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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 247
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
What may be the final legal action generated by the collapse of the Brothers Villalobos investment scheme has been dismissed by a judge. This was the case spearheaded by Derk Van Dyk, an expat, that sought to target Oswaldo Villalobos, his wife, Ana Isabel Pereira García, and other members of the Villalobos family and business associates. Luis Enrique Villaobos still is named in the case, but he has not been seen since 2002. The case tried to bring into court family members and others who may have profited from the Villalobos high-interest borrowing activities. Oswaldo Villalobos already has been convicted of aggravated fraud in what prosecutors considered a ponzi scheme. That opinion is not universal. Van Dyk has been low-keyed about the case and gathered quietly a number of investors to participate. He has not been anxious to discuss his efforts with reporters. The case was generally considered a long-shot. In an email Sunday to those who participated Van Dyk and others reported that a judge had dismissed the case because the statute of limitations has expired. The allegations included fraud, illegal financial intermediation and money laundering. When Oswaldo Villalobos was convicted May 16, 2007, part of his sentence was to pay back the investors who participated in the prosecution. Some money was paid, but lawyers for the investors accepted a lesser amount. Investors in the latest case thought that the worth of Oswaldo Villalobos was understated and that there was more money to be obtained. Some of the business associates were named because they seem to have received corporations and viable operations from Enrique Villalobos without paying for them. A.M. Costa Rica urged in 2002 that a professional asset tracker should be employed to help investors. Most rejected that idea because they expected Enrique Villalobos to return and pay them off. In fact, there was an extensive effort to cause investors to think that way. So many of them did not participate in the case against Oswaldo.  Dickey Ray Family
photo
These youngsters
are beneficiaries of more seasonal giving by Gringos. TheDickey Ray Family said they brought items for less fortunate children in an underdeveloped area in Jacó during Thanksgiving. This is the fourth year. 'We took backpacks with school supplies, toys and candy. We also passed out baseball shirts and soccer balls,' the California family said.
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2014 and may
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 247 | |
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The float of the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo was inspired by the seven natural wonders of Costa Rica, wild animals of the jungle and tropical beauty. |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Miriam Vega
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| Wet weather fails to dampen the emotions of Festival de la
Luz |
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By
Gabriela Vega Barrantes
and the A.M. Costa Rica staff Hundreds of thousands braved wet and chilly weather Saturday to witness the Festival de la Luz, the gigantic Christmas parade. Although the country may not be facing a wave of head colds and respiratory infections, only some 30 persons were treated by cold -related conditions Saturday. At least two were true hypothermia cases. Police said they picked up 33 persons, most for fighting and for being drunk or taking drugs in public. Police estimated the crowd at a million persons. But the number dwindled as the wet evening wore on. There were many children. Sandra Garcia, San José mayor, also estimated a million. The event actually started with a 3 p.m. show in Paseo Colón for the youngsters. That is about when the rain started, too. The official parade marshal was the Cuerpo de Bomberos, the fire fighters. There was antique equipment in the parade. The fire fighters mark their 150th anniversary next year. Of the eight floats, the one that captured the top prize was sponsored by the Banco de Costa Rica. The float was designed by Panamanian Edwar Loo and inspired by a magical forest, including the main characters of ancient fables as Pegasus, Minotaur, dragons, unicorns and princes. Ivania Saenz, marketing manager of the bank, said that the float gives a positive message. The festival opened with the float of the Municipalidad de San José, which is not in the prize competition, because the municipality sponsors the parade. The float was inspired by the story of Peter Pan, the fantasy character. It was a big project of three floats, designed by Orazio Prado and Aldolfo Mendoza. The first one is the crocodile holding a clock in his mouth, Then a second float containing the ship with all the Neverland pirates dancing and preforming And finally, there was the third float with a giant version of Peter, A team of 60 people artists, actors, models and dancers participated. According to Mendoza, workers spent one year from creating the blue print of the float until artists applied the last details. The enormous sculpture of Peter Pan on the float was driven by a hydraulic motor, The motor lifted the sculpture up several feet. Unfortunately, a girl dressed as Tinkerbell, who was at the top of the Peter Pan sculpture, became entangled between the electric cables. |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Miriam Vega
Firemen
used this steam pumper starting in 1865.
