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José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 218
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Banco Central trio
face theft charges
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Three employees of the Banco Central have been detained on the allegations they were making illegal withdrawals. Judicial police made the arrests Monday, but the trio had been under investigation and suspended from their jobs. All three worked in the treasury of the Banco Central, and they were involved with receiving old banknotes that has deteriorated and banknotes that were being returned when the country changed its currency in 2012 and 2013. The Poder Judicial said that the men were seen acting suspiciously on cameras. There is no estimate yet on the amount of money taken, but police did say that the trio has purchased five automobiles and some property out of town. Volcano reported remaining stable By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some 13 schools remain closed in the vicinity of the Turrialba volcano, but officials noted Monday that the mountain has been stable for 48 hours with just some emissions of gas and steam. The national emergency commission continues to obtain information from the residents about any damage they may have suffered. Some of the dairy farmers have been moving their animals elsewhere. Some cows still are in the security zone set up around the volcano. They are being provided water and feed. There still is an alert, and the national park that surrounds the volcano is closed. However, officials are permitting some access to the nearby sister volcano, Irazú, which also is the center of a national park. Since the volcano erupted Thursday night, there has been a lot of activity by emergency workers. In addition, farmers are taking count of the produce that has been damaged by the sulfuric gases that some from the volcano. There also is a rain of ash that can cover cattle pastures close to the volcano. Ash has been detected in the Central Valley as far away as Moravia and Puriscal. Near the volcano officials said they count 13 communities with some type of volcano-caused problem. There are 62 families containing 164 persons, but many have moved away to stay with realatives, said the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias. Measure would reform law on HIV By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The executive branch is supporting a proposal to reform the country's laws involving HIV. Under the new legislation employers could not fire an employe or put the worker in another department because of HIV. In addition, if a person transmits HIV to another person unknowingly, he or she will not be subject to the current criminal penalties. The proposal, which already was in the legislature, was outlined Monday by Ana Helena Chacón, second vice president. She said there were 694 new cases of HIV last year, and 56 of these evolved into AIDS. The prevalence of HIV in Costa Rica is about three tenth of a percent, according to medical estimates. That suggests 9,800 infected persons, according to Casa Presidencial. The report also said that 83 percent of the cases are male. María Elena López, the health minister, said that the proposed legislation prohibits discrimination due to sexual orientation, ethnicity, handicap or a medical condition or illness. The legislation is being studied in the Comisión de Derechos Humanos of the legislature. Top cop becomes a data peeking suspect By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The controversy over judicial workers peeking into the files of a top soccer star is beginning to look like a political grudge match. The chief prosecutor, Jorge Chavarría Guzmán, has ordered that the director of the Judicial Investigating Organization be included among the suspects, according to a statement released through the Poder Judicial. Chavarría said that was because the director, Francisco Segura Montero, told reporters that he authorized two accesses to the Plataforma de Información Policial file of soccer star Keylor Navas. Both Segura and Chavarría appeared before the Corte Suprema de Justicia Monday to explain their positions. The court issued rules to prohibit use of the data base except in the case of individuals under investigation. Including Segura, there now are 25 judicial agents and four prosecutors under investigation for accessing the soccer star's file in June, July and August.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 218 | |
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| Plan readied with goal to reduce deaths of those using
motorcycles |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Anyone who drives a vehicle in Costa Rica knows that motorcyclists are in a world of their own. They jump traffic lights, plow through lines of traffic and frequently have accidents. Taking care of injured motorcycle drivers cost the Instituto Nacional de Seguros $40 million last year. The Consejo de Seguridad Vial is trying to come up with a plan to reduce the deaths of motorcyclists by 20 percent over the next six years. However. the plan still is in the works with the help from the Banco de Desarrollo para América Latina and international experts. |
Among other
approaches, the agency is considering a special driving course for
