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for a citizen assembly By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
For President Óscar Arias Sánchez, the answer to reforming Costa Rican political life is an assembly of citizens who will consider the problems of the state and make substantial changes in the political rules. Arias said that he seeks changes that would keep a minority in the legislature from tying up important bills. He also wants changes that would provide for higher salaries for government officials. Some of these ideas would require constitutional changes. Arias was the keynote speaker at the closing of the Primer Ideario Costarricense de Siglo XXI at the legislative complex. Arias has been promoting a citizen assembly for the last year. He said Wednesday night that he wants the assembly to lay out the road that will permit Costa Rica to become a developed nation. Arias said that there are too many controls in the current system that hamper public administration. He faced his share of challenges in trying to get the free trade treaty with the United States approved. His party, Liberación Nacional, was able to knit together a two-thirds majority in the unicameral legislature. Still, legislative rules and traditions slowed the passage for much more time than Arias had expected. He had said the treaty would be passed in a few months. Instead it took years. The Ideario is just that, a series of forums where persons from diverse backgrounds give their points of view. The Universidad Nacional plans to summarize the many forums in a book that will be available when the next president takes office in May. Air quality annual report will be presented Thursday By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Pollution and air quality are the topics Thursday when a number of public officials meet to discuss changes in the metro area air. The meeting is at the auditorium of the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones at 9 a.m. Representatives from other ministries will be there. Some of the topics include the increase of nitrogen dioxide in San José centro and in Heredia. The increase in San José was 10 percent, but the increase in Heredia was 18 percent, officials said. This is the fifth annual report for the area. A principal presenter will be Jorge Herrera Murillo, coordinator of the Laboratorio de Análisis Ambiental of the Escuela de Ciencias Ambientales at Universidad Nacional. Defensoría to ask Sala IV to protect older bus riders By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Defensoría de los Habitantes will ask the Sala IV constitutional court to order transport officials to devise a plan of action to keep seniors from being humiliated when they seek to ride public buses for free. Seniors have the right to do so, but the Defensoría said they have been subject to embarrassment and harassment. Among the allegations is that bus drivers would require the seniors to leave their cédulas de identidad with them during the time of the trip. Some drivers also note down the name and cédula number of those taking advantage of the free ride that has been mandated by officials. In some cases, according to the Defensoría, seniors have lost documents while they were in the care of the bus driver. Seniors used to receive discount tickets from the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. But now all their are required to do is show a cédula or other document proving they are older than 65. The problem is that bus drivers have no way of documenting how many seniors have ridden on a bus. Most buses have electronic controls that count the number of passengers. So bus drivers get in trouble with their supervisors. The Sala IV already has addressed the issue of seniors riding buses and has established this benefit as a right. The court issued an order on this point earlier this year to the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes and the Consejo de Transporte Público. The Defensoría suggested in a summary of its actions that some of the problems encountered by seniors were company policies. The agency, which is the nation's ombudsman, also seeks effective ways seniors can file complaints, it said. Danny's winds won't visit here but new storm grows By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. weather forecasters say a new tropical storm named Danny has formed in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Bahamas and could become stronger in the coming days. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest report Wednesday that Danny was about 1,090 kms or 625 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm was moving northwest. It was expected to dump as much as 10 centimeters of rain over the central and northwestern Bahamas. Heavy rains also were expected in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Danny is the fourth named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Danny is too far north to have an effect in Costa Rica, but hurricane experts also have their eye now on a growing low pressure area off the coast of Africa. That possible storm seems to be closer to the equator. Televised debate centers on expropriating park land By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Parque Nacional Marino las Baulas is the subject of a debate Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on the Universidad de Costa Rica's channel, 15. On Cable Tica, the channel number is 58. The park is the subject of a bill that seeks to downgrade it to a national refuge. The park just north of Playa Grande on the far Pacific coast was created in the 1990s, but the park boundaries were drawn to include the private properties. So inside the park today are tourist hotels, luxury houses and property being developed. The government failed to purchase the properties at that time, and the values have gone up. The area is a key nesting site for marine turtles. In setting the stage for the debate, the university said that to purchase the 46 hectares (114 acres) the government would have to spend an amount equal to eight hospitals like the new one going up in Heredia or two highways like the San José-Caldera autopista.