 A.M. Costa Rica/Miriam Vega
A
family from Puntarenas wisely brought a tent.
Fire
fighters and power company technicians had to lift up cables with
long metal poles and support the cables until the float could get
unstuck. The parade was held for almost 20 minutes until the float was
released from the cables.
The Orotina Band won the top prize in that category. |
| An AM. Costa Rica
editorial Why so little and so late for tourism promotion? |
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| Two questions arose when the
tourism institute announced its $3.3 million promotional campaign for
the U.S. and Canada Thursday. Why so late, and why so little. The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo said it was using social media to mount a low-cost campaign. That is a strange approach for an entity that has as one of its few reasons of existence to promote the country and a $15-per-head airport entry tax to support it. Most would agree that the promotion should have started in July. By now, most affluent tourists already have their destinations selected for the high season. The tourism institute noted that the United States and Canada are the source of about half the tourists who come here each year. When one considers that Nicaragua contributed 20 percent, the value of the northern countries becomes greater. The year-long campaign features two Web sites: savetheAmericans.org and savetheCanadians.org. The idea is that these populations need to be saved from their boring, overworked lifestyles. The tourism institute probably should have had these sites, which |
may become
valuable, in its name instead of that of its Atlanta, Georgia,
ad agency, 22Squared. The ad firm plans to promote the country online with YouTube, Google, The New York Times, Yahoo, Outbrain, Matador, Network, Twitter, Linked-In and Instagram, tourism officials said. No doubt the firm will win another award. It already has won three since 2012 for work with the tourism institute. One came from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. There is a danger in the advertising and news businesses to shoot for awards instead of results. The tourism institute calls the campaign non-traditional, and that it is. We would have preferred print advertising in the tourism sections of major U.S. and Canadian Sunday newspapers as well as the magazine of the American Association of Retired Persons. We would have liked to see spots on DestinoTV and the Travel Channel. We get the impression that 22Squared is targeting the 13 year olds with smartphones instead of those adults with money who could come to Costa Rica. Time will tell as will the statistics relating to the Web pages. And most importantly, the money in the pockets of tourism operators. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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2014 and may
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 247 | |||||
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| Common household chemicals linked to lower IQ in children |
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By
the Columbia University Mailman School
of Public Health news staff Children exposed during pregnancy to elevated levels of two common chemicals found in the home, di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP), had an IQ score, on average, more than six points lower than children exposed at lower levels, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The study is the first to report a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates and IQ in school-age children. Results appear online in the journal PLOS ONE. The chemicals are found in a wide variety of consumer products, from dryer sheets to vinyl fabrics to personal care products like lipstick, hairspray, and nail polish, even some soaps. Since 2009, several phthalates have been banned from children's toys and other childcare articles in the United States. However, no steps have been taken to protect the developing fetus by alerting pregnant women to potential exposures. In the U.S., phthalates are rarely listed as ingredients on products in which they are used. Researchers followed 328 New York City women and their children from low-income communities. They assessed the women's exposure to four phthalates in the third trimester of pregnancy by measuring levels of the chemicals' metabolites in urine. Children were given IQ tests at age 7. Children of mothers exposed during pregnancy to the highest 25 percent of concentrations of DnBP and DiBP had IQs 6.6 and 7.6 points lower, respectively, than children of mothers exposed to the lowest 25 percent of concentrations after controlling for factors like maternal IQ, maternal education, and quality of the home environment that are known to influence child IQ scores. The association was also seen for specific aspects of IQ, such as perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. The researchers found no associations between two other phthalates and child IQ. |
The range of
phthalate metabolite exposures measured in the mothers was
