A.M.
Costa Rica Your daily English-language news source Monday through Friday |
||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
Jo
Stuart |
Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for more details |
A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Our reader opinions
NRA caters to gun makersso it gets big donations Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The headline in your May 6 issue stating that the National Rifle Association (NRA) leadership may differ from the opinion of the NRA members is not surprising. The actions of the NRA officials are actually driven by the gun manufactures (Beretta, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Mossberg, etc.) rather than by member’s opinions. The NRA expenditures in 2011 were about $220 million. Membership dues accounted for about $147 million of that amount, leaving about $73 million from tax-exempt donations, mainly from the gun manufactures and businesses associated with selling guns. In order for the NRA executive vice president and other NRA officials to maintain their plus $1 million salaries, they realize that it is more important to represent the gun manufactures, some of which donate $2 million or more annually, than it is to represent a member who paid a $35 annual membership fee. The NRA strategy is to instill fear that the government wants to take away the gun ownership rights provided by the Second Amendment, when, in fact, there are no provisions in gun control legislation, existing or proposed, that would prevent a law abiding citizen from owning a gun of some type sufficient for hunting and/or self-defense. I prefer to look at the need for gun control regulations in the same way that I perceive the need for a speed limit together with regulations for car registration, annual inspection, and a driver’s license. These regulations help keep me safe from someone who should not be driving or a vehicle that should not be on the road. A.T.
Joyce
Llorente de Tibas Gringos throw in the towel over problems with business Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The article [on ease of doing business] hit the nail right on the head. Four different Gringos (two of them personal friends) in the past year have thrown in the towel between : 1. Mass confusion on taxes; 2. Serious delays in issuance of concessions (old story in CR -- supposed to happen four years ago); 3. Employees; 4. Negating value of liquor license and San José running the show -- increasing the monthly lease amount by 20fold; 5. Crooked attorneys and notaries - oh mi dios!!, and 6. Every month more problems with municipality and fees -- no help in sight. And those are some of the good things: One of my friends in San José was forced to spend in the area of $300,000 to bring his place of business "up to code." Three other similar Tico-owned establishments were in shambles within 100 yards, and no one said a word. The "inspectors/police" never stopped at the Tico establishments only his, wanting money, believe it or not. Panama looking better and better. Other than that, the sun is up the surf is moderate. All three dogs think I am a good guy, and later the beer will be very cold. Pura vida!!! Dan Gibson
Esterillos Joke about Heaven found appreciation in Escazú Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Bravo to Mark Sydney in his "Make Sure You Tiptoe Pass Door 17" because “That’s Born-Again Christian Heaven. Let them think they’re the only ones up here.” That is certainly good for a laugh! I have a blind belief in nothing, including the New Testament written by men and commissioned by Emperor Constantine 300 years after the death of Jesus. Some people don't believe in narrow dogma or any dogma at all, myself being one of them. It is still hard to believe in this day and age that there are many who do! Even those who are well educated and exposed to other ways of thinking. (Anyone against power, control, and brainwashing?!!) Anyway, we all have a right to our opinions and this is mine. I'm sure some will strongly disagree with me. They are entitled to their opinions, also, and when I die I will be sure to tiptoe past Door 17! Marlene
Summers
San Antonio de Escazú What will happen if you fail to acknowledge Jesus? Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Re: your printing of Henry Kantrowitz’s letter, in your reader’s opinion section titled "Muslims seem a bit more liberal on who gets to go to Heaven." Mr. Kantrowitz is concerned about Hell and Heaven and how different religions address the subject. He also offered a synopsis of various religious beliefs. Mr. Kantrowitz evidently believes that all religions offer a different type of “fire insurance policy” to allow one to escape Hell and they all are equally good. Mr Kantrowitz misses the point of why Hell exits: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS’ (Matthew 25:41). God never intended for one single person to end up in Hell. It is NOT God’s will that anyone should perish in their sins and go to Hell. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering towards us, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, but that ALL should come to REPENTANCE” (2nd Peter 3:9). It is NOT God’s fault if men and women are stubborn and unwilling to REPENT of their unbelief. Hell was NOT created for human beings but rather for Satan and his horde of demons. We are ALL without excuse for the wrong decisions we make in life. We cannot blame God. Perhaps other humans influenced us to make some wrong decisions, but that’s not God’s fault. I often tell people, “Don’t give up on God because men fail you.” Let Job be our example, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). What a statement!” this is by David J. Stewart in his “Purpose for Hell” Mr Kantrowitz states “I have been told time and again, by Christian friends and other Christians the only way to heaven is to accept Jesus Christ as my savior.” That statement is only partially true: 1. You have to acknowledge (confess) your sin to God. One has no need of a savior unless he is aware that what he has been doing is wrong and there are consequences. 2. Repent (which means go in the opposite direction). Stop doing that which is wrong in God’s eyes. 3. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to help you to keep from sinning. 4. Recognize the sovereignty of Jesus by making him Lord in your life. There are basically 2 religions in the world. 1. You have to start doing something or stop doing something in order to be saved (go to Heaven). 2. The other is to accept the fact that Jesus has paid the price of the sin penalty for us “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23), and acknowledge that fact with your mouth and deeds. I was having a difficult time trying to figure out what Mr Kantrowitz’s point of the letter was. Evidently he has become quite fascinated with Heaven and he realizes he falls short of the standard in any religion. That is the first step in finding the one true God. I pray that Mr. Kantrowitz realizes that none of us deserves to go to Heaven and that the unpardonable sin that is mentioned in the Bible is refusal to acknowledge God in the form of Jesus Christ when he is introduced to you. The choice is yours. The thing to consider is what if you’re wrong! Tom
Branham
San Jose
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
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 |
A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
A.M.
Costa Rica advertising reaches from 12,000 to 14,000 unique visitors every weekday in up to 90 countries. |
San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
Disorientation is another reason a
tourist might go wrong |
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A U.S. tourist might have become disoriented when he ended up having a fatal encounter in a dangerous Desamparados neighborhood. As A.M. Costa Rica reported in an update Tuesday afternoon, the tourist, Steve Flesch, 31, died in Hospital San Juan de Dios. as a result of a bullet wound to the head administered by a robber. He had been hospitalized since the crime April 2. Still uncertain is why the Wisconsin man ended up in Torremolinos in Desamparados during the mid-afternoon. That is a neighborhood where most Costa Ricans will not go. Expats have suggested that the man was in search of cheap drugs or that he had been lured there on some pretext. Another possibility is that he got his direction confused, something that is typical when someone from the United States visits Costa Rica. The location of the sun in the sky frequently provides confusion for months when expats arrive. The middle of the United States is about 39 degrees latitude. The Central Valley is about 9 degrees. Torremolinos is within walking distance of Parque de la Paz and the Circunvalación highway in southern San José. The area is in exactly the opposite direction from the park as is downtown San José. |
Torremolinos is rife with gangs and
controlled by older criminals, residents say. Judicial agents reported that April 30 they detained five persons, two 19-year-olds and three minors, for the crime. Without Flesch to testify, convictions may be difficult. That section of Desamparados has seen a wave of robberies, including one in which a taxi driver killed one assailant and wounded another. At one time the police station came under fire. For the casual tourist there is no easy reference for highly dangerous neighborhoods in Costa Rica. Sometimes taxi drivers will give an alert. An additional problem is that dangerous areas can be adjacent to upscale neighborhoods,. that is the case with Los Anonos and Bello Horizonte in Escazú. Los Guidos and La Caprí, other dangerous Desamparados neighborhoods, are indistinguishable from Rohrmoser and Sabana Norte to the casual tourist. León XIII and La Carpio are other dangerous areas but they are close to middle-class residential neighborhoods. Another possibility is that Flesch simply received bad directions from persons with whom he was living in a backpacker hotel in the downtown. |
Zoological center announces birth of twin
deer in Santa Ana |
|
