A.M. Costa Rica

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These stories were published Friday, Aug. 26, 2005, in Vol. 5, No. 169
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Another violent death in Oreamuno
Small community struggles to understand what's happening
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

In Barrio Mata de Mora, Oreamuno, the people are living a nightmare, and they don't know why.

This is the community near Cartago where a schoolgirl was found dead Monday, the apparent victim of a murder.

Wednesday night someone grabbed Luis Gerardo Víquez, wrapped him in barbed wire, shoved a vehicle tire around his neck, doused it with gasoline and set it and him on fire. The 32-year-old victim sought help from a neighbor. Rescue workers took him to Hospital San Juan de Dios in San José where no one expects him to survive. He had second and third degree burns over 90 percent of his body.

Meanwhile, residents of the tidy barrio are continuing to receive anonymous threats via the telephone as are students in the seventh and eighth level of Liceo Braulio Carrillo, the school attended by dead 15-year-old Rosibel Sánchez Ulloa. The school is also where her funeral took place midday Wednesday.

The uncertainty is so strong that some residents are sending their children to live
with relatives elsewhere. Uncertainty even  envelops the death of Miss Sánchez. No obvious cause has been found yet — much less a motive. She vanished on the way to school Aug. 18.

A female classmate reported that a street vendor warned her beforehand that she would be crying for the loss of someone she loved.

The overriding question now is was the attempted execution of Víquez connected with the death of the girl? Police at the scene found a photo of the dead girl in his hat that had fallen near the site where he was intercepted. Víquez is the godfather of a sister of the dead girl. And the photo may have been one that was distributed after the girl was reported missing.

Agents also found a plastic one-liter bottle half filled with gasoline. The bottle was believed used on Víquez in the attack, a technique known as necklacing.

Many of the facts of the case are missing because residents of the area are reluctant to talk. But one witness to the burning of Víquez told police that at least one man dressed in black was responsible and that he fled in a black pickup.


Coco man grabbed to face charges of selling meth to minors
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

A United States citizen wanted by the FBI to face charges of selling methamphetamine to minors was arrested in Playas del Coco Wednesday evening.  He had been living as a perpetual tourist in Costa Rica since February of 2004. 

The man, Jonathan Dirk Dodson, of Boring, Ore., is charged with five counts of delivering methamphetamine to minors, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm during a crime, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, according to a federal indictment.  The crimes date back to June 2000, the indictment said.  A lawyer estimated that if Dodson is convicted of all counts, he will face approximately 20 years in jail. 

A number of police agencies participated in the arrest including INTERPOL, the International Police Agency, the Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad, the Fuerza Pública, including members based in nearby Filadelfia, the Policía Especial de Migración and the Judicial Investigating Organization agents based in Liberia. Law officers arrested Dodson where he lived in Coco.

According to police, Dodson is accused of selling meth with his daughter out of his
Accused of selling meth with his daughter out of his house
Jonathan Dodson
 
house in Boring.  In February of 2002, police raided his house where they said they found a Colt .380-caliber pistol and a Mossberg shotgun with the serial number filed off, police said. 

Donald C. Ashmanskas, a federal district court judge in Oregon, issued the arrest warrant against Dodson in May of 2003.  By February of the next year, Dodson had made his way to Costa Rica.  Migration officials said that he had not attempted to gain permanent residency in Costa Rica and had been traveling to Panama or Nicaragua every three months.  A person wishing to gain residency must give a police report to immigration officials. 

Dodson was placed under the authority of the Tribuno Penal de Juicio del Primer Circuito of San José, police said.  They are beginning procedures to extradite the 48-year-old to the United States.   


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San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Aug. 26, 2005, Vol. 5, No. 169

 
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Our readers respond
A vet gives alternative
to bogus pet products


Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

It was with great interest that I read the article in A.M. Costa Rica about the possible bootleg Frontline and Advantage flea and tick products.  As a veterinarian licensed in the United States and Costa Rica I have noticed that some pet owners have expectations of product performance that may not be realistic when considering the enemy. 

