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had ties to United States By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Intruders tied up and killed an elderly man in Moravia Tuesday or early Wednesday. The victim had links to the United States and told neighbors that he received a pension from there. The death took place in a home on a quiet street in the community north of San José almost on the border with Guadalupe. There did not appear to be forced entry although a gate to a parking area was ajar, a neighbor said. Neighbors said that the victim, identified by the last names of Montes Salazar would invite young guests to visit. Police are seeking information among these acquaintances. It was unclear whether or not the man was a U.S. citizen. Police said they believe the man was suffocated. That was what happened to Carl D. Brainard, a U.S. citizen whose body was found in the Pacific coast community of Playa Guiones near Nosara July 13. The car, stolen by whoever killed Brainard turned up in Tibás, which is not far from the most recent crime scene. Police reported that items appeared to have been taken from the Moravia home. Election tribunal warns of political publicity By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones is telling public officials that they cannot promote their work until after the Dec. 3 municipal elections. The country's election code prohibits the executive branch, decentralized offices and state companies from making announcements about their own management." The only information permitted is that of an indispensable technical nature and material related to an essential public service, according to the code. The first possible violator of this prohibition that went into effect Aug. 2 could be the Arias administration, which provides televised messages each Sunday about what transpired the previous week. The Tribunal also notified companies that do public opinion polling that they must register by Thursday and promise to treat all political parties equally. The Tribunal seeks to insure objective polling, it said. The prohibition against self-promotion and publicity, if broadly interpreted, would silence the central administration, perhaps restricting any notices to tiny type in the La Gaceta official newspaper. The election code clause also seems to conflict with the Constitution and enjoyment of free speech. The Tribunal issued its statement after being contacted by reporters on the matter. The issuance of a press bulletin suggested that election officials might try to enforce the ruling. Executive branch organizations send out dozens of press bulletins every day. The Arias government said Wednesday it would ask the Tribunal to give an "authentic" interpretation of the section of the code. Applying this rule would leave the government unable to communicate to the public its position on matters like the free trade treaty with the United States and other important legislation, said Rodrigo Arias, minister of the Presidencia. He contended that the prohibition in the code only related to national elections, not municipal. The government may seek a change in the section of the code through legislation. Hotels in pilot program report electrical savings By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Five hotels on the central Pacific coast say they have reduced electrical consumption some 24 percent in a pilot project to save power. The project began in 2005 and involved Sí Como No, Parador, Club de Mar, Best Western Jacó and Marriott Los Sueños, said a news release. The strategy to save power came from the Fundación Red de Energía and two Dutch firms. The savings came from training and also analysis of power use. More than 50 percent of a hotel's power needs is electricity, the release said. A 24 percent savings in energy translates to a 1.5 percent increase in net income for the hotels involved, the release said. Savings like this can be used to help hotels earn their sustainable tourism certification from the Instituto Costarricenese de Turismo, said the release. Another project is being planned for hotels in the mountains. Patrols for illegal fishing beefed up at Isla del Coco By the A.M.
Costa Rica wire services
The security ministry said that patrols will be increased around Parque Nacional Isla del Coco to prevent illegal fishing. Last weekend the Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas joined forces with two other organizations to maintain a 12-mile radius sweep of the national park. Also involves was the Área de Conservación Marina Isla del Coco and Asociación MarViva. In all, five boats were on patrol. Long-line fishermen like to work in and around the island because it has an abundance of fish. But such activity is illegal in a national park. The Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública, which is the parent organization to the coast guard, said such fishing and fishing with nets is doing serious damage to the underwater plant growth and creatures like turtles. rays and sharks. The ministry said that many boats have foreign crews that earn much less than Costa Rican fishermen. The patrolling crews seek to board vessels and check their paperwork, the ministry said. So far this year, 15 cases have been reported to prosecutors involving illegal fishing, the ministry said. |
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Third news page |
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| San José,
Costa Rica, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 168 |
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| Photo exhibit highlights landmark buildings of NYC |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and special reports A traveling photo exhibit, "The Landmarks of New York," opens tonight at the Galería Nacional del Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura, otherwise known as
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times of one American city from its origins through the Colonial and
early national periods to its subsequent emergence as a metropolis. Illustrating the link between architecture and other aspects of national life, Ms. Diamonstein-Spielvogel singled out a photograph of the Asch Building, where, in 1911, some 146 clothing factory workers lost their lives in the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist fire, an event that led to the introduction of workplace and social reform laws and regulations. Ms. Diamonstein-Spielvogel served for 17 years on the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, a body established in 1965 by the city’s pioneering landmark preservation ordinance. More common today, landmark laws typically permit the local, state or federal government to designate as “landmarks” privately owned properties that possess special historical, cultural or aesthetic value. No landmark may be altered, reconstructed or otherwise changed without the approval of a specially appointed landmarks commission or similar body. Although landmark laws have proven controversial, in 1978 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the New York landmark ordinance when the owners of the Grand Central Station (depicted in the Landmarks of New York exhibit) challenged the Landmark Commission’s refusal to allow construction of a 55-story office tower on the roof of that railroad terminal. Ms. Diamonstein-Spielvogel also has written a book that illustrates more than 1,100 buildings. |
