Franciso Dall'Anese shares a press conference with Luis Paulino Mora Mora, president of the Corte Suprema de Justicia, his former law school professor. Both confirmed that Dall'Anese is resigning to take a job in Guatamala with the United Nations. The court has yet to formally accept that resignation.

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Ornithological Congress
will meet here next week


The second Costa Rican Ornithological Congress will take place next week at the Universidad de Costa Rica. The congress is dedicated to long-time researcher Dan Janzen.

There are workshops on bioacoustics and photography during the mornings of Monday and Tuesday, but the official opening of the conference is Wednesday at 8 a.m. with students’ presentations and then at 2 p.m. with an inauguration. Most presentations will be in Spanish.

Janzen speaks on the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, a project where he had major impact, Wednesday at 2:45 p.m.

The schedule for July 29 and 30 is similar with birdwalks on the university campus before the morning sessions.

Payment is required before July 28. For non-members of the Unión de Ornitólogos de Costa Rica, registration is 20,000 colons for students and 26,000 for non-students. Payment and program details are HERE!


A World with no turtles
could happen at Osa beach

While I applaud you for bringing attention to the appalling situation in Ojochal, the record needs to be set straight about the Municipalidad de Osa. Ciudad ( Puerto) Cortes is the seat of the Canton of Osa, not Puerto Jiménez.  Confusing the political designation of Municipality of Osa with the geographic Peninsula of Osa is very common in Costa Rican media and only proves how little the rest of the country knows about our area. 

The Municipality of Osa goes from Dominical to Rincon, at the beginning of the Peninsula of Osa. Most of the Peninsula of Osa is in the Golfito canton, including Puerto Jiménez.  Countless articles about Osa have used, interchangeably, these two overlapping regions. The rest of the article about the Playa Tortuga squatter problem was completely accurate, and I would not like readers to doubt that truth because of sloppy homework by your writer.

Alexia Maizel and the rest of the Playa Tortuga Marine Turtle Conservation Program staff and volunteers have heroically risked their lives to protect the turtles while the local "authorities"  have enabled the invaders to destroy the mangroves, beach, rivers, wildlife and tranquility of this once- popular beach.

Please continue to follow this story and help our community regain the use of Playa Tortuga for the enjoyment of ALL, especially the turtles. Do we really want a world with no turtles on Turtle Beach?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dennis Rogers, the author of the article, knows better. He was a victim of an editing error.


It's Nicaragua, Iran and Chávez
keeping U.S. eyes on area

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

As an expat pensionado living here full time I would like to clear up some large misconceptions of why the U.S. wants a military presence here.

First of all, the notion that the U.S. wants to control or make Costa Rica a territory, ludicrous, at best. The U.S. has had a defense treaty with Costa Rica for years, which should be welcome with the fact that Nicaragua is now nothing short of a total dictatorship and is allied, with Venezuela, which is now mining uranium for Iran for the purpose of expanding their nuclear weapons program and who is sending secret flights of personnel to Caracas on a monthly basis.

Other than fair trade the U.S. has no other intention other than to stop the flow of drugs and keep a necessary eye out for the security of the region for which no one else can or is capable of doing.

The ships that come here will offer aid and medical treatment for people here as well. To those who say "Yankee Go Home" I can only say "Who Ya Gonna call" when your country's security is threatened by a military power in the area??? We should be glad the U.S. is nearby and willing to be a good, helpful neighbor.

Correos de Costa Rica photos   

traveling of the stone was interpreted to mean that the
Virgin, the mother of Christ, wanted a church built there. The basilica and the spring are part of the same complex. Pilgrims can take water from a tube that is believed to carry spring water. Many do so and fill plastic containers that resemble the statue of the Virgin.

At the basilica the faithful enter the central door on their knees, being so instructed by a sign. They traverse the center aisle that way to come closer to the Virgin, who is encased in precious metal high on the altar. Many women send clothing to the basilica for the benefit of the statute. Such donations are kept in an adjacent room that is much visited.

This year pilgrims receive a special blessing by passing through a large wooden door that was opened in a ceremony Sunday.

The Mass Aug. 2, a holiday, is well attended by politicians and civil leaders as well as the leadership of the clergy.