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José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 28, 2015, Vol.
15, No.
104
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Arrest of Li shocks Costa
Ricans
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Ricans, who take their soccer very seriously, were stunned Wednesday to find out that Eduardo Li, president of the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol, was one of the suspects grabbed in a U.S.-inspired sweep in Zurich. Li still is in jail in Switzerland and is believed to be fighting extradition on U.S. money laundering and conspiracy charges. He also is a member of the executive committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, soccer's ruling organization. He is vulnerable to U.S. law because investigators say he used banks in Miami and New York to hold money they say came from bribes. Law enforcement in Costa Rica said they would launch an investigation of Li and his 28 registered companies. The Costa Rican consul in Switzerland is trying to contact him. Some Costa Ricans said they were relieved that the allegations involve bribes for media coverage and not allegations against players. Li would have been protected against extradition if he remained in Costa Rica. Federal agents said they have a very strong case, and that some of the suspects already have pleaded guilty and are giving them information as part of the plea deals. Agents also managed to obtain tape recordings of meetings they say are incriminating. Attorney general cites abuse of soccer roles By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The seven soccer federation officials arrested Wednesday in an investigation into the organization's governing body have corrupted the international game, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. "They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves," Ms. Lynch said at a news conference. "All of these defendants abused the U.S. financial system and violated U.S. law, and we intend to hold them accountable." The Fédération Internationale de Football Association was rocked Wednesday by the massive U.S. federal corruption indictment against current and former top officials as well as the announcement of a separate investigation by Swiss authorities into allegations connected to the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Authorities arrested seven federation officials Wednesday at a luxury Zurich hotel where they were staying for the organization’s annual meeting. The seven face extradition to the United States. Later Wednesday, the Swiss Justice Ministry said six of the seven were fighting extradition. The Justice Department said another four individuals have already pleaded guilty in the case. Federation President Sepp Blatter is not involved in either investigation. Ms. Lynch told reporters the U.S. was not charging Blatter "at this time." She said the investigation is ongoing and they are seeking additional defendants. Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term, has led the multibillion-dollar organization for 17 years and faces a re-election vote Friday. He released a statement Wednesday, saying: "This is a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organization. We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us. "As unfortunate as these events are, it should be clear that we welcome the actions and the investigations by the U.S. and Swiss authorities and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in football," the statement said. Blatter's only challenger, Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, released a statement Wednesday saying it was "a sad day for football." The U.S. indictment includes 47 counts against nine soccer officials and five sports media and promotions executives, covering charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering, in a scheme that prosecutors said involved sports media executives paying or agreeing to pay more than $150 million in exchange for marketing rights to tournaments. The Justice Department described the alleged corruption as a "24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer." The federation released a statement later Wednesday, saying, "We are pleased to see that the investigation is being energetically pursued for the good of football and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken." Walter De Gregorio, federation's director of communication and public affairs, told reporters that the corruption cases mark a difficult moment for the soccer governing body, but that there will be no changes to the upcoming tournaments. "The World Cup in 2018 and 2022 will be played in Russia and Qatar," he said. De Gregorio also rejected suggestions that Blatter should resign Also Wednesday, agents from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service executed search warrants in a raid at the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football headquarters in Miami Beach, Florida. The association coordinates the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Neither the FBI nor the IRS would comment on the U.S. investigation into corruption in soccer. No one answered the phone at the office in Miami Beach. In the indictment against theinternational federation, Ms. Lynch described "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted" corruption that "spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks." Ms. Lynch said the alleged corruption "has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organizations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable." U.S. prosecutors also said they uncovered a dozen different schemes while investigating corruption at the federation and some of those schemes involved the awarding of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. Acting Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Kelly Currie said nine of the schemes involved sports-marketing companies seeking a piece of the lucrative business surrounding soccer