not unusual: it was within what the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention observed in a national sample. "Pregnant women across the United States are exposed to phthalates almost daily, many at levels similar to those that we found were associated with substantial reductions in the IQ of children," says lead author Pam Factor-Litvak, associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School. "The magnitude of these IQ differences is troubling," says senior author Robin Whyatt, a professor of environmental health sciences. "A six- or seven-point decline in IQ may have substantial consequences for academic achievement and occupational potential." "While there has been some regulation to ban phthalates from toys of young children," adds Professor Factor-Litvak, "there is no legislation governing exposure during pregnancy, which is likely the most sensitive period for brain development. Indeed, phthalates are not required to be on product labeling." While avoiding all phthalates in the United States is for now impossible, the researchers recommend that pregnant women take steps to limit exposure by not microwaving food in plastics, avoiding scented products as much as possible, including air fresheners, and dryer sheets, and not using recyclable plastics labeled as 3, 6, or 7. The findings build on earlier, similar observations by the researchers of associations between prenatal exposure to DnBP and DiBP and children's cognitive and motor development and behavior at age 3. This September, they reported a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates and risk for childhood asthma. It's not known how phthalates affect child health. However, numerous studies show that they disrupt the actions of hormones, including testosterone and thyroid hormone. Inflammation and oxidative stress may also play a role. |
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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2014 and may
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 247 | |||||||
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| Ban supports climate text but environmentalists do not By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon says that a global climate change agreement reached Sunday in Perú sets the stage for a universal and meaningful deal next year, even as environmental groups attacked the Lima pact as weak. The U.N. secretary-general praised the outcome of the Perú conference, while urging countries across the globe to engage in substantive negotiations ahead of another climate change meeting in Paris in late 2015. Ban said the world's major economies need to submit their ambitious national commitments for controlling pollution well in advance of the Paris meeting. The Lima agreement was adopted hours after earlier drafts were rejected by developing countries who accused wealthy nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming and pay for its impacts. The final draft apparently alleviated those concerns with language saying countries have common but differentiated responsibilities' to deal with global warming. But environmental groups said the Perú pact was watered down. World Wildlife Fund climate expert Samantha Smith called the Lima deal "incredibly weak." "This is an incredibly weak text," she said. "The parties have got just through something that is going to lead to all voluntary submissions of information, all voluntary ideas from countries about what kinds of emissions, reductions they want to make. And the big picture is, when they're done, it's going to be very hard to know if we're actually able to avoid dangerous climate change or not." Delegates had been wrangling over contents for a final draft since Friday when the conference was scheduled to end. Peruvian environment minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal acknowledged that the final text was not perfect. U.S. climate change envoy Todd Stern had warned deadlocked delegates Saturday that failure to reach an immediate compromise on carbon pollution standards could doom chances for a global pact at the Paris summit. Stern urged delegates to accept a compromise text, and warned that failure to do so would damage the overall credibility of U.N. efforts to slow climate change. The Paris treaty envisioned for next year would replace the Kyoto Protocol, the global agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions that expired in 2012. Greenhouse gases are blamed for causing global temperatures to rise. Scientists warn that more extreme droughts, floods and rising seas are on the way unless the emissions are reduced. Haiti's prime minister quits over demonstrations By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Haiti's prime minister has resigned after violent anti-government protests. In a speech early Sunday, Laurent Lamothe said he was leaving with a sense of accomplishment. Protesters had called for President Michel Martelly and Lamothe both to resign. Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, has endured a growing number of violent demonstrations in recent weeks. One man was killed in the protests Saturday. An advisory commission set up by the president to break the stalemate recommended last week that Lamothe resign. The commission also recommended disbanding Haiti's electoral council and freeing political prisoners. South African woman is now Miss World 2014 By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A 22-year-old South African woman has won the 64th annual Miss World 2014 beauty pageant. Rolene Strauss, a medical student, was crowned this year's winner at the pageant Sunday in London. Hundreds of millions of people around the world are estimated to have watched the ceremonies on television. Hungary's Edina Kulcsar came in second and Elizabeth Safrit of the United States was third. More than 120 countries were represented. This year's pageant was marred by tragedy after the Honduran contestant, Maria Jose Alvarado, was found shot dead along with her sister last month. Police suspect the sister's boyfriend of shooting the pair after seeing his partner dancing with another man at a party. The new Miss World plans to travel to Honduras to help build a school named in honor of the murdered sisters. Nationwide marches press concern over police killings By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
