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Tamarindo park battlehas a long history Dear A.M. Costa Rica: On Saturday, June 24, 2006, a group of neighbors met at the Parque de la Independencia to begin the process of creating a central park for the community of Tamarindo — a green oasis where children can play, and families can meet; a park that preserves a piece of Tamarindo´s natural habitat, with native trees that provide homes and nourishment for native animals like iguanas, howler monkeys & parrots. We want the Parque de la Independencia to be a permanent symbol of our community’s pride. The protection and maintenance of the public zones in Playa Tamarindo has been a priority of the Association Pro Mejoras since 1994, when the Municipal Council of Santa Cruz unanimously agreed to authorize the association “to maintain the public zones, parks and alamedas of Playa Tamarindo, not allowing any change or sale of them, and that they would be for the exclusive use and enjoyment of national and international tourists.” Since then, the Association has invested tens of thousands of dollars in order to protect these vital green areas from slipping into private hands. The Adopt a Park Program was developed in order to directly involve community members in the preservation of these last patches of green. The Parque de la Independencia is the pilot project of this program. The Parque de la Independencia has a long and embattled history, and has become an important symbol to the community of Tamarindo. The community first got together to inaugurate the park on Sept. 15, 1994, Costa Rica’s Independence Day. Unfortunately the inauguration was ruined when a private individual showed up with police and claimed the park was his private property. The same thing happened on July 4, 1998, when the community tried to set up a soccer field in the park. A law suit was filed against the association, accusing it of “violent usurpation.” Finally the second Regulatory Plan upheld the community’s position, and included the Parque de la Independencia as a green zone intended for public enjoyment of open air recreation. Every town in Costa Rica has a soccer field, a central park where the community meets and has its yearly fiestas. Tamarindo residents want the Parque de la Independencia to remain a soccer field. But the mayor of Santa Cruz wants to build municipal offices and a parking lot in the green zone. His plans also include granting a 20-year concession for a supermarket to the private investors who will fund the project. A contractor broke ground for the municipal building in March of this year, without obtaining a change in land use — an arduous process requiring approval from various government ministries. Neighbors complained to Edwin Ortiz, who is in charge of the maritime zone and the plan regulador for the municipality. Mr. Ortiz ordered the illegal construction to stop. The contractor finally moved out of his bodega, leaving behind construction debris and a badly damaged playing field. On June 3, members of the community met to clean up the construction debris. A small group of neighbors pledged to raise the funds required to make the Parque de la Independencia a beautiful central park, shaded by native trees, with a well-kept soccer field. A park no one would dare to take from the community. The Soccer Patrons donated $5,000 to start the restoration of the soccer field and to reforest the park. The park is not large enough for a regulation soccer field, so members of the committee created a plan for a field suitable for younger players. A landscaping plan for the trees, donated by Hacienda Pinilla, was created by a biologist. Water and electricity were reconnected, and a work crew was hired to get the park prepared for the Saturday, June 24, event. Neighbors began arriving at 8 a.m, with shovels and machetes, ready to work. Overgrown weeds were cleared away from the roadside. The trees planted by the association six years ago were trimmed. Then community members were asked to adopt a tree, and 51 trees were planted around the soccer field. The Adopt a Tree effort raised $1,100, which will be used to make the soccer field. One of the goal posts that had been damaged was welded together and put back in place. Everybody brought food and drinks, and the event concluded around 12 p.m. Just before a gentle rain. June 24 was a great first event. But much more work and money is necessary to achieve our goals. Readers who are interested in making a donation or to be included on the mailing list for future events may contact soccerpatrons@tamarindocommunity.org For further information about the adopt a park program, they may contact the Association Pro Mejoras at directora@tamarindocommunity.org . Thank you from the Soccer Patrons: Brock and Midge Menking,
Helen Acosta, Chris Spilsbury and Rick Macsherry, Kathy and Dale Doshack, Gabriela Valenzuela and Jerry Hirsch, Joe and Elke Bergeron, Rick Nicastro and Sandi May and Nina Weber and Walter Hoevel Sunday is kids' day at Museo nacional By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Sunday is the day for the Festival de la Juventud en el Museo Nacional. Concerts, kung-fu, taichi, origami and many other attractions figure in the program of the day. Sunday is the last day of the mid-year vacation for public school children. Entry is free, and those who come also can visit the exhibitions at the museum, said an invitation. Youngsters also will be able to learn about special interest clubs that are available, including the Sociedad Tolkien de Costa Rica and Club Harry Potter, |