Fleas die rather rapidly with the proper use of these products, falling off the pet for all to see.  Ticks are notoriously difficult and slow to kill.  Even after the tick is dead it often remains attached to the pet thus giving the illusion that there was no response to the medication. Drug resistance, especially by the tick is constantly changing and could account for product failure. 

I have noticed that the same Frontline that worked well last year in Guanacaste this year is almost useless.  This is a product I purchase direct from the manufacturer and bring to Costa Rica eliminating the possibility of bogus medication.  

I have no doubt that bad product is out there but feel that we also need to consider that the tick is a difficult parasite to eliminate.  These products need to be used as part of a parasite control program that includes treatment of the environment and household. 

Veterinarians remain the best source for medications while pest control professionals might be consulted for safe environmental treatment.

Carl Wells, D.V.M.
Austin, Texas,
and Nosara, Guanacaste

Six cyclists passing through
on way to Tierra del Fuego


By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The “AIDS Awareness Expedition,” is scheduled to pass by the Hotel Cariari west of San José Tuesday morning.

The expedition is led by German cyclist Joachim Franz who is heading a team of six riders who are pedalling over 14,000 miles along the PanAmerican highway from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego to raise awareness about AIDS and HIV.  They plan to complete the trip in only 35 days. 
 
The team is trailed by nine support vehicles, which are probably necessary considering the riders are covering approximately 435 miles a day with no breaks and no days off.   They plan on arriving in Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the continent, Sept 18.

The convoy is planning on passing through the Peñas Blancas border with Panama between Aug. 29 and 30, said a press release.  The report did not say how the team is planning on crossing the Darian gap.  The gap is dense jungle between Colombia and Panama that has no road and is infamous for its usage by drug smugglers. 

The team is riding with the support of the United Nations AIDS program and the Organización Panamericana de la Salud.
  
Very senior athletes
compete in Desamparados


By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

There's now sports competitions that only allow you to participate if you're golden. The Juegos Dorados and the Juegos Especiales of Desamparados start today at 9 a.m. in the Gimnasio Municipal in the Desamparados Centro.  Another round is scheduled to happen a week from now. 

The “Juegos Dorados,” is an activity that organizers hope will allow senior citizens to maintain their physical and mental activity.  Players must be at least 70 years of age.  The Juegos especiales are for people with disabilities, the release said. 
   
Way cleared for trial
in Parmenio Medina killing


By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Tribunal Penal de Heredia has overturned a decision that reduced the criminal charges facing the Rev. Minor Calvo and businessman Omar Chávez. The decision opens the way for a trial date to be set for the two men and seven other persons facing allegations from the murder of radio host Parmenio Medina in 2001.

The press office of the Poder Judicial said that charges of fraud and conspiracy had been reinstated against the two men. They also face other charges.

The pair directed the operations of Radio María, a religious radio station that was heavily criticized by Medina in his own radio show on another station.
A judge threw out the two charges against the men but the Ministerio Público appealed successfully to have them reinstated.

Prosecutors allege that the priest and the businessman were the intellectual authors of the murder of Medina. He was shot down near his Heredia home. Prosecutors have identified the seven other persons as assailants and middlemen.

Radio María was ordered off the air May 30, 2001, by the the conference of bishops. Parmenio Medina died a short time later. He had exposed irregularities in the operation of the station and had meetings on the topic with church officials.
  
Brother of Candidate Arias
denies peddling influence


By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Rodrigo Arias Sánchez told lawmakers Thursday that he knows what influence peddling is and that he never has participated in any such act.

He is the brother of the presidential candidate Óscar Arias Sánchez and himself a former minister of the Presidencia.

The question of influence peddling related to the trash contract between the Municipalidad de San José and the Canadian firm, EBI.  The Comisión Especial de Control del Ingreso y Gasto Público is investigating allegations of payoffs to municipal officials when the contract was negotiated in 2001.

Arias said he was consulted on the contract in his capacity as a lawyer but that he could not have influenced the agreement because his discussions took place long after the agreement had been approved.  The committee decided to call other witnesses for a session next week.
Professional Directory
A.M. Costa Rica's professional directory is where business people who wish to reach the English-speaking community may invite responses. If you are interested in being represented here, please contact the editor.

