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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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Water as a human right
runs into some trouble By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two parties in the legislature have joined forces to vote down a proposed constitutional addition that says water is a human right, according to Acción Ciudadana, which supports the idea. The two parties are Liberación Nacional and Movimiento Libertario, said Acción Ciudadana in a release. The topic came up on the floor of the legislature Monday but there was no definitive action. The idea that water is a human right has been before lawmakers for five years. Still it is unclear exactly what that means legally. Acción Ciudadana accused President Laura Chinchilla, the Liberación Nacional leader, of throwing out her environmental agenda. In the legislature, Liberación said that an existing law provides ample protection for water. Lawmakers for Acción Ciudadana disagreed. One lawmaker in favor of the measure said that he wanted to make sure that big companies could not buy up all the water rights. After Dall'Anese who? That's the major question By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The big question now is who will replace Francisco Dall'Anesse as the nation's chief prosecutor. Dall'Anese accepted the leadership of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. The commission notes on its Web site that it was established as an independent investigative body by a treaty-level agreement between the United Nations and Guatemala. Now it is up to the Corte Suprema de Justicia to pick a new chief prosecutor or fiscal general. The position is a key element in stemming a growing wave of lawlessness in Costa Rica. The chief prosecutor sets the tempo for subordinates. Dall'Anese came to the position after being a judge. He was a controversial figure. The court magistrates probably will pick someone currently in the Poder Judicial for the position. Colombia marks 200 years of independence from Spain By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The nation of Colombia celebrates 200 years of independence today. It was this day 200 years ago when the junta in Bogotá in what was then Nueva Granada declared independence from Spanish rule. The decision was in response to Napoleon's invasion of Spain. The ruling junta in Cartagena actually declared independence a month before. However the independence day is celebrated on July 20. Prisoner who fled to Texas is being returned to jail By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A prisoner who escaped form the La Reforma facility in Alajuela is being returned from Texas where he fled. He is Raudel Pérez Benzol, a Cuban, who was jailed for theft, fraud and homicide. The man fled the prison Jan. 8, 2009, the same day that a major earthquake struck Cinchona north of Heredia. He did four years of a 16-year sentence, said the Poder Judicial. He will face an additional process for escape, they said. Our reader's opinion
What laws says is differentfrom what actually happens Dear A.M. Costa Rica: In reference to Garland Baker’s story regarding “Heavy Handed Judges...” in Monday’s A.M. Costa Rica, what many expats fail to recognize is how very differently the laws are interpreted and enforced in Costa Rica. Ten years ago when I was considering a business operation in Costa Rica I was advised of the labor laws and even made it a point to read them for myself. Having owned and operated a business in Houston for 25 years which was very employee-oriented with a comprehensive and generous employee benefits package, I was not put off by the required holidays, vacation, aguinaldo and cessation payments for employees. However, when a man I had employed on a contract basis as an agent to manage certain aspects of my business on an interim basis successfully sued me for several thousand dollars when I terminated our arrangement, I learned that what the law says and what actually happens is quite different in Costa Rica. This man actually spent less than eight hours each week on my business, and I had absolutely no control over his schedule or other details of his time, so obviously it never entered my mind that he was due vacation pay, etc. I think many expat men find themselves in the same situation with their new Costa Rican mates. They think, “I’m not going to mistreat or neglect her, so I don’t have anything to worry about,” not considering that they have no control over what she decides to do and say. Hence the nasty repercussions so many of them are faced with. I don’t have any sage advice for the hapless, only a word of warning to remember: “You are no longer in Kansas, Toto.” Bess Herzog
Rio Cuarto, Grecia, Alajuela Houston, Texas
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| Squatters take over beach land, and government fails to act |
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By Dennis Rogers
