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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 227
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Our readers' opinions
Governments need a pushto overcome their inertia Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Two stories in A.M. Costa Rica point to the oppression of government. The first is the story of a U.S. veteran whose housekeeper cannot get a visa to go to the States to care for his convalescence. The second is the story of Costa Ricans who cannot get a simple building permit for a sheltered bus stop. The problem is Newton's First Law of Physics. (First law: When viewed in an inertial reference frame, an object either is at rest or moves at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.) If only we could get that law repealed! In layman's terms, Newton's First Law says that a government worker sitting on his dead mental ass will stay there unless someone does something to get him (or her, of course) to move. This failure of initiative is probably based on fear -- fear of making a mistake and having the supervisor get angry. But there is a solution! The way through the morass is in the second part of the law -- "unless acted upon by an external force." All government is designed to maintain the status quo, but public action and political pressure can change things. It takes work. Your publishing these stories is part of the work, and your reader's responses are another. So how about if readers contact the U.S. Embassy and ask about the status of the veteran? How about if A.M. Costa Rica advices us where (and when) the local residents will be meeting about the bus stop? Maybe we can do something, rather than ourselves being part of Newton's First Law. John
French
Heredia Immigration agents rejected his bus ticket from country Dear A.M. Costa Rica: A Bus Ticket Will Not Satisfy Immigration at Juan Santamaria. Beware expats. The article that appeared this past Wednesday entitled “Another tale of tourists having trouble at airport" is not accurate. It indicates that a bus ticket for passage outside of the country will satisfy the immigration authorities. Well recently I and another passenger on the same flight from Atlanta, found out otherwise. We had our bus tickets, but the immigration people said that was not good enough. They indicated if I arrived by air I needed to have an air ticket out of the country! This was a new one on me, in the 10 years I’ve been regularly entering and exiting the county, never violating the 90 day visa limit. So, I was read my rights, opted to immediately buy an exit ticket rather than be deported, was escorted to a ticket counter where I paid for a ticket to Panamá and then was escorted back to immigration to get my visa. The woman traveler on the same flight was not so lucky. I don’t think she had a credit card or means to purchase a ticket, which as I understood from the options I was given, meant that she was going to be placed on the next return flight to Atlanta on the airline which allowed her to board ‘illegally’. At the very least, do NOT count on a bus ticket to satisfy immigration. Be prepared with an exit air ticket, or at least the means to purchase a ticket should you get intercepted by the immigration folks. Otherwise you risk having a very bad day in the land of pura vida, or at least at Juan Santamaría airport. Jim
Ryan
Liberia, Guanacaste Construction chamber expresses concern over road rebuilding By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Cámara Costarricense de la Construcción has pointed out an $88 million difference in estimates of how much it will cost to improve Ruta 32 from Río Frio to Limón. The lower estimate, $377 million comes from experts by an international development bank. The higher figure, $465 million has been suggested for work that may be done by a Chinese firm. In addition, the chamber said, the actual price still is open. The Ministerio Obras Públicas y Transportes immediately responded with its own news release that it never established a price. A vice minister, José Chacón Laurito, appeared before a legislative commission Wednesday to discuss the project. Costa Rica is negotiating a deal whereby the Chinese government will pay for 85 percent of the cost of rebuilding and widening the key road. Costa Rica will pay 15 percent. Some 107 kilometers from Río Frio to Limón are involved. The concept has run into trouble in the legislature with one lawmaker claiming that Costa Rica would give up its sovereignty for the deal. Additionally, the lawmaker, Manrique Oviedo Guzmán, said that the firm China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd., the likely contractor, has been suspended by the World Bank after allegations of corruption in The Philippines. The chamber also attacked the financing of the project, which would be in Chinese currency subject to changes on the international money market. The chamber also repeated the claim that the project would be governed by Chinese law. Agents seeking the identity of woman murder victim By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial agents are trying to find the identity of a woman whose body was found