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A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
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San
José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 8
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Government seeks
action on boat law
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Government officials met Monday with the goal of reducing the possibility of another tourist boat disaster. The catamaran EcoQuest floundered in rough seas Thursday morning, and three persons died while 106 tourists and crew members were dumped into the Gulf of Nicoya President Luis Gullermo Solís said he would expedite proposal No. 18512, a revision of the navigation laws. This means lawmakers will be able to consider it during this special session. The measure has been in the legislature for two years. The 27.43-meter (90-foot) triple decker boat is the object of an investigation but it is some 450 feet of water in the Gulf of Nicoya. That is to deep for conventional divers. Passengers reported that the boat sunk because lower windows were left open and as the ship rocked back and forth in wind-whipped seas water entered the hull in large quantities and amplifying the movement. Our readers' opinions Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I have received inquiries as to whether or not the captain of the EcoQuest used poor judgment in taking out his boat when there were high winds in the Pacific. The cause for this accident and resulting injuries and death may be more complicated than that. The safety training of the captain and crew should be taken into consideration along with whether or not the captain was under pressure by the tour operators to take the boat out in windy or unsafe conditions. At $125 a pop, the operators stood to lose over $10,000 should the captain have stayed at port. The specifications of this boat should be reviewed as to its ability to withstand the force of the forecast winds the day it went out. Finally, the manufacture and design need to be looked at. Initial reports indicate this boat was built in Costa Rica in 2007 in Puntarenas. I trust that the Costa Rican authorities will conduct a thorough and diligent investigation. I also hope that they make their final report available to the passengers on this boat and families of loved ones who lost their lives in this tragic accident. I saw that the front people for the tour operators stated that there was sufficient insurance and everybody will be compensated for their loss. Unfortunately, under Costa Rican law, there is no similar tort system to that of the United States whereupon punitive damages are awarded for negligent behavior. Damage awards in Costa Rica are generally limited to reimbursement for medical expenses and lost income. Emotional distress and future emotional issues associated with someone's fear of travel by sea will most likely not be considered and severely limit any damages. Damages for loss of companionship due to loss of life by a loved one is negligible. However, this could all change should it be determined that there is sufficient cause for the jurisdiction in this case to reside in a common law country such as the United States or Canada. A thorough investigation should be conducted as to the management and ownership of this tour company, which primarily services foreign tourists. The booking Web site for these tours, www.tortugaislandcruise.com is registered to Jaco VIP, Calle Pastor Diaz, Playa Jacó, Puntarenas. My initial research regarding Capt. Tenorio of this boat indicates that he was charged with pre-inebriated driving in both 2007 (along with dangerous driving), and 2008 and in 2009 he was charged with driving without a license. This history makes one wonder as to whether or not the operators of this tour company conducted any type of due diligence prior to hiring this man? Also, which licensing agency gave him permission to operate a public transport tour boat with this type of driving record? When tourists purchase tickets for transport on a tour boat, they should be provided with the highest level of safety and security possible. If it is determined that the managers of this vessel put their own profit motive ahead of the passengers' safety, then they should be held strictly accountable for their actions for the loss of life and injuries to loved ones, whether it be in Costa Rica or the United States. Seth Derish
Derish Associates, Inc. Chico, California and San José Homeport was not Los Sueños Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I was reading Friday’s journal today and noticed that the news titled “Investigation begun into sinking of tourist catamaran” says that “some of the survivors went to Caldera and others returned to the EcoQuest home port of Los Sueños Marina.” Just want to clarify the note, EcoQuest home port is not Los Sueños Marina. Despite the fact that the vessel was not docked in Los Sueños nor had any relationship with the marina, many private vessels from the marina sped out to the accident site immediately to assist in the rescue of survivors. Forty of the passengers were picked up by a large ship and taken to Caldera. The others were brought back to the Los Sueños Marina by private vessels. I will appreciate it if you can make a note just to clarify that EcoQuest home port is not Los Sueños Marina. Gloriana Arce
Los Sueños Resort and Marina Editor's Note: Ms. Arce reports that the EcoQuest sailed out of Bahía Herradura.