Real estate agents and services

MARGARET SOHN
formerly with  Carico and now with Great Estates
15 years Costa Rican
real estate experience

Member of the Costa Rican Real Estate Association, Lic. #1000

Member of
Costa Rican-American
Chamber of Commerce

samargo@gmail.com
samargo@racsa.co.cr
www.realtorcostarica.com
(506) 291-2825 & (506) 291-2826
fax (506) 296-6304   (506) 382-7399 cell
1321-11/23/05

CENTURY 21 Jacó Beach Realty
Selling? Buying? We can do it!
Lic. Tomas Ghormley H., MBA - Owner/Broker
Beachfront, Views, Mountains, Lots, Farms, Beaches, Houses, Condos. Hotels, Restaurants, Projects, Commercial, Investments
www.c21jaco.com
643-3356
Info@c21jaco.com

First Costa Rican Title & Trust
Protecting your interests since 1994
  Purchase contracts
  Escrow services
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  Title Guarantees
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Call us for your real property legal and investment needs at 225-0501 or send us an e-mail at amcr@firstcr.com

Title Guarantees issued by First American Title Insurance Co., one of the oldest and largest title companies in the world. The First American difference in protection is that the policies cover unrecorded matters and unknown risks.

www.firstcr.com
1334-11/25/05

Accountants

U.S. Tax and Accounting

We specialize in tax preparation for U.S. taxpayers and business, working or living abroad, and help with all international transactions.
288-2201   839-9970
E-mail: ustax@lawyer.com
1673-9/22/06

James Brohl C.P.A, M.B.A

U.S. Income Tax 
U.S. GAAP Accounting, 
Business Consulting
Providing U.S. Tax return preparation including back reporting and all other filing issues, accounting services 
and business consulting.

Telephone 305-3149 or 256-8620
E-mail jrtb_1999@racsa.co.cr

Dentists

Williams Dental & Associates
Integral dentistry
Dr. John Williams
•  General dentistry 
•  Endodontics
•  Oral rehabilitation
•  Prosthodontics
•  Periodontics
•  Dental prevention
•  Maxillofacial surgery implants

Guachipelín, Escazú228-2914/289-9809

e-mail:
jwdental@amnet.co.cr
www.jwdentalcostarica.com
U.S. prevention of infection and sterilization protocol

Legal services

KEARNEY-LAWSON & Asoc.
Lic.Gregory Kearney Lawson.
Attorney at Law
Villalobos and Savings Unlimited Collections
*Investments  *Corporations *Tax Shelters
*Real Estate Sales in Costa Rica
    *Immigration  *Intellectual Property
*Business procedures  *Family and Labor Law
*Locate People   *Private Investigations
        Ph/Fax: 221-9462, 841-0007
attorneykearney@yahoo.com
http://attorneykearney.com
1299-11/9/05

Adolfo Rojas Breedy
Breedy Abogados S.A.
Attorneys-at-Law
Since 1957. Best experience in: 
• Real Estate Transfer of Title and Title Search
•  Business       •  Investments 
•  Commercial & Civil Litigation
•  Corporate Law & finance
•  Capital markets Law
•  International Taxation
(506) 233-7203/221-0230   breedy@racsa.co.cr
Web page:  www.breedy.com
902-9/14/05

Bufete Hernández Mussio 
& Asociados
Lic. Arcelio Hernández Mussio
Tel. 218-0829                Cell 365-3088
E-mail: legalxpt@racsa.co.cr
www.forovial.com
  • real estate law  
•  due dilligence 

•  criminal & constitutional law
 
• Purchase and sale agreements
 
• Purchase option agreements
 
• title guarantee, • fraud protection
 
•  Constitution of condominiums
 
• Property Management
 
• Notary public services in general

Offices in San José and
Jacó Beach  (25 meters north of Banco Popular, below the Fiscalia).
Authorized Representative
Stewart Title Attorney Referral System

229-8/9/0




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and articles-wanted ads
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See our classified page

 
Our new five-star food and restaurant page
with the observations of Dr. Lenny Karpman
Click HERE!








