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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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are going to the dogs By Jesse Froehling
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Humans aren't the only victims of the fake products. Our furry four-legged companions are also being targeted. And perhaps in Costa Rica. Advantage and Frontline, two popular flea and tick products for dogs and cats made by the Bayer Co., have apparently been counterfeited, and the fake products don't work. Bayer Animal HealthCare animal health division has been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for nearly two years to eliminate the illegal products, said a press release issued by the company. According to the company's Web site, the problem thus far has only affected the United States. The company advises customers to buy their products only from a licensed veterinarian. The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered retailers in many states to stop selling counterfeit Advantage products which contain an EPA approval seal. “Protecting the well-being of animals is Bayer Animal Health's first priority, and we have been working diligently with the EPA and the veterinary profession and its leadership to stop counterfeiters,” said John B. Payne. Payne is the president of Bayer HealthCare in North America's animal health division. However, Gerald Thorman of Santa Barbara de Heredia said that when ticks started crawling around on his two miniature poodles, he applied the prescribed dosage from a bottle of Frontline he had picked up from a local veterinarian. After four days, the two pooches were still infested, he said. Officials from Bayer did not return calls requesting information about affected countries outside of the United States, but it appears that the counterfeit products have reached Costa Rica. The difference is, Thorman said, that he bought his pesticide from a veterinarian here. The EPA warning says that the best way to avoid buying counterfeit products is to do just that. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued guidelines that consumers can follow to determine whether or not the product they have bought is legitimate. They have also included a picture of a legitimate package and the affected products on it's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/petproduct.htm. As for the poodles, Thorman and his wife gave them a good scrubbing and picked up another package of Frontline from a different vet. Thorman said the package appeared legitimate as stated on the EPA's Web site, but since the labeling is in Spanish, he won't be positive until his native-speaking wife reviews it. The vet advised him to wait two days before applying the new product. But if all goes well, his dogs should be critter-free in a few days. Man held in death of his father, 65 By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Officials with the Judicial Investigation Organization in San Ramón arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the death of his father. The 65-year-old man, identified by the last name Badilla, died Aug. 14 in Hospital México, officials said. Investigators allege that the young suspect went to his father's house accompanied by his girlfriend. The two got in a fight and the son cracked his father in the head with a board. When the severity of his father's injuries became apparent, the younger man called the Cruz Roja and reported that his father had had an accident, said officials. The father was taken to the hospital where he stayed until he died. When officials with the Judicial Investigation Organization began investigating the case, they found important evidence in the older man's home that suggested that his death was not accidental, officials said. Officials say the father and son lived together in San Ramón but according to other sources, the father lived alone. Death of U.S. citizen subject of investigation By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A United States citizen found dead in the Morazán Hotel has been tentatively identified as Gary Gaudette, 50, said officials with the Judicial Investigation Organization. Gaudette's body was found Saturday approximately 1:15 p.m., said officials. He reportedly entered his room earlier in the day with a woman. She left a short time later and when employees knocked on the door, no one answered, officials said. Upon entry, Gaudette's death appeared natural and none of his money or personal items were missing, officials said. The door was locked from the inside and there were no signs of violence. An autopsy said that Gaudette had died of natural causes but officials are awaiting a toxicology report to determine whether his body had foreign substances in it. Southern Nicoya might return to Guanacaste By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The southern Nicoya Peninsula might get a chance to travel to Guanacaste. This will not be a gigantic earthmoving project but the result of a proposed law in the Asamblea Legislativa. The Comisión Permanente de Gobierno y Administración reported Tuesday a measure that, if passed, would put Lepanto, Cóbano and Paquera in the Provincia de Guanacaste. The