 |
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
 |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||
 |
|||
 |
|||
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
Two Women Arrested For
Allegedly Hiding Cocaine in Their Wigs
By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
Two women were arrested over the weekend at Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela, northwest of San José, for allegedly attempting to traffic cocaine by hiding it in their wigs, according to Public Security Ministry spokesman Fabián Mesa.
The women were identified as cousins from the Caribbean province of Limón with the last names Wright and Cornwall.
Wright, 19, was arrested Saturday night as she attempted to board a flight to Madrid, Spain. The following day, Cornwall, 21, was arrested when she arrived to Juan Santamaría, also for a flight to Madrid, without knowing her cousin had been arrested, Mesa said.
Using “profiles of drug traffickers” police identified the two women as suspicious and interrogated them, Mesa said.
“They fit the profile established for drug traffickers that outlines certain characteristics, such as nervous behavior,” he said. The women allegedly each had about one kilogram of cocaine hidden under bushy wigs.
Drug dealers in Limón often use young people as “mules” by enticing them with large sums of money to transport drugs to other countries, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry. Often, these young people never receive any payment.
Wright and Cornwall are under custody of the Public Security Ministry. If found guilty of drug trafficking, they could be sentenced to as long as 18 years in prison, the statement said.
-Tico Times
Costa Rica Celebrates
World Population Day
To commemorate World Population Day, celebrated globally today, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Costa Rica has organized a Youth Fair called “I'm Young, I Will…” according to a statement from UNFPA.
Young people, who make up almost half of the world's inhabitants, are the theme of this year's World Population Day, said a statement from the United Nations.
More than 3 billion people in the world are younger than 25, representing the largest youth population in the history of humanity. Unfortunately, many of them face a bleak future, the U.N. statement said.
World Population Day will be officially celebrated in Costa Rica July 22 with a series of activities geared toward youth at the National Culture Center (CENAC), in downtown San José.
Activities are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the Plaza de la Cultura, where participants will assemble and follow a parade to the cultural center. There, festivities including music, dance, painting, theater, video and cheerleading performances will take place until 7 p.m., according to the UNFPA statement.
The United Nations established World Population Day on July 11, 1987 when the global population reached 5 billion people.
For more information on the July 22 activities, call the UNFPA at 296-1265.
- Tico Times
National Household Survey
Under Way
During the next month, 14,188 Costa Rican homes will be surveyed as part of the National Household Survey for Multiple Purposes, according to a statement from the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC).
The project, which began yesterday and runs through Aug. 9, is carried out every year to “obtain information about Costa Ricans' social, demographic, economic and labor conditions,” the statement said.
More than 14,000 homes have been chosen to be part of a “statistical sample” the institute uses to project data about the entire population.
Surveyors will work in the San José, Heredia, Cartago and Alajuela provinces until July 22 and will continue on to the Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón provinces from July 25 until Aug. 9.
A total of 108 people including surveyors, supervisors and drivers carry out the project, which costs ¢130 million (about $255,000).
Special questions have been added to this year's survey to obtain information about the vaccination of children and how much access Costa Ricans have to government programs, according to the statement.
Additionally surveyors will query citizens about their access to information and communication technology.
The survey's results will be available during the first week of November.
-Tico Times
Central American Exporters
Seek Business Contacts in China
The Chamber of Exporters (CADEXCO) and the private initiative China Ya! yesterday announced a plan to strengthen trade relations between Costa Rica and China, according to CADEXCO director Mónica Araya.
A Costa Rican commercial mission will visit China Oct. 2-14 to meet with Chinese business owners, and Costa Rican delegations will also visit 10 Chinese trade fairs.
“Not only do we consider selling products to China completely viable, but we also want to attract Chinese investment to Central America – we have received information that a few Chinese companies are interested in investing,” Araya said.
Additionally, more than 10 Central American businesses will attend trade fairs in China planned between September and November, including the Canton Fair, China Juice 2006, Coffee Show China and China Build.
Though Costa Rica does not maintain diplomatic relations with China, it is an attractive trade partner, Araya said.
“I don't think diplomatic relations are necessary to increase trade with China,” she said. “We're not going to pressure them in this sense, but we're going to continue strengthening trade ties.”
Last year, Costa Rica exported $244 million to China.
Businesses interested in being a part of the commercial mission to China can get more information by visiting www.chinaya.org.