events. He said corrupt federation officials solicited bribes from sports marketing companies, which often made tens of millions in profits from soccer tournaments such as the World Cup. Currie said U.S. officials want "to send a message around the world that this behavior will not be tolerated." James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said, “As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world." In the Swiss case, federal prosecutors said they opened criminal proceedings against a group of individuals suspected of mismanagement and money laundering in connection with awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. The federation's ethics committee investigated similar allegations, and concluded in November that there were only limited ethics breaches and not sufficient evidence of bribery in awarding the tournaments. Those charged in the U.S. case include five corporate executives along with current federation Vice Presidents Jeffrey Webb and Eugenio Figueredo; former vice president Jack Warner; executive committee member-elect Eduardo Li of Costa Rica and former committee member Nicolas Leoz; development officer Julio Rocha; Olympic tournament organizing committee member Jose Maria Marin; Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association president attache Costas Takkas; and South American football federation president Rafael Esquivel. Daryll Warn and Daryan Warner, sons of Jack Warner, are among those who have already entered guilty pleas along with Charles Blazer, former Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association general secretary, and Jose Hawilla, founder of the Brazilian sports media company Traffic Group. In addition to the allegations involving sports marketing bribes, the indictment includes alleged schemes related to bribes and kickbacks related to the Brazilian national soccer federation's sponsorship by a U.S. sportswear company, the selection of the 2010 World Cup host and the 2011 FIFA presidential election. Bulk of suspects are from the Americas By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The high-ranking world soccer officials arrested Wednesday come mainly from the Americas and cut at the heart of the governing entity of the sport. Here's a look at their backgrounds: Jeffrey Webb, 50, of the Cayman Islands, current Fédération Internationale de Football Association vice president and executive committee member, Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football president, Caribbean Football Union executive committee member and Cayman Islands Football Association president. Eduardo Li, 56, of Costa Rica, current federation executive committee member-elect, Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football executive committee member and Costa Rican soccer federation president. Julio Rocha, 64, of Nicaragua, current federation development officer; former Central American Football Union president and Nicaraguan soccer federation president. Costas Takkas, 58, of United Kingdom, current attaché to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association president. Eugenio Figueredo, 83, of the U.S. and Uruguay, current federation vice president and executive committee member; former Uruguayan soccer federation president. Rafael Esquivel, 68, of Venezuela, Venezuelan soccer federation president. José Maria Marin, 83, of Brazil, current member of the federation organizing committee for the Olympic football tournaments and former Brazilian federation president. Two others charged in the indictment Wednesday: Jack Warner, 72, of Trinidad and Tobago, former federation vice president and executive committee member, Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation special adviser. Nicolas Leoz, 86, of Paraguay, former federation executive committee member. Four of the defendants were sports marketing executives: Alejandro Burzaco, 50, of Argentina, controlling principal of Torneos y Competencias S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina, and its affiliates. Aaron Davison, 44, of the U.S., president of Traffic Sports USA, Inc. Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, controlling principals of Full Play Group S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina, and its affiliates. Hugo Jinkis, 70, and Mariano Jinkis, 40, are both from Argentina. And one of the defendants was in the broadcasting business but allegedly served as an intermediary to facilitate illicit payments between sports marketing executives and soccer officials: Jose Margulies, 75, of Brazil, controlling principal of Valente Corp. and Somerton, Ltd. The guilty pleas of four individual and two corporate defendants were also unsealed Wednesday.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 28, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 104 |
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Bill nearing passage would keep track of unpaid labor in the
home |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A legislative division that has the power to pass laws has given preliminary approval to a measure that recognizes the unpaid labor of child care, household work and the care of older adults and the disabled. The action came from the Comisión con Potestad Legislativa Plena Segunda on proposal No. 18.073 Specifically the measure asks that the Banco Central, the Ministerio de Hacienda and the Instituto Nacional de |
Estadisticas
include this unpaid labor in what is called the Sistema de
Cuentas Nacionales. The Sistema is a complex list of economic activities that has been handled by the Banco Central since the 1950s. The gross domestic product, the sum of all goods and services, is derived from this system. The idea is to give credit for this unpaid activities by putting it in a special category. Still uncertain is how this labor can be calculated. The government will have six months to figure how to do that if the measure gets a second approval. |
Costa Rican composition to be featured at orchestra
