| ARCHIVE | Published
Monday, September 17, 2018 - First news
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Strike causes
millions in
losses, says
Tourism Chamber
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 By A.M. Costa Rica staff The tourism industry reports millions in losses and serious damage to the image of the country as a result of the strike. Cancellations of transfers, delays, decrease of sales and changes in itineraries are some of the problems that businessmen report. The Tourism Chamber blames the unconscious and irresponsible attitude of the strikers and the organizing unions saying they are an attack against the rights of Costa Ricans and foreigners who visit the country. "The selfish attitudes of the unions and the timid behavior of the government have caused millionaire losses to the sector. It is sad to see the bad experience that tourists are experiencing. We consider that they do not even measure the impact they are causing on the image of the country. We ask the authorities to stop these situations that threaten the welfare of the country. However, we do want to recognize the selfless work of police, Red Cross and firefighters that in the middle of the demonstrations have assumed the leadership to restore order in the streets," said the chamber president, Sary Valverde. The most negative effects reported by the Chamber are: - Travel agencies report a 50 percent drop in weekly sales. - Transfers of tourists experience delays of up to 10 hours due to the traffic jams caused by the blockades. - Tours and transportation services have been canceled throughout the country. - There have been last minute changes in domestic flights. - Monteverde, the tourism town in Puntarenas, is reported without fuel. - Tourists have moved out of their hotels a day early to avoid missing their flights - Frightened tourists ask if they should avoid traveling to their destinations for their safety. - Tourists stuck in blockage areas choose to pay for additional stays in hotels and lose nights in other destinations. - Hotels in Limón have faced almost 75 percent in cancellations.
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 A.M. Costa
Rica wire services photo
"The selfish attitudes of the unions and the timid behavior of the government have caused millionaire losses to the sector," Chamber president said. - Stores in Limon choose to close earlier, which leads to a decrease in sales of up to 30 percent. - Total operations on the Pacuare River in Siquirres, a popular location for whitewater rafting, whitewater kayaking and river-boarding, were canceled due to the closure of the road to the Reventazón River. - All of the tours in Rincon de La Vieja National Park were canceled. - Distribution of gasoline is limited in Guanacaste. - There are delays in cruise ship departures and cancellation of cruise arrivals. Chamber leader Valverde said that the chamber members are calling for a halt in the strike saying that "our country needs it.” She urged the government to make an extra effort to establish an open dialogue with the union members and stop the demonstrations. She asked that the government “exercise its leadership and assume its responsibility to return an atmosphere of stability” and allow tourists the pleasure of enjoying our nation in peace. |
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Alert on Vidatox 30CH medicine
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By A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Health Ministry issued an alert for the public regarding the homeopathic medicine known as Vidatox 30CH. This medicine has being sold in stores in the country. This homeopathic medicine is used as a complementary therapy to reverse the effects caused by cancer and provide pain relief, according to the ministry that said it is manufactured by Labiofam and comes in two labeling colors, a green and a coffee-brown. In an investigation following a complaint, the ministry said it determined that some of this medicine is entering the country illegally and is not being marketed by the authorized distributor in Costa Rica. The investigation revealed that there are people bringing the drug into the country in their baggage and selling it, said the ministry, adding that the drug was not transported or stored under approved conditions and this may have affected the quality of the drug. In addition, the ministry said it does not have exact information on the medicine with the green labeling, only the drug with the brown label has been approved by the ministry. “Those people who use products that do not have the corresponding sanitary permits are exposed to serious risks, since there is no certainty regarding the conditions under which they have been stored and transported,” said the ministry press release which added that the unapproved medication may cause adverse effects and negatively affect health. Those selling the drug are exposing themselves to administrative or even criminal sanctions, the release concluded. The ministry made these recommendations:
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 Health Ministry courtesy
photo
The
unapproved medication may cause adverse