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two white-tailed deer have been born in captivity in Santa Ana. That was the announcement Tuesday by the Fundación Pro Zoológicos that operates the Centro de Conservación de Santa Ana. and also the Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar in north San José. The foundation said that the young deer were in good health and taking mother's milk normally. These are the same animal that is featured on the reverse of the 1,000-colon banknote. And it is the same animal that lives closely with humans in the eastern United States. They are found in the wilds in Costa Rica but are frequently staked by illegal hunters. The new arrivals look identical to Bambi of the Walt Disney movie. Both parents also are residents of the center. The foundation made the announcement because it wants people to visit. The location in Santa Ana is 200 meters west and 200 meters north of the Cruz Roja in Santa Ana. The center is open every day, and there is an admission. |
Fundación Pro Zoológicos
photo
One of the newborn white tailed
deer. |
Baby taken from mom at market recovered By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A mother lost her 2-month old baby Tuesday in the market at the Coca Cola bus station, but investigators managed to find the child Tuesday night. The child is Naomy Nicole González Romero, and the circumstances of the abduction are unclear. However agents, aided by surveillance cameras at the bus station, found the child and the presumed abductor, a young woman, in Desamparados some distance from the downtown station. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the woman who took the child appears to be about 20 to 25 years old. The agency issued a bulletin with the child's photo Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile agents fanned out in an effort to locate the baby. |
Young
Naomy Nicole
|
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 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 |
|
|
||||
A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
Genetic study using DNA says that everyone in Europe is
closely related |
|
By the University of Southern California,
Davis, news service
From Ireland to the Balkans, Europeans are basically one big family, closely related to one another for the past thousand years, according to a new study of the DNA of people from across the continent. The study, co-authored by Graham Coop, a professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, is published in the journal PLoS Biology. "What’s remarkable about this is how closely everyone is related to each other. On a genealogical level, everyone in Europe traces back to nearly the same set of ancestors only a thousand years ago," Coop said. "This was predicted in theory over a decade ago, and we now have concrete evidence from DNA data," Coop said, adding that such close kinship likely exists in other parts of the world as well. Coop and co-author Peter Ralph, now a professor at the University of Southern California, set out to study relatedness among Europeans in recent history, up to about 3,000 years ago. Drawing on the Population Reference Sample database, a resource for population and genetics research, they compared genetic sequences from more than 2,000 individuals. As expected, Coop and Ralph found that the degree of genetic relatedness between two people tends to be smaller the farther apart they live. But even a pair of individuals who live as far apart as the United Kingdom and Turkey, a distance of some 2,000 miles, likely are related to all of one another's ancestors from a thousand years ago. Subtle local differences, which likely mark demographic shifts and historic migrations, exist on top of this underlying kinship, Ralph said. Barriers like |
mountain ranges
and linguistic differences have also slightly reduced relatedness among
regions. Coop noted, however, that these are all relatively small differences. "The overall picture is that everybody is related, and we are looking at only subtle differences between regions," he said. To learn about these patterns, Ralph and Coop used ideas about the expected amount of genome shared between relatives of varying degrees of relatedness. For example, first cousins have grandparents in common and share long stretches of DNA. Ralph and Coop looked for shorter blocks of DNA that were shared between cousins separated by many more generations. Because the number of ancestors doubles with every generation, the chance of having identical DNA in common with more distant relatives quickly drops. But in large samples, rare cases of distant sharing could be detected. With their analysis, Coop and Ralph were able to detect these shared blocks of DNA in individuals spread across Europe, and calculate how long ago they shared an ancestor. Coop and Ralph hope to continue the work with larger and more detailed databases, including much finer-resolution data on where individuals lived within a country. However, Coop noted that while studies of genetic ancestry can shed light on history, they do not tell the whole story. Archaeology and linguistics also provide important information about how cultures and societies move and change. "These studies need to proceed hand in hand, to form a much fuller picture of history," Coop said. |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
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 |
A.M.
Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
|||||||||
San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Three Ohio women
survive
10 years of being hostages By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Police in the north-central U.S. city of Cleveland are praising the bravery of three women who were found alive late Monday after vanishing for a decade. Police say they have arrested three brothers for the women's kidnapping: 54-year-old Pedro Castro, 50-year-old Onil Castro and 52-year-old Ariel Castro, the owner of the house where the women were found. Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba told reporters the real hero was Amanda Berry, the kidnapped woman who escaped and called the police. "Help me! I am Amanda Berry. I need police. I have been kidnapped and I have been missing for 10 years, and I am here, I am free now," Berry said on a recorded 911 call. Authorities say the other two women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, are in good condition. A 6-year-old also found in the home is believed to be Ms. Berry's daughter. Neighbors say they were alerted to the women's location Monday after hearing screams for help. One neighbor says he kicked out the bottom of the door so Berry and a young girl could escape and phone authorities. The families of the rescued women say they are overjoyed to have them back. "I will tell you this, because I was there to see her — all three girls — God works in mysterious ways," said Sandra Ruiz, DeJesus's aunt. "It is just unbelievable. These girls, these women are so strong, stronger than I am, I will tell you that much, and they all have a positive attitude, and this is what we need from everyone." Berry was reported missing in 2003 at the age of 16 when she did not return home from work at a local restaurant. DeJesus, then 14, vanished a year later on her way home from school. Knight was about 20 years old when she disappeared in 2002. The cases had not been thought to be related before now. Cleveland officials say they have no records of anyone calling about criminal activity at the house. China rejects allegations that it is a cyber attacker By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China is denying U.S. accusations that its military has backed cyber attacks against U.S. government institutions and businesses. A U.S. Defense Department report published Monday says the cyber attacks appear to be directly attributable to China’s government. The report by the Pentagon is the first direct accusation by the U.S. government that China’s military is guilty of cyber espionage. According to the report, China’s People’s Liberation Army has used cyber attacks on U.S. defense networks to map vulnerabilities that could be exploited during a crisis. But China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying firmly denied the report, saying the U.S. Defense Department has released this type of report year after year to justify a defense buildup and hype the so-called China military threat. And she said the allegations are not helpful to U.S. China relations. Earlier this year, U.S. computer security firm Mandiant released a detailed study accusing a People’s Liberation Army Unit near Shanghai of attempting to steal information from U.S. corporations and government institutions. The Pentagon report said China’s primary goal in the cyber attacks is stealing industrial technology. it also reports that China will deploy several aircraft carriers over the next 15 years. China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was commissioned last September. The Pentagon says China is developing stealth aircraft, with the first such aircraft tested in January of 2011. With China focused on modernizing its military technology, Xiaohe Cheng, professor of international relations at Renmin University, said the government’s cyber research is part of a broader effort aimed at shoring up its defense capabilities. “The Chinese government has tried to build strong mutual forces that offers kinds of security for its maritime borders as well as land territory borders," Xiaohe said. "At the same time we see the Chinese government emphasizing capability building in two new areas. One is outer space. The second is cyberspace.” The United States is also spending billions of dollars developing cyberdefense and cyberweapon capabilities. Earlier this year, U.S. authorities said some 13 cyber warfare teams would be ready by 2015 to focus on offensive responses if the United States is attacked in cyberspace. In March, China announced an increase of 10.4 percent in its annual defense budget to $114 billion. The Pentagon said China’s total military expenditure is much higher, totaling between $135 billion and $215 billion in 2012. Pope will visit a slum during his trip to Brazil By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Pope Francis will visit the poor in a favela and meet young prisoners when he travels to Brazil on his first international trip as pontiff in July, the Vatican said Tuesday. Francis, who has said he wants to make concern for the poor a hallmark of his papacy, will visit the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro on the fourth day of his July 22-29 trip to the world's largest Catholic country. Manguinhos is one of Rio's most visible favelas, wedged between a busy highway and a former oil refinery and near the main airport and large military bases. The shantytown, which the pope will visit on July 25, had a long history of drug-related violence, but a police occupation late last year kicked out many of the drug and gun