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 8 | |
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| New report shows a decline in the percentage of sales tax
collected |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's budget watchdog came out with a report Monday that supports the theory that what you tax you get less of. The agency, the Contraloría General de la República, studied sales tax collection, which is a major source of government income. The income involves general sales tax and also tax imposed by the Aduana or customs agency on imported goods. The report showed a decline in general sales tax from 2008 to 2014. In 2009 sales tax represented 39 percent of the income the country received. That was 6 percent of the gross domestic product. In 2014 the percentage still was 36 percent but the percentage of the domestic product declined to 4.7 percent, said the report. No financial figures were |
given in a
summary so the actual amounts collected were not known. Meanwhile,
services, which are not taxed now, grew from 41.8 percent to
50.8 percent of gross domestic product while commerce and
manufacturing, which is taxed, declined from 38.4 percent to 30.4
percent, the report said. The Contraloría concluded that the government should revise the structure of the taxes with regard to the activities that are not now covered and transactions that are exonerated. The goal would be to bring in more money. The report also suggested adjusting the annual sales tax. The central government, which is about to announce plans for a value-added tax should be happy with the report. A value added tax is supposed to control evasion and also cover many more transactions. |
![]() Policía
de Tránsito photo
Motorists going to Palmares will
face this checkpoint again this year starting Wednesday |
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| Traffic police will be surrounding Palmares festival with
checkpoints |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The next big bash is in Palmares where the festival features a tope, a horse parade, Thursday and a carnival Jan. 21. There are concerts both this Sunday and Jan. 25 So more than 100 officers of the Policía de Tránsito are setting up a series of checkpoints to make sure motorists do not spend too much time in the festival beer tents. For those who love the beer tents, there are plenty of private |
companies
that are offering bus service to the community. Riding drunk is
not a crime, but driving is. Checkpoints begin Wednesday, and police will be in a number of key spots on major routes to the festival community. The checkpoints will be operating 24 hours a day. Although drunk driving is a priority, officers also will be checking for marchamo stickers showing that the motorist has paid the road tax this year and also stickers showing that the vehicle has been inspected, as required by law. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 8 | |||||
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| Chinese regime seen in vicious circle ramping up the
repression |
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Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Chinese Communist Party repression has intensified under the leadership of Xi Jinping but has also trapped the party in a vicious circle whereby increasing coercion breeds growing resistance, requiring ever more intense crackdowns, according to a Freedom House report released Monday, called "The Politburo’s Predicament." (The report is of interest in Costa Rica because the current administration has agreed to a strategic alliance with the Asian country.) “There is a clear change in how Xi Jinping is managing the censorship and security apparatus compared with his predecessor, and overall this has meant more restrictions, not more freedom,” said Sarah Cook, author of the report. “As the systems of coercion touch the lives of more Chinese people, Xi and his colleagues risk exacerbating the party’s legitimacy problems.” "The Politburo’s Predicament: Confronting the Limitations of Chinese Communist Party Repression" finds that Xi has combined quasi-reformist rhetoric and minor institutional changes with ideological retrenchment and intensified repression in an attempt to strengthen the party’s hold on power. These efforts have proved effective in many ways, but they have also fueled resentment and recruitment to the cause of rights defense, both within society and among some party members, security personnel, and censors. “The United States and other democracies should work together to more effectively assist victims of repression and challenge official impunity,” Ms. Cook said, citing the report’s list of recommendations. “They should also seriously reconsider assumptions that the Communist Party will rule indefinitely, and that any liberalization will come from the top down.” Key findings: * Concentration of power at the very top: Ultimate authority over information controls and domestic security has been consolidated in the hands of Xi himself via new party entities. * Expanded targets of repression: Of 17 categories of victims assessed, 11 experienced greater restrictions after Xi took power. Among the victims are new targets whose activities were previously tolerated, including individuals from the economic elite or with official ties. * Revival of old practices alongside new methods: Tactics and terminology reminiscent of the Mao Zedong era, including televised confessions, have been revived |