effects and negatively affect health. Purchasers of medications should always verify that the medicines have a current sanitary registration granted by the Health Ministry. The sanitary registration number must be printed on the label. Purchasers should only acquire products in establishments authorized by the Health Ministry, avoiding purchase from private individuals. Citizens should report to the Ministry those shops, persons, and companies suspected of selling products without sanitary registration in Costa Rica or products that do not comply with national regulations. Readers can report the fake medicines at the ministry offices or by email at: dac.denuncias@misalud.go.cr |
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Three
suspects arrested for property fraud
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By A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial agents from the fraud section said they arrested three men surnamed Fernández, 44, Ramirez, 31, and Pastrana, 50, after a period of investigation, surveillance and monitoring. The arrests were made in the office of a lawyer in the vicinity of Plaza Víquez, the judicial report said. The three men were arrested on suspicion of forming a criminal group dedicated to making fake property registries. This type of fraud occurs when the signatures of the property owners are forged in order to register a transfer document from the owner and, with this, to take ownership of the properties. According to the report, the suspects' operation included investigating properties owned by foreigners. When they found a valuable property that was registered in the name of a company, they investigated in the public records to find out who the owners were. They then constructed a false stockholder’s report to change the names of board members or company owners to their own. In order to present documentation for the new board of directors, the suspects had to find a notary, so they presented themselves to a lawyer at a firm located in Plaza Víquez where they tried to falsify the names on the documents, said the report. At that point, they were arrested. |
 A.M. Costa Rica wire services
photo
The
three men were arrested on suspicion of
forming a criminal group dedicated to
making fake property registries.
The judicial report said that after the suspects completed their notary and legal actions, they tried to mortgage property for $200,000. That mortgage action was stopped due to police intervention, the report said. The investigating agents said that documents confiscated by the police revealed that there are mortgages for other properties.
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| To make a hole... |
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 There was a little plant, no more than five long leaves and as many roots, that needed to sit in a little hole in a piece of wood. Armando, my right-hand-man can’t-do-without-him, gardener/everything else, had just cut the wood exactly as I needed it. All that was left to do was make a hole in the already soft heartwood. The drill was out to cut holes in the wood for wire, so I started drilling one hole than another and another all at different angles and all to meet up finally to make a hole in the wood so I could stuff in some moss. “What, exactly,” said a voice, “are you doing.” Metric Man, the non-gardener in the family, was peering down at my numerous drill holes with a puzzled look. “Making a nice little hole for plant roots.” “You know there is a tool for that, right?” I pulled some now loosened wood from the growing hole. “To make holes? I thought drills made holes.” He seemed amused. “There’s a tool that attaches to the drill to make larger holes.” “Ahhh. Well, this hole is just the right size already.” I could almost hear him shake his head as he went back inside the house. Okay, okay, so I didn’t know there was a tool to make holes. Even if there is, wouldn’t I still need to get the wood out? I mean, unless the tool was drill-shaped, wouldn’t the wood still be there. Did the different tool just cut a round hole or did it also pull out a plug of wood. So, I asked. “It makes a round hole through boards.” “Right.” I went back outside to my work. What good is that kind of tool going to do me if I want a hollow spot in a solid piece of wood? Still, it’s nice to know that there is a tool for that if the need arises. |
Most women are not creatures of tools. Women who garden know a variety of tools – different rakes, different shovels, all kinds of hand tools, we even know a hoe from a Dutch hoe, and many of us can use chain saws, but the people who know woodworking tools are, for some reason, usually woodworkers. I could, I suppose, learn woodworking, and it is probably a useful skill but that would take a lot of time from gardening and tends to be done inside. I think I will stick to gardening. Although…maybe a bigger drill bit would speed things up. Plant for the Week
 The fuchsia is a fantastic plant for color on the deck or patio, however it is not fond of those things we have plenty of – high heat, high humidity, and drought. This means you really need to keep it in a pot and make sure that it has the conditions it needs for growth. Fertilize your fuchsia monthly and pinch it back for shape and reblooming. Place it for morning sun and afternoon shade. ------ Editor's note: Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached at victoriatorley1@gmail.com |
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Is climate change making storms worse? |