those using motorcycles. The bulk of the deaths are of young men in rural areas. Each weekend there seems to be at least four or five fatal motorcycle accidents. Many involve just the motorcycle that goes off the road and hits a tree or wall, Sometimes two motorcycles collide head-on with fatal results. The traffic safety agency did not mention it, but alcohol appears to have a role in some of the deaths. Compared to automobiles, motorcycles are inexpensive, usually less than $1,000 and sometimes way less. Consequently their are attractive to youngsters. |
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Vandals in
Limón torch
two tractor cabs overnight By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Vandals in Limón torched two tractor trailer cabs Sunday night and Monday morning. The first was at the entrance to Limón 2000 on Ruta 32, the main access to the Moín docks. That was at 9 p.m., and the driver said he was ordered out of his cab at gunpoint. At 2 a.m. there was a similar situation in Moín when armed men intercepted a tractor trailer The Fuerza Pública said they detained some suspects. There were reports that homemade bombs were used. There were no indications that the vandals were connected directly to the striking dock workers union. Police managed to break up plans for additional lawlessness. They said they found 18 gasoline-soaked pallets and some 54 old vehicle tires that were designed to create burning barricades in the Caribbean communities. Officers are urging truckers to avoid the area after daylight hours. Meanwhile, Casa Presidencial has invited the defensora de los habitantes, Monserrat Solano Carboni, to participate in negotiations. Víctor Morales Mora, issued the invitation is a letter. He is minister of Trabajo and is handling the negotiations. However, he restricted the topics for discussion and said that there would be no amnesty for strikers who were detained a week ago when police moved into the docks. He said the discussion should center on a Limón development plan that Casa Presidencial proposed last week. Strikers want a contract with APM Terminals redone to give them more container handling at the public docks where they work. The government has continually refused to do that. |
 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía y Seguridad Pública photo
These tires were going to be
burned by vandals |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 218 | |||||
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| Another lethal fungus could devastate populations of
salamanders |
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By
the University of Maryland news staff
A deadly disease that is wiping out salamanders in parts of Europe will inevitably reach overseas through the international wildlife trade unless steps are taken to halt its spread, says University of Maryland amphibian expert Karen Lips. Mortality was 100 percent among Eastern red-spotted newts (Nothophthalmus viridescens) exposed to a newly-named fungus emerging from Asia. The North American native is a popular aquarium pet. The recently described fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, has caused a crash in wild populations of fire salamanders in the Netherlands. After the fungus was discovered in Europe last year, Ms. Lips joined an international team of experts that tested more than 5,000 amphibians from four continents. Their results, published in the journal Science, show the fungus probably originated in Southeast Asia 30 million years ago and reached Europe through the international trade in Asian newts, which are popular with amphibian fanciers. The fungus, which is lethal to at least a dozen European and North American salamander and newt species, has not yet reached the Americas, says Ms. Lips, an associate professor of biology and one of the world's top experts in amphibian diseases. Ms. Lips and a colleague, Cornell University Professor Kelly Zamudio, screened about 1,400 frogs, salamanders and newts from sites in North and South America and found no trace of the fungus. But Chinese fire belly newts are potential carriers of B. salamandrivorans, and more than 2.3 million of them were imported into the U.S. for the pet trade between 2001 and 2009. If even a few of these animals have the fungus, "it's a question of when, not if, this fungus reaches North America," says graduate student Carly Muletz, a co-author of the Science paper. Ms. Lips says scientists can act now to track, and ideally prevent, a disease outbreak from ravaging wild populations of newts and salamanders in the Americas. Current U.S. regulations focus on monitoring live animal imports to prevent the spread of diseases to humans and livestock, not to native wildlife, says Ms. Lips. She and other experts recently briefed congressional staffers on the need to fill in this regulatory gap. "If scientists and policy makers can work together on this, we have a rare opportunity to stop an epidemic from spreading around the globe with potentially deadly effect," says Ms. Lips. North America is the global center of salamander biodiversity, home to more than 150 of the world's 655 known salamander species. Reclusive and mostly nocturnal, these rarely-seen creatures are the subjects of folklore — associated with fire because of some species' brilliant coloring, poisons because of the toxins some produce to |
 University of Maryland/Edward Kabay
This is an Eastern red-spotted