along side the Río Tambor near Puriscal. She had been shot in the head and stabbed in the neck. It appears that she was shot there because a local rancher heard shots about 10 a.m. and found the body when he went to investigate. Agents said the man heard a vehicle leaving at high speed. The woman was about 35 with a light complexion and long black hair, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. She was wearing jeans and sandals, agents said. Sheep and goats on display Dec. 7 and 8 in Coronado By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Goat and sheep producers will have an expo Dec. 7 and 8 in San Pedro de Coronado. The event is sponsored by the Asociación Ovicaprina Ambientalista Costarricense, which estimated that there are about 200 producers in Costa Rica who raise either goats or sheep. The event will include judging the animals and the display of food products. There are expected to be about 150 animals present both days. They will represent nearly all the breeds that are in Costa Rica. The location is Rancho Sacramento, where there is space for 250 vehicles, organizers said. There also is wireless Internet, they added. The ranch Web page said it is just four kilometers from the center of Coronado. Panama's new metro line gets a test run with Martinelli Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
The president of Panamá traveled the full 13.7 kilometer route of the new capital metro line Thursday, said the contractors, said Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, which also has projects in Costa Rica. The route was from the Albrook and Los Andes stations. Ricardo Martinelli, the president, was accompanied by cabinet members and members of the board of directors of the metro line. The first stage of the the Panamá Metro Line 1 is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2014. Since beginning of construction of the $1.8 billion project 33 months ago, the plan has already been expanded to include another 2.2 kilometers and two new stations, The total will be 15.9 kilometers, covered in just 22 minutes, said the contractor, known informally as FCC. The tour is part of the dynamic tests which have been underway since the end of August in the Yards and Workshop zone, as well as at underground and elevated sections. The line is expected to carry passengers in the first quarter of next year, said FCC. U.S. crushes confiscated ivory to send poachers a message By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Africa's elephants are being slaughtered at a record pace by poachers who hope to get rich by selling their ivory tusks. Thursday, U.S. officials sent a powerful anti-poaching message by destroying nearly 6,000 kilograms of confiscated ivory tusks, carvings and jewelry. Conservationists say the key to ending the poaching of elephants is to make it unprofitable to do so. "Anytime we can remove ivory from the marketplace it’s a win for elephants, because it suggests to the world that there isn't profitability to be had by selling ivory. And if there's no profitability in selling ivory, there's no profitability in poaching elephants,” explained Adam Robers, executive vice president of Born Free USA. Before they were crushed, the confiscated ivory tusks, statues and ornaments were showed off by Fish and Wildlife officials, who said represented the killing of more than 2,000 adult elephants. The items were seized from smugglers, traders and tourists after a global ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989. "Much of it is in what we might call trinkets, small carvings that are generally produced in Asia, brought back as souvenirs by tourists. That is a big part of the market here,” said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president of the World Wildlife Fund. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a $1 million reward on Wednesday for information leading to the dismantling of a Laos-based criminal syndicate, the Xaysavang Network, that Kerry said poaches elephants for ivory.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado S.A. 2013 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 227 | |
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| 'Tis the season to ante up those
aguinaldo payments to workers |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Christmas is something short of ho ho ho for employers. The approach to the holidays includes the deadline for paying aguinaldos to employees. This is the mandatory Christmas bonus that equal a twelfth of what the employee earned in the last year, from Dec. 1 to Nov. 30. There are some complexities. The Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social has a calculator on its Web site to figure the aguinaldo for each employee, but the device is nothing more than a spreadsheet that adds up salaries for the last 12 months and divides the total by 12. This is not always accurate. Employers also have to include in the total any value given that is not money. That may include room and board for a live-in maid. The ministry calls this salario en especie. Unless the employer can estimate accurately this non-cash payment, the ministry will consider the amount to be 50 percent of any cash the employee received. This would even include lunch for any day workers. The deadline this year is Dec. 20, a Friday. |
