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A.M. Costa Rica
Your daily English-language news source Monday through Friday |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 204 | |||||||||
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5.0 quake takes place offshore
Our reader's opinionBy
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An earthquake with an estimated intensity of 5.0 took place Friday
afternoon just southwest of Palo Seco in the Pacific Ocean.Posted at 1:45 p.m. Friday The quake as felt in the southern Nicoya peninsula, and most of central Costa Rica. Palo Seco is on the central Pacific coast. The Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica said the quake was felt strongest that area around Quepos. The quake took place at 1:24 p.m. and some Central Valley communications were disrupted temporarily. The Laboratorio said the epicenter was about 23 kilometers (about 14 miles) west of Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. to safeguard Costa Rica Dear A.M. Costa Rica, Politics is sometimes defined as a contest over who gets what from whom. The corollary is that voting is an attempt to get what you want for yourself, not for the other guy. With this in mind, I urge my fellow U.S. expats to cast their votes for Mitt Romney in the upcoming presidential election. No, Romney would not be good for the vast majority of Americans. His promise to cut $5 trillion in taxes for the wealthy without raising taxes on the middle class is for example premised upon forecasts of economic growth that no serious economist believes. If these are the rules of the game, Obama could promise a $6 trillion tax cut simply by fudging his economic forecast. Neither would Romney be good for the world. A “hawk” on the Vietnam war (even supporting it after his father turned against it) Romney spent his draft-eligible years as a Mormon missionary in France. Uncle Sam gave him deferments for this dangerous but public-spirited work. Yet as president he wants to increase military spending by $2 trillion, even though the Pentagon isn’t asking for it. . Yeah, Romney was a pretty good governor of Massachusetts, but Massachusetts hasn’t gone to war against anyone since the British in 1776. We don’t know what Romney would do if given command of the United States armed forces, but to judge from his background and campaign promises, we don’t want to know. Plus, in Massachusetts Romney’s economic pipe dreaming was kept in check by a legislature that was 87 percent Democrat. They even persuaded him to pass Obamacare before it was Obamacare. God only knows what he will do with a U.S. Congress chock-full of like-minded rich Republicans (who hate Obamacare). But these are the concerns of Americans who have to live in the U.S. For those of us in Costa Rica, the concerns are different. According to Linda Gray, president of the Costa Rican Global Association of Realtors, “No matter who gets elected, there might be a mass exit from those who don’t have economic faith in the government.” In other words, if Obama wins, Romney supporters will flock to Costa Rica. Heck, even Rush Limbaugh threatened to move here. Gosh, who wants more of these types here? It’s long been a puzzle why so many pro-military economic conservatives move to a pacifist social democracy in the first place. Certainly we don’t want to encourage more of them to show up. So let’s vote for Romney and keep the right-wing malcontents home. A Romney victory, after all, gets us what we want. Ken
Morris
San Pedro EDITOR'S NOTE: Sunday is the last day that this newspaper will accept endorsements of presidential candidates from readers. If any are emailed, they will be published in the Monday edition. Then this newspaper will give its opinion sometime next week.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 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 | |
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 204 |
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| Festival goers will hear an unusual
theory about stone spheres |
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By
Aaron Knapp
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Costa Rica's unique stone spheres have puzzled archaeologists, anthropologists and just about everyone else for 70 years. While the mainstream theory accepted by most archaeologists is that these spheres were made as status symbols sometime between 200 B.C. and 1600 A.D., other researchers have posed theories as unorthodox as attributing the spheres to ancient astronauts. For one researcher, Ivar Zapp, these spheres are the key to unveiling the mysteries behind an ancient seafaring civilization that Plato knew as Atlantis. But more than that, he believes that Costa Rica's spheres could reveal where humanity learned some of its most basic skills such as celestial navigation, transoceanic sailing, the planet's shape, and most importantly, language. “The features that I have observed in the legacy of Costa Rica and the stone spheres prove to me that we're talking about an unknown civilization with maritime interests that reached all of the old civilizations of the world,” the Santa Ana resident said. “Nobody knew what was the mother tongue, but now I do,” he said, adding that it is a Mayan language still used today. Next week, Zapp will present his latest research on how the spheres show the existence of a maritime civilization that thrived for thousands of years before even the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Sumerians. He said that this civilization introduced the world to seafaring and star constellations, but it also created the world's first spoken language. This will be the focus of his next book “Babel Deciphered,” which he has completed, but he is searching for a publisher to get it on book shelves. Zapp will present his research at a five-day conference in the canton of Osa hosted by Proyecto Esferas, which is attempting to build up tourism in the area and bring greater awareness to the spheres. That conference starts Monday and ends Oct. 20 with a concert called Osastock, featuring numerous national and international music acts, such as Boy George. That Web site is HERE! Experts agree that the spheres that liter some areas of southwestern Costa Rica have at least been around for centuries before Europeans arrived. However, the spheres are very difficult to date because traditional dating techniques rely on organic matter or just simply guessing based on what cultures used artifacts found nearby. Soon after the spheres began getting attention from researchers in the 1940s, Costa Ricans began taking them from their original locations and making them into personal lawn ornaments. By removing them from their original locations, they have been removed from their archaeological contexts making it almost impossible to prove what they were for, according to John Hoopes, a researcher from the University of Kansas and widely seen as the chief expert on the spheres. But Zapp said that the spheres start to make sense when perceived from a wider perspective than just archaeological. “If we become aware of the techniques used by ancient navigators to orient their ships towards important destinations because of commerce or relatives, then the stone spheres of |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Aaron Knapp
