 |
|
||||
 |
 |
|
||
|
|
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
 |
A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
|
|
|
San
Jos‚, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 224
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Brazil wrestles
with development impact
By the Lancaster University news
staff
Brazilïs globally significant ecosystems could be exposed to mining and dams if proposals currently being debated by the Brazilian Congress go ahead, according to researchers publishing in the journal Science this week. The new report by a group of Brazilian and British researchers comes in the wake of Brazil's recent presidential elections. It warns that new legislation could pose a serious threat to protected areas, weakening Brazil's international status as an environmental leader. One of the proposals of particular concern is the call to open up 10 percent of the most strictly protected areas to mining. In a new analysis, the research shows that at least 20 percent of all Brazil's most strictly protected areas and reserves for indigenous people overlap with areas that have been registered as under consideration for mining. In addition, many of the river systems associated with protected areas will be influenced by the construction of large hydroelectric dams. The threat that this mining and hydropower poses to Brazil's ecosystems is not trivial. Areas of registered interest for mining include 34,117 square kilometers that are currently classified as strictly protected areas - including national parks, biological reserves and wildlife refuges. This is equivalent to an area the size of Switzerland. The situation is worse for indigenous lands, 28 percent of which, or 281,443 square kilometers, overlap with areas of registered mining interest, an area larger than the whole of the UK or the state of Sao Paulo. In recent years Brazil has enjoyed increasing recognition as a world leader in combating environmental destruction. Brazilïs protected area network is the largest in the world, while improved environmental governance in private lands has contributed to an 80 percent reduction in the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon over the last decade. Yet these new proposals could threaten these recent successes and undermine Brazil's reputation. Joice Ferreira, a scientist at Brazil's agricultural research institute, Embrapa, and lead author of the study, said: "The purpose of this analysis is not to say that Brazilïs development should not benefit from its abundant natural resources, but that we should not squander our hard-won record of success and leadership in favor of fast-tracked and poorly planned development projects that leave a long legacy of environmental damage. It is possible to manage our development in a more sustainable way." Co-author Jos Barlow, a researcher at Lancaster University and a visiting professor in Brazil, said: "Rather than exploiting protected areas for short-term gains, Brazil should treasure them for the long-term benefits they can provide to society. The recent water shortages in the south east of Brazil emphasize the importance of protecting native vegetation across the country." The authors of the study also warn that the proposals for minimizing and mitigating the environmental damage of large-scale development projects are so inadequate that even if only a fraction of these mining concessions were approved then the impacts could be enormous, especially in Brazilïs most threatened ecosystems. Luiz Aragão, a co-author of the study from Brazil's federal space agency, INPE and the University of Exeter said: "Our concern is that even if the proposed mitigation actions were put in place they are oversimplified because they fail to take account of the indirect effects of mega-projects. "These projects can involve thousands of workers and lead to rapid local population growth. This, combined with new roads and access routes, is a recipe for the emergence of new deforestation frontiers." explains Luiz. The study highlights the fact that these worrying changes reflect an important shift in the support shown by Brazil's federal government to environmental protection. These concerns come on the back of other recent changes, including the partial dismantling of Brazil's protected area system to make way for development - with some 44,100 square kilometers lost since 2008 due to downsizing or abolishment - and the weakening of the Forest Code that gave an amnesty to landowners who deforested illegally in the past. "Beyond the conservation and stewardship of its own biodiversity and environmental resources, so vital to the wellbeing of its citizens, Brazil plays a vital role in motivating and supporting the adoption of more sustainable development trajectories around the world," said Toby Gardner, of Stockholm Environment Institute, one of the authors of the study who has worked in the country for more than a decade. "Yet this standing is now in jeopardy." Dr Joice Ferreira said: "The newly elected government has the chance to set the record straight and point Brazil firmly on a path of sustainable development. The authors of this report call on President Dilma and her government to ensure that individual development initiatives are subject to a comprehensive, socially inclusive, evidence-based and long-term cost-benefit analysis that compares potential environmental and social impacts against alternative development options. And also to ensure that Brazil's renowned protected area network is given the resources it needs to manage our ecosystems sustainably. "Above all we ask the government to guarantee that important decisions regarding the management of Brazil's natural resources involve the full and democratic participation of Brazilian society."