newts (Nothophthalmus viridescens)
shown here in its juvenile stage.discourage predators, and immortality because of their ability to regenerate lost limbs. B. salamandrivorans rapidly invades salamanders' skin, which plays a crucial role in the animals' respiratory system. Scientists don't yet know how it kills its hosts, Ms. Lips said, but a sister fungus, Batracochytrium dendrobatidis, also infects skin, interfering with amphibians' breathing and their ability to absorb water and essential minerals. B. dendrobatidis infects more than 520 amphibian species around the world, has caused steep declines in populations of frogs and salamanders, and has driven some species into extinction. The scientists fear B. salamandrivorans might prove equally devastating. The researchers found that newts, a subgroup within the salamander family, are especially vulnerable to B. salamandrivorans. When two common North American species — the Eastern red-spotted newt, a showy animal often kept as a pet, and the rough-skinned newt, which ranges from British Columbia to the Mexican border — were exposed to the fungus in laboratory tests, 100 percent of the animals died. "We have billions of these newts living in the wild all across the continent," says Ms. Lips, "and because they're highly sensitive to this fungus, they could amplify it or spread it to other groups of salamanders. We don't know what the consequences of that might be." Ms. Lips and her colleagues hope to establish a surveillance network to monitor wild salamander and newt populations for signs of the fungus. Lips and other experts are also calling for a testing program to sample animals in the wildlife trade that may carry the pathogen, to trace its movement and mitigate its impact. "This study captures a pathogen's first steps out of Asia," says Ms. Zamudio. "The more globalized our world becomes, the more our biodiversity will be challenged by diseases moving into areas where they have never occurred before." |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 218 | |||||||
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| New ebola cases seem to dip in hard hit Liberia capital By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Liberian officials and the World Health Organization say the number of new ebola cases in Liberia appears to be falling but that it’s too soon to be sure. Liberia has been the hardest hit by this regional epidemic with approximately half the total cases and deaths. Ebola has killed at least 2,413 people in Liberia since April. Some experts have suggested it could kill tens of thousands more by year’s end. However, health authorities there say that over the past two weeks the rate of infection appears to be dropping slowly. World Health says it is cautiously optimistic. Liberia’s assistant health minister and head of the government’s ebola response, Tolbert Nyenswah, says now is not the time to relax intervention efforts. Doctors Without Borders runs the largest ebola treatment unit in Liberia. It was overflowing just two months ago. They were having to turn patients away. Since mid-October, they've had empty beds. “We have 79 out of 190 beds occupied," explained the organization's medical coordinator in Liberia, Natasha Reyes. "So that’s now less than half. And that’s quite new for us. We used to have over 100 patients in the confirmed area.” She says that does not mean there aren’t still sick people in communities. “We need to have a better surveillance of the community. We need to have better tracing of the contacts of the patients that we have for us to have a really good picture and for us to draw any conclusions," Dr. Reyes said. The country’s burial teams say they are also picking up fewer bodies. Marcus Speare, who runs burial operations for Margibi County just outside Monrovia, says community resistance remains. “There are few persons of families that are still hiding sick persons, and we want them to begin to cooperate with the health program," he said. Medical experts say ebola victims are at their most contagious after death. Safe burial requires family members to have no physical contact with the bodies -- a practice at odds with Liberian tradition. Dr. Reyes says that could still be deterring sick people or their family members from coming forward. “It may be discouraging people from accessing our centers because if I were sick, I would be afraid to go in because that if I die I will be cremated and that my family will never see me again," she noted. According to health workers, the downward trend in new cases is promising. Ramped up response efforts are having an impact. But they are quick to point out that Liberia and neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone have seen other dips in cases over the course of this now eight-month epidemic only to have the virus spread and resurge. Candidate who is Muslim seeks fifth term in Congress By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
American voters say the fear of the Islamic State is one of their most important concerns in the upcoming mid-term elections. President Barack Obama’s decision to attack the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and the fact that some
