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| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, July 20, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 143 | |||||||||
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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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by bandits at Quepos hotel By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two hotel guests on their honeymoon in Quepos became victims of robbers in their own room Tuesday. The Fuerza Pública and the Judicial Investigating Organization said that the pair were in their room when two armed men broke in and beat up the man. The victims were identified as husband and wife Chris Brundritt and Katherine Brideh, said police, adding that they were U.S. citizens. It was Tuesday about 11 p.m. in Villa 9 of the Hotel Pájaro Azul when the intruders entered and began to beat up the man in the face and head, said police. They took $400. jewelry, a cell phone and credit cards before fleeing, said police. Officers confirmed that the pair were on their honeymoon. Tamarindo will seek out mosquito breeding places By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tamarindo will hold a community cleanup Tuesday to try to rid the area of the breeding places of mosquitoes that carry dengue. The cleanup is being organized by the Asociacion pro Mejoras de Playa Tamarindo, although they are urging all residents to join in. Dengue has reached epidemic proportions in Costa Rica this year with more than 8,000 cases now reported from the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Health officials in Limón on the Caribbean coast are going so far as to conduct house-to-house searches, looking inside each living unit to make sure that there are no standing puddles of water. They also are spraying, but health officials say that the insecticide is only 50 percent effective against adult mosquitoes and overuse can cause problems with humans. Tamarindo on the northwest Pacific coast will attack the Aedes aegypti mosquito at the spots where it breeds: old pots, tires and other trash that holds water. A release by the association said it also was directing its plea to those in charge of construction sites where a lot of trash may be found. Crooks use air tragedy to steal data on computers By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A heartless Internet thief has linked a message about the TAM air tragedy in Brazil with a Web page that will send a damaging program into the computer of a visitor, an Internet company said. The possible attack was reported by Websense, Inc., a company that makes software filters and security programs for the Web. The company said that a message in Spanish is going around the Internet suggesting that the recipient might have a relationship with one or more of the persons killed in the air crash in Sao Paulo this week. It gives information to contact a program of help for victims' families and includes a Web link. Those who click on the Web link can invite a harmful trojan program into their computer, said the company. The trojan program can steal personal information like passwords. The e-mail origin of the message appears to be Korea, but company officials said they think that the Web server there was compromised and that the real thieves are in Brazil. Curent information about the air crash is HERE. Flamenco night will benefit animal protection association Special to A.M. Costa Rica
A Flamenco show Aug. 2 will benefit the Asociación Nacional Protectora de Animales. The 8 p.m. show will be by dancers from the Compañia de Flamenco Paulina Peralta. All funds raised from this event will help the association with its various projects: spay/neuter campaigns, education, and rescuing mishandled animals, said a release. The event is at Bar Cavale which is sponsoring the event along with the company that sells the kitchen product Cloro Los Conejos. Each ticket costs 2,000 colons and includes the performance as well as an entry to a raffle where prizes will be awarded. Tickets are available at the association main offices in San José south of the Judicial Investigating Oreganization building (255-2722) and at Bar Cavale. Bar Cavale’s address is from la Rotonda de las Garantias Sociales en Zapote, 200 meters east. More information can be obtained by contacting Tatiana Peralta at Winners Circle Media at 301-1261 or by e-mail at Tatiana@WinnersCircleMedia.com. Casas tried to dispel myths over financing campaigns By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation's second vice president was in the legislature Thursday in an effort to dispel what he said were myths about election financing. He is Kevin Casas and he was before the Comisión de Reformas Electorales y Partidos Políticos. Casas did an academic thesis on election financing. The commission is considering changes to the election code. He said one myth was the supposed gigantic increase in spending in modern elections. He said he compared expenses in the 1978 and 1998 national elections. He said that in constant dollars political parties spent $20 million in the 1978 election and just $16 million in 1998. In per capita terms that is $25 per voter in 1978 and $8 per voter in 1998, he said. Casas also said another myth was the election subsidy to political parties. In 1953 there was a subsidy of $23 for each voter but only $5.60 per voter in 2002, he said. Casas said that one current problem was the absence of state financial support for candidates for local offices, like mayor. Cartago band playing in David By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Banda Nacional de Cartago is in David, Panamá, and plans a concert for 7 o'clock tonight in the recently inaugurated Plaza Cervantes. Saturday the band will play a concert in the community of Bugaba.
