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A strike by air traffic controllers has not been very effective because officials have brought in nearly 30 controllers to work the job as strikebreakers.

Except for several hours of delay Saturday morning, the 89 Costa Rican controllers have not had an impact when they stopped work.

Several international flights were delayed but not canceled Saturday, and only a few incoming flights had to make a detour.

The airports involved include Juan Santamaría in Alajuela, Tobia Bolaños in Pavas and Daniel Oduber in Liberia.

The striking controllers contend a 1994 agreement provides them with considerably more money than they now make. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes says pay increase should be modest.

The foreign air traffic controllers come from other Latin nations. They were given quick immigration approval Friday and took over the controller jobs by 10 a.m. Saturday.

Costa Rican controllers made no attempt to damage equipment or otherwise impede the work of the substitutes, officials said.

Gay pride marked here

Homosexual and Lesbian Costa Ricans and their supporters staged a gay pride event at the Plaza de la Democracia Sunday to press their case for more rights.

The theme of the gathering was to demand an end to workplace discrimination and to urge legal rcognition of unions between persons of the same sex.
 
 

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I hate spammers!!!

I loved your story this morning giving out spammer addresses.  So, my contribution to "Operation Get Back at Spammers" is the following.

Last month I finally gave in to the pop-up "Free Red Lobster Dinner" only to be asked, first thing to enter my email address.  I have several for just this purpose so I used a "junk" one.  After entering my address, I was assured that I only had "one more page" of questions before qualifying for the $50 gift certificate.  I gave up and never completed the ridiculously long questionnaire.

Guess what? That junk e-mail address entered is now so flooded with spam I have stopped trying to "unsubscribe" and don't even use it.

Hmmmmm.  Idea!!!!  I clicked on that "Free Red Lobster Dinner" banner again and copied and pasted each and every address in your article, knowing all I had to do was click on the submit button to send the spammer address.

Did I do good?????  LOL!!!!  Let them get a taste of their own medicine!!

Reader looks up
the phone numbers

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Whatever you do, do not contact spammers by e-mail. Your address gets captured and sold 1,000 times over because you are now on the 1/2 percent of the 1 percent who ever reply. 

Complain to your ISP. They are supposed to drop them from e-mail access  or go to www.networksolutions.com and look in the "Who Is" box.

Then you can have them blocked there or call the phone number listed. Or, when you see the e-mail address is a portal such as Yahoo, contact them, complain and they will be dropped at that level. 

By the way, matequest1@usermail.com is using www.usermail.com portal who is Brian Fonseca. A home grown boy operating out of Colorado. Give him a call. His domain name is listed with Network Solutions which also lists his telephone number (303) 955-3025. 

Finally, stay off the adult sites or at least don't join one unless you are prepared to receive spam for about two months after you cancel.  You open the message, "bang", you're captured and sold, sold and sold again to other spammers around the globe. 

The executive branch has sent the proposed free trade treaty between Costa Rica and the Caribbean countries to the Asamblea Nacional for approval.

The treaty with the so-called Caricom countries does not face the strong opposition as that facing a similiar free trade treaty with the United States. 

The Caribbean treaty will open a practically virgin market of 15 million to Costa Rican services and agricultural products, said Ricardo Toledo, the minister of the Presidencia. In exchange, Costa Rica will import certain minerals not produced here.

Woman and child
stolen with car

As a woman in San Rafael de Alajuela tried to park her car in her garage Thursday night she was faced with a car thief who took the car and the woman and her child.

In addition to the woman, who has the last name of Calderón, a 4-year-old daughter also was in the vehicle, according to the Judicial investigating Organization.

The theft was well planned because a second car followed the stolen vehicle. The robber let the woman and child leave the car in Santa Barbara de Heredia, said investigators.
 