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| Sirens to share their wisdom at a Calderón Guardia
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The ceramics of Emily Gassenheimer de Friedlander, a U.S. citizen who has lived here 20 years, will be featured this month at the Museo Calderón Guardia in Barrio Escalante. The exhibit is entitled "Sabiduría de Sirenas" or wisdom of the sirens. The artist has a long list of public exhibitions both here and the United States. One of the standout pieces of the exhibit, which opens Tuesday, will be a six-foot reclining mermaid or siren. It is characterized as being of mixed ceramic media. The artist said on her Web site that her work is "influenced by the visual aesthetic elements of nature, but also by the spiritual and emotional elements of our physical world." The ceramics in her portfolio seem to have a strong |
 Ceramic mermaid is 72 inches long
influence of Costa Rican creatures. In addition to ceramics, the exhibition will include collages. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is 100 meters north and 100 meters east of the Iglesia Santa Teresita in northeast San José. |
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Fourth news page |
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| San José,
Costa Rica, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 168 |
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| 136 more luxury condos being readied in Excazú |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
If you thought Escazú has an overabundance of condos, guess again. Executives of the Spanish firm Grupo Inmobiliario Diursa will be in town next week to kick off promotion of their $30 million project in Guachipelín and announce an opening date. The company is building some 136 luxury condos. The project, called El Cortijo Los Laureles, is contained in four towers of eight floors each. Ulpiano González, the firm's president, will be among those who visit. The company is well known for developing residential and commercial projects in Spain. The project will include swimming pools, commercial space, a gymnasium and similar. It is expected to be finished next year. Escazú, particularly in the vicinity of San Rafael, has a number of condo structures that have not been sold out despite having been on the market for years. In addition, there are significant condo |
 Rendering of finished project
projects in Sabana Oeste with sales prices in the $200,000 range and along the Circumvalación to the west are other projects. Guachipelín is a good location for those who love the beach but still want to be in the Central Valley. Eventually the highway to Caldera will be completed from Ciudad Colón to the Pacific greatly decreasing travel time. |
| Shannon says transition in Cuba is in 'slow motion' |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Bush administration says Cuba is undergoing a de facto political transition while President Fidel Castro recovers from surgery and that it is up to the Cuban people to decide the future of their country. The State Department's top official for Latin America held a press briefing Wednesday. He is Tom Shannon, assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs. The United States is watching developments in Cuba with particular interest since President Fidel Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother, Raul, more than three weeks ago, he said. Shannon has been outspoken on Cuba. "We believe that what we are seeing in Cuba today is effectively a slow-motion transfer of power," he said. "That Fidel Castro, given his age and given the kind of health crisis he went through, does not appear, at least, to be in a position to return to the day-to-day |
management of affairs
that he had effectively enjoyed for so many decades." Fidel Castro turned 80 last week, and Cuban officials marked the occasion by releasing photographs of the president, the only solid evidence up to that point that Castro was alive. Shannon says, while Cuba waits to see what becomes of the man who led the island since the 1959 Communist revolution, the institutions of Cuba's totalitarian system are in a period of negotiation over power-sharing duties. The assistant secretary of state says the United States has a role to play in helping steer Cuba towards democracy, but it is a role that must be played from the sidelines. "Cuba's future has to be determined by the Cuban people," he added. "Ultimately, no political solution can be imposed from the outside. It is imperative that the Cuban people be able to choose their future." |
| Red Cross in Ecuador issues appeal as volcano gets ready to
blow again |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Red Cross leaders in Ecuador have issued an emergency appeal for more than $500,000 to help provide relief to those affected by last week's volcano eruption. The Red Cross said Wednesday that the funds will be used to provide food and other aid for up to 1,000 families over the next four months. The emergency appeal comes nearly a week after the Tungurahua volcano 130 kms, (80 miles) south of Quito exploded, destroying nearby villages and displacing thousands of people. At least five people died. The president of the Ecuadorian Red Cross, Juan Cueva, says the volcano's ashes are already causing |
health problems,
including
respiratory infections. The organization is also working to protect
people from contaminated water. Cueva says psychological support is also needed for victims experiencing trauma from the disaster. Earlier, Ecuador's President Alfredo Palacio promised that Ecuador would "rise like a phoenix from the ashes." Volcano experts have warned that the volcano is poised for another eruption. Tungurahua is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. The 5,000-meter (16,400-foot) tall volcano sent huge columns of ash into the air in 1999, forcing the evacuation of 17,000 area residents of the town of Banos, to the north. |
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