Ivar Zapp and a large
stone sphere that has been placed atthe Universidad de Costa Rica. Costa Rica and the legacy of gold and jade and ceramics become intelligible,” said Zapp. “In a sense they become tools to orient their ships. The spheres are teaching aids to teach directional astronomy.” Zapp, 70, has been living in Costa Rica for more then 40 years teaching industrial design at Tecnologico de Costa Rica and the Universidad de Costa Rica. Some of his most fundamental research he has done alongside students in his classes. He coauthored his first book, “Atlantis in America: Navigators of the Ancient World,” with George Erikson, and it was published in 1998. In that book, he lays out evidence that the balls were the sites of learning centers, ancient universities where people were taught how to navigate with the stars. That Web site is HERE! He said that one cluster of spheres which was recorded by the first researchers indicates a northern meridian, and another follows almost a straight line from Costa Rica to Cocos Islands, the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island. Some spheres from that cluster have since been removed making this theory difficult for archaeologists to prove or disprove In his latest book, Zapp says the Costa Rican sphere was not only the first star map, but also the first language. He related points on the sphere with letters and said that as he looked further he found that the letters of particular meridians corresponded to words in the Mayan language Qajichiquel or Kaqchikel, which is still spoken by an ethnic group living in southern Mexico and Guatemala. He said that this was humankind's first language. As for the fall of Atlantis described by Plato, Zapp said that was not the literal collapse of a continent into the ocean, but the collapse of knowledge that plunged the world into a dark age where people forgot the language and navigation techniques pioneered by a civilization in the Americas. While Zapp admitted that most archaeologists discard his theories with disdain, he defiantly invited them to prove him wrong, confident that they will eventually prove him right. |
| Diamonds abound among the poor if you search for them |
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friend of mine told me a story about a man she found herself sitting
next to at an elegant party in an elegant home in the vicinity of San
José. The gentleman was probably in his 30s and (my friend
noted) had beautiful brown eyes. She asked him about himself. She
is a very good listener. He started by saying, “I love Costa Rica.” He went on to say that he had grown up on the west coast in a poor family. His father picked fruit for a large fruit company, but one day just disappeared, so he and his siblings were raised by his mother. However, he had access to an education, and being bright, he managed to secure becas (scholarships) to further schooling in San José and then to a university in Costa Rica. The university he attended, he said, may not have been the best in the world, but a student can learn as much as he wants and attempts to learn. (I am reminded of my thoughts the other day that much to my surprise some of the happiest times I remember were spent in the stacks in the library at San Jose State in California. I came across so many fascinating books when I was researching a subject I neither needed or wanted for the latest assignment.) He said when he was young he never dreamed of owning a car. He dreamt of having enough money to ride the bus to visit his family. He worked hard, then went on to study law, graduated, and is now a successful lawyer. That, he said, can still happen in Costa Rica. Social mobility is a reality here. Most democratic countries strive for this mobility. What is needed from the individual is intelligence, (and there are different kinds of intelligence), a talent, or useful skill, imagination and drive to be the best they can be at what they want to do. What is needed from the community (in most cases, the government and private sectors working together) is the opportunity to get an education that will hone or expand that talent or skill. Unfortunately, in many countries, the money necessary to make this possible is often aimed at helping the poor just stay alive, not prosper, and talent and skills are wasted. Dreams are lost or frustrated and turned into antisocial goals. |
Both of the major parties in the United States are fighting over who cares most about the middle class and helping them prosper. By definition, the middle class is doing quite well, is comfortable, if you will, and maintaining their values. Probably, however, both parties are talking about what I once labeled, “the nouveau poor.” Those in the middle class who have fallen on hard times. It seems easier to help them regain their position in society than to start from scratch, so to speak. I suggest that both parties (and all countries) take a second and careful look at the poor and look for the diamonds there. There are so many to find. Nonprofit organizations and individuals dedicated to helping the poor in the countries where there are so many have found that clean water, better living conditions medical services, and educational opportunities have not just helped them stay alive but uncovered the talented and skillful gems among them who can realize their dreams and help their families prosper. And, if I do say so myself, (as we say when we say so ourselves), women seem to be the most precious of the diamonds in the rough because as has been discovered, giving a helping hand to a woman, especially a mother, helps not just her, but her family and her community. This last statement makes it even more unbelievable that a group of men who adhere to some skewed fundamental religion should be so fearful of women that they would shoot a 14-year-old girl who just wants an education. Freedom is, after all, the springboard for everyone’s dream, isn’t it? |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 204 | |||||
