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A.M.
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Published Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, in
Vol. 17, No.
223
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Nov.
10, 2016, Vol.
17, No. 223
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Fleeing liberals should stay
in U.S.
Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I hope all those disappointed liberals who threatened to leave the U.S.A. if Trump is elected don't come to Costa Rica and further contaminate our already liberal politics here. If the U.S.A. is able to regain control of a positive direction and gets stronger, the world will benefit from it. I can hardly think of a person or country that doesn't now somehow share in the U.S.A. economy and have hope to do so in the future also. No one hopes to share in a failed or bankrupt state. I have hope for more freedom and economic success for all in the future. Dave King
Sabana Oeste. A Trump voter is a boobus Americanis Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Those who love and study history will recall the insane Roman Emperor Caligula and his plan to appoint a favorite horse to the senate, and as a consul as well. Suetonius tells us that only Caligula's assassination thwarted the plan. Yesterday, Nov. 8, 2016, revealed another example of history repeating itself. The question now is: Did Americans get the horse, the man, or both? The question itself may be moot, although a biased answer might be only the horses' ass. In either case, nothing will change. Our national decline continues swiftly and inexorably toward its dissolution. Well, the ignorant electorate has spoken, and boobus Americanis has gotten what it deserves, a poorly informed, incompetent, narcissistic, demagogic, egomaniac, yet I suspect worse is yet to come. Thus, my dismaying prediction of unprecedented corruption and scandal will emerge as this new administration settles in. It is made with some confidence. Trump will make Grant's presidency, and Harding's Teapot Dome amateurish in rapine and robbery 'cuz that's what capitalism, ("business"), is mostly about. Oh yes, just as I criticized you 10 or so years ago, concerning your lack of compassion, and approval of the insane war on drugs, you could be backpedaling once more with your Trump choice. If I have guessed in error on your choice, I apologize. However, your past conservative stances on important issues, viz., drug wars, pot legalization, et al and absence of foresight puts you, once again, in the crosshairs. Hank Franz
Las Vegas, Nevada
Santa Ana, Costa Rica Friday is a day to honor all veterans By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
A teen who lied and forged papers to join the U.S. military in the waining days of World War II would be pushing 90 years this Veterans Day. And there are not many around. Even Vietnam vets who were born when Dwight Eisenhower was president are gray around the temples today and eligible for or on U.S. Social Security. Veterans Day is Friday, and as Gene Sweeney of Cariari Country Club pointed out in an email that this is a time to honor all veterans, not just those who sacrificed their lives. Friday also is Remembrance Day in Commonwealth nations. One of the major factors contributing to a victory by Donald Trump Tuesday was his promise to improve the wellbeing of U.S. vets. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has many critics, and there are more than 100 veterans in the U.S. Congress. But money is tight, and it seems to take major scandals to get action. World War I veterans by the thousands set up a temporary camp in Washington in 1932 demanding promised compensation. That was at the height of the Great Depression. World War II returning veterans faced housing and employment shortages. Vietnam vets, returning to the United States in the middle of controversy about the war frequently faced ridicule and suspicion as well as undiagnosed medical problems. The Rambo film series addressed some of these issues. Then there was Agent Orange. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a higher suicide rate than the total population. Some also face post-traumatic stress, other mental health issues and even homelessness. Barrack Obama took note of some of the problems in his Veterans Day proclamation: “Today, the unemployment rate for veterans is lower than the national average, and veteran homelessness has been nearly cut in half since 2010. We also recognize that some of these courageous men and women have faced and overcome profound challenges, both physically and emotionally, in defense of our freedom. We must continue to provide high quality health care to our veterans and make sure they have the support they have earned and deserve.” He also said “On this day and throughout the year, may we sustain their lasting contributions to our nation's progress and carry forward their legacy by building a future that is stronger, safer, and freer for all.” The day is a legal holiday in the United States, and the U.S. Embassy and consulate here will be closed. Another drug transit operation uncovered By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Law enforcement made 24 raids Wednesday in an effort to eliminate a drug trafficking organization that has been known for years from various confiscations. The organization was linked to the weekend discovery of $1.6 million in a car trunk and some 432 kilos of cocaine nearby. Officials also said that the drug organization was related to an aircraft that crashed last April 7 in Playa Garza, Nicoya. Drugs were on the aircraft and more packages were in a vehicle parked nearby. The two pilots, both Mexicans, died. The Policía de Control de Drogas of the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública detained a man in La Uruca Tuesday and said that he was the leader. In all, officials said 24 persons were linked to this trafficking organization. At least 10 already had been placed into custody. They said this organization handled cocaine shipments from the south for the benefit of the Sinaloa Cartel in México. Officials linked this group to a litany of seizures and arrests since 2014. The discovery of $1.6 million came at an illegal air strip in Bagaces, Guanacaste, Saturday. Police invaded a finca and broke up what appeared to be an exchange of drugs for money. But the crew and the aircraft involved escaped, and there were no arrests, although two vehicles were impounded.