Special to A.M. Costa Rica A deadline has passed for the removal of squatters occupying public beaches and private property in Ojochal, with no action by authorities to evict them. Beach zones at various places in the Osa municipality have been occupied for some time. The central government comptroller made the order in 2007 and gave an extension with Osa mayor Alberto Cole theoretically facing criminal action for failing to comply. Cole did not return phone and e-mail messages requesting comment. The municipality has its seat in the town of Puerto Jiménez, with jurisdiction over the coastline around the Osa peninsula up to the town of Dominical. Until the recent completion of the Costanera highway, the western part was difficult to access, and still requires a substantial drive. The layout of some Pacific coastal municipalities reflects a time when boat travel was the main way of getting around. In Costa Rica, municipalities are in charge of the first 200 meters from high tide which is exclusively state property. The first 50 meters is public. It is possible to lease out the next 150 meters, but to do so requires environmental review among other prerequisites. This mechanism is a constant source of corruption in municipalities on both coasts. The first squatters took over the area near Playa Tortuga and the mouth of the Río Tortuga in 2007. They have since grown in numbers, with damage to mangrove and streamside vegetation, and shacks built nearly on the beach, reports from the local environmental ministry office show. Most damage is actually in the river’s protection zone rather than the beach itself. |
Beach vegetation has also been
damaged by a local huckster selling residential lots well into the
50-meter zone. Diego Arias of the municipality’s coastal zone section said there can be no permits or concessions approved since there is no management plan ready for the area. The squatters also have electrical power. The government electric company, the Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad known as ICE, put in a meter by the Río Tortuga bridge. The illegal residents could then string wire through the trees of the also-protected riparian zone to the beach. Asked why ICE put in power when a building permit is required, Arias said the municipality can’t do anything if the electric company “irresponsibly installs a meter there.” A complaint by locals was supposedly referred to ICE’s legal department in San José. Alexia Maizel, who is organizing a biological research center and wildlife refuge in the area, says the squatters have threatened neighbors and other users of the beach. These locals complain of negligible police response to their problems. The squatters are also involved in poaching, particularly eggs of the sea turtles that nest there. According to Ms. Maizel, one individual brazenly digs up nests in front of the researchers, knowing they have no authority to intervene. The southern Pacific coast is also a center for international drug trafficking, and one of the researchers’ “anti-poaching” patrols recently was shot at when out at night on the beach. To add insult to injury, Playa Tortuga is not eligible for the “Bandera Azul” awarded to clean beaches with the squatters present. |
| Here is an example of the
corner signs that will be put up in 16,000 locations, thanks to a
donation by two state banks. |
 Banco Nacional photo
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| Banks front the money for putting signs in San José
Centro |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
That street over there where the kids hang out in front of the pulpería really does have a number, even though experienced taxi drivers are hard-pressed to remember it. But no more. The Municipalidad de San José and two state banks signed an agreement Monday that will lead to the erection of some 16,000 street signs in the central canton of San José. The signs are based on a decree benefiting Correos de Costa Rica, which promises street numbers soon. The job will cost 600 million colons with Banco Nacional and Banco de Costa Rica sharing the costs, according to the agreement. The cost is about $1.2 million based on today's dollar exchange rate. Each of the signs will carry the number of the street or |
avenida as well as the the
popular name. For example, Paseo Colon is Avenida
Central and Calle 9 is the Paseo de los Estudientes. The sign also will
contain the name of the district, such as Carmen or Hospital. Although
officials did not show an example containing the bank names, the deal
provides for the two institutions to put their logos on the signs. Fernando Naranjo, general manager of Banco Nacional, said that the signage will help commerce as well as tourism. He said Costa Rica is known internationally as a joke in the way directions are given. Most directions cite landmarks and distances in meters. Frequently the landmark vanished long ago. Mayor Johnny Araya emphasized that the banks had made a donation and not a loan. The next step is to open a bidding process to fabricate and hang the signs. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, July 20, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 141 | |||||||||
 Observatorio Vulcanológico y
Sismológico de Costa Rica/E. Duarte
Glow from the new crater depends on the
availability of oxygen.