communities are on the southern section of the Nicoya Peninsula and now are part of the Provincia de Puntarenas. Also included in the shift would be the various islands in the same area. The area was included with Puntarenas because that is the nearest large city. However, deputies Sigifredo Aiza and María Lourdes Ocampo, who support the measure, say that history is clear in that the original Partido de Nicoya, which is now Guanacaste, included the communities to the south. The entire territory entered into Costa Rica voluntarily in 1824. Not enough for skating By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Thunderstorm activity brought hail to areas south of San José Tuesday. The pea-sized chunks of ice are the product of repeated visits by droplets to the chilly upper atmosphere. In Dos Rios and areas nearby the ice granules covered the ground briefly in the mid-afternoon. |
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with the observations of Dr. Lenny Karpman Click HERE! |
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| An analysis of the news Socialism and nationalism seem to be on the rise |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and special reports A growing wave of socialism laced with nationalism in Latin America and even in Costa Rica seems to be only one part of a series of challenges to democratic order that will put stress on weakened institutions. The situation is being polarized by Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and his flirtation with Cuba's Fidel Castro. They were co-anchoring a television show over the weekend. The drug trade is a contributing factor, compounded by distaste for United States foreign policy and the United States culture. Drugs produce mountains of money, quantities very attractive to Latin politicians and struggling peasants. The situation grew to headline proportions Aug. 22 when Pat Robertson, a U.S. television preacher, while on the air called for the assasination of Chavez. In the middle sits Costa Rica whose social welfare state is being undermined by financial realities. The Feb. 5 presidential elections will be the first time that citizens can make their opinion known. The candidates are divided among internationalist free marketers and those who support a nationalistic welfare state. Already the election is beginning to sound like something from a 1920s Bolshevik propaganda speech. Last week one supporter of the status quo criticized "the totalitarianism of the free market." In Venezuela the populist Chávez seems ready to take on the mantle of the aging Fidel as the defender of the people. He has what Castro never had: lots of money, thanks to his country's oil revenue. Chávez also seems to be trying to become the patron of revolutions in Bolivia and in Colombia where the government and leftist guerrillas have been locked in a 40-year death grip. Chávez cannot support the leftist Colombian rebels without at least turning a blind eye to their lucrative drug trade, some of which appears to come through Venezuela's western states. Briefing the press last week, Scott McCormack, the U.S. State Department spokesman, alluded to the recent unilateral decision by Chavez to suspend counternarcotics cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, despite the two nations' longstanding joint efforts against drug trafficking. McCormack suggested that the United States is concerned about the possibility that the decision may serve to benefit drug traffickers. Lately, "there have been some issues" between the two nations with regard to combating the illegal drug trade, he told reporters. Tensions also have been exacerbated by the harshly anti-American rhetoric often employed by the Chavez administration, he added. "Venezuelan government officials repeatedly have made baseless and outrageous accusations against DEA officials," said McCormack, in a reference to Chavez's unsubstantiated claims that DEA agents have been spying on Venezuela. Previously, Chavez had insisted that the United States was plotting to assassinate him. "We have expressed our concerns to the government of Venezuela on multiple occasions . . . ," said McCormack. The United States has voiced concern about other developments, as well. The Chavez administration's efforts to restrict the press in Venezuela have been condemned by media watchdog organizations and freedom-of-speech advocates, and U.S. officials have described those efforts as harmful to democracy. Of course Chávez accuses the United States of being behind the coup that unseated him briefly in April 2002. Chávez also is bankrolling a satellite television station, Telesur, with support from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The idea is to counter U.S. cultural influences. The U.S. House responded by authorizing broadcasts to Venezuela to counter the influence of Chávez. Both Chávez and anti-U.S. groups here see the Central American Free Trade Agreement and a larger hemispheric pact as colonizing efforts by Washington. The war in Iraq, the disaster in Haiti and the U.S. single-minded anti-drug efforts grate on Latin Americans, and the U.S. has done little and missed many opportunities to ease these concerns. It seems money only flows from Washington to fight guerrillas, fight drug traffickers and to support free trade pacts. Latins resent this. |