performances |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Álvaro González will perform the world premier of the “Concierto para violonchelo y orquesta,” composed by Carlos Escalante, also a Costa Rican, for the fifth concert of the season by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. González also will perform the "Chant du ménéstral" for cello and orchestra by Aleksandr Glazunov, an announcement said. The orchestra performances will be Friday at 8 p.m. and repeated Sunday at 10:30 a.m., both in the Teatro Nacional. Irwin Hoffman will conduct. Also on the program is "Russian Easter Festival," composed by Nikolái Rimski-Kórsakov. González, who is member of the orchestra, has performed previously as a soloist and holds the Premio Nacional de la Música. González, was a student in the juvenile program of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, and he played a solo when he was 17. Then in 1982 he went to Israel to the University of Tel-Aviv and was in several youth orchestras that made extensive tours. He has taught at festivals in the United States and France. He also is a member of the Cuarteto UNA at the Universidad Nacional in Heredia, where he also is director of the university orchestra. Admission ranges from 4,000 to 18,000 colons, and there is a 50 percent discount for students and seniors. |
Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud photo
Álvaro González |
New municipal parking plan does not sit well with some in
Quepos |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some Quepos residents are seeing red over the yellow paint that has been marked on downtown curbs. Parking is prohibited in the yellow zones, and the principal complaint is that there is nowhere to park. That the municipality also is installing 350 colon-an-hour parking meters does not sit well with the workers and shoppers downtown either. To express their unhappiness some of those who oppose the new parking plan said they would attend a municipal council meeting Wednesday night where they were going to present petitions with 1,200 signatures. One merchant said that his sales are down 40 percent because of the month-old parking restrictions. Miguel Masis, head of the anti-parking meter movement, said that there's no public parking space and that everyone is getting tickets like crazy. Marco Zuniga of the Municipalidad de Aguirre legal |
Anti-parking
plan graphic from Facebook
department said that the intention is to get rid of the bad customs or habits like the business owners parking in front of the stores. "Our goal is to created a culture especially for the tourist so they will find a better town more organized as they are used to," he said. |
You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, May 28, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 104 |
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Page 1 is HERE!
Page 2 is HERE!
Page 3 is HERE! Page 5 is HERE! Page 6 is HERE! The sports page is HERE! Opinion is HERE! Classifieds are HERE! Plus useful links |
Next Page |
Ocean current study suggests major change taking place in
Atlantic |
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By the University of Southampton newsroom
A new study by scientists from the University of Southampton and National Oceanography Centre implies that the global climate is on the verge of broad-scale change that could last for a number of decades. The change to the new set of climatic conditions is associated with a cooling of the Atlantic and is likely to bring drier summers in Britain and Ireland, accelerated sea-level rise along the northeast coast of the United States and drought in the developing countries of the Sahel region. Since this new climatic phase could be half a degree cooler, it may well offer a brief reprise from the rise of global temperatures, as well as resulting in fewer hurricanes hitting the United States. The study, published in Nature, proves that ocean circulation is the link between weather and decadal scale climatic change. It is based on observational evidence of the link between ocean circulation and the decadal variability of sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean. Lead author Gerard McCarthy from the center said: “Sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic vary between warm and cold over time scales of many decades. These variations have been shown to influence temperature, rainfall, drought and even the frequency of hurricanes in many regions of the world. This decadal variability, called the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation is a notable feature of the Atlantic Ocean and the climate of the regions it influences.” These climatic phases, referred to as positive or negative AMOs, are the result of the movement of heat northwards by a system of ocean currents. This movement of heat changes the |
temperature
of the sea surface, which has a profound impact on
climate on time scales of 20 to 30 years. The strength of these
currents is determined by the same atmospheric conditions that control
the position of the jet stream. Negative AMOs occur when the currents
are weaker and so less heat is carried northwards towards Europe from
the tropics. The strength of ocean currents has been measured by a network of sensors, called the RAPID array, which have been collecting data on the flow rate of the Atlantic circulation for a decade. David Smeed, also from the center and and lead scientist of the RAPID project, said the observations from the array, over the past 10 years show that it is declining. "As a result, we expect the AMO is moving to a negative phase, which will result in cooler surface waters. This is consistent with observations of temperature in the North Atlantic,” he said. Since the RAPID array has only been collecting data for last 10 years, a longer data set was needed to prove the link between ocean circulation and slow climate variations. Therefore this study instead used 100 years of sea level data, maintained by the National Oceanography Centre’s permanent service for mean sea level. Models of ocean currents based on this data were used to predict how much heat would be transported around the ocean, and the impact this would have on the sea surface temperature in key locations. Co-author Ivan Haigh, lecturer in coastal oceanography at the University of Southampton, said: “By reconstructing ocean circulation over the last 100 years from tide gauges that measure sea level at the coast, we have been able to show, for the first time, observational evidence of the link between ocean circulation and the AMO.” |