traffickers. Manguinhos, home to about 35,000 poor people, is one of the communities that have been part of a community policing operation that has reduced violence in the shantytowns of Rio de Janeiro. The pope will also meet young prisoners who will be brought to the archbishop's residence for the occasion. The main purpose of the trip is for the pope to preside at the Catholic Church's World Day of Youth, an international gathering sometimes dubbed a Catholic Woodstock that takes place in a different city every two years. The World Day of Youth celebrations start July 23 and end July 28. Francis, the first non-European pope in almost 1,300 years, arrives on the afternoon of July 22 and will rest the following day to overcome jet lag, according to the official program of the trip released by the Vatican. July 24, he will fly by helicopter to the city of Aparacida, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Rio de Janeiro, to visit the national shrine of Our Lady of Aparacida, whom the church honors as the patroness of Brazil. That evening he visits a hospital in Rio that treats AIDS patients. The pope's participation in World Youth Day events starts on the evening of July 25 in Rio's famed Copacabana Beach area and culminates with a huge open-air Mass in the Guaratiba area of the city July 28. During the trip he will also address Brazil's political and business leaders. The trip is expected to be the only one abroad for the pope this year. The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires is expected to visit his homeland early next year. He is expected to travel to the central Italian city of Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis, whose name Bergoglio adopted when elected pope on March 13. Obama urges more action on sex assaults in military By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama says sexual assault by members of the U.S. military is an outrage and a betrayal of the uniform they are wearing. The president spoke Tuesday as the Pentagon released a report saying the number of sexual assaults in the military has increased by 35 percent since 2010. Obama said there cannot be any more speeches and training programs and officers looking the other way. He said those guilty of sexual assault should be court-martialed and dishonorably discharged. Monday, the Pentagon arrested and removed from duty Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski after he allegedly assaulted a woman in a parking lot. Krusinski was the head of the Air Force's sexual assault prevention office. Possible former landmass located in sea off Brazil By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A large slab of granite has been found deep in the Atlantic Ocean, Japanese researchers said on Tuesday, suggesting a continent may have once existed off the coast of Brazil. A team led by the Japan Agency For Marine-Earth Science And Technology found the 10-meter high by 10-meter wide rock cliff more than 900 meters (2,950 feet) under the ocean while conducting a survey with its deep-sea submersible in the Rio Grande Rise, part of the southwest Atlantic basin some 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) southeast of Rio de Janeiro. Granite is usually only found on land, and researchers say its presence on the seabed may be evidence of a continental land-mass that was swallowed by the waves at some point in the distant past. A large volume of quartz sand, which is also not formed at sea, was found around the granite slab. The team has not removed any samples, an agency official said, adding that further investigations will be handled by other parties including the agency's Brazilian counterpart. The Japan Agency For Marine-Earth Science And Technology is searching seas across the globe as part of a year-long mission to look for life in some of the ocean's deepest locations. Sub-Saharan Africa cited as worst place for newborns By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The humanitarian organization Save the Children has released its annual State of the World’s Mothers report. It says despite much progress being made in reducing maternal and child deaths, every year, three million babies die within the first month of life. Many just live a few hours. Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles said there’s a widespread and mistaken belief that little can be done to save newborn lives in developing countries. As a result, many babies die. “This year’s report we really focused in on newborns. And we found that a baby’s birthday is actually the most dangerous day of their life. More than one million babies are dying the actual day that they’re born.” There are several reasons why they’re so at risk that first day. “It’s when they can die of very preventable things. So babies are dying of infection. They’re dying of complications at premature birth and they’re dying of very simple things like not breathing at birth,” she said. The Best countries to be a mother are Finland, Sweden and Norway. Worst countries to be a mother are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Sierra Leone. Ms. Miles said one region of the world stands out as being the worst for newborns. “Sub-Saharan Africa is the place where this is the biggest issue. And if you look at the index that we put together, the bottom 10 in that index are all sub-Saharan African countries. From a percentage standpoint that’s where the most babies are dying.” 