So Central and South America are seeking some development model that will sidestep the free market. Some form of nationalistic socialism seems attractive. Chávez is president of Venezuela because of the terrible job former presidents did. He offers the people hope. In Costa Rica two formers presidents are in jail, a third under investigation and the current office holder also is the subject of a probe. This does not engender faith in democracy, and half the electorate says it may not vote Feb. 5. And the appeals of nationalism and socialism are growing here, fostered in part by those who fear they will lose their government jobs if free trade becomes a reality. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been trying to bolster U.S. influence. He visited Paraguay and then Peru last week. Rumsfeld's itinerary in Paraguay included talks with President Nicanor Duarte Frutos on concerns about Cuban and Venezuelan influence in neighboring Bolivia. Bolivian President Carlos Mesa resigned in June after farmers, miners and labor groups staged large protests to demand nationalization of the oil industry and redistribution of energy profits to help the country's poor. Rumsfeld spoke with President Alejandro Toledo of Peru on hemispheric issues and praised him for his leadership in the fight against illicit narcotics trafficking, terrorism and other shared threats. "As we discuss the problems that our respective countries face -- of terrorism, dealing with narcotrafficking, hostage-taking, crime -- we realize that these are problems that no country can deal with alone. It requires regional cooperation," Rumsfeld said at a joint press briefing with Toledo in Lima, Peru. If the Cuba-Venezuela and U.S. rhetorics escalate into actions, Costa Rica will be drawn in as a bit player the same way the country was during the Nicaraguan civil war. Meanwhile, Nicaragua continues to be unstable with President Enrique Bolaños facing a coalition of the right headed by Arnoldo Alemán and of the Sandinista left under Daniel Ortega. Neither Castro nor Chávez can fail to recognize the opportunities there. A socialist beacon is Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose economy has taken off despite recent scandals. But both socialism and extreme nationalism, which concentrate power in the state, also is attractive to those who would rule with a strong hand. The lessons of the Soviet Union seem to have been put on the shelf. Meanwhile, a U.S. State Department official said Tuesday that "any allegations that we are planning to take hostile action against the Venezuelan government are completely baseless and without fact." |
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A
report from CR-Home Realty
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| Soccer legend admits he cheated in World Cup prelim against
England |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Almost 20 years after scoring his controversial "Hand of God" goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals, Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has finally admitted he intentionally struck the ball with his hand. Speaking on his television talk show Monday night, the 45-year-old Maradona admitted he had punched the ball into the net with his hand when he realized he |
could not head it
past England's tall goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. Referees allowed the goal despite protests by England. Argentina went on to win the match 2-1 and eliminate England on the way to winning the World Cup. Maradona said he waited for his team to congratulate him after the goal, and when no one came he told them "Come hug me or the referee isn't going to allow it." |
| Another airline crash kills at least 40 persons near
Peruvian jungle town |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
At least 40 people have been killed in the crash of a Peruvian airliner near the jungle town of Pucallpa. Officials say at least 20 people were reported injured in Tuesday's crash of the Tans aircraft, which was carrying about 98 passengers and crew members. |
One surviving passenger
said the Boeing 737-200 aircraft appeared to
have been affected by bad weather and that 10 minutes before it was due
to land in Pucallpa, it began to shake. The incident comes one week after a Colombian airliner carrying French citizens from Martinique crashed in Venezuela, killing all 160 on board. |
| Gunmen stick up a toll station and end up shooting guard who
drops by |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Robbers gunned down a guard supervisor early Tuesday at the toll station at Búfalo de Limón. The guard, identified by the last name of Rivera, arrived on the scene with his motorcycle after two men had held up and tied up two guards who were |
working
at the toll station, agents said. The time was about 3:15 a.m. When the
armed superviser arrived, the bandits came out of the toll
structure and shot him at least nine times, agents said. He was 31. The criminals took the motorcycles and the supervisor's handgun. All three guards were working for a private firm. |
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