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on our real estate page HERE! |
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Third news page |
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| San José,
Costa Rica, Monday, July 10, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 135 |
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| Purdue history professor says: Walker's ghost still haunts U.S.-Latin relations |
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| EDITOR'S
NOTE: July 12 marks the 150th anniversary of American William
Walker's inauguration as president of Nicaragua. By the Purdue University News Service
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Today's anti-American feelings in Latin America are as much about history as they are about current feuds over oil and leadership issues, according to a Purdue University history professor. "U.S.-Latin American relations suffered a horrific setback 150 years ago, when an audacious Tennessean conquered Nicaragua and plotted to take over other Central American countries," said Robert May, a professor of history. "William Walker may be
May acknowledges that feuds between Latin American countries, like Venezuela, and the United States are fueled by a variety of modern issues and that Walker's filibustering invasions were just a few of many incidents of U.S. armed aggression against Latin American states in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, May is concerned that today's policy-makers are not aware that Walker's actions more than a century ago still strongly resonate among Latin American citizens. During the 1980s, Sandinista leaders referenced Walker's invasion to rally Nicaraguans and world opinion against U.S. policies in Central America. "Because Walker invaded Nicaragua and assumed the presidency, he affected world affairs much like Osama bin Laden has since 2001," May says. "In the United States, Walker regularly dominated newspaper headlines. Books, poems, magazine articles and plays were written about him. "Walker had thoughts of conquering all of Central America once he subdued Nicaragua, and many Americans celebrated his successes as proof of Manifest Destiny — a belief that God intended the |
United States to further expand territorially. He even legalized slavery there." Despite some Americans who supported filibusters, many were critical of Walker. Unfortunately, other countries were convinced that the U.S. government was using filibusters to steal foreign lands, May said. Almost a year after Walker's July 12, 1856, inauguration, Nicaraguans ousted him with the help of armies from other Central American states. In 1860 Walker was executed by a Honduran firing squad when he again tried to invade Central America. This year there will be a number of commemorations in Central America marking Walker's invasion and ouster. In addition, these countries celebrate national holidays that mark the defeat of Walker and his army. A national monument in San José, Costa Rica, even celebrates Walker's defeat, and the international airport in San José is named for a soldier who helped defeat Walker. "During a recent trip to Costa Rica, I became aware that many Costa Ricans share a belief that the Central American Free Trade Agreement is somehow a continuation of Walker's aggressions," May said. "People oppose this free trade agreement partly on that basis, however irrational the correlation might seem, and attack President Bush's intervention in Iraq as a supposed continuation of William Walker's policies. Some Central Americans even make a lot over the fact that Walker's last name is President Bush's middle name. "Americans have forgotten the story about Walker's plundering, but many Central Americans have not." May is author of "Manifest Destiny's Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America," and "The Southern Dream of a Caribbean Empire, 1854-1861." In March, he gave a series of talks in Costa Rica about Walker. |
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| Virgen del Mar fiesta kicked off with port investment |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Sunday was the start of the Fiesta of the Virgen del Mar, the patroness of the nation's fishermen. There was the traditional parade of fishing boats in the harbor with one carrying the image of the Virgin. President Óscar Arias Sánchez was there to sign a document that will allow the reconstruction of the capitanía of the port. The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo will pay 50 million of the 75 million ($146,000) cost, and the Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico will pay the rest. The port hosts a number of cruise ship passengers each year. Arias also participated in the inauguration of the lighthouse at the Iglesia del Barrio El Carmen. The Virgen del Mar is what the port residents call the Virgen del Carmen. The festival dates back to 1913 when a boat, the Galileo, was believed lost at sea. The populace prayed for the crew, and the fishermen showed up having been rescued by another vessel. After his official duties, Arias joined others at the Catedral de Puntarenas where the Conferencia Episcopal de Costa Rica inaugurated the Fiesta de la Virgen del Mar, which will run through Sunday. Arias spoke briefly at the religious service and encouraged Costa Rica to raise its anchors to join in the economic policies he has planned. |