Guess who will be one of the first train passengers
I was delighted to read that San José is expanding its mass transit services to include a Pavas to San Pedro train.  In case anybody on this planet I have ever talked to doesn’t remember, I love trains.  This train will be mainly for people going and coming from work or school, I guess.  It will not be for those of us who might want to go downtown in the middle of the day.  According to early reports it will make just 10 stops between Tropigas in Pavas and the Universidad Latina in San Pedro, and the closest stop near me will be on the south side of the Sabana, near the Contraloria (that building that looks like a silo to me).  But one day early in its run (which it makes only Monday through Friday) I will be on that train. 

The train will consume about two gallons of diesel fuel per kilometer.  The entire trip is about 13 kilometers and according to estimates, 100 passengers paying 300 colones each will cover the cost.  Eventually each trip will accommodate 480 passengers.  If the train doesn’t hit any more cars, it should be a very economical and ecological addition to dealing with the problem of moving people around this city.  Some anonymous sources have said that it won’t make much difference in the demand for gas here since mostly poor people without cars will ride the train.  Well, let’s hear it for poor people.  Was it Abraham Lincoln who said that God must have loved poor people because he made so many of them?

I have been taken to task for not knowing the difference between demand and consumption. And well I should have been.  I never really thought about consumption and demand.  If someone had asked, I suppose I would said that demand was when you 
Living in Costa Rica

. . .Where the living is good

By Jo Stuart
jostuart@amcostarica.com

went to the gas station and said “Fill‘er up. Buddy.” and consumption began when you drove off.  So I do appreciate the lessons in economics. 

I was also asked to clarify just to whom I was referring when I said that profits were being made from the high gas prices.  I guess someone might think I was talking about Walmart or the airline companies, but I wasn’t.  Actually, the energy companies, newscasters said, are doing well. Many of these thriving companies are foreign so the money does not get back to the U.S. – or to Costa Rica, for that matter. More’s the pity. 

And now another controversial subject has come up in the news.  A friend of mine was incensed by Pat Robertson’s comment about "taking out" President Cháves of Venezuela.  She said, “Jo, you have to write about it.”  I don’t want to touch that with a 10-foot pole (as they say).  But I will say this in Mr. Robertson’s defense. 

He has explained – before he apologized – that to take someone out has many meanings.  I think he meant, Let’s divert President Chavez, like let’s "take him out" to the ball game.   If you sing that song all the way through, you will have to agree.



Fine Spanish food with a Catalan emphasis
Casa Luisa was actually her home. Luisa Esparducer raised her two daughters there. Despite the fact that her entire family now lives in Spain, she continues to hold down the fort and prepare some of the finest Spanish food in Costa Rica.

Her style reflects her native Catalan roots and influences from all of the Spanish Mediterranean. Her restaurant still has the warm feeling of a home.
When her kitchen labor abates, she comes to the table to treat you as a dinner guest in her dining room, rather than as a faceless, nameless patron of a restaurant. Her informal earthy style is infectious. If you are receptive, you can feel like an old friend in short order.

In Catalan tradition, she uses only the finest ingredients. When the lambs are so large that the flavor begins to approximate mutton, lamb dishes disappear from the menu. Her choices of salad greens are exacting. Flavors are rich and pure – garlic, paprika, extra virgin olive oil, Jerez sherry vinegar, Modena Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. They work beautifully with oven-roasted tomato, eggplant and skinned red pepper strips.

Rabbit, pork, duck, beef and fresh seafood need no other additions to taste marvelous. She does use a little Dijon mustard in her lovely sherry vinaigrette salad dressing.

Bread and butter? Not at a Catalan table. Pa amb tomàquet is the traditional way of eating bread, rubbed with garlic and tomato, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Alternatively, she serves bread spread with a creamy aioli, garlic flavored freshly made mayonnaise. Grilled lightly, they come to the table bathed in delicate olive oil. Authenticity demands a little excess in the oil. If its presence doesn’t bother you, you will have a hard time not eating the entire plate of fresh or toasted rounds before your first course arrives.