40 percent of first day newborn deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 176 countries that are ranked in the Mothers Index, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is at the very bottom. Rounding out the bottom 10 are Somalia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Central African Republic, Gambia, Nigeria, Chad and Ivory Coast. Ms. Miles said, “I think the issue in sub-Saharan Africa is really getting the care that these newborns need to the places where they’re being born. So, a lot of times the health system ends at a district level and there may not be a health post that’s accessible to these women. So, one of the solutions here is getting more frontline health workers out into these communities to help mothers when they’re giving birth.” The Save the Children report says there are four simple interventions that could turn things around – each one costing between 13-cents and six dollars. First, steroid injections can be used for women in pre-term labor to reduce premature newborn deaths from breathing problems. Resuscitation devices can save babies who do not breathe at all at birth, while injectable antibiotics can treat newborns for sepsis and pneumonia. The final recommendation prevents umbilical cord infections. “We’re looking at the use of a very simple antibiotic called chlorhexidine, which is put on the umbilical cord after the baby is born. And in Nigeria, the tradition is to use mud or cow dung or something like that on the umbilical cord and that obviously can have really dire consequences for babies,” she said. Miles also cited a tradition in Nepal, which can put babies at risk. Women there, she said, may be encouraged to give birth in the barn with the animals. While the recommendations are simple and cheap, they’re often not implemented in developing countries. The report blames that, in part, on a lack of political will by government leaders. The State of the World’s Mothers report lists Finland as the top country for mothers and newborns. It’s followed by Sweden, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Australia. The top 10 are credited with high levels of support and respect for women. As for the United States, Miles said, “The U.S. comes in 30 in the index this year. So that is not terrific, I would say. Thirtieth is not where I think most American women and mothers think they would end up. The disparity in the United States I think is what really drives the differences. So it is very much tracked to poverty.” In fact, the United States leads industrialized countries in first day deaths for newborns, followed by Canada and Switzerland. As for the major emerging economies – the so-called BRICS nations – the 2013 Mother’s Index ranks Brazil 78th and Russia 59th. India is in the 142nd position, while China is 68th and South Africa 78th. China said to be wary of plans for EU-U.S. trade agreement By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
China has raised concerns about European Union plans to negotiate an ambitious free-trade deal with the United States, fearing it is a protectionist move, a senior EU official said Tuesday. Chinese officials queried EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton about the issue when she visited Beijing at the end of April for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese leaders. The 27-nation EU and the United States aim to launch negotiations on a transatlantic free-trade deal by the end of June, with discussions set to last at least two years. China worried about whether the plan was "a pulling of the wagons into a circle to ... insulate the transatlantic economy from the rest of the world or is it, as we argue, even greater opening of both economies," the EU official said, briefing journalists on condition he was not further identified. The EU argues that a deal would strongly benefit the United States and the EU but other countries would also profit from the expansion of trade and investment across the Atlantic. "That was the reassurance we gave to the Chinese," the official said. The European Union is China's biggest trading partner. Chinese officials raised the possibility of Beijing negotiating its own free-trade agreement with the EU, a prospect that the EU official did not rule out "in the medium to longer term." A transatlantic trade deal could add 0.5 and 0.4 percent respectively to European and U.S. gross domestic product, according to a European Commission report, although it could take a decade to deliver those effects. Colleges struggle to fill new openings in labor force By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Despite recent improvements, U.S. unemployment remains high. But at the same time, experts say a lack of computer-savvy workers means several million technology jobs could go unfilled. The president of a college that grants thousands of technical degrees each year says schools are struggling to keep up with the new skills needed for technical professions that didn't exist a couple of years ago. Northern Virginia Community College near Washington has several campuses and 75,000 students. It offers a two-year associate degree. Many of its students, including Marc McCarthy, hope to turn computer skills into a new profession and a good salary. “Fortunately in this industry, we are really blessed with a lot of openings,” McCarthy said. McCarthy is back in college after decades working in hotels and restaurants, an industry, he said, that offers few good opportunities in the future. Experts said many U.S. manufacturing, administrative, and middle management jobs have been eliminated by automation and foreign competition in recent years. Cornell University labor economist Sharon Poczter said they were once a ticket to a secure middle class salary. But