The aguinaldo can be figured easily
simply by consulting the forms that have been filed with the Caja
Costarricense de Seguro Social each month. If the expat employer has
not been making payment to the Caja for the employee, he or she should
be especially generous because the last thing an employe wants is a
works ministry inspector to drop by. Employees are warned continually that they have a right to an aguinaldo and they are instructed how to file a complaint. There are about 10,000 such complaints each year. The up side is that Caja social charges are not paid on aguinaldos. A political flap is growing this week because some politicians are claiming their opponents are seeking to have the aguinaldo subject to taxation. At this point it is not. The government is very liberal with aguinaldos. Members of boards of directors of government institutions get the bonus. Expats also might face a gardener who was hired as a contractor. Recent stories have shown that most so-called contractors are really employees and, therefore, entitled to an aguinaldo. If the individual is running a business that provides a service to more than just a few people and the individual gives valid facturas for payment, an aguinaldo probably is not warranted. |
| There is something pleasant about being a state bank customer |
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| In
her article on Nov. 11 in AlterNet, an online newspaper, Ellen Brown
has an article, “Want to have a happy Planet? Just ask Costa
Ricans about their banks,” In it she extensively quotes Scott Bidstrup,
an expat who has lived in Costa Rica for some years. According to Bidstrup, the national banks, like Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nacional, et al, are part of the reason Costa Ricans are a happy people. Bidstrup explains that instead of seeking to enrich their shareholders or top employees, national banks use their profits to benefit the country and its people. During the years Costa Rica was in charge of its own financial destiny, this worked very well. Schools and hospitals were built. People worked and could borrow money (not cheaply, but then the profits were going back to them), and Costa Rica was the most successful of the Central American countries, maybe of all Latin America. The world changed and financial hard times came to Costa Rica and the all powerful World Monetary Fund stepped in with its help along with some Draconian measures it demanded. And here we are today struggling along with the rest of the global communities. This is a superficial précis of what Scott Bidstrup was saying, but I agree, the national banks are nice to have. I remember when I first moved to Costa Rica and opened a bank account. I chose Banco Anglo, a bank across the street from the National Theatre, because it was convenient to where I lived and in the heart of the city. It was a piece of cake to establish an account, and I really liked “my” bank and the people therein. That is until a couple of the managers were found to be using the profits for their own ends, and abruptly the bank closed. Well, not quite the next day. Long lines of people who had money in the bank waited in fear to clear out their accounts. I had been told (as had they) that my deposits were safe because, just as in the United States, it was insured and backed up by the government. So I relaxed and let things develop. Within a week I was informed that my account had been |
transferred to the Banco de Costa Rica with all of the same privileges I had had at the Banco Anglo. Over the years a number of independent, private and foreign owned banks have emerged here. A number have closed without much fanfare. I am told that some investors have lost money in the process, and depending upon the bank and the raconteur, it is either harder and more complicated or easier to transfer money from their home country to here using private banks. Meanwhile, I am very happy with the Banco de Costa Rica, partly because there are so many branches and the people at the branch in my neighborhood recognize me. However, I still cannot deposit a perfectly good check, which I do every month, into my account if the jefe is not there to okay it for the cashier. When this happens, I try not to lose my composure and temper. That, I suppose is another reason why Costa Ricans are such happy people. They manage one way or another not to have a hissy fit to express their sense of injustice or indignation every time they feel like they are not getting proper service when they expect it. Thus, the air is not shattered with bad vibes. In fact, I have learned over the years that it is much more effective to ask for help rather than to demand service. Being a woman, I have found that a few tears don’t hurt. Years ago I learned somewhere that men tend to shout or hit something when they are angry, whereas when they are angry, women cry. I think it must be a survival mechanism. We will not discuss passive aggressive behavior, which is probably more of a female and Tico trait. But as I have said before, I can handle passive aggressive better than aggressive aggressive. I must be going native. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 227 | |||||