I love gazpacho when it is crispy flavorful and so fresh tasting that your mouth tingles. Hers does exactly that. One of my biggest disappointments when I first dined in Spain was the addition of cream to southern Spanish gazpacho, rendering it akin to old cold cream of tomato soup. Nor do I like a covering of soggy croutons, salad size vegetable chunks and hard boiled egg pieces. Hers is simplicity and perfection.

On our first visit, I ordered mixted paella and was again delighted. It was not a bed of fluffy white rice colored with turmeric or saffron, cooked in broth and topped with green peas. It was rich, dark and loaded with prawns, squid rings, tender octopus pieces, mussels, pork and chicken drummets in a classic Catalan sauce, xanfaina — a vegetable stew of onions, peppers, tomato, and eggplant,. The result was caramelized and a little oily, a perfect rendition of the Catalan version.

On our second visit, we shared an order of eight battered shrimp served with aioli, bunuelos de gambas. Joan had a duck half, roasted to well done tenderness, yet with crispy skin and very little residual fat. It was sauced with a thick marvelous dark brown reduction of red wine, pan drippings, mushrooms and dried plums and served with slices of roasted potato.  I had rabbit in a typical white wine picada sauce loaded with tender little bits of diced onion, ground almonds, flat leaf parsley and a little garlic, served with a plate of thinly sliced grilled
Dr. Lenny Karpman

On 
the 
food
we eat

 

eggplant, zucchini and small artichokes. Both items were very satisfying and presented in an appealing way.

Among the other menu items are more Catalan classics. Canelons Rosini (¢4,000), a main course, are like Italian cannelloni, but the pasta is stuffed with a variety of meats and baked in bechamel topped with Parmesan cheese in Catalanya. Escalivada (¢3,000) is an appetizer, charcoal or oven roasted eggplant, red pepper and onions, smothered in olive oil, and sometimes chopped garlic. Luisa serves it with tomato-anchovy toasts. There are also roast suckling pig, seafood aplenty, steak in Roquefort sauce (¢6,000) and an entire page of tapas.

There is a choice of desserts that we have yet to try because we are always too full. Sangria and a variety of Spanish wines are available.

The setting is very homey. Polished wooden floors, many small rooms, colorful wall hangings, furniture and a toilet in a room with a full bath contribute to the ambiance of a family nest. The small protected garden in the back is a lovely al fresco choice. The waiter and waitress are very helpful and efficient.

Although the prices are hardly bargain basement, they compare favorably with other Spanish dinner houses we have tried in the Central Valley, unless you go to a very expensive specialty side of the menu. Tapas are ¢1,000-4,000 with an average of about ¢2,500. Main courses are about ¢3,500 to 6,000. Our meals of a shared appetizer and two main courses with nonalcoholic beverages cost ¢15,000 and ¢19,000 on our first two visits and included paella, duck and rabbit. Much more expensive are an entire suckling for about $100 (probably serves four or five) and Beluga caviar $165. Broiled lobster is $24, giant prawns a little less and a broiled seafood mixture containing both is about $35 (enough for two).

We returned with friends on a third occasion for a delightful tapas party to celebrate Don Quixote’s 400th birthday.

To find Casa Louisa, turn south on the street adjacent to the nearly pyramidal large Contraloria building in Sabana Sur, across the road from the park. Four hundred meters later, turn left one short block after the traffic light.

Casa Louisa is the purple and papaya colored house in the middle of the block on the left. Closed Sunday, otherwise open for lunch and dinner. Telephone: 296-1917
***, $$-$$$$






A report from CR-Home Realty
GRECIA:  The PERFECT PLACE to RETIRE??
If you are frustrated by literally thousands of so called "realtors," insane pricing and confusing Web sites as you endlessly search for the perfect property in Costa Rica . . . . STOP!!
 
We believe that the area of GRECIA offers far more than almost any other area of the country for retirees and those seeking a beautiful and peaceful home in which to enjoy life while enjoying the beauty and security which Costa Rica has to offer.
 
WHY?  ..... read on....

Grecia is Central . . . 50 minutes from San Jose, CIMA hospital, the Multiplaza, sports and cultural events. . . . one half hour from Juan Santamaría airport in Alajuela . . . and a little over an hour to the Central Pacific beaches!