the job market has changed. “This growth in jobs has been either towards the low skill, low income jobs, or the higher skill, higher income jobs and that’s why we have seen this hollowing out of the middle class, of the factory jobs, of the office jobs," Poczter said. Educators tell students it's more important than ever to develop math, science and computer skills because technological change is accelerating, and the demand for highly-specialized skills is growing. School administrators are also trying to identify skills needed for emerging professions, and figure out ways to teach them. The president of Northern Virginia Community College, Robert Templin, said it's difficult for schools to hit this moving target. "Just in the last five years, new careers in fields like health information technology, cyber security, geospatial systems, these are fields a decade ago didn't even exist. So trying to prepare someone for a job that is not yet there is pretty difficult," Templin said. But Templin said it's worth the effort because it makes it more likely that graduates will find good jobs. Computer science graduates, he said, can start at $60,000 a year. Unemployment for U.S. college graduates is low, but a recent survey shows that four out of 10 recent graduates say they are under-employed, doing jobs, like in retail sales, that do not require the degrees they have earned. They are disappointed because these jobs do not bring the kinds of salaries they were hoping to earn. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
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 |
A.M. Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
|
||||||||
San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
|
Internet
searches achieving much more complexity By
the University of Notre Dame news staff
Where you are and what you're doing increasingly play key roles in how you search the Internet. In fact, your search may just conduct itself. This concept, called contextual search, is improving so gradually the changes often go unnoticed, and users may soon forget what the world was like without it, according to Brian Proffitt, a technology expert and adjunct instructor of management in the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. Contextual search describes the capability for search engines to recognize a multitude of factors beyond just the search text for which a user is seeking. These additional criteria form the context in which the search is run. Recently, contextual search has been getting a lot of attention due to interest from Google. Utilizing contextual search, Google Now provides information based on location, and by accessing calendar entries and travel confirmation messages in Gmail accounts. Available on Android for the last six months, Google Now was just released for the iPhone/iPad platform. "You no longer have to search for content, content can search for you, which flips the world of search completely on its head," says Proffitt, who is the author of 24 books on mobile technology and personal computing and serves as an editor and daily contributor for ReadWrite.com, one of the most widely read and respected tech blogs. "Basically, search engines examine your request and try to figure out what it is you really want," Proffitt says. "The better the guess, the better the perceived value of the search engine. In the days before computing was made completely mobile by smartphones, tablets and netbooks, searches were only aided by previous searches. "Today, mobile computing is adding a new element to contextual searches," he says. "By knowing where and when a search is being made, contextual search engines can infer much more about what you want and deliver more robust answers. For example, a search for nearby restaurants at breakfast time in Chicago will give you much different answers than the exact same search in Tokyo at midnight." Context can include more than location and time. Search engines will also account for other users' searches made in the same place and even the known interests of the user. "Someday soon," Proffitt says, "you'll watch a trailer of the latest romantic movie, and the next time you search for movie times at the local theater, that movie will be prominently displayed." Also on the horizon, contextual searches may be teamed up with the Internet of Things, a euphemism used to describe an inter-connected network of devices large and small, reporting data on what's going on around them. "Imagine a part in your car sending a malfunction signal that schedules your car for a repair appointment," Proffitt says, "followed up by an automated function that checks your calendar online and schedules the appointment for you. Or, consider a hydro-sensor in your garden that sends you a message to let you know the plants need more water." This is just the tip of what the Internet of Things will do, according to Proffitt. "Coupled with contextual searching, it could transform our online experience to something where, instead of us searching for knowledge, objects and machines around us will be delivering information to us or taking direct action," he says. "Clothes could grow more opaque if the UV rating is too high on a given day. Pricing information for a new TV in the electronics store might display right on your phone. Nutrition information for cupcakes in your favorite bakery..." "It will all be there at your fingertips." |
Costa Rican News |
AMCostaRicaArchives.com |
Retire NOW in Costa Rica |
CostaRicaReport.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
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 |