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| Scammers pretending to be from the IRS
seek data from Ticos |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some Costa Rican professionals have reported that they have been targeted by scammers who pretend to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The Costa Ricans have received emails titled "Request for Recertification of Foreign Status." The goal of the scammers is to obtain personal data including bank account information from their victims. Says the email: "Our records indicate that you are a non-resident alien. As a result, you are exempted from United States of America tax reporting and withholdings, on interest paid you on your account and other financial dealing to protect your exemption |
from tax on your account and
other financial benefit in rectifying your exemption status. Therefore,
you are to authenticate the following by completing form W-8BEN, and
return to us as soon as possible . . . " The victim is asked to fax the completed form to a U.S. telephone number. The emails received this week also seem to have originated in the States. With all the data, the scammer could easily impersonate those who respond and perhaps open bank accounts or credit card account in their names. The scam in this form has been around since at least 2008, a check of the Internet shows. The email relies on the general fear individuals have of the IRS, the U.S. tax agency, even though that agency does not send such emails. |
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Two events
planned to celebrate the Encuentro de Culturas
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Mexican, Korean, Chinese, Nicaraguan, Russian and Bolivian embassies along with the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social will join together today at the immigration agency to share their various cultures with the public. The event, “Feria de Encuentro de Culturas,” is sponsored by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería and is a way to celebrate the national holiday Dia de las Culturas. Each participatory group will provide artistic and cultural presentations with information and taste testing of food typical to their regions, the immigration agency said. “Feria de Encuentro de Culturas” will begin at 8:15 a.m. today and end at 2 p.m at the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería in La Uruca. Also in conjunction of the holiday, the culture ministry will sponsor a cultural festival Sunday as a tribute to immigrants. The festival, “Homenaje a los migrantes,” has a full schedule of events that start with a free yoga class by Downtown Yoga Costa Rica and continues with Tai Chi, Arabic dance, Chinese dance and capeoeira dance demonstrations. |
To coincide with the performances,
Nicaraguan, Chilean, Salvadoran and Costa Rican food and crafts will be
available for sale. Participants will be able to draw a symbol representative of their country on a clay model and put a saying on a wall that will later be on display. Furthermore, there will be a wall sayings to be built with each of the contributions of people who visit the Centro Nacional de la Cultura. Closing the festival will be Ballet Xolotlan of Nicaragua. The group will showcase Nicaraguan folklore, distinguished by its sounds of marimba, music as well as colorful clothing and accessories. “Homenaje a los migrantes” lasts from 9:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Centro Nacional de la Cultura, also known as the Antigua Fabrica Nacional de Licores located east of Parque España. Today, Oct. 12, is the traditional Día de las Culturas, which is called Columbus Day in the United States. However, the holiday has been moved to Monday when many Costa Ricans will be off. |
| Formal complaints filed against
protesters who behaved badly |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Even the police have to go to the judiciary to report a crime. That is why the security ministry said Thursday that officials there had filed complaints with the Judicial Investigating Organization over the bad behavior of protesters at the Asamblea Legislativa Tuesday. The protesters, many from the Universidad de Costa Rica, were unhappy because President Laura Chinchilla vetoed a bill that would have removed serious penalties for photocopying copyrighted materials. Judicial investigators should have no trouble finding the suspects. That entire episode was taped by security cameras and others there for that purpose. At its heart, the protest was not about photocopying but an |
extension of the unhappiness among
some groups of students and teachers at the universities over the
5-year-old Central American Free Trade Treaty. The treaty
demanded more protection for copyrighted material and was directly
responsible for the law that provides prison for illegal photocopying. Protesters threw rocks and baggies filled with urine at Fuerza Pública officers and legislative security guards. Some lawmakers were present and agitating the students and others in the crowd, including some who identified themselves as anarchists. Even though the rowdy activities were publicized widely, judicial investigators still need a formal complaint signed by security ministry officials. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 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 |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 204 | |||||||||
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| Crackdown