Approximately 100 Americans have fought for the Islamic State.. At least 10 are from Minnesota's capital, Minneapolis, which Ellison represents. “We have to tell our young people, if they want to do something good and constructive for their faith, what they need to do is help the poor. Help the less fortunate. They need to get involved in the civic life of America. They can criticize any U.S. policy that they want to but it needs to be through the ballot box, use their First Amendment rights. To take up arms with a foreign power against their own country, is simply not acceptable," he said. Doug Dagget, Ellison’s Republican opponent in the elections, believes that the policies of Democrats influenced some of the Somali Americans who joined the Islamic State in Syria: “It is very concerning. Somalian Americans came here to prosper. We have the biggest Somalian community right here in Minneapolis. The community leaders tell me that it’s lack of jobs, lack of education, lack of hope. They don’t believe that Congressman Ellison has been doing enough. He’s been absent," said Dagget. Ellison was the first congressman to be sworn in with his hand on the Quran. Has being a Muslim in America’s political climate helped him or has it been a difficult challenge? “It’s helped me because no matter what struggles or difficulties I’ve faced, I can always go to prayer and it always strengthens me. It helps me. It’s an overall benefit. I look forward to fasting, prayer and it’s made me a happier person than I believe I would be otherwise. Sometimes there are acts of violence and these are always sad but when a Muslim is involved in it, they always attribute it to Islam. Sometimes I have to deal with anti-Islamic actions but these are small things and they don’t bother me at all," said Ellison. Obama's handling of ebola may be factor in elections By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The ebola outbreak that has killed thousands of people in West Africa has emerged as an issue in the U.S. midterm elections. In recent days, President Barack Obama has been front and center on the ebola response after polls showed many Americans disapproved of his handling of the situation. He gave a big hug to newly recovered nurse Nina Pham and thanked U.S. health care workers on the front lines of the ebola fight. “We need to call them what they are, which is American heroes. They deserve our gratitude," said President Obama. President Obama has spent a good part of the past two weeks reassuring the American public on ebola, even taking a few minutes before embarking on a campaign trip last week to speak to reporters at the White House. “America in the end is not defined by fear. That is not who we are. America is defined by possibility. And when we see a problem and we see a challenge, then we fix it," said Obama. The stepped up media effort seems to be working, with a recent poll showing about 49 percent of those surveyed approve of President Obama’s handling of the ebola issue - up eight percent from two weeks ago. George Washington University Professor Matt Dallek: “All these ways, aggressive ways, in which the White House has been trying to kind of push back on the story, demonstrate that it is in charge and that it is effective, have been helpful politically," said Dallek. But it is not just President Obama who has made ebola a central issue in recent days. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made headlines after he ordered the quarantine of an American nurse who had returned from treating ebola patients in West Africa. “We are not going to take any risks with the public health of New Jersey," said Christie. Dallek says crises like ebola and the Islamic State militant group’s gaining ground in Iraq have created an opening for Republicans during the midterm election campaign. “At least, historically in the last 30, 40 years, Republicans have often been seen as being stronger than Democrats, tough on national security, tough on law and order, being willing to take the extra step to protect you," he said. While global crises have influenced U.S. midterm campaigns, the impact of Americans fear of ebola will likely be made clear on Tuesday, when voters decide who should represent them in Congress. World Trade Center opens 13 years after terrorist attack By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The newly-built World Trade Center has reopened in New York City some 13 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The 541-meter skyscraper was rebuilt at a cost of $3.9 billion and will once again dominate the Manhattan skyline, standing as the tallest building in North America. The building is at the centerpiece of the site where the decimated Twin Towers once stood. The new One World Trade Center will house the offices of publisher Conde Nast, the government's General Services Administration, and the China Center. Other tenants include an advertising company, investment and entertainment companies. Sixty percent has already been leased. Conde Nast eventually will have 2,300 employees spread among 24 floors. The first of those to move in were generally enthusiastic, and expressed no concerns about being safe in their workplace. MaryAnne Cacey said she's proud about working in the building. “You know it’s a tragedy what happened in 2001, but I think it’s a great tribute to America what they’ve come back and done. I’m proud to work here,” she said. “There’s plenty of security here. You feel safe, at least I do,” added Austin Parker, an employee of CMS Video Associates. Some of the principals who were