By nicaraguanpost
Published July 16th, 2008

No previous U.S. generation has seen the world change faster and more dramatically than the 76 million Baby Boomers. If you’re one of them or in the same range, you understand that for many there exists a feeling of being in a special place and time, of seeing and experiencing a myriad of transformations that imbued many with a residing sense of adventure.

That quest for adventure now is manifesting itself in the search for lifestyle options that will provide healthy returns and something different from their parents’ idea of retirement. For Boomers, it may be a desire to seek new business opportunities paired with a lifestyle shift. Or it may be reinventing themselves in a way and place that keeps them active and involved.

Research indicates that Boomers will be the generation that globalizes retirement. With enhanced technology knocking down barriers to communications, people can stay in touch and work from virtually anywhere in the world. Zogby International already has coined “reverse migration” to describe the growing trend of movement from wealthier countries to emerging countries. Over 11 percent of the Americans polled by Zogby in a recent series of surveys indicated they had decided to relocate, were serious or somewhat serious about relocating, or had decided to purchase a vacation home overseas. According to the surveys, Europe was the most popular destination, with Central America ranked second.

Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Costa Rica and Canada are the only countries in all of the Americas to receive a “good situation” rating concerning their freedom of the press.  The document voices concerns about the situation in many of the other Latin American countries.

Reporters Without Borders released their 2007 annual press freedom report Thursday.  The report draws conclusions for the situation this year based on 2006 reports and analysis.  The documents said that a record number of journalists and media workers were killed or thrown in prison in 2006.  It also said that even more deplorable was the lack of interest, and sometimes even the failure, by democratic countries in defending the values they are supposed to incarnate.

Both the European Union and United States were bashed in the introduction for failing to stand up for the rights and safety of journalists around the world, as well as failing to investigate situations of abuse.  The document took a strong stance on the United States saying “The U.S. cannot be trusted when it talks of press freedom.”

The document has a rating system that from best to worst includes five categories: Good situation, satisfactory situation,  noticeable problems,  difficult situation, very serious situation.

At least 110 newspeople were killed in 2006, but governments frequently gave up, displayed cowardice or made compromises instead of firmly defending freedom of expression and freedom of the press, said the document.
In Latin America the situation also worsened.  From five media personnel killed in 2002, the figure rose 12 in 2004 and 16 in 2006, plus four others who disappeared, the document said.

According to the document, Cuba has the worst situation in all of the Americas and received a very serious situation rating.  The country hosts the world’s second biggest prison for journalists with 24 currently detained.  President Fidel Castro’s handover of power to his brother Raúl on July 31 did not soften the regime’s attitude toward the media, said the report.  Police hounding and summoning of journalists also increased in the second half of the year.
Mexico had the second worst record with nine dead and three missing.  The situation was blamed on the spread of drug-trafficking, political instability, unrest in the Oaxaca state, and the disputed election of Felipe Calderón in July.

Three journalists were killed in Colombia and a dozen others were forced to flee their region or the country after being threatened. The break-off in negotiations between the government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia guerrillas once more prevented the media from traveling to some parts of the country.

Concerning Venezuela, the document said that the media paid the price of persistent lawlessness. Jorge Aguirre, a photographer of the daily El Mundo, was shot dead by a bogus policeman during a demonstration, and a score of journalists were physically attacked, especially during the presidential election campaign, said the release. 

Missing from the document was President Hugo Chávez's threat not to renew RCTV's license when it expires in March.  He accused the station of supporting a failed military coup against him in 2002.

Bolivia once more plunged into crisis in the last quarter of the year, the release said. The media was the first target of the struggle between government and opposition.   As happened in Venezuela, the gap between state and privately-owned media has widened and a “media war” may erupt, said the document.

The United States was criticized for the detention of Sami Al-Haj, a Sudanese cameraman for the Arab TV network Al-Jazeera, who is being held at Guantanamo. 

The organization was not in favor of laws in Canada that can force reporters to present confidential information that is relative to courts cases.

The document did not say much concerning the privileged position of Costa Rica's journalism freedom, only that the media is fairly free here and in Panamá. 

A full version of the Reporters Without Borders 2007 annual press freedom report is available on a Web site at www.rsf.org