targets gang known as especially violent By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. government has stepped up its crackdown on Mara Salvatrucha, a violent gang with roots in El Salvador that has been increasing its presence in the United States. The Treasury Department announced Thursday it had branded the group as a transnational criminal organization, a designation that allows the government to block any assets the gang has in the United States and prohibit U.S. citizens from conducting business with the group. Treasury officials say the gang, known as MS-13, has about 30,000 members, including 8,000 in the United States. In addition to El Salvador, the group has a significant presence in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. In a statement, Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen said MS-13 has been linked to murders, racketeering, drug and human trafficking in the U.S., and that its violent attacks on rival gang members often injure innocent bystanders. Marymount University criminal justice professor Cynthia O'Donnell has published research on MS-13. She said the group is intentionally violent. "One of the reasons that they are violent has to do with what they are trying to accomplish, and that is simply the reputation for that," said Ms. O'Donnell. "They want to be known as the biggest, the baddest, the meanest. And so they, of course, commit the acts that endorse that." The Treasury Department says MS-13 now operates in more than 40 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The U.S. has taken similar action against other violent groups, including the Yakuza, a Japanese organized crime group, and the Mexico-based Zetas drug cartel. U.N. asks nations to end marriages of young girls By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United Nations is warning the rate of girls under the age of 18 who are married off by their parents will rise dramatically if current trends are not reversed. Little progress in ending child marriage has been made during the past decade. Although child marriages happen virtually everywhere, U.N. Population Fund head Babatunde Osotimehin says it happens most often in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, exposing millions of girls to grave consequences. “It jeopardizes their right to education, including comprehensive sexuality education, health, survival and the development to their fullest. It excludes a girl from decisions, such as the timing of marriage and the choice of a spouse, and also timing of children and the spacing between those children,” said Osotimehin. Despite efforts to end the practice, the United Nations warns that if current trends continue, the number of young girls married off before the age of 18 will more than double - to 142 million - during the coming decade. The study's authors urge governments on national and local levels to raise the marriage age to 18 and enforce it. They also say education is key to ending the practice. U.S. freeze over Palestine cripples U.N. agency By the A.M. Costa Rica
wire services
Washington's suspension of dues to the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization after Palestine became a formal member last year has left the agency grappling with a funding crisis, and the United States risks losing its membership. Secretary General Irina Bokova describes the 2011 funding freeze by the agency's largest contributor as crippling, leaving it with a $152-million budget gap. "And because the U.S. always pays at the end of the year, always, we have already spent this money in the expectation that the U.S. was going to pay," she said. "So it was very unexpected, drastic, and that is why I dare say it was the worst-ever financial situation for the organization." Washington suspended payments last October, after the Paris-based U.N. agency voted to admit Palestine as its newest member. The event marked a watershed for Palestinian statehood efforts. The U.S. government is legally required to cut funds to any U.N. agency that recognizes a Palestinian state. Ms. Bokova describes UNESCO as the victim of politics. "I think UNESCO was caught in the middle of this political turmoil of Middle Eastern conflict, and I think this is unfair because this is not the way some of the solutions of the Middle Eastern conflict could be found," she said. Saudia Arabia, Qatar, Norway and many other member states have since boosted their contributions to help fill the hole, but Ms. Bokova called the funding situation unsustainable, as Washington's dues normally account for about 20 percent of the agency's budget. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 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 |
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| San José, Costa Rica,
Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 204 |
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Latin America news |
 Judicial Investigating Organization photo
One of two robbery suspects is
taken into custody.Agents attribute
7 robberies
to pair they detained Thursday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police captured two men Wednesday whom they suspect of being involved in at least seven violent robberies, according to a judicial bulletin. The bulletin lists four cases in which two men are suspects of either robbing and physically attacking pedestrians and the driver and passengers of a taxi. They also are accused of simply firing shots at passing cars. The spokesperson for the Judicial Investigating Organization confirmed that the two men in custody are Kevin Bosco Soto Aviles, 18, and Jonathan Santa Maria Sánchez, 26. The report says that police have been investigating this case for five months, but the first incident occurred in March of this year. The bulletin lists five incidents in which investigators believe these two men participated. In two cases two men of similar description on foot robbed other people walking on the street, in one case stealing a 9-mm. pistol. In another case, the two men pulled over an informal taxi and robbed the driver and passengers of phones and other belongings. In two other cases, the men simply shot at passing cars but did not injure any of the occupants. Witnesses in all of these cases report the men using a white Jeep Cherokee. In the raids on the two men's homes, police found two pistols and a white Jeep Cherokee. Limón
Carnaval gets a queen
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
After a week postponement and a scurry to finalize last festival events, the commission of Carnavales del Caribe 2012 has crowned a queen. A panel of judges selected Puerto Limón's Cicely Norman Brown, who was sponsored by Seguridad Mocana. The event was Thursday night in Parque Vargas. Eight girls sought the title through a series of beauty pageant rounds that included African dress, evening gowns and questions about how to better the Limón providence. |
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