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| Small African nation dumps Taiwan to cozy up with the
People's Republic |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Republic of the Gambia, a small nation in West Africa, has broken off diplomatic ties with Taiwan. It is the first country to do so since 2008. The move marks a worrying development for diplomatically isolated Taiwan, which has long struggled to forge such relationships because of opposition from China. The break comes despite relations marked by frequent high-level contact and Taipei’s help in a variety of areas, ranging from farming to military training. Taiwan Foreign Ministry Political Deputy Minister Simon Ko told a news conference his government regrets The Gambia’s decision, but declined to speculate on the impact. Ko expressed the Taiwan government’s shock and regret at The Gambia’s decision to break ties effective immediately, and added that the two sides had worked closely together over the past 18 years. Ko noted that it appears, at least so far, that the split is a result of a personal decision by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. The Gambia’s ambassador to Taiwan declined to speak to reporters. |
Costa Rica dumped
Taiwan in June 2007 to establish diplomatic relations with the People's
Republic. Since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, China has viewed Taiwan as part of its territory. Beijing refuses diplomatic relations with any nation that formally recognizes Taiwan. Before Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office, China and Taiwan jockeyed for allies by offering countries money to switch allegiances. However, five years ago, Taipei and Beijing struck an agreement to stop the practice. Since then, the two Asian neighbors have been working to ease tension and build trust. Beijing has sought to win over the Taiwanese public through deals aimed at boosting the island's economy. Taipei’s remaining 22 allies are mostly poor nations in Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific. A breakdown of the diplomatic truce with China could see more countries switch their allegiance, which would likely threaten the newly created trade and investment links between Beijing and Taipei. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 227 | |||||
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| Obama backs down to allow citizens to keep health policies By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Moving to avert still more political damage from what he acknowledges was a fumbled implementation of his health care law, President Barack Obama Thursday announced a fix to allow Americans to keep existing policies for one year. Obama's decision came amid mounting political fallout from the flawed federal government Web site that Americans use, along with online state insurance marketplaces, to enroll in plans under Obamacare. Just over 106,000 people enrolled since Nov. 1, far below what the administration had hoped. Obama acknowledged the frustration of Americans, potentially numbering in the millions, who received cancellation notices for policies that did not meet Obamacare standards. "I think it is legitimate for them to expect me to have to win back some credibility on this health care law in particular and on a whole range of these issues in general. That's on me. We fumbled the rollout on this health care law," said Obama. The administrative fix announced by Obama would let insurers renew for one year health plans that were canceled because of the implementation of Obamacare. Companies could offer plans next year that do not meet minimum requirements but would have to inform applicants how these are deficient and what alternatives are available. Obama said it would be up to insurance commissioners in individual U.S. states to allow the fix to proceed, saying Obamacare would not get in the way of companies implementing the change. With Obama already facing the lowest public approval ratings of his presidency, there are new signs of political damage, as Americans raise questions about administration competence. A Gallup poll showed 55 percent of respondents disapproving of Obamacare. Previous surveys showed Americans generally divided on the law, though leaning toward disapproval. Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner says poor enrollment numbers show that Obama's health care law has failed and should be scrapped. "When it comes to this health care law, the White House does not have much credibility. Let's be clear, the only way to fully protect the American people is to scrap this law once and for all. There is no way to fix this," said Boehner. Republicans controlling the House plan today to bring to a vote their own fix. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says the Republican measure would endanger Obamacare. "It undermines the Affordable Care Act," said Ms. Pelosi. Obama also acknowledged potential damage for Democratic congressional candidates in next year's mid-term elections. "There is no doubt that our failure to roll out the Affordable Care Act smoothly has put a burden on Democrats, whether they are running or not, because they stood up and supported this effort through thick and thin," said Obama. Obama says he feels personally responsible for making the job of Democrats harder. But he said people should not lose sight of the fact that before Obamacare, the U.S. health care system status quo was "not working at all." He again criticized Republicans for failing to provide an alternative either to the existing health insurance system or to Obamacare, which was designed to provide affordable coverage for some 40 million Americans who lacked insurance. Eurozone economy again appears to be stagnant By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Economic growth in Europe's 17-nation euro currency bloc has nearly stalled again, only months after it emerged from a recession that lasted 18 months. The eurozone said Thursday that its economy expanded just 0.1 percent in the July to September period, down from the gain of 0.3 percent in the previous quarter. With record high unemployment and some debt-ridden governments struggling to regain their financial footing, the eurozone's fortunes have faltered even as the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China, have advanced. In the third quarter, the eurozone said that growth slowed markedly in Germany, its most powerful economy, to three-tenths of a percent, less than half what it had been. Growth contracted slightly in both France and Italy, the eurozone's next two biggest economies. The eurozone economy, collectively the biggest in the world, shrank for six straight quarters through March of this year, the longest drop since the euro was introduced in 1999. Analysts said slowing exports led to the sluggish growth in the third quarter, while austerity measures undertaken in several eurozone countries have cut government spending. Even with the limited growth across the eurozone, one of its member nations, Ireland, said it is about to emerge from the $114 billion bailout it secured in 2010. Dublin said that next month, it will become the first of the four eurozone nations that needed a rescue package to be able again to borrow money on international markets without the safety net of a precautionary credit line. Fed nominee tells senators economy must grow faster By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The nominee to head the U.S. central bank, Janet Yellen, said the U.S. economy must grow faster. She spoke at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee Thursday. If confirmed, Ms. Yellen, now vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, would succeed outgoing Chairman Ben Bernanke, under whose leadership the U.S. central bank launched an unprecedented stimulus program to keep interest rates at historic lows and boost the money supply. Ms. Yellen told senators the economy has improved since the deep recession of 2008 to 2009, but still needs help. “Our country has come a long way since the dark days of the financial crisis. But we have further to go," she said. "I believe the Federal Reserve has made significant progress towards its goals, but has more work to do.” That work includes further reductions in U.S. unemployment, which stands at 7.3 percent. Ms. Yellen described promoting stronger economic growth as imperative. The committee’s top Republican, Sen. Mike Crapo, did not dispute the need for more robust growth, but worried that massive monetary stimulus, known as quantitative easing, will eventually cause a spike in inflation and other side effects. “How do you respond to the concerns that quantitative easing has limited impact on economic growth and is, in fact, creating very serious risks in our financial markets,” he asked. Ms. Yellen said she understands and shares the concerns. “I would agree that this program cannot continue forever, that there are costs and risks associated with the program," she said. "We are monitoring those very carefully." Ms. Yellen made clear that, for now, her top concern is a lackluster U.S. economy. U.S. financial markets have responded favorably to Ms. Yellen’s nomination. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high this week, and advanced further during her testimony on Capitol Hill. Ms. Yellin is likely to receive bipartisan support in both the Banking Committee and the full Senate. She would become America’s first female central bank chief. Bernanke’s term expires in January. The Federal Reserve plays a major role in U.S. interest rates and, by extension, those of other nations around the world.  Sotheby’s photo
The Pink Star on a ringPink Star
diamond brings