Professional Directory A.M. Costa Rica's professional directory is where business people who wish to reach the English-speaking community may invite responses. If you are interested in being represented here, please contact the editor. Legal services Bufete Hernández Mussio  & Asociados Lic. Arcelio Hernández Mussio Tel. 218-0829                Cell 365-3088  E-mail: legalxpt@racsa.co.cr www.forovial.com • Family law       • real estate law  •  criminal and constitutional law • due dilligence   • title guarantee,  • fraud protection • Notary Public services in general Authorized Representative Stewart Title Attorney Referral System KEARNEY-LAWSON & Asoc.       Lic. Gregory Kearney Lawson,  Costa Rica/U.S.A. Attorneys at Law Villalobos and Savings Unlimited Collections *Investments  *Corporations  *Real Estate Sales in Costa Rica *Tax Shelters  *Immigration *Intellectual Property     *Business procedures *Family and Labor Law     *Locate People *Private Investigations        Ph/Fax: 221-9462, 356-2449 gkearney_lawson@hotmail.com attorneykearney@yahoo.com Medical services Introducing holistic medicine and alternative health care Dr. Roy Nichlas San José Specializing in chronic health problems and lifestyle improvements We seek the underlying or hidden problems  to help you maintain an overall higher level of health.  And we make house calls! holisticcr@yahoo.com 290-5854     381-1816 Web Design Personalized Web Design ¥Hosting ¥Promotion ¥Logo Design Prices so reasonable they will astound you Call for a quote:  220-4602 www.alegria-webdesign.com We have over 12 years international experience 616-7/15/04 Real estate agents and services First Costa Rican Title & Trust Protecting your interests since 1994   Purchase contracts   Escrow services   Title Transfers   Title Guarantees   Trust Services   Investment and        Mortgage Services Call us for your real property legal and investment needs at 225-0501 or send us an e-mail at service1@firstcr.com Title Guarantees issued by First American Title Insurance Co., one of the oldest and largest title companies in the world. The First American difference in protection is that the policies cover unrecorded matters and unknown risks. www.firstcr.com 645-8/18/0 MARGARET SOHN formerly with  Carico and now with Great Estates 15 years Costa Rican real estate experience Member of the Costa Rican Real Estate Association, Lic. #1000 Member of Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce samargo@racsa.co.cr www.realtorcostarica.com (506) 291-2825 & (506) 291-2826  fax (506) 296-6304   (506) 382-7399 cell 229-8/9/03

A.M. Costa Rica
Consultantes Río Colorado S.A.

James J. Brodell.........................editor
Saray Ramírez Vindas.... associate editor

Avenida 11 bis, Barrio Otoya, San José

 In Costa Rica:                    From elsewhere:

  A.M. Costa Rica                    Consultantes Río Colo.
  Apartado 12909-1000           SB 11 
  San José, Costa Rica              P.O. Box 025292
  (506) 223-1327                    Miami, FL 33102-5292
 

Soto has lived in Bloomington, Indiana, since September 1983. He was born in San José, Costa Rica. One of a family of 16 children.  He studied anthropology [customs and legends of Latino America] at the Universidad de Costa Rica and the University of California at Berkeley. 

He is also involved with several volunteer organizations such as Centro Comunal Latino, a south-central Indiana community-based organization that assists newcomers to the region from Latin America to adjust to life in Indiana. These days he divides his time between Indiana and Costa Rica, where he owns a home in Santo Domingo de Heredia.

Se robó el mandado. This is a Costa Rican expression, or dicho, that is applied to people who can’t be trusted.

Literally it means "he stole the errand I asked him to do." The expression says something about the way we Costa Ricans behave toward one another in our daily lives.

To give you an example: Costa Ricans are not direct or blunt people, but are rather shy and deferential. I might ask Juan, for example, to ask Maria if she would like to dance with me. But the expression se robó el mandado applies if Juan goes to Maria and asks her for a dance rather than communicating my wish to dance with her. So I am out of luck, and Juan stole the favor (or errand, mandado) I asked him to do. 

Of course in old Costa Rica this was considered very bad form and would have meant a serious breach of confidence. Juan would quickly gain a reputation in the community that he can not be trusted because se robó el mandado.