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Nov.
10, 2016, Vol.
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| More land added to the Rios Tropicales reserve on the Río Pacuare | |
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Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The Rios Tropicales Private Rainforest Reserve is growing, and is now the largest private rainforest reserve along the renowned Río Pacuare. In recent months, the rainforest reserve expanded a little over 432 acres (175 hectares) to now protect a total of 2,409 acres (975 hectares) of primary rainforest, and pastureland being converted back to rainforest. At the end of August 2016, 136 acres (55 hectares) of land were purchased by Rafael Gallo, co-founder and president of Rios Tropicales adventure company, in partnership with his sister, Claudia. This week, neighbors added in 296.5 acres (120 hectares) to join in their efforts to conserve this extraordinary environment. Officially designated a wild and scenic river, the Pacuare is called “one of the most beautiful rivers in the world” by National Geographic. Located on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, the Río Pacuare borders the rugged Talamanca mountain range, home to native Cabécar people and unique wildlife, including increasingly rare jaguars. Flowing approximately 67 miles (108 km) to the Caribbean Sea, the Pacuare passes through spectacular virgin rainforest and steep gorges splashed with numerous waterfalls. The Rios Tropicales Private Rainforest Reserve encompasses land from the banks of the Río Pacuare, where the Rios Tropicales Eco-lodge sits, up to the top of the Pacuare Gorge and extending high above the river next to the community of El Tigre. The Rios Tropicales Reserve extends the vital Barbilla-Destierro Biological Corridor, one of Costa Rica's most important wildlife conservation areas and animal migration routes in the Talamanca Mountains. The corridor includes the Parque Nacional Barbilla and Nairi Awari Cabecar Reserve to form a protected area of over 25,000 acres. “Being 10 percent of this protected biological corridor is very important,” said Gallo, who is also president of the Costa Rican Network of Natural Reserves. “On our land we keep poachers away, monitor mammals through camera traps and stop illegal deforestation, which helps the whole region.” The Pacuare is considered one of the top five whitewater rafting rivers in the world for its scenery and rapids, and one of the best in Central America. Whitewater rafting on the Pacuare is what led Gallo and his Rios Tropicales co-owners, Jimmy Nixon and Fernando Esquivel, to start the private reserve. The first property in the private rainforest reserve, purchased |
 Rios Tropicales
photo
The lodge is nestled into the wilderness.by Rios Tropicales in 1989, is the 90 acres along the Río Pacuare where the Rios Tropicales Eco-Lodge is now located. “All through the 1990s and early 2000s we kept purchasing land to protect the Pacuare River Valley, but we did it by joining groups of friends from the United States and Costa Rica who were interested in environmental protection,” said Gallo. They began planting native trees to reforest areas that had been cut for farming and cattle ranching in order to return watersheds to the river valley, to control soil erosion, and to provide food for wildlife. Gallo said they started with the goal of planting 5,000 trees and participated in the United Nations Environment Programme worldwide tree planting campaign from 2006 to 2011. To date, 27,759 trees have been planted on 74 acres (30 hectares) in the reserve, leading Rios Tropicales to be a completely carbon neutral business in Costa Rica. Trees in the private rainforest reserve store 14,670 tons of carbon annually, according to studies done, while total in-country operations for the adventure company have been estimated at 4,000 tons of carbon per year. Gallo and Rios Tropicales have led the way for two big international tourism events to make history as milestone carbon neutral occasions: the World Rafting Championships in October 2011 on the Pacuare in Costa Rica, and in 2016 the Adventure Travel World Summit 2016 held in September in Anchorage, Alaska. For both events, thousands of trees were planted in the Rios Tropicales Reserve to offset the carbon emissions generated. Gallo said his goal is to continue growing the private reserve as is possible to protect the Río Pacuare watershed, which includes Terciopelo Creek, a main feeding river to the Pacuare, and the entrance to the Pacuare Gorge, one of the most spectacularly beautiful locations in Costa Rica. |
| Country
wins praise for its respect for human rights and free
expression |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The well-known Reporters without Borders press freedom group has given Costa Rica sixth place in its World Freedom Index. The Paris-based organization awarded the United States 41st place and the United Kingdom the 38th spot. The Organization praised Costa Rica and said it was “the Latin American country with the best record on respecting human rights and free expression, Costa Rica is a remarkable exception in a region characterized by violent crime and corruption. “The enlightened media legislation and the significant level of freedom enjoyed by journalists have nonetheless been marred by certain negative practices such as the spying on the Diario Extra newspaper by the Judicial Investigation Agency in 2014. Costa Rica was in the 10th spot last year. In both the United States and the United Kingdom the organization seemed disturbed by the responses to terrorism and searches for whistleblowers. Of the United Kingdom, it said: “Terrorist attacks have led to the adoption of draconian security legislation. The government reacted to the London public transport bombings in 2005 with a Terrorism Act the following year that restricts freedom of expression. The Regulation of |
