Archive for October 14th, 2009
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
The reason for the exaggerated requirements by banks in Costa Rica for requirements to open an account and for existing customers to, in some cases, to completely reapply for their existing accounts is based on the Ley de Psicotrópicos, to avoid money laundering from drug trafficking, imposing heavy fines on institutions that do not comply.
The Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) and the Banco Nacional (BN) are two banks owned by the state that have been militant in forcing customers to update their account information or face the freezing or closure of their account, as has been reported, if they do not comply.
Since April of this year, banks have implemented new anti money laundering rules and regulations under the program “Conozca a su cliente” (know your client) and face a fine of up to 1% of their assets, up from 0.01% before the new law, which can be “disproportionate and irrational” for those institutions that do not comply. (more…)
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Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
In a possible affront to its fierce meat-eating relatives, one jumping spider prefers to dine vegetarian, munching on specialized leaf-tips of acacia shrubs, finds a new study.
The eight-legged vegetarian, called Bagheera kiplingi, lives in Central America, and is now considered a rarity among the world’s 40,000 or so spider species, most of which are strictly predators, feeding on insects and other animals. B. kiplingi is about the size of a person’s pinky nail.
“This is really the first spider known to specifically ‘hunt’ plants; it is also the first known to go after plants as a primary food source,” said study researcher Christopher Meehan of Villanova University in Pennsylvania. (Co-author Eric Olson of Brandeis University independently observed the same behaviors in another population of this spider in Costa Rica.)
Essentially, the spider employs hunting strategies to get past guard ants that keep the acacias safe from other herbivores. In return, the ants get a comfy place to live — the plant’s hollow spines — and food in the form of acacia nectar and the shrub’s leaf-tips.
B. kiplingi spends its entire life on the acacia shrubs, and so must avoid the ants at all times. When hunting, they actively avoid the ants by changing targets when approached by a guard, and using silk droplines as retreat ladders. The spiders also nest primarily on the ends of older acacia leaves, spots the researchers found were least patrolled by ants.
“Most of the big spider textbooks almost outright claimed there are no herbivorous spiders,” Meehan told LiveScience. “It’s on par with the flying pig in terms of novelty.”
The strategy seems to be successful. Direct observation, video recordings and chemical analyses of such spiders in Mexico and Costa Rica suggest the animals get most of their food from such plants. In the Mexican population, about 90 percent of the spiders’ diet came from plant tissue, with the rest made up of ant larvae, nectar and other items. In Costa Rica, the spiders got about 60 percent of their diet from acacia plant tissues.
When the spiders do hunt ant larvae, they mimic the ants’ behaviors, for instance by making jerky movements.
The research will be published in the Oct. 13 issue of the journal Current Biology.
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Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Americans are flocking to Costa Rica for stem cell treatments. Is it a miracle cure or false hope?
Dr. Orlando Morales is something of a celebrity at Costa Rica’s University of Medical Science, sauntering through the halls in his white lab coat. On a recent walk, students and faculty greeted him with “Feliz cumpleanos, doctor.” He just turned 68.
With the excitement of a young doctor fresh out of medical school, Morales’ eyes light up when he observes the petri dishes that harvest “celulas madre,” or stem cells, from mice.
“It’s practically science fiction,” Morales said of what he considers the medicine’s new miracle worker. Morales is one of the firmest believers around in the power of stem cell treatments.
“After a heart attack, they can begin to make new tissue. In a gland, which for example has to make insulin, the cells begin to create insulin. Nervous tissue, they regenerate it … It’s a panacea,” he said.
An increasing number of foreigners are undergoing stem cell treatment in Costa Rica for ailments from bone fractures to multiple sclerosis. Costa Rican doctors say they are providing these medical tourists with groundbreaking treatments. But stem cell scientists in the U.S. accuse Costa Rica of offering false hope by pushing techniques that have not been scientifically proven.
Dr. Fabio Solano — who directs the stem cell institute at San Jose’s CIMA Hospital, one of the country’s leading private hospitals — says his team has treated as many as 400 patients with procedures that involve stem cells. (more…)
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Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
The United States is dealing with a serious accident to forward Charlie Davies as it prepares for its final World Cup qualifier against a desperate Costa Rica on Wednesday.
The Americans already have earned a berth into next year’s World Cup, but Costa Rica needs to win at RFK Stadium to secure CONCACAF’s third and final automatic spot.
For the Americans, the game is overshadowed by Davies, who was in serious condition on Tuesday after a lengthy surgery following a one-vehicle accident on a local highway.
“We are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.
Costa Rica is third in the region with 15 points, two ahead of Honduras, which plays against already eliminated El Salvador.
The fourth-place team goes to two-leg playoffs next month against the No. 5 finisher in South America: Uruguay, Ecuador or Argentina.
“It’s not really fair for us to go out there and not give our best effort,” U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said, “because if we were in the reverse situation, I think we’d be pretty angry at the other team.”
Even though the U.S. trip to South Africa was clinched with Saturday’s 3-2 win at Honduras, Wednesday’s game won’t necessarily have the feel of an anticlimactic friendly. The United States wants to finish first in CONCACAF qualifying for the second straight time ahead of rival Mexico.
“When you look at the whole picture, it is the goal to finish first,” Bradley said “We take a great deal of pride in the ongoing competition to be the best team in CONCACAF.”
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Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Inking a new chapter in the country’s history books, judges on Monday sentenced a former Costa Rican president to five years in prison and imposed a half-million-dollar fine.
Sixty-year-old Rafael Angel Calderón, who served the country as president between 1990 and 1994, was condemned by the court on charges of embezzlement.
Though Calderón plans to appeal the decision, Monday’s ruling effectively ends his campaign for reelection.
Leaving the courtroom after the verdict was announced, Calderón – with dozens of cameras and reporters pressing in on him – said, “We lost a battle, but he will continue fighting …There’s much time before this is over.”
Monday marked another important moment in Costa Rican history. The two-party system, which has long-dominated the political scene, effectively came to an end that day, as the leader – and figurehead – of the Social Christian Unity Party (La Unidad) heard the verdict read.
The center-right party, known both for its pro-business stance as well as its social programs, is now without a viable candidate for February’s election, and it faces the difficult task of repairing its base with a tainted reputation. For Laura Chinchilla, candidate for La Unidad’s longtime rival, the National Liberation Party, the sentence opens a clear and likely unimpeded pathway to the presidency.
Trailing Calderón out of the courtroom, party president Luis Fishman wore a slightly-stunned and slightly-dazed expression.
Holding up his hands to reporters surrounding him, he said, “Give me some consideration … I am not in the best position to respond to you right now.”
Looking to explain himself further, he added, “We are very surprised. That was a big hit.”
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