![]() Freedom House photo
Scene taken from cover of report.alongside more novel approaches. Increasingly strategic, multipronged campaigns, criminal and extralegal detentions, and the community corrections system have been used to punish activists and intimidate social-media users. * Civil society resilience: Despite heightened repression, fear of the regime appears to be diminishing. Civic participation in rights defense activities is growing. Banned information circulates despite censorship. And activities that the authorities have invested tremendous resources in suppressing have continued and even expanded. * Regime insecurity and internal resistance: The increase in repression appears to be driven by a deep sense of insecurity. Some of those tasked with implementing censorship, propaganda, and repression are instead showing sympathy with victims, quietly refusing to comply with orders, and expressing regret for their role in obstructing other citizens’ freedoms. The study draws on an analysis of hundreds of official documents, censorship directives, and human rights reports, as well as some 30 interviews, examining the evolution of the censorship and internal security apparatus as well as its limitations since November 2012. It also offers recommendations to the international community on how to respond. The full report is HERE! China is rated not free in "Freedom in the World 2014," not free in "Freedom of the Press 2014," and not free in "Freedom on the Net 2014," all Freedom House publications. Freedom House says it is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 8 | |||||||
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![]() French phrase says all is forgiven.
Muhammad picked for cover of defiant French magazine By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Prophet Muhammad will be on the cover of the next issue of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In a preview released to other media on Monday, the prophet is seen holding a sign saying "I Am Charlie" and standing under the headline "All is Forgiven." The publishers of the first post-terror attack issue of the magazine say they plan to run at least 3 million copies. Charlie Hebdo usually prints about 60,000 copies every week. Two Islamic extremist brothers, Cherif and Said Kouachi, massacred 12 people at the magazine's office last week. Charlie Hebdo is known for cartoons that poke fun at Islam and other religions, as well as public figures. French police ambushed and killed the brothers Friday, the same day another Islamic militant, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four hostages at a Paris kosher supermarket before he also was killed by police. Coulibaly had killed a French policewoman one day earlier. Authorities say France remains at high risk for terrorism. France's defense minister says more than 10,000 troops will be deployed across the country by Tuesday. European governments are reviewing security measures following last week’s terror attacks that killed 17 people in France. Speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the country must not let down its guard because the security threat to France is still present. He says the highest level of France’s terror alert system is being maintained. Tuesday's deployment of 10,000 troops will be the first time so many have been deployed in the country. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve said nearly 5,000 security force troops will be tasked with protecting the country's more than 700 Jewish schools. "The French state right now is most anxious to avoid a repeat of the attacks," said Shaun Gregory, an international securities expert at Britain’s Durham University. "I think at this moment therefore putting extra troops on the ground, perhaps rolling up a few plots earlier than they would like to have done. That kind of thing I think is inevitable right now." Also Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced he will travel to France Thursday and Friday for talks on countering extremist violence. He said U.S. intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are coordinating with French investigators. The top diplomat told reporters that he and President Barack Obama had been deeply engaged with French authorities since the first attack in Paris last week. Responding to criticism over U.S. representation at a rally in the French capital Sunday that drew presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs from around the world, Kerry told reporters on Monday that a scheduled official visit to India precluded him from other travel. Ambassador to France Jane Hartley was the top U.S. official at the event. Washington admitted Monday it erred in not sending a top official to attend a solidarity rally in France following last week's terror attacks in Paris. At a news conference, White House spokesman Josh Earnest backpedaled on the decision to have U.S. Ambassador to France Jane Hartley and the State Department's top diplomat for Europe, Victoria Nuland, as the highest-ranking American officials to join scores of world leaders Sunday alongside French President Francois Hollande. "I think it's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there," said Earnest. In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron met with