Real estate properties in Grecia are still reasonably priced . . . prices here are about 10% of what they are in Escazú and about half of what they are in neighboring Atenas. Grecia is affordable.

The mountains of Grecia offer the perfect climate: 68-82 degrees all year round.

Grecia has its own hospital with excellent professional services and great shopping.  Every Saturday the town is host to one of the best open air markets in the country.  Fruits and vegetables galore.

Grecia is known as the "cleanest city in Latin America"

No howler monkeys or sloths here, but the area is home to countless flocks of parrots and literally thousands of species of birds and butterflies.


Coffee bushes

Fantastic views


 Bustling downtown Grecia

Because of its location and agricultural base (coffee and sugar cane) Grecia is green ALL YEAR ROUND.  

Crime is extremely low here.  No one worries about walking around town at night here.  There are still petty thefts, but neighbors here watch out for each other.

Everyone who visits Grecia and the area comments on the simplicity of life here.  Life here does proceed at a different pace and the lifestyle here takes us back to a simpler time that nearly all of us wish for but cannot have.  Family is still valued here, and Sunday is family day when extended families get together without fail. 

The builders, contractors and craftsmen here are old fashioned. They keep their word, they are excellent craftsmen who take pride in their work AND they honor their contracts. Most importantly, the properties we have available are drop dead gorgeous! Views, rivers, waterfalls, coffee, sugar cane, privacy.  We most likely have exactly what you thought you could never find. 

If this sounds like Paradise (or maybe that we are exaggerating . . .) come and see for yourselves before everyone discovers Grecia.

CR-HOME REALTY     www.cr-home.com     011-506-444-1695   randy@cr-home.com


Baseball fans will get to pick the Latino Legends Team
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Fans of major league baseball will select the sport's first official Latino Legends Team, which is designed to commemorate contributions that players of Latin American heritage have made to the game.

Major League Baseball said a special ballot has been created featuring 60 Latino players representing seven different countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean.

From Monday through Oct. 10, baseball fans in the United States and elsewhere in the Americas can vote for the team via www.MLB.com.  In addition, fans (only in the United States) can also vote for the team through paper ballots provided at U.S. dealerships of the Chevrolet car company, which is sponsoring the voting.  Fans will select eight position players -- one at each infield position, three outfielders and a catcher -- three starting pitchers, and one relief pitcher.

Major League Baseball and Chevrolet will announce the 12 players selected by fans prior to game four of the 2005 World Series.

Those nominated for the team range from active players such as Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Tejada to former stars Luis Aparicio, Minnie Minoso, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Perez and Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash in 1972 while delivering relief supplies to Nicaragua.

Juan Marichal, from the Dominican Republic, who won 243 games and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983, said, "I'm very honored to be on this ballot.  It makes me very proud to have been a Latin player, and I thank Chevrolet and Major League Baseball for creating this program.  It will make all Latin players feel great.  I'm so very pleased we're being recognized by this wonderful program."
Mariano Rivera, a native of Panama, said after watching a video montage of Latino players at Major League Baseball headquarters that "watching that video gave me goose bumps.  It was tremendous, watching some of the guys who made the path for us. I'm honored just to be mentioned with them.  I encourage fans to vote, because we need to see programs like this continue."

The only nominee for the Legends Team who did not play in the majors was Martin Dihigo of Cuba, who pitched in the Negro leagues, the Mexican League, and in the Caribbean from 1923 to 1947.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said that "over the years, major league baseball has been blessed with a wealth of players of Latin American heritage who have contributed to some of the most memorable moments and accomplished some of the most storied feats in the history of the game." 

He added that through this ballot selection, "we have a tremendous opportunity to reflect on the immense contribution that Latino players have made . . . "

The cumulative accomplishments of the players on the ballot include 296 All-Star Game selections, 63 Gold Gloves for fielding prowess, 12 most valuable player awards, 22 batting championships, and seven Cy Young Awards for pitching accomplishments).