involved in making opening day possible held a brief news conference Monday. “This is a terrific day for lower Manhattan, a wonderful day for New York City and an absolutely great day for Conde Nast,” said Charles Townsend, CEO of Conde Nast.” “This is the safest class of office building any place, not just in the nation, any place in the world,” added Patrick Foye, executive director of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. "We give you back as a gift of remembrance, of people we lost that fateful day but also of the wonder of how people pull together to make such a wonderful thing , a wonderful structure in their memory,” said Steve Plate, director of One World Trade Center construction. The Twin Towers were destroyed when al-Qaida terrorists flew two hijacked airplanes into the buildings, bringing them down and killing more than 2,700 people. Disclosure by Apple CEO generates reaction in Russia By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Russian media reports say a big mock iPhone meant as a monument to the late former Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been taken down in St. Petersburg after his successor, Tim Cook, came out publicly as gay. The monument, with an interactive screen displaying information about Jobs, was reportedly put up on the grounds of an IT university in January 2013 on the initiative of a Russian company called Western European Financial Union. Russian Radio station Biznes-FM cited the company's chief, Maksim Dolgopolov, as saying he had it removed in part to comply with a law banning the spread of propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors. After Cook came out as gay in an essay published Thursday, prominent St. Petersburg antigay activist Vitaly Milonov was quoted as saying Cook should be banned from Russia because he could bring AIDS, Ebola, or gonorrhea into the country. President of Argentina goes to hospital for fever treatment By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Argentine President Cristina Fernández checked into a Buenos Aires hospital for treatment of an infectious fever, according to a statement issued by her office on Sunday. The 61-year-old president entered the Sanatorio Otamendi clinic after feeling ill Sunday afternoon, her office said. “She decided to check herself in for observation and treatment,” said the statement, which was signed by her medical team. The statement gave no details about the ailment besides describing it as an infectious fever. In mid-October, doctors told Fernández to rest for 48 hours in order to recover from a sore throat. The two-term president had brain surgery last year to remove a blood clot. Fernandez made no public statements for six weeks during that period, leading to concern over her condition.  North Carolina State University photo
This is the high-tech harness
that is equipped with a suite of technologies to enhance communication
between dogs and humans. Smart dog
harness opens
many possibilities for contact By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Dog-loving scientists at North Carolina State University have figured out a way to communicate better with man's best friend — via tactile means, not verbally. David Roberts, a mathematician and computer scientist at the Raleigh university, said he and his colleagues have developed a comfortable harness with a small computer mounted on it that allows dog owners to detect, from a distance, what Fido is doing and feeling. “This involves outfitting the harness with a bunch of sensors that are dedicated to monitoring the environment that the dog is in, as well as monitoring the dog itself," Roberts said, "and then also being able to send input back to the dog via haptics, a gentle vibration much like when a cellphone goes off in a pocket.” The harness, which can record a dog’s heartbeat and temperature and measure its activity level, is controlled wirelessly through a cellphone app. Roberts said the device runs two programs and has a number of potential applications. For instance, it can be used with service dogs that guide sight-impaired people. These dogs, Roberts said, are particularly vulnerable to stress, even though they are trained to remain very calm. When their work "builds up to a point that it starts to affect their well-being, they have to be retired,” he said. A handler who can detect a dog’s discomfort can remove the animal from a bad situation, improving its health and quality of life. The high-tech harness can also be used on search-and-rescue dogs, and on military dogs trained to locate explosives. When such dogs "catch a whiff of something, they could be out at several hundred yards, working away from the handler. And the handler could get a little beep on a handheld device saying, 'Hey, your dog is on some scents.' " The beep on a cellphone tells the handler that the dog has laid down in front of a scent, as such animals are trained to do. The harness can be customized with environmental sensors that detect hazards such as gas leaks, as well as a camera and microphone for collecting additional information. Haptic vibrations also can send precisely timed signals from the handler to help train a dog. Roberts and his colleagues are in the process of miniaturizing the computer and improving the physiological sensors so the harness can be used in animal shelters and hospitals. The National Science Foundation is funding their research. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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By