$83 million at auction By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The world's largest known pink diamond has sold at auction for more than $83 million in Geneva. "There is no other stone of that size and color known. No other stone,” declared David Bennett, the auctioneer for Sotheby’s. Sotheby's said Wednesday's sale of the rare 59.6-carat Pink Star diamond represents the highest price ever paid for a gemstone. The oval-shaped diamond, mounted on a ring, was bought by a man bidding in the room, who told reporters that he was buying it on behalf of an anonymous person whom he represented. “Ladies and gentlemen, . . . the world record bid for a diamond ever bid, and it's right here,” Bennett said to applause as he brought down the hammer in the Geneva salesroom. It was the star lot at Sotheby's semi-annual jewelry sale in Geneva, held in a heavily-guarded hotel showroom, which followed strong Hong Kong auctions last month. The Pink Star diamond was discovered in Africa 14 years ago. Prior to Wednesday’s sale, the Graff Pink diamond held the previous auction record, selling for just above $46 million three years ago. Space agency video shows Mars covered with water By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A new NASA video shows what Mars may have been like long ago when it had a denser atmosphere and liquid water. The concept is based on evidence that Mars was once very different. "There are characteristic dendritic structured channels that, like on Earth, are consistent with surface erosion by water flows,” said Joseph Grebowsky of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The interiors of some impact craters have basins suggesting crater lakes, with many showing connecting channels consistent with water flows into and out of the crater.” He added that small impact craters have been removed with time and larger craters show signs of erosion by water more than 3.7 billion years ago, and sedimentary layering is seen on valley walls. Minerals are present on the surface that can only be produced in the presence of liquid water, Grebowsky said. Estimates about the amount of water needed to explain these features have equated to possibly as much as a planet-wide layer one-half a kilometer (1,640 feet) deep or more, according to Grebowsky. It's unknown if the habitable climate lasted long enough for life to emerge on Mars. "The only direct evidence for life early in the history of a planet's evolution is that on Earth," said Grebowsky. "The earliest evidence for terrestrial life is the organic chemical structure of a rock found on the surface in Greenland. The surface was thought to be from an ancient sea floor sediment. The age of the rock was estimated to be 3.8 billion years, 700 million years from the Earth's creation.” The video ends with an illustration of NASA's MAVEN mission in orbit around present-day Mars. MAVEN will investigate how Mars lost its atmosphere. Scheduled to be launched in November, it will arrive at Mars in September 2014. There are several theories of how Mars was stripped of its thick atmosphere. "Hydrodynamic outflow and ejection from massive asteroid impacts during the later heavy bombardment period (ending 4.1 billion to 3.8 billion years ago) were early processes removing part of the atmosphere, but these were not prominent loss processes afterwards," said Grebowsky. "The leading theory is that Mars lost its intrinsic magnetic field that was protecting the atmosphere from direct erosion by the impact of the solar wind." The solar wind is a thin stream of electrically charged particles (plasma) blowing continuously from the sun into space at about a million miles per hour. Alkalinity in world's oceans declining toward neutral By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Global warming is causing a silent storm in the oceans by acidifying waters at a record rate, threatening marine life from coral reefs to fish stocks, an international study said Thursday. The report, by 540 experts in 37 nations, said the seas could become 170 percent more acidic by 2100 compared to levels before the Industrial Revolution. Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, can become a mild acid when mixed with water. Acidification is combining with a warming of ocean waters, also caused by a build-up of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, and other man-made factors such as higher pollution and overfishing, the report said. “It is like the silent storm - you can't hear it, you can't feel it,” Carol Turley, a senior scientist at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in England, said. The study, released on the sidelines of a meeting of almost 200 nations in Warsaw on ways to slow global warming, estimated that acidity of the oceans had already increased by 26 percent since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. A 170 percent increase in acidity is equivalent to cutting the Ph level of the ocean, a scale of acidity and alkalinity, to 7.9 from 8.2 on a logarithmic scale. Battery acid rates about 1 and soap, an alkaline, is about 10. A reading of 7.0 is neutral. The pace of acidification was the fastest in at least 55 million years, the scientists said. Acidification undermines the ability of everything from corals to crabs to build protective shells and has knock-on effects on the food web. “Marine ecosystems and biodiversity are likely to change as a result of ocean acidification, with far-reaching consequences for society,” according to the summary led by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. “Economic losses from declines in shellfish aquaculture and the degradation of tropical coral reefs may be substantial owing to the