During nationwide marches protesting the killings of unarmed black men by white police officers, families of the victims urged demonstrators to continue pressing for changes to the criminal justice system. In Washington, relatives of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin gathered on Saturday at Freedom Plaza, near the White House, before peacefully participating with thousands of others in the Justice for All march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. "I am here not only for marching for Eric Garner, but for everyone's daughters and sons and nieces and nephews and dads and moms," said Esaw Garner, his widow. Eric Garner died last July after he was being arrested by police officers in Staten Island, New York, for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Joining the Garners in Washington were speakers from the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old killed in Ohio as he played with a pellet gun in a park, and the mother of Amadou Diallo, who in 1999 was shot and killed in the Bronx by four New York City police officers. Diallo's mother, Kadiatou Diallo, reflected on how the same issues being debated today were debated when her son was killed more than 15 years ago. "We've been there so many times," she said. "Today we are standing still and demanding the same thing." The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network organized the Washington rally, which was part of a planned National Day of Resistance Saturday conducted by the group Ferguson Action. Organizers said at least 25,000 people had attended the event. Washington police do not release crowd estimates. Marchers in Washington included many parents with children, and protesters chanted "No justice, no peace, no racist police" and "Hands up, don't shoot." Protesters carried signs that said "All men are created equal" and "Black lives matter." Organizers said the marches, with tens of thousands rallying in cities including Manhattan, San Francisco, Chicago, Oakland and Washington, D.C., were among the largest held recently against the deaths. Protests have been held nationwide since last month when a grand jury decided not to charge the white police officer who shot and killed the 18-year-old Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri in August. While some previous protests have turned violent, Saturday’s protests were peaceful, for the most part, with just a few dozen arrests reported in Oakland and Boston late Saturday. In Oakland, police detained about 45 people for vandalism, failure to disperse, resisting arrest and other charges on Saturday night after thousands took to the streets. In Boston, about two dozen people were arrested for disorderly conduct after scuffling with officers blocking an Interstate 93 onramp near the Nashua Street Jail. At the University of California, Berkeley, the scene of on-going protests, life-size cardboard effigies of black lynching victims were seen hanging by nooses Saturday. At least one of the effigies was labeled "I can't breathe," the last words of Garner. University officials say the three effigies were removed and it is not clear who was responsible for mounting the images. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who was interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union” news show, said he hopes the focus on the killings leads to a broader and deeper understanding among police and civilians. He said government can do more to train police, but citizens also need to listen a lot more closely to each other, The Associated Press reported. Patrick referred to a mostly peaceful march Saturday in Boston by hundreds of people in which 23 were arrested. He said some didn't seem interested in working with authorities trying to accommodate the protest. Patrick said beyond disruption, people need to try to bridge a huge chasm of misunderstanding that exists around the fears of unarmed black men and police officers. U.S. citizen denounces America from N. Korea By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
An American citizen has appeared at a news conference in North Korea to denounce U.S. domestic and foreign policy and its human rights record. Twenty-nine-year-old Arturo Pierre Martinez from El Paso, Texas, told reporters in Pyongyang he entered North Korea illegally and wants to seek asylum in Venezuela. "My name is Arturo Pierre Martinez, I'm a 29-year-old U.S. citizen born and bred in the city of El Paso, in the state of Texas," he said. "I have taken up a risky journey to the DPRK so that I can pass on some very valuable and disturbing information I felt that its government would appreciate.'' It was not clear how he got into North Korea or whether he will be allowed to leave the country. Pyongyang is reported to have said he entered the country from China last month. Martinez' mother, Patricia Martinez, told CNN her son is bipolar and that he had traveled to China in November, shortly after his release from a psychiatric hospital. The U.S. State Department says it is aware that an American has crossed into North Korea and stands ready to provide consular assistance. It said the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is a top priority and repeated warnings against travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea. North Korea has released three other Americans in recent months, including two who were in the country on tourist visas. Sidney hostage situation continues at restaurant By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Five