It’s all about politeness and insecurity. Costa Ricans do not handle rejection well (but then, who does?). They would prefer to be turned down in an easy 

The  way we say it By Daniel Soto

way. For example, an applicant for a position would like to hear that he was the very next one in line even if this is not true because it appears as though he had a shot, and at least he wasn’t as bad as the last guy, even if only three people applied for the same position.

The same holds true when a Costa Rican finds himself in the position of having to say "No." It is almost impossible for him or her to do it. They will answer with a question or give an excuse, but never say NO flat out. It appears to us as impolite and might hurt someone’s feelings, but more important, it could close a door and you never know when you may need a favor from this person 

I think we who have to learn a different language should be aware of this expression se robó el mandado  becuase sometimes, if we must use a translator, they have some power that we don’t have and they could withhold information from us either to protect us, or to use it later to "steal our favor." So let’s remain aware and the next time someone tries to robarse el mandado, we can say no way José: Que va chichi.

Immigration officials say they have delivered a blow to an international ring of smugglers who tried to bring residents of mainland China into the United States.

Marco Badilla, director general of Migración, said the seven Chinese captured over the weekend at a San José hotel paid from $50,000 to $70,000 to be smuggled into the United States.

Officials said they uncovered a long route that the smugglers used to bring the individuals to Costa Rica. The seven traveled to Malaysia, Egypt, Russia, Colombia, and Panamá before reaching Juan Santamaría airport Monday.

The men were using Taiwanese passports that had been altered to include their photographs, officials said.

Badilla’s immigration police took strong security measures because a similar group of some 20 illegal Chinese were the objective of a jail break attempt by gunmen in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, last week, they said.

The persons who helped move the Chinese nationals include some members of the Taiwanese community in Costa Rica, said Badilla.
He said that three persons, presumed coyotes or human smugglers, were detained during the Saturday arrests but they had to be let go because such activity is not illegal in Costa Rica.

He coupled his announcement of the arrests with a call to national deputies to pass the pending new immigration law that would criminalize such activity.

Fuerza Pública officers in San José under Commandant Eduardo Guzmán participated in the raid.

One of the illegal Chinese attempted to flee when officers staged their surprise raid at the hotel, but the man was wrestled to the ground, according to a 

report by the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública.

Officials presume the men were being kept here while plans were made to move them into the United States. 

Guzmán said that the detention of other Chinese might take place.

Meanwhile, near Golfito in the southwest of Costa Rica, police at a checkpoint detained five persons from Peru as well as two Colombians.

In all, immigration officials said they had detained 36 foreigners here illegally in the last week. The bulk were from Latin America and were detailed near the border with Panamá. 

Phoebe, one of Saturn's moons, is a cold, icy rock bearing carbon-containing compounds, according to observations sent back to Earth by Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft now moving toward Saturn. 

Cassini passed closest to Phoebe June 11 and is supposed to enter Saturn's orbit Wednesday.

The probe is set to become the first spacecraft ever to orbit Saturn. The Cassini program is an international cooperative effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), as well as several separate European academic and industrial contributors.

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,  scientists have analyzed the data transmitted by Cassini and believe that Phoebe is made of material 

These small bodies, known as planetesimals, formed the building blocks of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Other planetesimals formed the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy space debris that is 12 to 15 billion miles from the sun. The data from Cassini provide scientists with the first close look they have ever had of a planetesimal. 

"In two short weeks, we have added more to what we know about Phoebe than we had learned about it since it was discovered 100 years ago," said Dennis Matson, project scientist of the Cassini-Huygens mission. Huygens is the probe riding on the Cassini craft that will explore Titan, another Saturn moon.

A national election in Canada today is likely to be one of the tightest in the country's history, and could lead to the formation of the first minority government in decades. What was once thought to be a boring campaign has turned into a close fight between the governing Liberals and the Conservatives. 

The most recent opinion polls show the governing Liberal Party of Prime Minister Paul Martin in a statistical tie with the Conservative Party of Stephen Harper.