Investigatory
Powers Act adopted in 2000 allows the authorities to
obtain the phone records of journalists in cases of
threats to national security . . . .” About the United States, it said: “U.S. media freedom, enshrined in the First Amendment to the 1787 Constitution, has encountered a major obstacle – the government’s war on whistleblowers who leak information about its surveillance activities, spying and foreign operations, especially those linked to counter-terrorism. Furthermore, U.S. journalists are still not protected by a federal “shield law” guaranteeing their right not to reveal their sources and other confidential work-related information.” The organization seems to overlook the fact that Costa Rica still has a criminal law against defamation. In many First World countries, defamation and libel are civil issues. In addition, Costa Rica had held in prison for a year a U.S. citizen who wrote about his sex exploits on an Internet Web site and devoted substantial investigative efforts to follow and detain him. He has yet to come to trial. And Costa Rican newspeople just went to the constitutional court unsuccessfully in an effort to obtain government documents about why the central government opposes the new administration in Brazil. President Luis Guillermo Solís and his foreign minster call the exchanges of messages with the Costa Rican diplomats in Brazil state secrets. |
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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 |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Nov.
10, 2016, Vol.
17, No. 223
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| Worldwide
genetically modified crop ban seen raising food prices |
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By the Purdue University news
staff
A global ban on genetically modified crops would raise food prices and add the equivalent of nearly a billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, a study by researchers from Purdue University shows. Using a model to assess the economic and environmental value of genetically modified crops, agricultural economists found that replacing corn, soybeans and cotton with conventionally bred varieties worldwide would cause a 0.27 to 2.2 percent increase in food costs, depending on the region, with poorer countries hit hardest. According to the study, published in the Journal of Environmental Protection, a ban on genetically modified crops would also trigger negative environmental consequences: The conversion of pastures and forests to cropland to compensate for conventional crops' lower productivity would release substantial amounts of stored carbon to the atmosphere. Conversely, if countries that already plant modified crops expanded their use to match the rate of such planting in the United States, global greenhouse gas emissions would fall by the equivalent of 0.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide and would allow 0.8 million hectares of cropland (about 2 million acres) to return to forests and pastures. "Some of the same groups that want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also want to ban GMOs. But you can't have it both ways," said Wally Tyner, a professor of agricultural economics. "Planting GMO crops is an effective way for agriculture to lower its carbon footprint." Genetically modified crops have been a source of contention in the United States and abroad, as some believe genetically |
modified
crops pose potential risks to human health and the
environment. Three U.S. regulatory agencies, the
Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug
Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency,
have deemed modified foods safe to eat, and the United
States is the global leader in planting such crops and
developing agricultural biotechnology. But in many European and Asian countries, consumer and economic concerns have led to strict regulations on modified crops, with partial or full bans on their cultivation. Tyner and fellow researchers Farzad Taheripour, research associate professor of agricultural economics, and then-master’s student Harry Mahaffey used an extension of the Indiana university’s Global Trade Analysis Project model to investigate two hypothetical scenarios: "What economic and environmental effects would a global ban on GMO corn, soybeans and cotton have?" and "What would be the additional impact if global GMO adoption caught up to the U.S. and then a ban were implemented?" The model is set to 2011 crop prices, yields and growing conditions and encompasses the ripple effects of how a change in one sector impacts other sectors. The statistical model predicted a modest and region-specific rise in overall food costs under a global ban, a result of the lower productivity of non-modified crops. Tyner said people in poorer regions would be most burdened by the price increase, as they spend about 70 percent of their income on food, compared with about 10 percent in the U.S. Countries that export crops would gain economically by the increase in food prices, while countries that import would suffer. |
Here's reasonable
medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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contents
of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2016 and may not be reproduced anywhere
without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Nov.