security chiefs Monday and discussed how the attacks in Paris would impact the training of British police and security services, but the terror threat level, which is currently at severe, remains unchanged. Britain will intensify efforts to stop cross-border arms smuggling and update its security protocols, Cameron's office said on Monday. International securities expert Shaun Gregory says the troop deployment in France may prevent attacks in the immediate future. But he says European governments are also reconsidering long term solutions to tackling terrorism. “There is a great deal of cross-channel cooperation necessary because obviously these days jihadis are very mobile and they take inspiration and training and so-on from each other,” he said. Sunday, French Interior Minister Cazaneuve said his European counterparts had agreed to boost cooperation to tackle militant attacks. They met shortly before more than three-and-a-half million people took to the streets in France to show solidarity with the victims of last week’s attacks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain’s David Cameron, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi were among more than 40 world leaders who attended the march alongside French President Francois Hollande. Around the world, cities hosted their own demonstrations on Sunday: In Washington, around 3,000 people gathered for a silent march. In Australia several hundred people gathered in Sydney’s Martin Place, and in London major landmarks were lit in the red, white, and blue colors of the french flag, as more than 1,000 marched through Trafalgar Square. Meanwhile, a Turkish news agency has aired security camera footage from an Istanbul airport that reportedly shows Hayat Boumeddien, the girlfriend of French terror suspect Amedy Coulibaly, entering the country. The 26-year-old is sought by French authorities in connection with last week’s three-day terror spree in Paris. French authorities initially said she was in a Paris kosher supermarket when Coulibaly fatally shot four hostages Friday. But Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency quoted Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying Ms. Boumeddiene flew to Turkey from Madrid Jan. 2, and crossed into Syria Jan. 8. In the video, the woman is seen approaching a passport control desk at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport, with a male companion at her side. Anti-Islam march draws 25,000 persons in Germany By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A weekly anti-Islam march in the German city of Dresden attracted its largest-ever crowd Monday in what its organizers say was a tribute to the French terror victims. At least 25,000 turned out for the rally sponsored by a group calling itself Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West. Some marchers held up signs denouncing Islam, foreigners, and multiculturalism. Many in the crowd carried French flags or placards saying ‘Je Suis Charlie,’ mirroring the millions of people who had gathered in cities across France just a day before in a show of unity. “I’m here tonight because I sympathize with the French people and am sorry for what happened to them. I also fear that the same can happen here to us.“ Anti-Islam rallies were held in other German cities Monday, attracting much smaller crowds and also counter-protests. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas condemned the organization for exploiting the French terror strikes to promote xenophobia. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended the huge anti-terrorism rally in Paris Sunday, declared Monday that "Islam belongs to Germany." Ms. Merkel and several cabinet members plan to attend a vigil at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate Tuesday organized by Germany's Central Council of Muslims. She said the vigil will send a very strong message that Germany wants peaceful co-existence between all religions. The self-styled anti-Islamization protests began in October with a few hundred people. Since then, thousands have occupied the center of Dresden almost every Monday night, echoing anti-government protests staged before the fall of communism in East Germany in 1989. “These strolls that we have on Monday nights encourage political discussions on topics that are largely ignored,” said Hans-Holger Malcomess of the Alternative for Germany Party. The array of flags and Christian iconography revealed the wide range of causes. Several banners urged ‘No war with Russia.’ While organizers insist the group has no far right links. Chancellor Merkel was depicted on banners wearing a Muslim headscarf. She has accused the marchers of having hatred in their hearts. Counter-demonstrators heckled the marchers throughout the two kilometer route. Lines of riot police separated the two sides. Central Command is victim of social media hacking By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The FBI is investigating the cyber attack against Twitter and YouTube accounts belonging to the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the U.S.