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| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
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for murdered resident By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Carl D. Brainard was one of the more visible of Nosara residents. He operated the Juice Lab and seems to have had an above-average number of friends. "Carl was a friend and a very jovial guy. . . A shame for us all and for his family," said one Nosara resident. That was a sentiment shared by others. Friends said they were going to gather at the Juice Lab Thursday night for an informal memorial service, complete with candles and beer, a beverage much favored by Brainard, said a friend. Intruders murdered Brainard as he watched over someone else's home in the La Esperanza section of Playa Guiones, the "Gringo section" of Nosara. Such things seldom happen in the upscale Pacific coast town where petty crime is common but cold-blooded murder is not. The hills are full of $1 million-plus homes and the guy in shorts and sandals could be an Oscar winner. Brainard, 72, originally was from Michigan, but he seemed to have been a very visible figure for a long time in Guiones. In addition to dispensing juice and smoothies, he worked as a salesman for Nosara Real Estate for at least two and a half years. Still unclear was who owned the home where the gardener found Brainard's body bound hand and foot Wednesday, but the Toyota Four Runner that was stolen is owned by his long time friend Carly A. Schroeder, according to the Registro Nacional. She is out of the country, according to an employee at the real estate firm. The Judicial Investigating Organization is in charge of the case now, but some residents fear that the isolated condition of Playa Guiones, some 40 kms. from a paved road, will hinder the investigation by agents based in Nicoya. Fugitive from Canada arrested in vehicle here By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police trapped a Canadian wanted to face murder and drug charges there in a coordinated operation Thursday in central San José. The man was identified as Jaime Restrepo, who is Colombian by birth and a naturalized Canadian, agents said. He is known as Jimmy Prado in Costa Rica. He lives in Palmares de Alajuela. Police and International Police Agency agents had him under observation and decided to act today when the man left his house in a motor vehicle. They followed him to Avenida 3 at calles 10 and 12 where undercover police pulled guns on him and forced him from the car. Arias praises renewal of downtown San José By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Mayors from the capital cities of the Iberoamerican countries began a meeting in San José Thursday. Johnny Araya, mayor of San José, is the host for this, the 12th such annual session. In an opening address, President Óscar Arias Sánchez gave support to the "San José posible" project to renew the city. Araya is the prime motivator. Arias noted that slowly signs are coming down, the street vendors have been relocated, trees are being put in and electricity has been put underground. The city soon will set off some 12 square blocks in the center of town for pedestrians only. Our readers' opinions
We are 'must reading' Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I want to compliment you on the excellence of A.M. Costa Rica and all of the progress you have made on this new source since you started. I have been one of your readers from the very beginning. Your news coverage has increased and improved tremendously and is always "must reading" for me! For several years I have been coming to Costa Rica three to four times per year on vacation, and I keep up with the news through A.M. Costa Rica. I see that you are sometimes criticized one way or the other however I respect the professionalism of your journalism and appreciate your importance on objectivity. Bill Edwards
Arlington, Virginia Doesn't want 'early' news EDITOR'S NOTE: This reader objects to our efforts Thursday to keep readers informed on the murder of Nosara resident Carl D. Brainard. Dear A.M. Costa Rica: You guys have become so yellow you are jaundice. Crime is an issue and should be addressed, as it is important to your readers and the Costa Rican society at large. The "early reporting" of a murder smacks of sensationalism, dishonors the victim and, plain and simple, is not newsworthy. Get the facts, report them and then relate them to something that is important to your readership. Make up your freaking mind — are you an online newspaper who reports news or are you just an advertising vehicle that produces muckraking news to support revenue? I am pretty damn disappointed and hope to see a higher level of journalistic integrity. Ben Lazar
Woodstock, GA Ojochal, Costa Rica, property owner |
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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, Friday, July 14, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 139 |
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| Cuba revisited, and some food prices compared |
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| Soon after I sent off
my
column about the cost of living in Cuba as reported by the Cuban consul
in Costa Rica last week, La Nación ran a letter by Huber
Matos. Matos is a Cuban-American living in Miami. He was quoting
prices from a Cuban newspaper to contradict the rosey picture provided
by the consul. A pineapple in Cuba cost 10 pesos (50 cents) or about 255 colones. Hot peppers, five pesos for a half pound. And a garlic head 3.5 pesos. I can buy three heads of garlic here for 100 colones (about 23 cents.) I have no idea how much hot peppers cost, but I am sure a half pound goes a long way. Unfortunately, Matos did not record the price of rice and beans, something Cubans as well as Ticos eat at least once a day, probably more. Another Floridian wrote to me to say that his electric bill is $267 a month and his water bill $150. Then a letter to my editor stated that in Cuba, although there is health care and doctors, people couldn’t fill prescriptions because there are no medicines. Recently here the Caja has been out of medications, including antibiotics. Then I was directed to a blog that stated that every minute an ambulance is turned away from an emergency room in the U.S. According to the article, this is the result of lack of medical insurance by millions of people (including 10 million children). I have never been turned away from an emergency room in Costa Rica. But at Hospital CIMA they didn’t turn me away — they just refused to treat me until I gave them a $1,000 deposit. In the United States the law says emergency hospitals must treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay. That is, if they can admit them in the first place. So perfection has not been achieved by any of the three countries I have talked about. However, in all three, life expectancy is about the same. Probably the lowest infant mortality figures go to Cuba, in spite of no medication. (I am of the opinion that most of us are overmedicated anyway. But that is just my opinion.) As of now, Costa Rica is the only country of the three that has both political freedom and relative security. Meanwhile, more and more people write to me asking if they can live in Costa Rica on a modest income — an income they cannot live on in the States or other fast-track country. (I have decided I don’t like the terms “developed” and “developing” or |