10, 2016, Vol.
17, No. 223
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and Obama to start transition By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump makes his first appearance at the White House today after his stunning upset over Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential election. The Republican victor will meet with President Barack Obama to begin the gradual transfer of power so that Trump is ready to be sworn in Jan. 20. Obama campaigned hard for Mrs. Clinton's election and acknowledged Wednesday that losing is tough. "It is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,” Obama said. “But remember, eight years ago, President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences. But President Bush's team could not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition." Obama said he is rooting for Trump's success and has ordered the White House team "to work as hard as we can to make sure that this is a successful transition for the president-elect." Obama called the peaceful transition of power one of the hallmarks of U.S. democracy. Clinton conceded the race to Trump in a phone call early Wednesday, but held off making public comments until later in the day. Surrounded by her family and her running mate, Tim Kaine, in New York, the usually cool Mrs. Clinton choked back tears as she bade farewell to her staff and said losing her chance to be president is painful and it will be for a long time. "This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked hard for . . . but I feel gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together," Mrs. Clinton told members of the crowd, many of whom were weeping. "I know how disappointed you feel because I feel it, too, and so do the tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort." Mrs. Clinton told her fellow Democrats that they owe Trump an open mind and a chance to lead, and she wished him a successful administration. Mrs. Clinton actually beat Trump in the popular vote by more than 206,000 votes. But under the U.S. system, it is the Electoral College that decides the presidency, and with 270 electoral votes needed to win, Trump won 279 votes to Clinton's 228. Pre-election day polls were giving Clinton a 2- to 3-point edge over Trump. But Trump prided himself on being a non-politician and a Washington outsider. He painted Mrs. Clinton as someone who is an expert at manipulating the political system for personal gain, while ordinary Americans watch their jobs disappear and economic opportunities dry up. Obama has warned that a Trump presidency would undo his eight years of progress in bringing the country out of recession and two wars. But Trump has said a Clinton administration would be nothing but a third Obama term, and promised to bring a change from the status quo that he said voters demanded. Voting results remain puzzle for all those polling experts By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Many elections experts are trying to decipher Donald Trump's surprising presidential victory that defied most poll projections as he chalked up wins in states that have favored Democrats in past elections. "He did extremely well in small towns and rural areas,” Emory University political expert Alan Abramowitz said, “and just generally was able to capitalize on this anger and frustration out there among a pretty large segment of the electorate, mainly white voters without a college degree, who felt they've been ignored and perhaps also who resent that they see immigrants and minorities taking their jobs or getting advantages they don't get.” Trump's strong performance in rural America was enough to offset the heavy turnout among urban voters who cast ballots for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. And although Abramowitz remains skeptical, he said preliminary data suggest Trump fared relatively well among minorities. "According to the exit polls, he actually did a little bit better with African-Americans and even Latinos than Mitt Romney did four years ago," he said. Abramowitz said the polls in key swing states the Republican presidential candidate won, such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, were particularly inaccurate, while polls in Florida were pretty close. The American Association for Public Opinion Research, which represents polling professionals, is at a loss over how most polls miscalculated the election results. "It looks like a fairly serious miss on the part of the industry and nobody's really sure yet what happened," said association President Roger Tourangeau in an interview. Most pollsters underestimated the nationwide vote, and in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio by 2 to 4 percentage points, according to Pennsylvania State University polling expert Eric Plutzer. He said those polling results appear to be outside the traditional bounds of margin of error. "The error is magnified by the fact that Trump won the Electoral College by a comfortable margin, even though he has apparently lost the popular vote,” Plutzer said. The American Association for Public Opinion Research said it will study the election results and issue an official report on its findings early next year. Tourangeau said it will determine whether there are systemic biases in who is selected to participate in surveys, confirm suspected systemic differences in the modes used to conduct polls (i.e., live telephone interviews, automated phone