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| We had another great month for readership in June. We served up more than 1 million pages. If you do business in Costa Rica, you should be seeking customers here! |
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on our real estate page HERE! |
| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, July 20, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 143 | |||||||||
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| Ties that bind need replacing Not often in the railroad business can you risk being hit by an automobile. These workers are replacing wood ties in the line near Plaza Víquez in San José. The passenger train has been a success carrying customers the length of the Metropolitan area. But some of the infrastructure is old. |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Saray Ramírez
Vindas
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| TEC's
rector rejects leave and will continue anti-treaty fight |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The rector of the technology institute not only will not take a leave of absence to fight against the free trade treaty, he said he sees his efforts as being consistent with the mission of the university. He is Eugenio Trejos, who issued a release through the press office of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica saying that he was reaffirming the autonomy of the university. The press office, part of the university, has been active for months in promoting opposition to the trade treaty with the United States. A group that favors the trade treaty said Wednesday that Trejos should not spend public money or take a public salary while he fights against the trade treaty. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones has said that public funds and public work time should not be used by either side in the |
campaign leading up to the
Oct. 7 referendum. Trejos, however, said the autonomy of his university, one of four such public schools in the country, was protected by the Costa Rican Constitution. He said that one of the goals of the university is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the Costa Rican people and solve the major problems of the country in search of a more just society. He said his opposition to the free trade treaty was consistent with these ends. Trejos holds his job because he was elected by the university community. He just won re-election so he has at least four years to serve. There is no indication what other university resources are being used to oppose the free trade treaty. |
| And then there are the positive points of assisted living |
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| There are some aspects
of
assisted living that are very seductive. Like being able to hand a
basket of dirty laundry to the maid who comes in to clean in the
morning and have it returned, all pressed, including the sheets, in the
afternoon. Or having the driver ready to take you when you need
to keep an appointment with the doctor or a clinic. Or sometimes
just if you have to go into town. It is quite nice to have my meals prepared and served by someone else. Although I am still complaining about the food, finally I am being served a breakfast to my liking — crisp toast of pan integral, a nicely fried egg or cereal, fresh orange juice and a bowl of mangos or other fruit. All it took was a bit of patience and politeness on both sides. I realize that all of this is available were I to live in an apartment, but here I do not have to keep opening my purse to pay for these “assists”. Nor do I have to remember to pay for my electricity, phone, TV and Internet each month. These, too, can be paid automatically by my bank, but even then I have to remember to keep enough money in my account! I thought about all of this when, for the first time I went walking around downtown San Antonio de Belén. Tom, a new acquaintance, who lives in Belén, had told me about the various good restaurants in town, and generally extolled the charms of the area. He was so impressed by the residence during the tour I took him on, that I began to see the place through different eyes, and although it amused me that he called our apartments “villas,” I like the idea. Some beautiful kitchen items and furniture were on display in the windows of Shafer’s, the department store on the corner of the main street. There was the white mixing bowl I have been looking for for years. Sadly, I accepted the fact that I have no use for it now. I have never been addicted to shopping, but if there is such a thing as a window shopping addiction, I have a problem. My constant phrase is “Solo estoy mirando.” (I am only looking.) And believe me, sales clerks dread me far more than they do shopping addicts. So, although I mourn my lost kitchen and all of its gadgets, I have the exercise room with its implements that are doing me more good than a kitchen. And, of course, at this particular place, there is the Spanish Country Club, where I can |
play pool or miniature golf for a small fee
or swim or even take dancing lessons for free. I hate to think I am losing my love for and loyalty to San
José.