 Casa Presidencial photo
Members of the Conferencia Episcopal de Costa Rica, the
nation's bishops, before the statue of the Virgen del Carmen or Virgen
del Mar Sunday. |
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Fourth news page |
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| San José,
Costa Rica, Monday, July 10, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 135 |
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López Obrador rallies
his followers for electoral fight
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The man who ran a tight second place in the official count from last Sunday's presidential election in México drew more than 100,000 people to Mexico City's main plaza, known as the Zocalo, Saturday to protest what he claims was a fraudulent process. He is leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who asked his supporters to refrain from acts of violence while he pursues legal channels to contest the election results. They came by the tens of thousands, cramming the narrow streets of Mexico City's old central district, waving flags and banners and chanting their disapproval of the official vote result that gave the victory to ruling party candidate Felipe Calderón. Many carried signs condemning Mexico's Instituto Electoral Federal for having, in the view of the protesters, conspired with the ruling party to steal the election from López Obrador. International observers called the July 2 voting process exemplary and representatives of every party were on hand at every voting station in the country to observe the process, which was mostly carried out by volunteers. Still, in his address the crowded Zocalo, López Obrador said he and the millions who support him were victims of a massive fraud. He said he was sure that, in spite of all the anti-democratic practices, he triumphed on July 2. He called on his supporters not to block roads or engage in violent acts that might hurt the cause. He said he would present proof of his accusations to the |
electoral tribunal. The
tribunal is the body established by law for all such complaints and is
also the body that is designated
to officially pronounce the winner of the presidential race Sept. 6.
All complaints brought before the tribunal must be resolved by the end
of August. López Obrador said his assertion that he won the election would be proved by a complete review of the vote. He called for a recount, vote-by-vote and voting booth-by-voting booth. The former mayor of Mexico City did not provide any hard evidence of fraud, but he told reporters earlier in the day that he would do that once he had formally presented his complaint to the election tribunal. Meanwhile, the candidate who won by less than sixth-tenths of a percent, according to the final vote count, Felipe Calderón of the Partido Acción Nacional, is proceeding as if he were already president-elect. He says he will begin forming his transition team Monday. He also received calls of congratulations over the past couple of days from Mexico's current president, Vicente Fox, from President George Bush and from the prime ministers of Spain and Canada. Calderón has called for a government of unity and has reached out to other parties, including those that backed López Obrador, offering to name members of those parties to his cabinet. But López Obrador and his supporters are having none of it, at least for now, and even if the vote challenge fails, Calderón faces a difficult job ahead trying to rule a divided nation where many citizens are likely to remain angry and distrustful for a long time to come. |
| Colombia and U.S. reach accord on wording of a free trade
agreement |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Colombian officials say Bogota and Washington have resolved differences on the wording of a free trade deal reached earlier this year. Colombian Trade Minister Jorge Botero said Friday negotiators had resolved all remaining concerns related to sugar, chicken and other farm products. Botero said the free trade agreement could be signed |
by
President George Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as early as
October. Once signed, the accord would have to be approved by
legislators in both countries. The agreement has its critics. Blaming free trade negotiations between Bogota and Washington, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in April pulled his country out of the Andean Community of Nations. The group is a trade bloc comprising Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. |
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