people have escaped from a restaurant in Sydney, Australia's central business district where a gunman is holding an undetermined number of hostages. Live television from the scene today showed an employee of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe and two customers running past police who have surrounded the restaurant and sealed off the area. Later, another two people ran out of the building. It is not clear if the five were set free by the gunman or escaped on their own. Police say nearby offices have been evacuated as a precaution. Sydney's famed Opera House several blocks away was also evacuated after officials said a suspicious package was found there. Streets in the area were cordoned off and a train line running under the restaurant was shut down. Other hostages have been standing with their hands pushed up against the windows. A black flag with Arabic writing on it also could be seen through the glass. A Lindt executive said there were about 10 staff and probably 30 customers in the cafe before the operation started, but police say that number is smaller. There are no known injuries from the hostage incident, which has been ongoing for several hours. A police spokeswoman said contact has been made by the hostage taker but negotiators have not been able to establish a motive for the crisis. New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione addressed a news conference but refused to call the situation a terrorist event. "At this stage the operational advice that I've got is we're still determining what it is that may well be the motivation and at this stage we are still not yet in the position to determine where the individual is from," said Scipione. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told a news conference earlier that no one yet knows the motivation of whoever is behind the incident. He said the point of such acts is to scare people out of being themselves, and he urged all Australians to go about their business as usual. Abbott said law enforcement agencies are responding in a thorough and professional manner. The cafe is located in the heart of Sydney's financial and shopping district, an area that is packed with holiday shoppers at this time of the year. The New South Wales state parliament house is just a few blocks away. Congress approves budget for most of coming year By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Congress has given its final approval for a massive $1.1 trillion government spending plan for most of 2015, ending a threat that the federal government could shut down again if the legislation was not passed. The measure, approved late Saturday in the Senate by 56-40 vote after a vote Thursday by the House of Representatives, funds the government through the current budget year ending next September. The bill now heads to the White House where President Barack Obama has said he will sign it into law. The Senate debate was marked by political maneuvering. Sen. Ted Cruz, a freshman Republican from Texas with presidential aspirations, had demanded a vote on a proposal to cut funds from the bill that could be used for Obama's executive order easing immigration restrictions. However, Cruz's action enabled Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, to push through numerous nominees of Obama for administration jobs and appointees for judicial positions who would have had a much more difficult time winning approval in January when Republicans take control of the Senate. While the bill provides funding for nearly the entire government through September, it only funds the Department of Homeland Security until Feb. 27. Republicans intend to try then to force the president to roll back his immigration policy that removes the threat of deportation from millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. But with the funding approval, the U.S. averted another government shutdown like the one that occurred a year ago. |
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2014 and may
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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When we lived in the States, I was pretty confident with my “flower power.” If you pointed at it, I could probably tell you what it was. Violets and day lilies, daffodils and lilacs, lily of the valley and
The problem is I don’t want to be off the hook. I really would like to know what’s growing in my yard. Maybe not my whole yard (which is 11 acres), maybe just the part near the house. It would be especially nice to know the names of things I am planting on purpose, not just what sprang up. I always ask when I buy something at a vivaro but sometimes I only get the local name – better than nothing, but not usually a name I can check out in a book or on the web. Still, I keep at it. Someday there will be little signs in indelible ink on my plantings with a scientific name, a common name, and a local name. Or maybe I’m just dreaming…..
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| From Page 7: United adds four more Houston flights By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
United Airlines has added four red-eye flights a week from Juan Santamaría airport to Houston, Texas. The flights will leave at 1:45 a.m. Friday through Monday, the company said. United now operates 85 flights a week from San José to Houston, Washington/Dulles, Newark and Chicago. Tourism officials think that the new flights will be an advantage during the high season. The flights also are expected to help the management of the Juan Santamaría airport, Aeris Holding Costa Rica, continue with its plans for 24-hour operations. |