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of
this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes R¡o Colorado S.A.
2014 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 224 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| President Solís sends tourism sales tax compromise to
legislature |
|
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The executive branch took a strategic step Tuesday to defend its claim that tourists involved in many activities will have to pay sales tax. President Luis Guillermo Solís sent a bill to the legislature that would exonerate many tourism businesses from remitting a sales tax that they never knew they had to collect. No official ever tried to collect the tax on these activities until in the last days of the Laura Chinchilla administration this April when tax collectors created an expanded reading of a 5-year old law. The Solís administration continued the claim that centros de recreo o similares includes many forms of tourism. The deal Casa Presidencial struck with tourism operators is that the government would waive five years of back taxes and not collect the tax until Dec. 31, 2015. The legislature has to approve this form of tax forgiveness. The bill says that the tax agency, the Dirección General de Tributación, has concluded that the majority of recreational services exist in a designated place which has infrastructure either open or closed. This infrastructure includes offices, bathrooms, signs and in some cases hiking trails as well as other attractions, it says. In this sense these services can be developed or not in the open air and form part or not of a bigger infrastructure, as is the case with hotels and restaurants, it adds. Then the bill concludes that the the terms centros de recreo y similares includes not only centers of recreation as a place intended for diversion but also all those services designed for diversion when they are offered inside this center or the center facilitates their offering. So as the government has said, even activities like scuba diving or sports fishing that take place far from any building are included because somewhere there is an administrative office. The bill makes clear that any individuals or firms that have been paying sales tax for the last five years will not get back any money. However, the bill gives some breathing room for tourism operations that were being hit up for five years of sales taxes. The strength of the government's argument may be tested in court. Several organizations have said they will litigate the government's claim to the right to collect sales taxes based on that single phrase that was not considered until earlier this year. |
 Casa Presidencial photo
President Solís signs the
transmittal documents for the bill.There is no guarantee that the legislature will pass the bill in the form submitted by the president. In fact, they could just eliminate the phrase centros de recreo y similares from the 5-year-old general sales tax law. If not, in a year, tourists will face new sales tax on activities that had not been taxed in the past. |
| Local author mixes action and adventure with Latin knowledge |
|
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Authors are told to write what they know, and Deacon Blake had a lot to write about. There is no accident why his protagonist Damien Chance went to search for gold and treasure in the Amazon jungle. Blake has been there and could provide authentic background in his novel "Mercenary Justice." The Texas native has spent years in Latin America including time in Bolivia. He has held many jobs from banker, to salesman, to repo-man, to bouncer, to security consultant and radio personality. Blake has been in Costa Rica two years and now manages the Hemingway Inn on Avenida 9 in Barrio Amón. He says the work gives him time to write, and there is a second volume in the series due out before Christmas. It will be "Mercenary Vengeance.' Blake plans at least three books for his lead character. The tone of "Mercenary Justice," can best be summed up by the main character, Chance. "Nobody's bleeding and nobody's dead. It's a good day." The author also seems to have a flare for marketing because he managed to get his English-language adventure book in Libreria Lehmann downtown. The adventure tale in ebook format is available at amazon.com, BN.com, iBookstore, and all major digital retailers, he said. Although termed a paperback, the book available here is a solid 366 pages and printed locally. Blake also plans a guidebook, "The Definitive Insider’s Guide to San Jose," that will be heavy on useful information, he said, but not |
 Deacon Blake photo
Blake at a display case for his
book at Libreria Lehmann.seek to promote the underside of the city. As an example he lists the best laundry. Blake is a member of a writer's group in Atenas, but he also has hopes of helping some young Costa Ricans become published writers. He said he is encouraging some in both the literary effort and the nuts and bolts of publishing. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| 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.