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| Goal was to find out why the volcano
was giving off a glow |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Every once in awhile, residents in the Central Valley can see a red glow emanating from the new crater on Volcán Turrialba to the east. The glow also can be seen on the Web cam installed at the summit of the mountain. Scientists said that there did not seem to be a reason for the glow from the cavity, and they wanted to find out why it increased and decreased in intensity. At its peak, the glow can be seen some 40 kms away, they said. That's about 25 miles. The temperature around the crater is between 520 and 580 C. (968 and 1076 F), according to the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica. Scientists |
from the
Universidad Nacional observatory were there earlier this month to check
out the temperature in an unusual way. The scientists put a piece of lead in a steel container and lowered it on a steel cable into the mouth of the cavity and kept the container there for five minutes. There was no surprise that the lead melted. The material melts at 327 C or 620 F. Eventually from observation scientists concluded that gas from an adjacent volcano mouth was blocking the oxygen that helps create the glow. Only when a strong wind blows away the heavier gases from the adjacent cavity does the glow appear. It can be 40 meters high, they said. That's about 130 feet. |
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| Senate passes bill to protect citizens
from foreign libel suits |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U. S. Senate has unanimously approved bipartisan legislation to protect American journalists, authors and publishers from foreign libel lawsuits that undermine the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees free speech and freedom of the press. The free speech bill's chief sponsor, Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, hailed the passage, saying the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the cornerstone of American democracy. "It is the basis of our democracy. It guarantees us the right to practice any religion we want, or none if we want," he said. "And it protects the right of free speech. Those protections guarantee diversity. And if you have a constitution that guarantees diversity, you guarantee a democracy. And that is what this does." The unanimous voice vote sends the bill back to the House of Representatives for final approval. From there it would go to President Barack Obama to be signed into law. Approval is expected because there is broad, bipartisan support for the legislation. Senator Leahy said libel judgments in certain foreign courts are undermining freedom of speech and are having a chilling effect on open debate in the United States. He said the bill would prevent U.S. courts from becoming a tool to undermine the Constitution. |
The law was
modeled on a New York state law that was inspired by author
Rachel Ehrenfeld who faced a libel lawsuit in Britain over her book
"Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop
It." Ms. Ehrenfeld refused to go to London to be tried under what she calls "archaic, plaintiff-friendly" libel laws. The new law passed in the Senate would not allow U.S. courts to enforce foreign libel judgments against U.S. defendants when they are inconsistent with First Amendment protections. Michael Macleod-Ball, American Civil Liberties Union chief legislative and policy counsel, welcomed Senate passage of the bill as an important, bipartisan step forward for free speech. He said the practice of filing libel lawsuits in countries that have weaker free speech protections, a practice known as libel tourism, is increasing with the ease of electronic communications, and that Britain is a popular place to file such lawsuits. "The United Kingdom has traditionally had libel laws that just don't stand up under the free speech tests that are accepted internationally," he said. Macleod-Ball says he hopes that passage of the legislation in the United States will not only protect Americans' right to free speech, but that it will also inspire other countries to enact laws that protect freedom of speech around the world. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, July 20, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 141 | |||||||||
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Latin American news Please reload page if feed does not appear promptly |
OK to leave Hospital CIMA By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
José María Rico, the husband of President Laura Chinchilla, got approval Monday to leave Hospital CIMA where he was treated for a broken hip, said Casa Presidencial. Juri Navarro Polo, the hospital's medical director, said that Rico will require nursing assistance at his home as well as therapy. Rico spent eight days in the hospital after he was airlifted in from Punto Isleta where he and his wife were visiting friends to watch the World Cup finals. Rico is supposed to rest and have few visitors in the coming days, Casa Presidencial said. Real estate firm specializes in commercial properties Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Costa Rica real estate brokerage is an industry that has evolved without legislation or other common industry shaping factors. Even the most sophisticated real estate brokers have historically operated as generalists, differentiated solely by geographic coverage. This paradigm is changing in the commercial real estate and investment property sector, as maturity drives industry specialization, according to Marc Schweitzer, a broker who deals exclusively with commercial properties. Several well-established brokers have acquired franchise rights to leading commercial real estate brokerage brands over the last two years. However, the majority of these firms still derive the majority of their revenue from marketing residential homes, condos and lots, said Schweitzer. None of these firms has yet to offer a broad portfolio of commercial property listings on their Web sites, he added. They are establishing niche marketing turf, with long-term plans to offer specialized expertise across the primary commercial real estate segments such as office space, warehouse properties, retail and income-producing investment property, he added. In contrast, Schweitzer said his firm, Costa Rica Commercial, specializes exclusively in commercial space and investment properties. This firm commenced operations about a year ago, with strategic intent to dominate this maturing market niche, said Schweitzer. The Web site is the first bilingual one to exclusively market Costa Rica commercial real estate and investment property, he added, noting that it contains more than 300 commercial and investment property listings. The Escazu-based firm has grown rapidly and currently has seven brokers on staff, he said. Schweitzer, who is the president, brings more than 20 years of Latin American business experience to Costa Rica Commercial. His professional experience includes 10 years with Price Waterhouse and five years as a senior corporate officer with a global Fortune 250 company. Have a new business? A.M. Costa Rica publishes a news report on any expat or expat-related business in Costa Rica. |
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