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| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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Amnet says it
really will pull the cable plug this weekend
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By
Saray Ramírez Vindas
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Amnet, the cable television and Internet provider, said Wednesday that its customers in the center of San José would lose service for a prolonged period Saturday. The outage may be permanent. Amnet, the trade name of Dodona SRL, has customer service representatives calling subscribers to avoid the public relations disaster that happened two weeks ago when a small section of the downtown lost service. There was no advanced notice then, and customers received high-handed treatment when they complained. They were told to visit the office and collect the money they had paid in advance. That area seemed to be between avenidas 5 and 11 and west of calle 9 and east at least to Calle 0. The news came Wednesday from a man who identified himself as Manfred Franceschi. He blamed the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz, which, he said, was taking down the utility poles in the downtown area. The electric company has placed its lines underground. Still on the poles are telephone lines and cable television lines. There was no word what would happen to telephone service. Contractors who put the electrical service underground in a job that ended in 2005, also provided conduits for telephone and cable lines. But these have been unused. Amnet has been engaged in a long-running battle with the electric utility. Last December it told subscribers in the greater downtown area that they would lose service, but then the company continued to provide cable television and |
an Internet hookup to the servers
of Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. without further explanation. Franceschi said he did not know the exact boundaries of the Internet and cable blackout. Amnet has a concession that covers certain areas of the city. There is no direct competition, although another company, Cable Tica, provides a similar service throughout Costa Rica. The current plan for a blackout probably covers the entire area where electrical service is underground and Amnet is the provider. Amnet continued to solicit customers in the central area through the end of last month. A representative said that Amnet was trying to start its own Internet service. The Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones has approved the company as an Internet provider that would bypass the Radiográfica servers. However, Amnet backed off the plan early in the month and left some customers hanging. Franceschi said that downtown customers who lose their service should call the company at 2210-2929 so that they receive no further charges on their bill. Alternate services to a cable Internet connection are either a service provided by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad that distributes a signal through telephone lines or wireless services provided by Radiográfica. Television service can be provided by a satellite dish or by an external antenna that would capture location stations. The situation arises at the same time that the Superintendencia has issued proposed regulations for the placement of cable and telephone lines on utility poles. |
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Judicial morgue confirms death of fraud suspect Tom Jafek
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The judicial morgue has confirmed the death of Tom Jafek,
U.S. marshals detained Jafek July 28, 2008, on the strength of a Costa Rican arrest warrant. The Green Fund investment operation was in the Mercedes Tower on Paseo Colón. Lawyers involved with investors said that their clients were promised 3 percent per month but that |
payments stopped about the
beginning of 2003. Jafek gave an interview via e-mail after the warrants were issued in October 2004. He said that he faced intimidation, stalking and extortion from unhappy investors but that he had no money and denied he lied or cheated. He said that earlier in 2004 manhunters tried to extort some $1.2 million from him, presumably at the request of unhappy customers. He was believed to be in Panamá at that time. Jafek repeatedly had said he was trying to make arrangements so he could pay off customers. His was one of the smaller operations during the heyday of the Villalobos brothers investment scheme, the Vault operated by the late Roy Taylor and Savings Unlimited, whose owner, Luis Milanes, has returned to make a deal with prosecutors. All three collapsed, too. Jafek said in June 2003 that he was about to sue Taylor because The Vault owed him and his investors $800,000. Not long afterwards, Taylor killed himself while in police custody during a raid on his headquarters. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
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Professional and
amateur dancers will inaugurate new home
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Despite tight budgets and difficult economic times, the culture ministry will inaugurate the Taller Nacional de Danza and the Conservatorio El Barco Friday. The project, seven years in the making, is a complex that will provide professional training to young dancers and also take the art to non-professionals through the country. The inauguration will be accompanied by a cultural fiesta at the Edificio El Barco, according to the Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes. The El Barco building has been remodeled extensively and tripled in space, said the ministry. It is in Barrio Escalante near the Museo Calderón Guardia and 75 meters southeast |
of the local landmark called
the el Farolito. The ministry credited former culture minister Guido Sáenz with naming Jimmy Ortiz to be director general of the Taller Nacional de Danza in 2002. Ortiz took the project from conception to the final product. He is a director, choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded a dance company in 1988. When he took over, the ministry said he created a plan that established networks for artists and different interest groups. Now there are 35 distinct groups of dance workshops offered at the center. In addition, he headed up the fund-raising effort that managed to raise the money for the project. |
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Interim Honduran
government rejects Arias plan again
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire service reports For those anxious to see an end to the Honduran political crisis, the date Jan. 27 is a key one. That is the day the current president's term expires and a new individual takes office. Elections will be in late November. That also is the date that the interim government awaits as they create one delay after another to avoid serious foreign pressure. The latest play was receiving a visit by a delegation from the Organization of American States. The delegation ended a two-day mission to Honduras without negotiating an end to the political impasse over President José Manuel Zelaya's ouster June 28. The Organization of American States issued a statement Tuesday saying the delegation failed to persuade the caretaker government to accept a Costa Rica-brokered plan that would bring back the deposed president. Foreign ministers from seven member states, including Costa Rica, traveled to Honduras, accompanied by Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza. Interim Honduran President Roberto Micheletti said he does not fear international sanctions aimed at restoring Zelaya to the presidency. Micheletti said his government is not afraid of an embargo by anyone and that Honduras can get by without international support. Earlier, the U.S. State Department said it is temporarily suspending some visa services in Honduras as part of its review of policy toward the caretaker government. Spokesman Ian Kelly says starting Wednesday, officials |