2014 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
 |
|
||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 224 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 Ministerio de Gobernaeión,
Policía y Seguridad Púbica photo
|
|
| Now it is shoes that are being smuggled
from Panamá. Police found this lot of some 147 pairs of shoes,
mostly of the tennis variety, in a compartment in a tanker some
35 kilometers from the Panamá |
border. There is a checkpoint there. The approach of the holiday season is encouraging smuggling efforts by those who would avoid import duties. |
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
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| 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.
2014 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
|
A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
news page
|
||
 |
 |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 224 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
 |
| Republicans prepare to take control of congressional posts By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Congress returns to work Wednesday after last week’s midterm elections that saw Republicans win control of the Senate and expand their majority in the House of Representatives. Many of President Barack Obama’s fiercest opponents are preparing to assume powerful positions in the chamber, which has been under Democratic control since 2007. Scaffolding blankets the exterior dome of the Capitol building, where workers toil on a two-year restoration project. Change is also afoot inside the landmark structure, as Republicans prepare to assume control of the Senate in January. The Senate top Republican, Mitch McConnell, will become majority leader and decide which bills are debated on the floor. Many of those bills will have been approved by Senate committees, all of which will have Republican chairmen. The Foreign Relations Committee will be led by Sen. Bob Corker, an outspoken critic of the Obama administration’s plan to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Corker was characteristically blunt in his assessment of the plan at a committee hearing earlier this year where Secretary of State John Kerry testified. “You are asking us to approve something that we know makes no sense. This does not even seem serious,” said Corker. The new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to be John McCain, President Obama’s 2008 Republican opponent, and an advocate of a more muscular U.S. response to global crises, including Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. “This president does not understand Vladimir Putin. He does not understand his ambitions. He does not understand that Putin is an old KGB colonel bent on restoration of the Russian empire,” said McCain. Even with a Republican-controlled legislature, President Obama will retain authority over U.S. foreign policy and remain commander-in-chief of the military for his final two years in office. But there are other areas of the U.S. government where Republicans will be able to exert considerable power, most notably, the budget. Only Congress can authorize federal agencies to spend taxpayer dollars. The next chairman of the Senate Budget Committee is expected to be Republican Jeff Sessions, a fiscal conservative who has opposed many of President Obama’s spending priorities. “The unemployment bill that is before us today makes no attempt whatsoever to find spending reductions in other areas of this monstrosity of a government, but borrows every penny of it,” said Sessions. Additionally, Senate Republicans will have the power to confirm or reject President Obama’s nominees for a wide range of federal positions, from agency heads to ambassadors to judges. Republican Chuck Grassley, who is expected to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee, has voted against scores of Obama-nominated judges, accusing many of them of judicial activism. “Judges are called upon to decide cases based upon laws applied to the facts. Judges are supposed to judge and not have political vision because they do not run for office,” said Grassley. With control of both houses of Congress, Republicans have a limited mandate, according to University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato. “I would call it a mandate to check President Obama. There is not a whole lot of governing that is going to go on in the next two years," Sabato said. Democrats will retain Senate control for the remainder of the year, and are expected to try to confirm as many Obama nominees as possible before handing over power to Republicans. 'Sesame Street' turns 45 years with continued high ratings By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A television show that features a 249-centimeter tall bright yellow bird, aided by multi-colored furry animals who interact with humans on a fictional New York City street reached a historic milestone this week. "Sesame Street," the popular U.S. children's educational show, turned 45 years old Monday. The show has been a hit among pre-school children and their parents since its debut on Nov. 10, 1969, on public television, and is now considered a U.S. cultural institution. Millions of children across the U.S. tune in to Sesame Street every day to receive standard educational fare in reading, spelling and math from the now-iconic Muppet characters created by the late puppeteer Jim Henson: Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, and squeaky-voiced Elmo. The show has received acclaim for its racially diverse human cast, and willingness to discuss a variety of real-life subjects, including death and physical disability. Sesame Street has been shown in more than 150 countries since its debut, and its brand can be found on scores of toys, games and videos. Fighting ebola is more than medicine, Africans say By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