sensitivity of molluscs and corals to ocean acidification,” it said. And some studies have found that young clown fish, made famous by the movie “Finding Nemo,” behaved as if drunk in more acidic waters, their brains apparently disoriented. Another study found that rockfish can become more anxious. “A normal fish will swim equally in light and dark areas in a tank ... an anxious one on high carbon dioxide spends more time in the darker side, the more protected side,” said Lauren Linsmayer of the University of California, San Diego. “If society continues on the current high emissions trajectory, cold water coral reefs, located in the deep sea, may be unsustainable and tropical coral reef erosion is likely to outpace reef building this century,” the report said. Deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gasses, from power plants, factories and cars, would limit acidification. The Warsaw talks are working on plans for a global deal, due to be agreed in 2015, to limit climate change. Gene therapy shows promise in shrinking enlarged hearts By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Researchers are poised to begin human clinical trials of a novel gene therapy to treat a major cause of heart disease by shrinking enlarged hearts in order to improve blood flow and cardiac function. Heart failure, a leading cause of illness and death worldwide, is caused by a weakening and enlarging of the heart as it works harder to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. A heart attack, untreated high blood pressure or clogged coronary arteries can lead to the condition, which kills most people within five years of diagnosis. People with heart failure lack a fully functioning gene called SUMO-1, which helps to regulate the calcium that cycles in and out of cells in the ventricles, which pump blood to the body. In experiments with pigs with heart failure, cardiologist Roger Hajjar at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York discovered a single infusion of the gene SUMO-1 dramatically improved the function of the animals’ hearts. “Regardless of the cause that induced the heart to be big, we were able to reverse that,” he said. Hajjar's research team at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine has discovered another gene called SERCA2, which also regulates the movement of calcium in heart cells. Their human trials of replacement gene therapy with SERCA2 are showing similar results to the SUMO-1 animal experiments. Hajjar believes infusing both genes simultaneously into cardiac failure patients might double the benefit. “Since we’ve had the experience with SERCA2, we know pretty much the path toward clinical trials from discovery to the bedside," he said. "We feel that within a couple of years, we should be able to take this program forward in terms of gene therapy in patients.” The therapy involving SUMO-1 and SERCA2 uses a harmless cold virus to deliver the genes into the heart. An article on gene therapy for heart failure is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Domestication of dogs began in Europe, DNA study says By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Humans first made dogs their best friends in prehistoric Europe, where groups of hunter-gathers learned to tame dangerous wolves into companions between 19,000 and 32,000 years ago, scientists said on Thursday. The new research, based on analysis of DNA fragments from fossils of ancient wolves and dogs, confounds earlier theories that dogs were originally domesticated in the Middle East or East Asia. Experts generally agree that dog training started out with a few gray wolves hanging around human encampments in the hope of picking up scraps. Over time, humans accepted them, perhaps initially as guards or hunting partners, and taught them to be useful companions. Where and when this happened, however, has been a matter of controversy. Now Olaf Thalmann, from Finland's University of Turku, and colleagues believe they have placed initial doggy taming firmly in Europe after finding that modern dogs' DNA most closely matches that of either ancient European canines or modern European wolves, but not wolves outside Europe. “We're pretty sure that Europe played a major role in the domestication of the dog,” Thalmann, whose research was published Thursday in the journal Science, said in an interview. The fact that dogs were domesticated so early in Europe means they joined human society when people were still hunter-gathers rather than farmers. As a result, Thalmann believes the first proto-dogs might have taken advantage of carcasses left on site by early human hunters, as well as helping them catch prey and providing defense against competing predators at kills. The genetic analysis carried out by his team was based on mitochondrial DNA. a common tool for tracking ancestry. That was extracted from fossils of eight ancient dogs and 10 wolves. This was compared to genetic samples from 130 modern dogs and wolves, leading the researchers to conclude that the first dogs originated in Europe from a population of gray wolves that is now extinct. Mitochondrial DNA, which is passed from mothers to daughters, changes little from generation to generation. By studying it, scientists are able to calculate when populations or species start to separate genetically. But it does not provide a complete genetic picture, leaving some uncertainty. While the early dogs that socialized with tribes of hunter-gathers would have looked very similar to wolves, the vast variety of breeds evident around the world today is a function of more recent human activity, experts believe. “Modifying a wolf into a Chihuahua is clearly a long process and most of the active breeding has happened in just the last few hundred years,” Thalmann said. . |