will stop granting visas at the
U.S. Embassy in Honduras except for
potential immigrants and emergency cases, because of the interim
government's refusal to bring back Zelaya. The State Department says the United States considers the deal, sponsored by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias the best solution to Honduras's political crisis. The caretaker government refuses any proposal allowing the return of Zelaya. Interim leaders say Zelaya was ousted because he was trying to change the constitution illegally to extend his term in office. Micheletti says Honduras will hold elections in November, even if other countries do not recognize the result. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch says a recent report regarding widespread abuses in Honduras should compel the international community to take steps to resolve the political crisis. It says these could include imposing targeted sanctions. The human rights organization was referring to the report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which accuses the interim government of using excessive force and arbitrary detentions to contain pro-Zelaya demonstrations. I don’t consider the negotiation closed," said Insulza when he returned to Washington. "President Zelaya is coming next week, the delegation designated by Mr. Micheletti to negotiate is also coming, there will probably be a new meeting of the Permanent Council on this issue, and I will speak to several presidents in the coming days. There is still room for agreement, albeit increasingly narrow.” |
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| Runners
confront demons in an uphill race from Hell By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Each summer, scores of runners from around the world compete in a grueling 200-km (135-mile) race in scorching temperatures across the western U.S. state of California. Nearly 90 competitors begin in Death Valley, nearly 90 meters below sea level. Over a period of one, two or even three days, they run uphill, finishing more than 2,500 meters high on Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevada. The race is produced by AdventureCorps, Inc., a company that produces what it calls extreme sports events. Charlie Engle is about to take on an amazing challenge. He and dozens of other athletes from around the world have come here to run a race called Badwater. They were selected to tackle over 200 kilometers of intense temperatures up to 55 C (130 F), fierce blisters, and extreme exhaustion. Engle was a 10-year cocaine addict who was headed for self-destruction but his life was transformed when he found another addiction. This time, a healthier one — running. This is Charlie's sixth time running "Badwater." His drug addiction behind him, he's here not just to compete but to win. "I said a couple of months ago that I am here, to win this race," he said. At 46-years-old, Engle believes that to take on a challenge like "Badwater," you must have lived long enough to have suffered properly. Nickademus Hollon has no such checkered past. He's only 19, but has his own reasons for taking on this grueling event. "Feels like I'm on top of the world and looks like it too," Hollon states. He is the youngest competitor to ever take on "Badwater." When he entered the race, few thought he would finish, much less have the physical and emotional ability to compete. "I knew since I entered in the race in February I was going to finish," he said. Some 87 percent of the races finished this July. To prepare for "Badwater," Nick ran the entire course twice. Although such training can get you to the starting line, it doesn't guarantee you'll finish. There are many issues that can get in the way of that. Upset stomachs and blisters are a common part of "Badwater." Engle threw up repeatedly during the first half of the race and lost over five kilos (11 pounds) in just a few hours. Chuck Dale, a member of his crew, says, "I'm surprised he did not puke when he was running, he actually stopped, puked, and kept going." By contrast, Nick got off to a fast start but his pace slowed considerably after 140 km (87 miles). Why would anyone put themselves through such torture? Engle welcomes the pain because he sees it as a metaphor for his life. It reminds him of the progress he has made from his drug addiction to this success. In the end, Engle didn't win the race but achieved a personal best — a milestone for anyone who believes drug addiction cannot be overcome. While Engle looks for his next athletic fix, he has shown that at 46, he has no plans to slow down. Meanwhile for Nick, this is just the beginning of his running addiction, and his desire to explore the depths of his abilities. He promises to be back next year and will no doubt be joined by other competitors determined to either chase their demons or test their limits. |
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| Latin American news (if feed is incomplete, please reload the page) |
Big
tomato-smashing fiesta has its 64th messy run By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered Wednesday in an eastern Spanish town to hurl tons of ripe tomatoes at one another in a battle that painted the town red. Participants in the annual Tomatina food fight marked the town of Bunol's 64th annual festival. Town officials estimated that more than 40,000 people took up arms with more than 100 tons of ripe tomatoes for the hour-long battle. The event, thought to have its roots in a food fight between childhood friends, takes place each year on the last Wednesday in August. Tomatina cost the town of about 10,000 residents $40,000 to stage. Bunol is located in a fertile region about 40 kms (25 miles) north of Valencia. History not good predictor of climate, U.N. chief said Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
With the onset of climate change, relying on history is no longer an accurate way of predicting weather patterns, the head of the U. N. World Meteorological Organization said Wednesday. In the past, forecasts were made by taking statistics of past decades into account, but “now with climate change, these statistics are changing,” said Secretary-General Michel Jarraud in a radio interview. In some areas, global warming will make rainfall less frequent, making the past an unreliable predictor for future precipitation levels, he said, while heat waves, on the scale of the massive and deadly one which engulfed Western Europe in 2003, might occur more frequently. But Jarraud stressed that there are many lessons to be learned from the past, highlighting the value of climate statistics. The World Meteorological Organization is organizing a week-long conference in Geneva, Switzerland, kicking off on Monday on how to best use climate predictions to adapt to climate change. Next week’s meeting, Jarraud said, seeks to bridge the gap between those who possess this kind of information with decision-makers around the world. |
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