calls or online panels), and find out whether voters were underreporting their support for Trump. "A lot of people have been speculating about shy Trump supporters, claiming they vote for Clinton but were in fact voting for Trump," Tourangeau said. Whatever the conclusions are in the association's upcoming report, Plutzer said future demand for polling is expected to remain as strong as ever. "The public's insatiable demand for polls, there were over 1,000 national horse-race polls in this election, is unlikely to disappear," he said. But Plutzer added the polling industry will be forced to develop innovative polls that try to understand how ordinary voters think rather than just trying to determine where candidates stand in their efforts to win elections. Scholar says Trump’s policies have been consistent for years By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Contrary to the opinion of many people, president-elect Donald Trump has held strikingly consistent positions on foreign policy since he emerged as a politically ambitious real estate tycoon in the 1980s. In 1987, Trump, then 41, took out full-page advertisements in national newspapers in which he criticized America's defense policy and said the U.S. "should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves." The ad bore a message remarkably similar to what he's saying today, said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution, a Washington policy research group. Wright, a scholar of strategy and international order, has combed through dozens of Trump interviews, speeches, statements and newspaper advertisements to try to make sense of the president-elect's worldview. What he uncovered was that Trump developed a keen interest in world affairs in the 1980s and has not changed his views since. Wright's research identified three core beliefs that he said Trump has consistently held for the better part of the last three decades and is unlikely to change much when he enters the White House in January. First, Trump is highly critical of America's international alliances and wants to abandon them. Second, Trump is opposed to trade agreements with other countries and wants to use tariffs and punitive measures to remake the international economic order. And finally, Trump has a soft spot for authoritarian regimes, particularly Russia. "While there were many issues he has no views on and many issues he takes multiple views on, there are a few in which he's been completely consistent over time dating back three decades," Wright said. How Trump came to embrace these views remains something of a puzzle, although Wright theorizes that it may have had something to do with the economic rise of Japan and Japanese investments in New York real estate in the 1980s. Taken together, these beliefs came to define what Wright described as Trump's isolationist foreign policy doctrine. Well into the final days of the campaign, Trump seized every opportunity, often unprompted, to drive home his three favorite foreign policy themes. He hammered North American Treaty Organization members as free riders; he accused China of "ripping this country" and vowed to cut more favorable trade deals, and he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader with whom he could do business. "I think Russia is an interesting test case here," Wright said. "It was in his political interest to criticize Putin, to criticize Russia, but he never did. And despite the pushback, he always said nice things about Putin and Russia. And that shows how much he believes in it." Prior to Trump's stunning victory in Tuesday's presidential election, many experts had dismissed his tough talk on China and NATO as populist bluster. Now, they're wondering whether Trump will moderate his views or remain uncompromised by the constraints of office once he enters the White House. "As a candidate you make certain kinds of declarations, and then when you become president, you become aware of the cost of carrying through on those promises," said Michael Barnett, a professor of political science at George Washington University. "I can imagine when he'll come in and say, 'We'll renegotiate this Iran deal.' I can imagine advisers and especially allies saying, 'No, you're not.' " The stakes are high. From NATO and America's security alliances with Japan and South Korea to the World Trade Organization and the Paris climate agreement, a host of partnerships and accords underpinning the postwar international order are at risk of unraveling. "Security alliances are based on some degree of trust and some degree of guarantees and predictability," Barnett said. If allies lose confidence in America's commitment to their security, "you're going to see a whole bunch of our allies begin to reconsider their alliance relationships." For his part, Trump struck a conciliatory note in his victory speech early Wednesday morning. "We will seek common ground, not hostility; relationships, not conflict," he said. A test of the approach he takes to foreign policy will come in the coming weeks when the president-elect names members of his cabinet. Trump has said he'll hire talented experts to help him navigate the complexities of national security and foreign policy. Meanwhile, Barnett said, Trump's victory is adding a high degree of uncertainty around the globe. President-elect may be in court before he takes office Jan. 20 By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Within a few weeks of winning