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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Military accidentally sent live anthrax spores to labs By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Pentagon said Wednesday that a U.S. military laboratory in the state of Utah accidentally sent live anthrax spores to civilian commercial labs in nine states and to a military lab in South Korea. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren sought to reassure the American public, saying there was no known risk and no suspected or confirmed cases of infection in lab workers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control was investigating. Warren said the Pentagon had stopped shipping anthrax spores until the investigation was complete. The U.S. labs and the one in South Korea were supposed to get dead spores as part of a Pentagon program to develop a test to identify biological threats in the field. But somehow, the Utah lab sent live spores instead. Contact with live anthrax can lead to a severe flu-like illness that could be fatal if not treated early. U.N. says 800 million face hunger around the world By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A report by the United Nations finds that just under 800 million people around the world are going hungry today, but that estimate of world hunger has declined by 216 million people in the past 25 years. The annual report, "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015," says chronic undernourishment also has declined in the world's developing regions but that more progress is needed. The report is a joint effort by the United Nations' three major food agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Program. The report finds 72 out of 129 developing countries will have achieved the Millennium Development Goal of cutting hunger in half by the end of this year. The director of the World Food Program's policy and program division, Stanlake Samkange, applauds this result, but says it is too soon to celebrate. “Since the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals, extreme poverty has been reduced by more than half. However, hunger has only been reduced by 14.5 percent. This provides clear evidence for the fact that growth and rising incomes do not correlate proportionately with improved food security and nutrition. Economic growth is not always inclusive. Rural livelihoods are not always invested in,” said Samkange. The report’s hunger map shows wide differences among the regions persist. It finds large reductions in hunger in East Asia and very fast progress in Latin America and the Caribbean, southeast and central Asia, as well as some parts of Africa. It says sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest prevalence of undernourishment in the world. Samkange said chronic hunger on the continent actually is on the rise. “In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one in four are estimated to remain undernourished," he said. "Crisis environments like extreme weather events, natural disasters, political instability and civil strife have all impeded progress in sub-Saharan Africa, but, also in other countries. Globally, one in five of the world’s undernourished lives in a crisis environment. Protracted crises have in many countries prevented the protection of vulnerable population groups and the promotion of income opportunities for all.” The report says severe food insecurity is close to being eradicated in North Africa, where the prevalence of undernourishment is now below 5 percent. Authors of the report say no single solution exists for improving food security but that certain measures can have a great impact. They say improved agricultural productivity, especially by small and family farmers, leads to less hunger and poverty. And they say economic growth must be inclusive and benefit everyone in society, not just those who already are well off. U.N. adopts a resolution urging protection of journalists By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday on the protection of journalists in conflict zones. The measure comes as the number of deaths and kidnappings of media professionals continues to climb. Reporters Without Borders says 66 journalists were killed last year and 25 more have died since January. In the last decade, 700 media workers have been killed in the field or because of their profession. The Security Council resolution condemned such attacks and warned parties to conflicts, including governments and armed groups, that they should take all reasonable steps to protect journalists. It also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of reporters who are hostages in conflict zones. The head of Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire, said Iraq and Syria have become two of the most dangerous places for journalists to work. He said 45 media workers were killed in Syria since that conflict started in 2011 and at least 15 have died in Iraq since 2013. He said ensuring accountability is key to preventing future attacks. “In the world, more than 90 percent of crimes against journalists are never prosecuted, are never punished," said Deloire. "It is like an encouragement for all those who commit crimes against journalists. If we want to protect journalists, we have to fight impunity.” Deloire said attacks on journalists in conflict zones could be considered war crimes and should be referred to the International Criminal Court. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power, herself a former journalist, said even in countries at peace, erosions on press freedoms and the harassment and intimidation of reporters often signal a crackdown on civil, political and human rights. She gave as an example the current political turmoil in Burundi where part of the military challenged President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek what is widely seen as an unconstitutional third term in power. “Since the unlawful attempt to seize power was quashed, several independent journalists report being told that they are on a list of people to be arrested, and many more reportedly have been threatened with death, torture and disappearance, leading them to go into hiding,” she said. Ms. Power said regimes like the one of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and armed groups, such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State, target journalists because they do not want people to see them for what they really are. As the Security Council met, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement condemning the murder of Brazilian radio reporter Djalma Santos da Conceicao, whose tortured body was found Saturday, one day after he was reported to have been kidnapped by gunmen in the country’s northeast. It was the second murder of a Brazilian journalist in less than a week. School program seeks to introduce good foods By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The kindergarten students at John Burroughs Elementary School are staying an hour later on this day not to brush up on their reading or math skills, but to taste kale, many for the first time. “Yum, it tastes good,” said Robert Smith as he puts the green leaves seasoned with olive oil in his mouth. Since the start of the school year, FoodCorps member Karen Davison has spent each day in a Washington, D.C., classroom introducing new vegetables to these 5-year-olds, while teaching them where their food comes from and how they can make healthier choices on a daily basis. “They see a lot of packaged food. If they eat vegetables, it’s not necessarily fresh. It’s not necessarily whole, so being able to bring in fresh vegetables, leafy greens, interesting fruit, is really a great experience for these students,” Ms. Davison said. In its fifth year, FoodCorps puts more than 180 young Americans into 500 schools across the United States. There, they focus on teaching students about nutrition, engaging them with hands-on activities, and improving their access to healthy foods whether in the cafeteria or the greater community. FoodCorps, a grantee of the AmeriCorps service program, also partners with existing organizations to plant gardens in schools and bring healthier options to stores, particularly in urban areas where choices may be limited. FoodCorps Fellow Maddie Morales says the mission is particularly critical at a time when U.S. obesity rates in children have doubled in the last 30 years. “The repercussion of having an unhealthy population is absolutely unacceptable and really scary in some ways that it affects our national security. It affects our ability to be a productive country, and it is imperative that we change the system,” Ms. Morales said. Tiny parasite is suspect in die-off of honey bees By the University of California San Diego
news staff Biologists at the University of California San Diego have discovered that a tiny single-celled parasite may have a greater-than expected impact on honey bee colonies, which have been undergoing mysterious declines worldwide for the past decade. In this week’s issue of the journal PLOS ONE, the scientists report that a microsporidian called Nosema ceranae, which has been known to infect adult Asiatic and European honey bees, can also infect honeybee larvae. They also discovered that honey bee larvae infected with the microsporidian have reduced lifespans as adults. Since 2006, beekeepers in North America and Europe have lost about one-third of their managed bee colonies each year due to colony collapse disorder. While the exact cause is unknown, scientists have speculated that pesticides, pathogens, mites and certain beekeeping practices have all contributed to this decline. Nosema ceranae, a kind of fungal pathogen spread by spores, is also implicated in colony collapse because it reduces colony health and is widespread. “Previous research suggested that Nosema ceranae could not infect honey bee larvae,” said James Nieh, a professor of biology at the University of California San Diego who headed the research effort with graduate student Daren Eiri, the first author of the study. “But this was largely based upon indirect evidence, spore counts in newly emerged adult bees, which typically have low spore counts.” Because Eiri and his co-authors conducted their experiments with larvae exposed to spores and reared in the laboratory, they said the extent of larval infection needs to be studied further using field bee colonies to determine the true impact of larval infection on colony health. Nieh noted that a study conducted recently by other scientists detected low levels of Nosema DNA in honey bee larvae, suggesting that larval infection can occur in field colonies. “However, no study had directly investigated whether larvae could become infected with Nosema ceranae,” said Eiri. “Our study provides a direction to continue investigating this question outside the lab and in the field using entire colonies The UC San Diego discovery may also clarify a mystery. “One puzzling aspect of Nosema ceranae infection is that infection in adult bees usually decreases after medication is given by beekeepers to a colony, but can later resurge,” Nieh said. “Some of this resurgent infection could be due to transmission between bee colonies or to adult bees that have a low, but resistant level of infection.” “However, our study raises the possibility that brood are also infected. If so, this typically would not be detected for weeks until the emergence of adult bees. Generally, older adult bees are more heavily infected with Nosema. Thus, bees infected as brood may not develop high Nosema spore counts until they are much older adults, further delaying detection.” Those unanswered questions suggest the impact of this microspordian on honey bee colonies deserves a second look. “We hope that our study will spur further research into how Nosema ceranae is transmitted and into the potential infection of larvae in natural and managed honey bee colonies in the field,” said Nieh. PLoS ONE photo