Since Martin took over the nation's top job from former Prime Minister Jean Chretien in December, support for the liberals has gradually eroded. Polls show both parties are now garnering about 29 to 32 percent of the popular vote, with the remaining support going to other parties. These include the left-wing New Democratic Party, the separatist Bloc Quebecois in Quebec, and the Green Party, which has yet to win in any federal election.

Polls in this type of election should be taken with a grain of salt.

Canada follows the British Parliamentary system, which means voters do not directly elect the prime minister, but members of Parliament. The party with the most seats in Parliament usually is asked to form a government, and the party leader generally becomes prime minister. In this election, Canadians are casting ballots for 308 parliamentary seats.

Political scientist Ron Cheffins of the University of Victoria says the main issue has been the sponsorship scandal, which saw millions of dollars diverted to Liberal-friendly advertising agencies. The money was originally intended to fight Quebec independence by improving Canada's image in the French-speaking province. The Liberals have also faced accusations of wasting money on a gun registry and employment initiatives.

Cheffins said the campaign was unusually negative. "I can't think of any highlights to speak of. It was one of the meanest, most vicious-spirited, negative campaigns I've seen in my life. The governing Liberal Party, which assumes it has a divine right 

During a campaign stop in Vancouver's Chinatown this past week, Prime Minister Martin told a packed restaurant, if Canadians elect Harper and the conservatives, they would get a vastly different Canada. "In this campaign, we the government, seek a mandate from the people. We come before the nation with a record of achievement, and we face a party and leader that have a very different view of what Canada should be. Let me just go through some of the differences. I want to respect our commitments to the court on climate change. Stephen Harper would tear up Kyoto and he would renege on Canada's pledge," he said. "I want to build a military that will look to peacekeeping and peace-making. And Stephen Harper wants to fight the Cold War all over again, and build aircraft carriers. No!"

Prior to becoming prime minister, Martin served as Canada's finance minister for most of the past decade.

Harper has been focusing his Conservative Party campaign on the sponsorship scandal, and what he says is mis-management of Canada's finances. "Ladies and gentlemen, Paul Martin has no more credibility on healthcare funding than he has on spending control," he said. "And on that, this government has so little credibility that we have to turn to the auditor general, to judicial inquiries, to police investigations to find out where our money is. 

"You know, this guy has the gall to suggest I or anyone else has hidden agendas. Don't talk about hidden agendas, until you can find out what you did with our money, Mr. Martin." 

Like many of his academic colleagues, Cheffins says the Liberals are likely to lose their majority in Parliament, and will have to form a minority government, because the separatist Bloc Quebecois is likely to win in traditionally liberal areas in Quebec province. 

MEXICO CITY, México — Hundreds of thousands of people rallied here Sunday to protest against kidnappings and violent crime. Demonstrators were paying tribute to crime victims in Mexico's capital.

The march started from the Angel of Independence Monument and stretched to Mexico City's main square the Zocolo. Those taking part were mostly dressed in all white clothing to signify purity and peace.

Mexico has the second-highest number of kidnappings in the world, with some 3,000 reported cases last year. But most kidnappings go unreported because of a lack of faith in the justice system, some say. 

Student Barbara Martinez said the Mexican authorities, especially the police, must better organize themselves to effectively combat kidnapping. "I really want to feel safe. If I am out at night at 10  o'clock and I see a policeman, I want to feel that he is going to protect me and I don't want to be afraid of him. I think that is the key, not being afraid of the people who are supposedly going to take care of us," she said.

Office worker Humberto Bravo said that, in the past, kidnappers abducted the wealthy. But now as Mexico's economic crisis worsens, everyone is a target. One of my close friends was a girl that was liberated for $300. After 20 hours of being kidnapped, they wanted $300,000, but saw that the family has no money. She was liberated for $300 only," he said.

The marchers finally broke their silence by singing Mexico's national anthem. 

Many chanted slogans saying the situation has gotten out of hand. A recent report released by the Mexican Employers Association called Copamex, says that during the last seven years, the level of kidnapping has increased by 740 percent.