Major League Baseball said Latinos make up a significant portion of players in the major leagues.  As of the opening day of the 2005 baseball season, 204 players born in Latin American countries were on major league baseball team rosters, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the overall number of players in the major leagues.

The Dominican Republic led all countries with 91 players in the majors, followed by Venezuela with 46 players, and Puerto Rico with 34 players.


Catcher
López, Javy — Puerto Rico
Peña, Tony — Dominican Republic
Rodríguez, Ivan — Puerto Rico
Sanguillen, Manny — Panama
Santiago, Benito — Puerto Rico
First Base
Cepeda, Orlando — Puerto Rico
Galarraga, Andrés — Venezuela
Pérez, Tony — Cuba
Pujols, Albert —Dominican Republic
Palmeiro, Rafael — Cuba
Second Base
Alomar, Roberto — Puerto Rico
Carew, Rod — Panama
Soriano, Alfonso — Dominican Republic
Vidro, José — Puerto Rico
Samuel, Juan — Dominican Republic
Third Base
Alfonzo, Edgardo — Venezuela
Beltre, Adrián — Dominican Republic
Castilla, Vinny — Mexico
Martínez, Edgar — Puerto Rico
Bonilla, Bobby — Puerto Rico
The complete ballot
for the
Latino Legends Team
Shortstop
Aparicio, Luis — Venezuela
Concepcíon, Dave — Venezuela
Fernández, Tony — Dominican Republic
Rodríguez, Alex — Dominican Republic
Tejada, Miguel — Dominican Republic
Outfielders
Alou, Felipe — Dominican Republic
Alou, Moises — Dominican Republic
Bell, George — Dominican Republic
Beltrán, Carlos — Puerto Rico
Carty, Rico — Dominican Republic
Clemente, Roberto — Puerto Rico
Cruz Sr., José — Puerto Rico
González, Juan — Puerto Rico
González, Luis — Cuba
Guerrero, Vladimir — Dominican Republic
Minoso, Minnie — Cuba
Oliva, Tony — Cuba
Ramírez, Manny — Dominican Republic
Sosa, Sammy — Dominican Republic
Williams, Bernie — Puerto Rico
Starting Pitcher
Andujar, Joaquín — Dominican Republic
Colón, Bartolo — Dominican Republic
Cuellar, Mike — Cuba
Dihigo, Martín — Cuba
Gómez, Lefty — Mexico
Hernandez, Livan — Cuba
Luque, Dolf — Cuba
Marichal, Juan — Dominican Republic
Martínez, Dennis — Nicaragua
Martínez, Pedro — Dominican Republic
Pascual, Camilo — Cuba
Rijo, José — Dominican Republic
Santana, Johan — Venezuela
Tiant, Luís — Cuba
Valenzuela, Fernando — Mexico
Relief Pitcher
Benítez, Armando — Dominican Republic
Hernández, Roberto — Puerto Rico
Rivera, Mariano — Panama
Hernández, Willie — Puerto Rico
Mesa, José — Dominican Republic


U.S. firm to help retrieve
Frances Drake's sunken horde


Special to A.M. Costa Rica


A South Carolina company said Thursday that it will help salvage the remaining 35 tons of Sir Francis Drake's silver treasure located offshore of Ecuador, using 21st century technology and the company's dive team of Ecuadorian and U.S. salvage professionals.

The company is Global Marine Ltd. of Charleston.

In order to lighten his ship's heavy cargo for the treacherous Pacific crossing, Drake and his men regretfully threw overboard in excess of 1,350,000 pesos of silver -- an estimated 45 tons. Silver coins, ingots and bars found at the site off the coast match the silver that Drake unloaded onto a sandy bottom some 50 feet deep. Numismatic professionals estimate that the value of this circa 1578 silver may be worth approximately $100 million if properly marketed. Archival documents also mention the unloading of gold coins and jewelry at the same location.

Attempts in the past to locate and salvage the treasure have proved mostly unsuccessful. However, the pirate Bartholomew Sharp, who anchored over the right spot, used weighted tallow to fish up a few hundred pieces of eight.

Since the area is a treasure find and no wrecks are involved, there will be very little archaeological work performed.



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