The Fuerza Pública raided an unlicensed drug rehabilitation center over the weekend and found that two persons there were wanted and that four persons may not be legal residents.

The two who were arrested face allegations of aggravated robbery in separate cases. The persons detained for investigation by immigration were three Nicaraguans and a Colombian, said the Fuerza Pública. The facility that held 30 men is in Claret de Barrio México.

Caribbean seminars to help
young people plan their lives


A Puerto Viejo businessman is offering two 10-day workshops as tools that can show college-age young adults how to achieve their dream.

The organizer, Barry Stevens, authored a book on life planning. He has operated the non-profit The Bridge, which provides microcredits to Talamancan residents.

The seminars are directed at young adults who may be overwhelmed by the choices presented to them, Steven said on his Web site. One session begins July 9 and the second Aug. 6.

Participating will be Christine Bradley, a medical doctor who is trained in counseling and crisis resolution, and Sharon St. James, who has significant experience in tools that can help reduce stress, increase mental clarity and strengthen the body, said the organization.

There are more poor here
than most people think

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I would like to commend Manuel Avendaño Arce for his article "Life can still be a struggle even in this paradise." If anything, I think he understates the problem.

According to a paper published by the International Monetary Fund, “The informal economy comprises those economic activities that circumvent the costs and are excluded from the benefits and rights incorporated in the laws and administrative rules covering property relationships, commercial licensing, labor contracts, torts, financial credit and social systems.”

The same paper estimates that in the early 2000s, Costa Rica's “informal” economy comprised around 42 percent of gross domestic product. You don't have to be a genius to see the "informal" economy here. You need anything? How about some genuine fake Ray-Ban sunglasses? How about some nearly-authentic, nearly-Cuban Cohiba cigars? Look at the price of those Rolex watches! Need socks? Prepaid telephone cards? Feel like buying some original black velvet artwork? Chiclets?  How about the latest release on DVD? The latest hits on CD? Some Michael Jackson? All that and more is available on the streets. If you can get half a block without seeing a street vendor, it only means you are in a deserted neighborhood.

The government's response to this problem is about what it's always been. They commission a study, employ some relatives, overpay them, then do a few PR moves and retreat to their mansions, behind the razor wire and private armed guards. The truth is that the oligarchy here is quite happy with lots of unemployed people . . .  keeps the cost of labor down. They just don't want bad PR. The number of people who never got past the sixth grade is staggering, and it's because it costs about $300 for every child in a family to start the new school year. Considering the average family size and average family income, it's a wonder they can keep the kids in school even to age 12.

There are, in theory, government programs to aid the poor, but the percentage of the poor that actually get any help is abysmal. I know a single mom who has been on the waiting list for three years to get aid paying for school expenses. Her kids will likely have dropped out before the program gets around to helping her, if it ever does. The 'social safety net' here is a joke, but those who prefer not to see the ugly face of poverty like to believe it works. It doesn't. Anybody who doubts the extent of poverty and unemployment here is invited to take a tour with me through a few of the slums. You might want to bring along a few armed guards.

Alejandro Martínez Coronado is just one of (many) hundreds of thousands living on the edge of economic disaster every day. It's not getting better. Costa Rica is not the worst place to be poor, since nobody is going to freeze to death at least. It's not paradise though, unless you chose the right parents.