South Africa knows all too well how it feels to watch a disease rampage through once-healthy communities, to watch the illness divide society and trigger shame, fear and panic, and to be shunned by the rest of the world. And so as three West African nations battle with the often-deadly ebola virus, South African experts say the hard lessons they learned in their nation’s HIV epidemic are as important as ever. Fighting Ebola, they say, will require many of the same tools needed to fight AIDS, an epidemic that fundamentally transformed the way the world looks at diseases: not just through the microscope of science, but through the wider lens of society and development. South African activists like Fatima Shabodien, country director of Action Aid South Africa, have long been on the front lines of the fight. "It's a profoundly developmental crisis, because it’s not a coincidence that the people most vulnerable to it are poor people, are women, who already have vulnerable livelihoods," Ms. Shabodien explained. "So we don’t think people should be more at risk of dying from a virus just because they were born poor. And that’s at the heart of this conversation.” She is talking about ebola, but her words also speak to South Africa’s struggle with HIV and AIDS, especially during the early, fear-filled days. At this stage, the public's understanding about ebola is "still in the dark ages, and needs the bright light of information," both for those at risk, and for the rest of the world, she says. “We know that the stigma has not been limited to these countries. Africans who are in other parts of the world having problems, we know. Football stars. So whether you’re famous, rich or poor, it doesn’t make a difference," she noted. "People are equating Africanness with an infectious disease. We have to combat that ignorance, to start off with. But there’s a lot of vagueness around the medical conditions for surviving ebola. So people don’t understand the factors that contribute to survival, and in that vacuum lots of myths have been breeding, with consequences to ebola survivors struggling to reintegrate into the communities," Ms. Shabodien added. Fanie Hattingh, physician founder of the Ebola Project, an initiative that tries to fight ebola with technology-based tools, says this virus is also, like HIV, an opportunity for innovation. “I call this emergency business. We have the opportunity to really fast-track technology-driven solutions that work and have been proven in the First World into the most remote parts of West Africa," Dr. Hattingh said. "We’ve proven some of them in pilot phases and concepts, we now have to scale them and really show that it can make a difference. It’s also an opportunity for us to build an emergency response and communications platform for the future, because the next ebola will happen, whether it’s cholera, whether it’s a tsunami or an earthquake." Two countries have projects to recycle plastic containers By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
People around the world use disposable plastic containers for water, food and other content because of their practicality and light weight. But if not discarded properly, these plastics can litter populated areas, pollute water systems and create environmental damage. Plastic waste is a real problem in many poor countries. An African and a South American country have turned the menace into an advantage. The water drainage system in Uganda's capital, Kampala, is providing a livelihood for hundreds of people who collect carelessly thrown away trash. David Kibande manages about 10 workers who collect up to 10 tons of plastic waste a week, and sell it for the equivalent of about seven U.S. cents per kilogram. Kibande said the people he supervises would otherwise be jobless. Now, they make a living while helping to clean up the city. More than half of the trash in Uganda's capital is left uncollected by understaffed and underfunded municipal services. Much of it ends up in drainage channels, natural water courses, streets and undeveloped plots. Environment authorities say that about 600 tons of plastic are discarded in Kampala every day. Private companies, such as the Plastic Recycling Institute, run by South African beverage company SABMiller, have stepped in to help reduce the waste by employing people to collect plastic waste for recycling. The Kampala plant recycles 650 kilograms of plastic per hour and more than 3 million kilograms annually, which means that much less ends up in Uganda's environment. "I would say it's working. If… there were no recycling plants that means all the plastics we are collecting right now would be in the rivers and streets,” said Jean-Baptiste Bitamazire, an institute plant manager. The plastics are sorted, washed and