-led air strikes on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Hackers who say they are loyal to Islamic State briefly hijacked the accounts Monday, threatening U.S. soldiers with the message "We are coming, watch your back. ISIS." Other messages included links to documents appearing to contain telephone numbers and email and home addresses of dozens of U.S. military officials. They also showed what appeared to be leaked military maps of China and North Korea. The Central Command says its military operations were not compromised, and its initial assessment is that the hackers had no access to classified information. The command says it sees the hacking purely as a case of cyber vandalism. At a regular press briefing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the incident is something we are looking into and it is something we take seriously. "I don't have a lot of information on this, it just occurred within the last hour or so. However, just a note of caution, for folks as they are covering this story, there is a pretty significant difference between what is a large data breech and the hacking of a twitter account. We're still examining and investigating this incident, but I don't have any information beyond that," said Earnest. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren called the attack a cyber prank. "This is little more than an act of, than a prank or vandalism, and it's inconvenient, and it's an annoyance, but that's all it is," said Warren. Follow-up tweets included links to documents that appeared to contain the telephone numbers and email addresses of dozens of U.S. military officials. Central Command said that its initial assessment showed no classified information was posted during the attack. Warren said the social media account breech was an issue within YouTube and Twitter and did not actually break into any government networks. Isaac Porche, a cyber security analyst for the RAND Corp. agreed with Warren and called the attack a public headache. "In terms of sensitivity, these accounts are not supposed to be tied to any sensitive databases. So it's slightly embarrassing, yes, but it's not quite clear that it's damaging," said Porche. Porche and other analysts say no classified or sensitive documents appear to have been leaked. Some of the material had already been available on the Internet and was not sensitive. In some cases, the material posted on the command's Twitter feed appeared juvenile or incoherent, including one picture of a goat in an office with the caption "we are in your PCs" and a profile photo that contained the message, "I Love You, ISIS." Based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, the Central Command oversees the U.S.-led air war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Hackers claiming allegiance to the Islamic State had previously taken over the Twitter accounts of several news organizations in the states of Maryland and New Mexico. Some of the threats and hashtags in those cases appeared similar to the tweets that appeared on the Twitter account Monday. The Monday hack attacks took place at the same time President Barack Obama was delivering a speech on expanding cyber security. In a speech Monday, at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., Obama said data hacking presents a direct threat to American consumers. "As we've all been reminded over the past year, including the hack of Sony, this extraordinary interconnection creates enormous opportunities, but also creates enormous vulnerabilities for us as a nation and for our economy, and for individual families," the president said. In outlining newly proposed legislation, Obama said companies will have to alert customers within 30 days if their personal data has been compromised. The move follows several major security hacks at some of the country's largest retailers, including Target and Home Depot. Other proposals include providing adults with free access to their credit scores and preventing student data from being sold to a third party. The proposals are expected to make up part of the president's State of the Union address next Tuesday. It is unclear whether the Republican-led Congress will take up either of the proposals. New study offers normality to type 1 diabetes sufferers By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
People with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have an early death and suffer severe long-term complications than the rest of the population. A new study looks at whether maintaining tighter control of blood sugar levels over time can help lower these risks. Ralph Dineen was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes more than 30 years ago. He wears an insulin pump and tests his blood sugar five times a day. “When I became diabetic, it was a very confusing moment in my life. You know, I was about 30 years old and it came out of nowhere at me," said Dineen. Dineen participated in a study that lasted seven years in the mid-1980's. Half the participants, including Dineen, were instructed on how to maintain tight control of their blood sugar. The other half controlled their sugar more loosely. A new study looked at the data to determine whether this intensive blood sugar control would help reduce long-term complications of the disease like vision loss, kidney failure, nerve damage and heart disease. David Nathan at Massachusetts General Hospital is one of the study's co-authors. “Tighter blood sugar control reduced those complications by as much as 60 to 70 percent," said Nathan. The researchers continued to follow 99 percent of these patients after the study ended in 1993. They wanted to see whether maintaining tighter blood sugar control early on would result in a longer lifespan. “And it turns out that although the entire group is doing quite well, including those who were originally on conventional therapy, those with intensive therapy have a reduction in mortality by about 33 percent," said Nathan. “…there is no thickening of the lens, no cataracts developing, which is great…” “People with type 1 diabetes are not only doing better if they have intensive therapy but that their life span is probably approximating that in the non-diabetic population," said Nathan. Researchers are now trying to identify genetic and environmental causes of the disease and to see if they can get cells to produce insulin. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