the White House, president-elect Donald Trump could face another group of U.S. citizens, a federal jury in California, courtesy of a lawsuit by former students of his now-defunct Trump University who claim they were defrauded by a series of real estate seminars. A hearing in federal court in San Diego is set for Thursday, and the trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 28, barring any delays or a Trump decision to settle the case. While presidents enjoy immunity from lawsuits arising from their official duties, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that this shield does not extend to acts alleged to have taken place prior to taking office. The 1997 ruling came in the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against President Bill Clinton by Paula Jones, which was settled before it went to trial. Lawyers said they could think of no similar situation like the one now involving Trump. "I'm certain there is nothing comparable to this," said Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School. Lawyers for both Trump and the plaintiffs declined to comment Wednesday. Dershowitz said the Supreme Court also held that a case cannot be delayed just because the defendant is president, though judges are still free to grant reasonable delays to any party. Miami trial consultant Sandy Marks, who is not involved in the case, said he thought Trump might ask the presiding judge, Gonzalo Curiel, to postpone the trial in an effort to settle the case before taking office. "I think the judge would be foolhardy not to give him a short delay," said Marks, "which would give him a chance to resolve the case with all these people and put it behind him." Trump repeatedly claimed on the campaign trail that he would win the lawsuit, and he accused Curiel of being biased against him because of his campaign promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico. The judge was born in Indiana to Mexican parents. At the hearing Thursday, lawyers will argue pre-trial motions, including one by Trump to block potential jurors from hearing comments made or publicized during the campaign, such as those about the judge. Lawyers for the students have argued the comments could help jurors assess Trump's credibility as a witness. Trump is listed as defense witness in the case and could be called to testify by the plaintiffs as well. He was previously deposed by the students' lawyers. Claims against Trump over the seminars date to 2010, with two class actions filed in federal court in San Diego and another case brought by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on behalf of students who claimed they were misled into paying as much as $35,000 each to learn worthless real estate investing secrets from instructors handpicked by Trump. Trump has admitted he did not handpick instructors, but has argued the claim was marketing language not meant to be taken literally. He claims most students were happy with their courses. If the trial goes forward, several legal experts said it would be hard to seat an impartial jury, since so many people already have strong opinions about the president-elect. Parties often hire specialized jury consultants to pick jurors, but New York lawyer Robert Anello said they were not infallible. "If experienced pollsters can't get it right," he said, "how can a jury consultant who is not spending as much time studying the demographics?" In an interview a day before the election, Jeffrey Goldman, a lawyer for Trump in the New York case, said the media's drumbeat of distortion about Trump University would make it hard to find impartial jurors. Several experts noted that jurors, who will answer a questionnaire in addition to being questioned by the lawyers and the judge, are generally taken at their word when they say they can be impartial. Boston jury consultant Edward Schwartz said he expected both sides to try to vet jurors by their public social media postings. Dershowitz noted that San Diego, though located in deep-blue California, is not as politically monolithic as, say, San Francisco. It has an ethnically diverse population and also has a large military presence. "This is a jury consultant's nightmare, to pick in a case like this," said Dershowitz. "It will be taught in jury consulting school." Election observers report human rights were respected By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Wednesday that human rights were respected during Tuesday's U.S. presidential election and there were few cases of intimidation, despite recent changes to election rules in several states that created unnecessary burdens for voters. "Some legal and administrative decisions appear to have had a partisan flavor," Ambassador Audrey Glover, head of the the election observation mission to the United States, said at a news conference. "These recent changes . . . led to a lack of clarity regarding the rules." Tuesday's contest, in which Republican Donald Trump beat his long-favored Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, was the first election to occur in the United States in more than 50 years without the full protections of the landmark Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 struck down a provision of the law that had allowed federal oversight of states with a history of racial discrimination, prompting the federal government to reduce its own election monitoring program. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe deployed nearly 300 observers to polling stations in 33 states, although they were not allowed to freely observe early voting and Election Day in 19 of those states, according to the international rights group. At almost half of the polling sites observed by the delegation, some citizens who wanted to vote were not found on the voter list, causing systemic concern regarding the effectiveness of voter registration methods, according to the group. Despite concerns that voters would be intimidated at the polls, the delegation said, its observers did not see any serious incidents. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The