the U.S. Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory news staff Scientists have identified a mechanism that could turn out to be a big contributor to warming in the Arctic region and melting sea ice. The research was led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. They studied a long-wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum called far infrared. It’s invisible to human eyes but accounts for about half the energy emitted by the Earth’s surface. This process balances out incoming solar energy. Despite its importance in the planet’s energy budget, it’s difficult to measure a surface’s effectiveness in emitting far-infrared energy. In addition, its influence on the planet’s climate is not well represented in climate models. The models assume that all surfaces are 100 percent efficient in emitting far-infrared energy. That’s not the case. The scientists found that open oceans are much less efficient than sea ice when it comes to emitting in the far-infrared region of the spectrum. This means that the Arctic Ocean traps much of the energy in far-infrared radiation, a previously unknown phenomenon that is likely contributing to the warming of the polar climate. Their research appears this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Far-infrared surface emissivity is an unexplored topic, but it deserves more attention. Our research found that non-frozen surfaces are poor emitters compared to frozen surfaces. And this discrepancy has a much bigger impact on the polar climate than today’s models indicate,” says Daniel Feldman, a scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division and lead author of the paper. “Based on our findings, we recommend that more efforts be made to measure far-infrared surface emissivity. These measurements will help climate models better simulate the effects of this phenomenon on the Earth’s climate,” Feldman says. He conducted the research with Bill Collins, who is head of the Earth Sciences Division’s Climate Sciences Department. Scientists from the University of Colorado, Boulder and the University of Michigan also contributed to the research. The far-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum spans wavelengths that are between 15 and 100 microns (a micron is one millionth of a meter). It’s a subset of infrared radiation, which spans wavelengths between 5 and 100 microns. In comparison, visible light, which is another form of electromagnetic radiation, has a much shorter wavelength of between 390 and 700 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). Many of today’s spectrometers cannot detect far-infrared wavelengths, which explains the dearth of field measurements. Because of this, scientists have extrapolated the effects of far-infrared surface emissions based on what’s known at the wavelengths measured by today’s spectrometers. Feldman and colleagues suspected this approach is overly simplistic, so they refined the numbers by reviewing published studies of far-infrared surface properties. They used this information to develop calculations that were run on a global atmosphere climate model called the Community Earth System Model, which is closely tied to the Department of Energy’s Accelerated Climate Model for Energy. The simulations revealed that far-infrared surface emissions have the biggest impact on the climates of arid high-latitude and high-altitude regions. In the Arctic, the simulations found that open oceans hold more far-infrared energy than sea ice, resulting in warmer oceans, melting sea ice, and a 2-degree C increase in the polar climate after only a 25-year run. This could help explain why polar warming is most pronounced during the three-month winter when there is no sun. It also complements a process in which darker oceans absorb more solar energy than sea ice. “The Earth continues to emit energy in the far infrared during the polar winter,” Feldman says. “And because ocean surfaces trap this energy, the system is warmer throughout the year as opposed to only when the sun is out.” The simulations revealed a similar warming effect on the Tibetan plateau, where there was 5 percent less snowpack after a 25-year run. This means more non-frozen surface area to trap far-infrared energy, which further contributes to warming in the region. “We found that in very arid areas, the extent to which the surface emits far-infrared energy really matters. It controls the thermal energy budget for the entire region, so we need to measure and model it better,” says Feldman |
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| From Page 7: Obama ties wage hike to fairness for women By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama says there are still women earning less than men for doing the same work. The president said in his weekly address "we don't have second-class citizens in this country - we shouldn't in the workplace either." He said women deserve fair pay and they deserve a fair shot at success. Obama said one solution to raising women's pay is for Congress to pass a minimum wage increase, something they have not done for seven years. President Obama said about 28 million workers would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 and more than half of those workers would be women. |