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2015 and may
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Vol. 15, No. 8 | |||||||||
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A clash of condo management firms left residents of the La Paloma Blanca development without telephone service or Internet access, but the La Paloma Blanca HOA Management Corp., S.A. promises to restore the services soon. The latest situation developed early Monday when four representatives of Lost Beach, which says it now has a management contract with the condo association, arrived at the property. The existing condo administrator said in an email to residents that Lost Beach representatives intimidated a guard and trespassed on the property around 4 a.m. Ron Falk, director of operations for DayStar Properties & Rentals, said the company was filing a police report. However, Lost Beach also issued an email that said the police were already there. The firm said the home owners association voted in November to terminate DayStar as its property manager. Then it created a subsidiary, the La Paloma Blanca HOA Management Corp., S.A. The action early Monday was the least disruptive method of the transfer of management in the absence of cooperation by DayStar by securing of the property with Lost Beach security, the firm said. Lost Beach is owned by David Byker and Denny Cherette. Byker owns at least 25 condos. They said in July that they were taking over La Paloma as well as other condo properties. They did this after the principal of Daystar, Patrick Hundley, was jailed on a criminal charge. That case has not yet been resolved although he no longer is in prison. DayStar said that Lost Beach representatives assaulted the DayStar guard early Monday. When the security guard attempted to call for help, the four men forcibly restrained him including strikes and elbows to his back, stomach and kidneys, DayStar said in its statement. The guard also had his hand slammed in the gate, DayStar added. Lost Beach said it had been assured by Bruce Greenawalt, the home owners association president, and Juan Manuel Gomez, the association lawyer, all of whom were witnesses to the removal of the guards, that there were no physical injuries sustained by either of the guards and that no punches were thrown. "The local police came to the site at the time of the removal of the DayStar staff." Lost Beach said in a statement. "Lost Beach and the HOA attorney presented the police with the documents verifying the legal transfer. The police contacted their legal counsel, verified the HOA and Lost Beach was within its rights and then departed the property." Lost Beach said that in the takeover, telephone and internet services were lost temporarily. The firm said it had communicated with each owner. |
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| From Page 7: Southwest seeks another flight to here By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Southwest Airlines is seeking approval in the United States for another flight to Costa Rica. This one would be from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. After approval, the airline will offer customers nonstop options between Houston and four destinations in Mexico, Cancun, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, as well as flights to San José and Belize City, Belize, the company said in a release. The new Houston flights will be made possible by the completion of an estimated $156 million five-gate international concourse now under construction at Hobby. The completed project will increase capacity for all airport functions and add a Federal Inspections Services facility to streamline U.S. Customs and Border Protection screening and baggage processing for arriving international passengers. "We're building our first-ever international terminal project to give Houstonians, visitors to Houston, and our connecting customers exceptional value and legendary customer service in international markets for which there is great demand," said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines chairman, president, and CEO. "Service to Mexico will be the cornerstone of our international operation at Hobby and the four cities we are announcing today provide exciting travel and business options for consumers." he added. "Adding Belize to the Southwest network and growing our Costa Rica service continues our expansion to international destinations where our people and consumer-friendly policies can deliver as no other airline can." The Dallas-based carrier said in September it has applied for permission to fly to San Jose from Baltimore. The flights would begin March 7. |