processed for the manufacturing of other plastic products, including floor tiles and roof slates. A continent away, a private initiative called Organizmo is teaching students how to mix plastic bottles with sand, clay and straw to build sustainable homes in central Colombia. "If we can understand how we discard and consume and incorporate that into the cycles that surround us, that can lead to certain practices of recycling, reuse, of knowledge of the land," said Ana Maria Gutierrez, director and founder of Organizmo. Students from Colombia and other countries learn how to use waste and natural material to build farm houses, which include rain water treatment systems and composting toilets. Lucia Cano, an architect from Spain, said she came to learn how to include care of the environment in her profession. "Forty percent of carbon emissions come from construction, of construction all over the world. So if we architects want to build, we must consider potential harm to our generations, and that we could destroy Mother Nature," said Cano. Canadian woman joins Kurds to fight Islamists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A Canadian-born immigrant to Israel has become the first foreign woman to join Kurds battling the Islamic State group in Syria. Gill Rosenberg, a 31-year-old resident of Tel Aviv is a former civil aviation pilot who has served in the Israeli military. Ms. Rosenberg told Israel Radio she decided to join the Kurdish militia fighting the Islamic State because, "They are our brothers. They are good people. They love life, a lot like us, really." She said she trained with the Kurdish militants in Iraq and would soon fight in neighboring Syria. Quick immigrant benefits not required, EU court says By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A European Union court says EU countries can refuse unemployment benefits to immigrants who come solely for the benefits and make no effort to find work. The European Court of Justice Tuesday ruled EU countries "can avoid social benefits tourism without violating the free movement of citizens." The court's decision upheld a German welfare program's decision denying jobless benefits to a Romanian immigrant. The Romanian woman who arrived in Germany in 2010 sued a job center for refusing to grant her and her young son benefits intended primarily for the long-term unemployed and their children. The court said member nations aren't obliged to grant benefits to other EU countries' citizens for the first three months and, if they stay longer and don't work, they must have sufficient resources of their own to be entitled to residence, the court noted. Political analysts said the decision comes amid concern over perceived welfare abuse by migrants from poorer EU countries. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| 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.
2014 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
|
||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 224 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
||
|
 Centro Cultural
Costarricense-Norteamericano
Sculpture is just one of the art
forms featured.Works from 21
women artists featured
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The art exposition "Premium" opens today at the Galería Sophia Wanamaker at the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano in Los Yoses. The artists are 21 local women whose 49 works will be on display until Nov. 25. The list of exhibitors reads like a who's who of Costa Rican art. They are Ana Bröennimann, Ana Cossio, Anat Wien, Beatriz Parra, Carolina Matamoros, Carolina Parra, Celita Ulate, Connie Baker, Elizabeth Thompson, Emily Gassenheimer, Gema González, Gisela Stradtmann, Grace Herrera, Irene Peña, Laura Montealegre, Leonor Parra, Li Briceño, Margreet Wielemaker, Martina Quesada, Paulina Ortiz and Silvia Monge, The works include photos, paintings, etched glass, ceramics, fibers, sculptures and more. "Premium" is an opportunity to display the results of the efforts and the passion of many women, said Juan Diego Roldán, coordinator of visual arts at the Galerías Sophia Wanamaker. Admission is free from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The organizers promise that the art will be available at reasonable prices. |
| Costa Rican News |
AMCostaRicaArchives.com |
Retire NOW
in Costa Rica |
CostaRicaReport.com |
| Fine Dining
in Costa Rica |
The CAFTA Report |
Fish
fabulous Costa Rica |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
| 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.
2014 and may
not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
||||||
| From Page 7: Banco Nacional celebrates its 100 years By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Banco Nacional celebrated its 100 years of existence with a formal ceremony Monday night in the Teatro Nacional. The state bank began in 1914 as the Banco Internacional de Costa Rica and changed its name to the current one in 1936. Bank officials, business customers and government representatives were quick to point out the major role the institution has played in the development of Costa Rica. They cited rural loans and loans to small and medium enterprises. The bank now has 171 offices, 470 automatic tellers and 2,800 service centers in commercial locations. There are 1.8 million customers. |