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More flexibility is
sought in U.S. delivery of foods By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
As typhoon relief efforts ramp up in the Philippines, critics say the United States needs more flexibility in how it delivers food aid. The crisis hits as Congress is rewriting the law governing food aid and much more. The United States is the world’s leading disaster-relief donor. Most of the food aid budget goes to a 60-year-old, $1.4 billion program called Food for Peace that ships American-grown crops to affected areas on American-flagged ships. “It’s wasteful and inefficient," said Dan Harsha. Harsha is spokesman for the Democratic staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He says if food is available closer to a crisis area, it generally costs less and arrives sooner than food shipped from the United States. The U.S. Agency for International Development can use a limited amount of funding for local or regional purchase. About three-quarters of the $10 million in food aid the U.S. is donating for typhoon relief is going to local purchase. But Harsha says crises in Syria and the Horn of Africa are competing for USAID funds. “And if they use all their LRP authority now, they may not be able to meet the humanitarian needs that we’re seeing - nearly four million displaced people in Syria," he said. "Not to mention unanticipated future emergencies. What if there’s a future typhoon in Asia, or an earthquake?” Congress is considering changes that would allow up to 20 percent of the Food for Peace budget to be spent on local or regional purchase or other uses. An Obama administration proposal to free up 45 percent of Food for Peace funds was narrowly defeated earlier this year. U.S. farmers, food processors and shippers were among the most vocal opponents. Ellen Levinson heads the Alliance for Global Food Security, a coalition of humanitarian non-profit organizations. She says changes to Food for Peace are looking likely this time. “The bigger problem is making sure we have adequate funding, quite frankly, for disaster assistance, including cash for local purchase," said Levinson. Food aid funding is part of the Farm Bill, a five-year, half-trillion-dollar package of crop subsidies, nutrition programs and more. The fate of that bill hangs largely on partisan debates over domestic food aid programs |
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| From Page 7: $10 million senior living facility opens in Escazú By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A $10 million senior living project officially was opened Thursday in Trejos Montealegre, Escazú. This is is the Verdeza project that has been in the works for years. The facility is a four-story building with 61 apartments. The operators note that one floor has been designated for Alzheimer's and dementia residents with appropriate care provided. The facility also boasts that there are many common areas, including a gym and library with special consideration for seniors. The location is not far from Hospital CIMA. Verdeza says it is the first residential community for seniors in Central America. Verdeza said that the advantages in living there include social interaction with like-minded individuals, extensive recreational, exercise, fitness and wellness programs, emergency care 24 hours a day and private apartments where residents can maintain their independence. Residents also can benefit from restaurant-style dining prepared with nutrition in mind. There also is maid service and transportation, if needed. On site is a beauty parlor spa and a barber shop, said Verdeza.. A nurse is on site 24 hours a day, and residents also can have their own physicians visit them. There are facilities for that, Verdeza said. President Laura Chinchilla attended the formal inauguration Thursday. The development and structuring of Verdeza is being led by Noveza, the firm said. The project aims to be the pioneer and leader in retirement communities in Costa Rica. Jose Marti Jimenez F., the founder of Noveza, is a principal in Verdeza. He also was a co-founder of Hospital Metropolitana. He is an Aspen Institute fellow, is an industrial engineer from the Universidad de Costa Rica and holds an MBA from Harvard University, the firm said. Jill E. McWilliam, is the resident services manager. She has a degree in gerontology. The residence offers various living options. Prices start at $1,700 a month and range upwards to $3,550 on the Alzheimer and dementia floor. There also are facilities for visitors, such as other family members. |