Skull shows injuries above
the left eye.Ancient
skull shows signs
of premeditated murder By the Binghamton University news staff
Research into lethal wounds found on a human skull may indicate one of the first cases of murder in human history some 430,000 years ago and offers evidence of the earliest funerary practices in the archaeological record. The study, conducted by an international team of collaborators including Binghamton University anthropologist Rolf Quam and published this week in the noted research journal PLoS ONE, was carried out at the archeological site of the Sima de los Huesos in northern Spain. The site is located deep within an underground cave system and contains the skeletal remains of at least 28 individuals that date to around 430,000 years ago, during the Middle Pleistocene. The only access to the site is through a 13-meter deep vertical shaft, and how the human bodies arrived there remains a mystery. A nearly complete skull, Cranium 17, from the Sima de los Huesos is comprised of 52 cranial fragments recovered during excavations at the site over the last 20 years. This skull shows two penetrating lesions on the frontal bone above the left eye. "Evidence for interpersonal violence in the human fossil record is relatively scarce, and this would appear to represent the coldest cold case on record," said Quam. Relying on modern forensic techniques, such as contour and trajectory analysis of the traumas, the authors of the study showed that both fractures were likely produced by two separate impacts by the same object with slightly different trajectories around the time of the individual’s death. According to the authors, the injuries are unlikely to be the result of an accidental fall down the vertical shaft. Rather, the type of fracture, their location and that they appear to have been produced by two blows with the same object lead the authors to interpret them as the result of an act of lethal interpersonal aggression or what may constitute the earliest case of murder in human history. Furthermore, if this individual was already dead, other humans likely carried him to the top of the vertical shaft. The authors suggest that humans were likely responsible for the accumulation of bodies in the Sima de los Huesos, which supports the idea that this site represents early evidence of funerary behavior. "This is really good evidence for an intentional role for humans in the accumulation of bodies at the bottom of this pit and suggests the hominins from this time period were already engaging in complex cognitive behaviors," said Quam. |
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Voice of America
photo
This classic AC Cobra is not really
the iconic Ford sports car. TheU.S. Department of Energy made this electric version with a 3D printer. The car was built in six weeks by a group of six persons at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The body is plastic. \ Press organization laments latest murder Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The Inter American Press Association has expressed its dismay upon learning of a new murder of a journalist in Brazil, the second in less than a week. The body of Djalma Santos da Conceição, a journalist with RCA community radio, known by the nickname Djalma Potato, was found Saturday near a highway in Timbó, a rural area in the municipality of Conceição da Feira, some 68 miles from Salvador, in Bahía state. The body had bullet wounds and signs of torture. The journalist, 53, was host of the radio program “Acorda, Cidade” (Wake Up, City!). According to reports by the local press, he had been receiving threats. Recently he carried out an investigation for the magazine Globo into the murder of a local teenager by drug traffickers. Inter American Press President Gustavo Mohme, editor of the Lima, Perú, newspaper La República, called on the authorities to “act urgently and identify the motives so as to punish the perpetrators and masterminds,” of this murder, and that of blogger Evany José Metzker, whose decapitated body was found May 18 in Minas Gerais state. The chairman of the association's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Claudio Paolillo, editor of the Montevideo, Uruguay, weekly Búsqueda, lamented that during the same week in which the murders occurred, on May 20, a chamber of deputies committee rejected a bill seeking the participation of the federal police in investigations into crimes against journalists. However, the chamber’s Constitution and Justice and Citizenry Committee is due to review this decision. The Inter American Press officers expressed their satisfaction on learning that the Brazilian judiciary had upheld charges filed against five individuals accused of the murder on July 5, 2012, of sports commentator Valério Luiz de Oliveira, in the city of Goiânia, Goiás state. The trial date is yet to be determined. |
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From Page 7: Web program tries to place seniors in jobs By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tecnológico de Costa Rica, the public university, debuts an employment marketplace for seniors today at the Centro de Transferencia Tecnológica in Zapote. The Web-based program is called Intégrate al trabajo. The minister of Trabajo, Víctor Morales Mora, is expected to attend. The Consejo Nacional de la Persona Adulta Mayor also is involved in the program. The Costa Rican labor market favors the young, and those 40 and over have a hard time finding a job. |