Expats can live in Costa Rica on a modest income if their
needs are
also modest, if they like fruit and vegetables more than meat and
seafood, enjoy rice and beans more than expensive restaurants, don’t
need a new car, a home with all the comforts they were used to, learn
to use their time to save money, and have no costly addictions, like
gambling or consumerism. |
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| Two of three held in murder of Fuerza Pública officer |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two men suspected of being involved in the murder of a Fuerza Pública officer early Sunday are in custody, and a third man is still being sought. The two, identified by the last names of Artavia and Herrera were the objects of a raid Wednesday night in Concepción de Alajuelita, a San José suburb. The men were brought to Limón Thursday for judicial questioning. They had been the subjects of a massive police search of the Caribbean coast. The three men involved in the murder began their night of crime Saturday by robbing a U.S. citizen and |
his female companion at
their home in Puerto Viejo. They took his Isuzu pickup, money and
paintings. They ran into a routine checkpoint being manned by Mario González González at Tuba Creek just a few miles north of Cauhita. The policeman was not expecting fugitives because an alert about the robbery had not yet been broadcast. The suspects have prior records and contact with the police, and police seemed to know who they were even before the arrests. Fernando Berrocal Soto, the security minister, predicted quick arrests in a Tuesday press conference. The emphasis now returns to the Caribbean where police think the third suspect is. |
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Fourth news page |
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| San José,
Costa Rica, Friday, July 14, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 139 |
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| Chávez helps terrorists, U.S. House committee told |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
and special reports Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his government have come in for more criticism during a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday. State Department officials testified that Venezuela supports terrorist groups, and fails to respond to U.S. efforts to build cooperation on anti-terrorist efforts. Venezuela was added earlier this year to the list of countries the U.S. State Department designates as not cooperating fully with anti-terrorist efforts. U.S. Rep. Ed Royce said evidence shows Venezuela maintains close ties with terrorist groups and countries supporting them. "Venezuela under President Hugo Chavez has tolerated terrorists on its soil and has forged close relationships with officially-designated state sponsors of terrorism, for example Cuba, Iran and North Korea," said Royce, a Republican. Royce also sites reports of Venezuelan support for Colombian narco-terrorists, and the use of Venezuelan territory as a safe-haven. Lawmakers are particularly distressed with Venezuela's failure to crack down on forging of passports and other documents. Frank Urbancic is the State Department's principal deputy coordinator for counter-terrorism: "Most worrisome, Venezuelan government officials direct the issuance of documents to ineligible individuals to advance political and foreign policy agendas," said Urbancic. "As a result we are detaining at our borders increasing numbers of third country aliens carrying falsified documents or fraudulently issued Venezuelan documents." |
U.S. officials say a
major outcome of all of this is to place ordinary Venezuelans under
greater scrutiny. Efforts to construct an anti-terrorism dialogue with Caracas have been largely unsuccessful, amid increasing concern about President Chavez' outreach to Iran and North Korea. "Over the past three years, the U.S. embassy in Caracas has submitted roughly 130 written requests for different types of biographical or immigration-related information on potential terrorist suspects, and to date has not received one single substantive response," said Charles Shapiro, principal deputy assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs Key areas of concern for lawmakers include the Chavez government's intensifying ties with Iran and opposition to sending the issue of Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council, as well as fund-raising activities by Hezbollah in Venezuela. Brad Sherman says President Chávez should address these concerns, but also urges U.S. patience: "The U.S. must have patience in dealing with the Chávez government," noted the California Democrat. "Those who talk about taking Chávez down should recognize that it is up to the Venezuelan people to decide who will be their leader." U.S. officials reiterated Washington's opposition to Venezuela obtaining a two-year, non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, something the Chávez government says would help it represent the interests of developing countries. The officials noted that Venezuela's designation as a non-cooperating country in the fight against terrorism, will result in the cutoff of U.S. military equipment sales Oct. 1. |
| Get ready to enjoy the record chunk of cheese at a festival
near Turrialba |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
It's cheese time again in the community of Santa Cruz north of Turrialba. Organizers promise a 260-kilo (572-pound) cheese and a world's record tortilla. That's a good start on a record quesadilla. |
The event is today
through Sunday, and it is sponsored by the
Asociación Pro Fortalecimiento de la Actividad Láctea and
the Instituto
Costarricense de Turismo. Saturday will see a fiesta with masks, musical groups and the effort to make the tortilla. Sunday the big chunk of cheese figures in a parade. |
| Shots are pegged at vendor by two men near Hospital
México |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two men tried to settle a score in front of Hospital México Thursday afternoon. They ran towards their victim firing from pistols. Some of the bullets broke glass in the facade of the |
hospital in west San
José. The victim, a vendor who frequents the area, ran toward the hospital, and the two men followed. Police eventually arrested one, but the second escaped. The victim was unhurt and no reports of injuries came from the hospital. |
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