with twice NYC winner Jelena Prokopcuka, 37, of Latvia third. Ms. Jeptoo said she realized she had to move into a faster gear when someone on a bicycle told her she was more than three minutes off the pace. The Kenyan left the trailing pack on her own and chased down Deba, who was running alongside training partner Tigist Tufa Demisse. “So I push alone so much, and you know it was very cold wind,” Ms. Jeptoo said. “But I try to persevere because I knew that I had trained a lot and had nothing to fear.” Mutai had to wait an extra year to defend his title from 2011, but the 2011 Boston winner showed he had not lost his edge as he hit the Central Park finish 52 seconds ahead of Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia. “Today was a very tough race,” said 32-year-old Mutai, who finished in 2:08:24. “To win a race for the first time is easy. To defend your title is not easy. I think this makes me more famous in Kenya.” In third place was Lusapho April of South Africa in 2:09:45. Kebede had reason to smile, however, as his second-place finish allowed him to clinch the men's $500,000 World Marathon Majors bonus prize after twice being runner-up. “You know, it is not easy to win World Marathon Majors,” said Kebede. “This is my dream. I'm very happy. I'm glad to get to this point.” Mutai broke away with compatriot Stanley Biwott from a pack of eight that had been bunched at the head of the men's field in Mile 20, then struck out on his own for the victory. Tatyana McFadden completed a sweep of major marathon women's wheelchair titles, winning her second New York City race in addition to this year's victories in Chicago, Boston and London. Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men's wheelchair race. Antarctic marine reserve plan collapses lacking a consensus By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Despite a decade of negotiations, talks to create the world’s largest marine reserve in waters off Antarctica broke down Friday. Twenty-four nations and the European Union gathered in Tasmania but failed to reach a consensus on proposed protected areas in the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea. The nations met to negotiate the plan under the auspices of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. “We are extremely disappointed that Russia and the Ukraine and China were unwilling to go along with the overwhelming majority of countries who favor enactment of marine protected areas both in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica, recognizing the special characteristics of both places," said Gerry Plante, a senior officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts and long-time advocate for the sanctuary. The nations involved in the talks are party to the Antarctic Treaty, under which the commission operates. Decisions are made by consensus and when the three countries blocked the move, the motion was tabled. “What they expressed at the meeting was that they were unwilling to give up their fishing opportunities, and unwilling to say, okay, maybe in that area it’s not okay to have unlimited expansion of fishing effort.” This is the third time efforts to ratify the proposal have failed. Moving forward the treaty nations must resolve their differences with Russia, Ukraine and China before the commission's annual meeting next year, Plante says. “And convey to those governments that they could be leaders in making the management of these marine protected areas more robust to ensure that they were achieving their scientific objectives, which is something we would all support,” he said. The plan would have set aside 1.3 million square kilometers in the Ross Sea and 1.6 million square kilometers in East Antarctica. The continent remains one of the world’s last wild frontiers, home to 10,000 species including penguins, seabirds, seals and whales. Use of clean cook stoves urged for health and cleaner emissions By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Simple measures to reduce pollution from cooking stoves in developing nations could save a million lives a year and help slow global warming, a World Bank study showed today. Tighter restrictions on diesel emissions, for instance from car exhausts, could also avert 340,000 premature deaths annually by reining in soot and other heat-trapping pollutants that are also stoking climate change, the report claimed. The study called for tough limits on pollution from methane and soot, which can settle on snow and ice and hasten a thaw by darkening its surface, in everything from cooking and heating to mining and flaring by the oil and gas industry. “The damage from indoor cooking smoke alone is horrendous. Every year, four million people die from exposure to the smoke,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement of the study “On Thin Ice: How Cutting Pollution can Slow Warming and Save Lives”. Many people in developing nations cook on open fires with wood or coal, exposing people, mainly women and children, to fumes that cause everything from respiratory problems to heart disease. “If more clean cook-stoves, stoves that use less or cleaner fuel, would be used it could save one million lives,” the report said. Mass produced, such stoves can cost a few dollars each. Monday's study was co-written by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. The cryosphere is the world's ice, snow and permafrost, from Siberia to Antarctica. New stoves use fans to improve combustion, or less-polluting fuels such as gas from crop waste or manure. “If we act fast and cut common pollutants like soot and methane we can slow the rate of warming... and if we did so we can save millions of lives,” Rachel Kyte, World Bank vice president for sustainable development, told a telephone news conference. Tighter controls on pollution could also boost crop growth, the report said. Plant growth can be hampered by a haze of pollution. A 2011 U.N. study estimated that measures to limit air pollutants such as methane and soot could slow the pace of global warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 Fahrenheit) by mid-century. A study in August 2013, however, said the benefits would be far less. Temperatures have risen by about 0.8 C (1.4 F) compared to before the Industrial Revolution. Almost 200 nations will meet in Warsaw from Nov. 11 to 22 to consider ways to combat global warming. They have agreed to work out by the end of 2015 a deal that will enter into force from 2020. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 218 | |||||||||
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Cuba moves to
shut down small private theaters By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Cuba closed dozens of home-based movie theaters Saturday and reaffirmed its plans to end the private sale of imported goods as Communist authorities pressed for order, discipline and obedience in the growing small business sector. A government statement issued through official media said home-based theaters and video games will "stop immediately in any type of self-employment," a local euphemism for small business. The statement said "the showing of movies, including in 3D salons, and likewise the organization of computer games, has never been authorized." The government banned the private sale of imported goods last month, a measure that potentially affects some 20,000 small businesses and their employees who sell clothing, hardware and other goods brought in informally by travelers, some of whom visit the Caribbean island regularly carrying merchandise from the United States, Spain and Latin American countries. President Raúl Castro, who replaced his brother Fidel in 2008, has instituted a series of market-oriented reforms to Cuba's Soviet style economy where the state still employs 79 percent of the 5 million-strong labor force. "These measures are corrections to continue bringing order to this form of management, fight impunity and insist people live up to the law," the government said Saturday. "In no way does this mean a step backward. Quite the contrary, we will continue to decidedly advance in the updating of our economic model," it said, adding that would only be possible "in an atmosphere of order, discipline and obedience." The import ban has created a fury among entrepreneurs and the public who have tired of buying high priced and low quality clothing from state-run establishments. Saturday's closing of private theaters will add fuel to the fire as they have been overwhelmingly welcomed by the public. Saturday the government said it had decided to postpone the ban on imports until January to give vendors time to liquidate their inventories. Three years ago the government opened up retail services to self-employment in the form of 200 licensed activities from clowns, seamstresses, food vendors, taxis and the building trades, to small businesses such as restaurants, cafeterias, bed and breakfasts and entertainment. The government said the measure was aimed at absorbing excess state labor, improving services, eliminating inefficiencies and bringing black-market activity above ground. There are now 442,000 self-employed people in Cuba, of whom around 100,000 work as employees of small businesses, according to the government. México will forgive debt that Cuba owes for years By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Mexican government is ready to waive 70 percent of a debt worth nearly $500 million Cuba owes it, Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said Friday, as Mexico seeks to improve ties with the Communist island. Speaking on Mexican radio, Videgaray said a loan issued by Mexico's foreign trade development bank Bancomext to Cuba more than 15 years ago had become a debt worth $487 million. “Seventy percent of the debt is to be waived,” said Videgaray, adding that a formal announcement would be made later. The rest of the debt will be paid in 10 years, he added. Relations between Cuba and Mexico were traditionally strong, but they soured during the rule of the conservative Partido Acción Nacional between 2000 and 2012. |
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| From Page 7: Officials will be looking at advertising By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The security ministry's Oficina de Control de Propaganda, which is known for cracking down on soft porn magazines, appears to be spreading its authority. The office organized a workshop in which officials explained to those in the advertising and marketing businesses the responsibility that Costa Rica has under international treaties. The international treaties are instruments that the Oficina de Control de Propaganda has to evaluate printed and televised publicity that use the image of women and of the family, the ministry said. One of the principal speakers at the workshop was Freddy Montero, a vice minister. In Spanish, the word propaganda does not carry the negative connotations it does in English. The word simply means advertising. Montero told the workshop that it is clear that in western countries the society is a patriarchal one, according to a summary from the ministry. Advertising is not only to sell products and services, but it also is to educate, create stereotypes and create ideas about persons, said Montoya, according to the summary. |