contents
of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río
Colorado S.A. 2016 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
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Haiti begins massive cholera campaign By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
services
Haiti has launched a massive cholera vaccination campaign in parts of the country devastated by Hurricane Matthew. The campaign, begun Tuesday, is expected to be the world's largest, targeting 820,000 people. There have been around 3,500 suspected cases of the water-borne illness since the Category 4 storm tore across southwest Haiti last month. It created ideal conditions for the spread of cholera by destroying water supplies and forcing people who lost homes to squeeze into overcrowded shelters. The government says the storm killed 546 people. Haiti has battled a cholera outbreak since 2010, when the bacteria was imported into the country by a contingent of United Nations peacekeepers. Since then, the illness has sickened more than 800,000 people and killed about 9,000. The campaign will mark the first time that so many people will be given only one dose of the cholera vaccine. Normally, the vaccine is given in two doses. But a previous initiative conducted by Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan found that a single dose of the cholera vaccine proved to be extremely effective at boosting immunity, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet in November. Immigration employee jailed for bribes Special to A.M. Costa Rica
A former immigration services officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services who had the power to approve applications for citizenship has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. The former immigration officer, Daniel Espejo Amos, 68, of Lakewood, California, was sentenced late Friday afternoon by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald. Amos pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy and one count of being a public official who accepted cash bribes. When he pleaded guilty, Amos admitted that he accepted more than $53,000 in bribes from immigration consultants on behalf of immigrants who were not eligible to become naturalized United States citizens. “This defendant violated his oath to the United States by accepting more than $53,000 in cash bribes in exchange for helping at least 60 aliens to obtain U.S. citizenship, even though he knew the immigrants did not qualify for this benefit,” said U. S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “This defendant’s corruption also undermined our naturalization system and damaged the public’s faith in government, warranting the sentence imposed by the court.” In a plea agreement filed in this case, Amos admitted accepting bribes in exchange for committing official acts, including falsely certifying that immigrants had met requirements for citizenship that include passing the English competency and civics portions of the naturalization interview and examination. In at least one case, the immigrant’s English-language skills were so poor that Amos gave him copies of test answers so the immigrant could memorize them prior to his naturalization interview. |
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| From Page 7: U.S. stocks rally after Trump’s Tuesday victory By the A.M. Costa Rica wire
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U.S. stock indexes rallied sharply Wednesday as the initial shock quickly faded from Donald Trump's victory in the country's presidential election. Near the end of trading, the three main U.S. stock barometers were all ahead by more than a percentage point. European stocks also advanced by more than 1 percent. Asian markets fell sharply as the vote count in the United States late Tuesday made it apparent that the billionaire real-estate mogul was headed to an unexpected win. European stock indexes were down as much as 2.7 percent early Wednesday, but those losses moderated and then turned up in later trading. In Asia, Japan's NIKKEI lost nearly 5.4 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down more than 2.3 percent. Many traders moved money into safe investments like gold, whose price rose 3.7 percent. In Bangkok, Vikas Kawatra of SCB Securities said the downturn highlighted uncertainties about Trump's promises to deregulate business and make drastic changes in U.S. trade policies. Billionaire investor and Trump supporter Carl Icahn told The Wall Street Journal that Trump plans to cut regulations and that will help business grow over the long term. Other analysts in New York said that Trump's drive to cut regulation could be helpful to the oil drilling and banking sectors. But they also said Trump's restrictive trade policies could hurt overseas revenue for multinational companies. |