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By A.M. Costa Rica wire services While the remnants of Hurricane Florence soak the Carolinas and Typhoon Mangkhut pounds the Philippines, three more tropical cyclones are spinning in the Western Hemisphere, and one is petering out over Southeast Asia. Experts say some of this extreme tropical weather is consistent with climate change. But some isn’t. And some is unclear. It’s unusual to have so many storms happening at once, but not unheard of. “While it is very busy, this has happened a number of times in the past,” said meteorologist Joel Cline at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mid-September is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. If there are going to be storms in both hemispheres, Cline said, now is the most likely time. Scientists are not necessarily expecting more hurricanes with climate change, however. “A lot of studies actually (show) fewer storms overall,” said a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientist, Tom Knutson. “But one thing they also tend to simulate is slightly stronger storms,” and a larger proportion of Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, Knutson said. Florence made landfall as a Category 1 storm but started the week as a Category 4. Knutson and other experts caution that any conclusions linking climate and hurricanes need to be taken with a grain of salt. “Our period of record is too short to be very confident in these sorts of things,” said University of Miami atmospheric scientist Brian McNoldy. While reliable temperature records go back more than a century in much of the world, comprehensive data on hurricanes only starts with satellites in the 1980s. Still the data shows that there have been fewer hurricanes in recent years. Some Scientists report that climate change is making extreme rainfall more common. Global warming has raised ocean temperatures, leading to more water evaporating into the atmosphere, and warmer air holds more water. Florence is expected to dump up to 101 centimeters (40 inches) of rain in some spots, leading to what the National Weather Service calls life-threatening flooding. One team of researchers at Stony Brook University in New York has estimated that half of the rain falling in the hurricane’s wettest areas is because of human-caused climate change. Knutson agrees in principle but can’t vouch for the magnitude. “We do not yet claim that we have detected this increase in hurricane rainfall rate,” he said. He points to earlier studies that blamed climate change for 15 to 20 percent of the devastating rainfall Hurricane Harvey poured on Texas last year. |
 Waves from Hurricane Florence pound the Bogue Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle, N.C. However, these studies looked at all kinds of rainfall, not just hurricanes, Knutson notes. “We think that hurricanes are probably behaving like the other types of processes, but we have the best data for extreme precipitation in general,” he explained. The latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report has medium confidence in the link between climate change and rainfall extremes. As Florence trudges across the Carolinas, one recent study suggests that hurricanes are moving slower, giving them more time to do their damage. But that may be natural variation more than climate change. “I think we’re still early in the game on that one,” Knutson said. The area where scientists are most confident is sea level rise. Climate change is responsible for three-quarters of the recent increase in ocean levels, according to the U.N. report. Sea level has risen more than 400 feet since the last glacial maximum. “Once you have human-caused sea level rise, then all other things being equal, whatever storms you have will create that much higher storm surge,” Knutson said. That means more erosion and more damage farther on shore. Whether this hurricane season, as a whole, will be one for the record books remains to be seen. While the seas are angry at the moment, that may soon change. In fact, the number of hurricanes An El Niño warming pattern appears to be developing in the Pacific. That tends to squash hurricane activity in the Atlantic. “It appears that perhaps next week will be much more quiet in both basins,” said Joel Cline, also of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So it does ebb and flow.” Reach full report at VOA |
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11 turtles rescued from illegal
hunters
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By
A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tortuguero National Park rangers, alerted by a 911 call saying that hunters were taking green turtles, reported that officers were dispatched to patrol the riverbank and a path inside the protected area. After traveling 45 minutes by boat and quad, a ranger patrol arrived in the sector known as Tres in Parismina and began the search for the turtles and the hunting suspects, the ranger report said. The report said that there were about eight people involved in the illegal hunting incident, “who, noting the presence of the park rangers, ran away into the forest” and were able to escape. The rangers reported that they located 11 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the undergrowth, all of them turned on their backs to prevent them from escaping. One turtle was dead, but the rest were immediately released. The dead turtle was buried on site. "The people who are dedicated to commit this type of crime overturned the turtles to later take them alive mainly to Limón to sell the animals on the black market. Each animal could cost $430," said the press release. |
 Tortuguero National Park rangers courtesy photo |
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