After all, I wrote a whole book dedicated to it! But Belén
does have
its charms, not the least of which is the climate. Being about
700 feet lower than San José it is just that
much warmer, which means I don’t have to change clothes when I go for a
walk. Exercise walking is easy, too, even in the rain, since all
of
the walkways in the residence and at the club are covered, and the wind
is not nearly as strong here. I noticed that walking in downtown
San
Antonio was not as easy as in San José. I am not familiar
with the
sidewalks (and one must always watch out for irregularities in the
sidewalk, not to mention potholes.) Being just that much warmer
here
is not an asset when the sun is out and you are walking in the town. Jo’s book, “Butterfly in the City: A Good Life in Costa Rica,” is available at the 7th Street Book Store, Lehmann’s and Liberia Internacional. Or contact Jostuart@amcostarica.com |
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| Advertise here, save trees and don't blow 70 percent of your ad budget on newsprint |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
A.M. Costa Rica rates Display and classified rates have increased as of June 18, 2007. The average display increase is between 6 and 8.5 percent. This is the first rate increase in the six-year history of the newspaper. The new rates are posted here: As usual, the bulk of any income goes to get you a better newspaper. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, July 20, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 143 | |||||||||
| Aviation
officials in Brazil reject closing busiest airport |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Brazilian prosecutors are seeking to suspend flights at the country's busiest airport while investigators study a plane crash that killed at least 189 people. Aviation officials have pledged to address safety concerns, without halting service at the key airport. Federal prosecutors filed a motion to halt operations at Congonhas airport one day after the TAM Airlines jet flew off a runway and burst into flames. Prosecutors asked a judge to suspend flights until aviation officials can ensure that it is safe to continue operations at the airport, in the heart of Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo. Jose Carlos Pereira, the president of Brazil's aviation authority, Infraero, said halting flights at the nation's busiest airport would be an excessive and radical measure. He said any suspension would affect the 20 million passengers who use that airport, and said it could trigger chaos in the airline industry. Flights resumed at Congonhas airport early Wednesday, but aviation officials say the runway involved in the crash will remain closed until an investigation is complete. TAM airline executives said the Airbus 320 aircraft was in perfect condition and the pilots were experienced. Recovery efforts were continuing at the site where the plane left the runway, crossed a busy city street and crashed into a cargo terminal and gas station. Officials say the bodies of most of the victims have been recovered, but |
work is slow because of fears that
the heavily damaged buildings may collapse. Brazilian investigators are working with experts from the plane's maker, Airbus, as well as officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Jim Hall, a former chairman of the U.S. agency, said the probe into the crash will consider numerous factors, including rainy conditions at the time of the accident. "They will be looking at the runway, the runway surface," said Hall. "They will be looking at weather information that was available, weather radar . . . the transmissions between the tower and the aircraft." Earlier this year, airport officials resurfaced the runway used by the TAM flight, but they said workers had not yet cut grooves into the pavement to help channel rain water. Hall said he has flown into Congonhas airport, and said he recalls that it has a very short runway and is located in a dense urban area. He said Brazilian officials have been aware of safety concerns for some time. "The main concern is the length of that runway and a lack obviously of any type of adequate safety area at the end of the runway," he added. Hall says one possible safety measure is placing a surface called "crushable concrete" at the end of the tarmac to help stop runaway airplanes. He said several U.S. airports use the material that allows a plane's wheels to sink in, and slow the aircraft down. |
| Popular
ex-dictator Manuel Noriega wanted by home country of Panamá, too |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Panamá says it still wants former dictator Manuel Noriega sent back to his native country after he is released from a U.S. prison in September. U.S. prosecutors filed a request Tuesday to have Noriega extradited to France on behalf of the French government. Noriega was convicted in France in absentia in 1999 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. He faces a 10-year prison sentence and a multi-million dollar fine. The former dictator has also been convicted in absentia in Panamá for the 1985 murder of dissident leader Hugo Spadafora. Panamanian Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis |
says his government expects its
extradition
request to be honored. Noriega's attorney Frank Rubino says his client is protected under the Geneva Convention because a judge has declared him a prisoner of war. Under the convention, a prisoner of war who has served his sentence must be sent back to his native country. U.S. forces captured Noriega after invading Panama in 1989. He was convicted in 1992 on drug trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy charges. His scheduled release follows the conclusion of most of his 30-year prison sentence. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, July 20, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 143 | ||||||
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