-ACAN-EFE
Plants at a Glance: Breadfruit
 |
Common Name: Breadnut or breadfruit
Spanish Name: Castaña or fruta de pan
Latin Name: Artocarpus altilis
Family: Moraceae
Breadfruit is called fruta de pan, árbol de pan or pan de pobre in Spanish. The seeded variety is known as breadnut, or castaña or ramón in Spanish.
Geo-distribution: The breadfruit is believed to be native to a vast area extending from New Guinea through the Indo-Malayan Archipelago to western Micronesia. It is believed to have been distributed in the Pacific area by migrating Polynesians. Hawaiians say it was brought from the Samoan island of Upalu to Oahu in the 12th century. The Spanish were the first to transplant the breadnut tree from the Philippines to Mesoamerica.
The story of Captain William Bligh’s first voyage to Tahiti on the Bounty in 1787, and the loss of his cargo of 1,015 potted breadfruit plants because of the mutiny of his crew, is well known. He set out again in 1791 and delivered 2,126 plants of five different varieties to Jamaica in February 1793. Later, immigrants from this island distributed these trees in the Caribbean coastal region of Central America. The breadfruit is more commonly found in coastal regions, while the breadnut has adapted to both the coastal and midrange regions.
 |
Botanical Description: The breadfruit tree is a handsome, fast-growing tree from six to 25 meters tall, often with a smooth, gray trunk buttressed at the base. The leaves are evergreen, ovate, 23- 90 centimeters long, and 20- 50 cm wide, entire at the base, then more or less deeply cut into five to 11 pointed lobes. The upper surface is bright green and glossy, with conspicuous yellow veins, and the underside is dull, yellowish and coated with minute, stiff hairs. It is difficult to distinguish between the two types of trees; however, the breadfruit has a soft, white pulp with no seeds, while the breadnut contains many seeds. The fruit is spherical in shape, five to 30 cm in diameter, with a pattern of conical cells on the surface. It starts out green, turning to yellow-brown when ripe.
Food Uses: The ripe pulp of the breadfruit is eaten raw, baked or steamed, while the chestnut-like seeds of the breadnut are boiled or baked and peeled to provide a nutritious meal. Breadfruit flour contains 4% protein, 77% carbohydrates and 331 calories per 100 grams. The seedless breadfruit is low in protein compared to the breadnut, which is considerably higher in protein (13%). Both are valuable food crops that can be grown in the orchard.
Medicinal Uses: Older, dried leaves of these trees are used to prepare a tea for the treatment of kidney stones and bladder infections. In Trinidad and the Bahamas, a decoction of the breadfruit leaf is believed to lower blood pressure, and is also said to relieve asthma. Crushed leaves are applied on the tongue as a treatment for thrush. The leaf juice is employed for earaches. Ashes of burned leaves are used on skin infections. A powder of roasted leaves is employed as a remedy for enlarged spleen. Toasted flowers are rubbed on the gums around an aching tooth. The latex is used on skin diseases and is bandaged on the spine to relieve sciatica.
Preparation: One large leaf is shredded and boiled in four liters of water for 30 minutes.
Dosage: One to three cups of tea per day.
Notes: These trees can be particularly useful for gardeners in the coastal and midrange zones of Costa Rica; however, because of their large size, they are not recommended for small home lots. The breadfruit tree can be propagated only from new vegetative shoots that arise from the roots of the mother tree, which is why they are so rare and difficult to acquire. On the other hand, the breadnut is very common in Costa Rica, and the fruits or seeds can often be found in local farmer’s markets, and can be used for planting.
Plant one seed in a plastic nursery bag with fertile soil and water frequently. Young seedling trees prefer partial shade for the first year of growth; then they can be transplanted to permanent sites. Rich, fertile, soil with wet to moist conditions, such as riverbanks, are best for these trees. It is also important to note that livestock love to eat the leaves, so fencing is essential to protect them in their early stages of development.
For more information on tropical medicinal plants and gardening, visit www.thenewdawncenter.org or e- mail thenewdawncenter@yahoo.com.
Editorial Cartoon | Weekend | Exchange Rates | Fishing | Culture | Classified Ads
Display Ads | Subscribe! | Travel Guide | Archives | Links | About Us | Newsstand Locations
Contact Us | Policies