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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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 Judicial Investigating Organization photo
These lush plants look like they
are doing well in pots nurtured by a hydroponic system.Hydroponic marijuana plan thwarted by investigators By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Three suspected marijuana farmers from Escazú came into the hands of investigators Wednesday night when they tried to move some 60 marijuana plants to another location. The three are 22, 24, and 26 years of age. Agents from the Judicial Investigating Organization said they located an apartment in Escazú Centro where they suspected marijuana was being grown via a hydroponic method. They also located properties in Barrio México and Rohrmoser that they believed were related to the scheme. The three were picked up when the marijuana was being transported in a van accompanied by a passenger car, said agents. The confiscated plants, all 60, were between 15 centimeters, about six inches, and 1.3 meters or a little over four feet. The arrests happened on the road in Escazú Centro. This is the second hydroponic operation dismantled in the same area in two months. Anti-drug agents raided an operation in San Antonio de Escazú Aug. 4. Arrests here, too, were made as marijuana plants were being transported from one location to another. Yule fiesta yields $319,000 for Hospice de Huéfano By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Municipalidad de San José turned over 182 billion colons to the Hospice de Huéfanos. the amount, some $319,000 represents half the net proceeds from the Christmas Fiesta de San José, Under the law, the other half goes to other social agencies. The orphans' hospice depends on the income, but there still is a question if there will be a fiesta at the Zapote fairgrounds this year due to swine flu concerns. The municipality took over control of the fiesta in 2007 and there was a significant increase in income. The money comes from renting spaces for entertainment and food booths, plus a percentage of the admissions charges for the Tico bull fights. Infinito investors agree to await Sala IV decision By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Investors have waived default on some $50.5 million in notes issued by Infinito Gold, Ltd. This is the company that seeks to develop the controversial La Crucitas gold mine in north Costa Rica. The gold mine project is being fought vigorously by environmentalists, and the grant of the land use permit is still being challenged before the Sala IV constitutional court, the company said. The notes are held by Exploram Enterprises Ltd., the controlling shareholder of the company, and and Auro Investments Ltd., a company associated with Steven Dean, Infinito's chairman. The extension of the notes is through this month. These waivers represent the fourth time since June 30 that the noteholders have waived default relating to the delay in receipt of a decision by the Sala IV, said the company. Each previous waiver have been given for a period of approximately one month. Nicaraguan migrant's tale inaugurates film festival By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
"El Camino," a work by Costa Rican director Isthar Yasin, will open the V Festival de Cine Latinoamericano organized by the Embassy of México. The festival runs from today through Oct. 12 in the Cine Variedades in downtown San José. The festival is coordinated by the Centro Costarricense de Producción Cinematográfica of the Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes as well as other Latin American diplomats in the country. Showings are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The work by Ms. Yasin is done in 35 mm. It tells the story of a 12-year-old Nicaraguan girl, Saslaya, who with her younger brother Darío, embark on a long trip to seek their mother who came to Costa Rica eight years earlier. The story is part documentary and part fiction. The film has been received well internationally and was selected for inclusion in the Cannes Festival. Truck driver is convicted but will not do any time By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A tractor-trailer driver who survived an accident in El Coyol got a three-year sentence Thursday, but the court, the Tribunal de Juicio de Alajuela, granted him the benefit of conditional liberty. The man, identified by the last names of Arrieta Alvarado was at the wheel of his truck when it collided with a vehicle containing Marco Vinicio Umaña Vega and Dora Olivares Miranda, a couple who had been married for 38 years, and Haiskel Lucero Espinoza, a Venezuelan tourist. All but Arrieta died in the July 18, 2006, crash. Ticos in Europe now able to apply for passport there By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The 20,000 Costa Ricans living in Europe now have the same opportunity to renew their passport as Ticos living here. The Costa Rican consul in Madrid, Spain, has computerized devices to capture photos, fingerprints and other personal identifying data. Just like in Costa Rica, the information is transmitted to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, where the passport is made. Correos de Costa Rica carries the finished document to Europe, said the immigration department. The department announcedd that one of its employees, Steven Badilla, was the first person to take advantage of this new system. Previously, the passports were created by the consul in a way that would not meet international standards now.
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Still no
solution on what to do with 600 displaced families
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
More than 600 families live on what is now the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional on the Pacific coast, and the Sala IV constitutional court has ordered that they leave by January. That is the problem facing lawmakers who are trying to come up with a solution to the massive dislocation. So far, lawmakers admit, there is no satisfactory solution of where the people should go. That problem dominated the discussion Thursday at the meeting of the Comisión Permanente Especial de Ambiente. Several members of the committee suggested a site inspection. The committee has invited representatives from the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones to testify Thursday. Also invited were international development bankers. The Sala IV order does not apply to anyone who has been living on the site since before 1983 when the refuge was created. The order also does not apply to those involved in |
research, protection of the local
turtle
nests, training or ecotourism, said the Poder Judicial last February
when the decision was announced. The case was brought to the court by a resident of Nicoya who objected to the fact that an overall plan had not been drafted for the management of the area. The court ordered that such a plan be created by the Area de Conservación Tempisque The commission did not take any official action on Ostional, but it did reject a measure that would have regulated plastic bags in Costa Rica. The measure was considered not viable due to technical problems, said the commission. The bill would have prohibited the production, importation and use of such bags. Some local companies have voluntarily stopped using plastic bags. PriceSmart announced last February that it would not dispense the bags to shoppers. The petroleum content of the plastic is not good for the environment and that thousands of marine animals die each year because of plastic bags, the company said at the time. |
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Revisions in
marina law get initial legislative approval
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Lawmakers Thursday approved on first reading revisions in the marina law that are supposed to make the process of getting approval easier. Just 31 of the 40 lawmakers present voted in favor of the bill which is titled officially "Concesión y Operación de Marinas Turísticas." The bill, if passed on second reading next week, would cut from two months to 45 days the time that the Comisión Interinstitucional de Marinas y Atracaderos Turísticos has |
to study the proposal for a marina
or dock. That is an agency of the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo.
The bill also would require
developers to construct an area for immigration and customs officers to
review income boat passengers. Lawmakers heard that the biggest problem with the current situation is the long process of getting approvals. The bill also makes a clear distinction between marinas and docks. The new bill was put forth also because the existing legislation had gaps and inconsistencies, legislative aides said. |
| The question is what do the Ticos think of
the Gringos? |
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| Lately there has been
quite an exchange of opinions about the culture and people of Costa
Rica. Many of the opinions have been coming from U.S.
expats. Browsing through some old columns, I came across one I
wrote in 2006 about what Ticos think about expats in their country,
especially those from the States (estadounidenses). I had quite a long talk with a Tico who has family in both the U.S. and Costa Rica. He is also a keen observer of people and owns a popular business in downtown San José that is frequented by people from all over the world. He seemed like a good informant. (My anthropology background was emerging.) So I asked M (I will call him “M”) what he thought of the statement that people “hated” those of us from or in the United States. Much to my surprise, he agreed with this statement. He went on to deny my contention that it was just the policies of the administration. “No,” he said. “They hate everything about the U.S. and often like anything or anyone who is not from the U.S.. I call it ‘the Oliver Stone syndrome.” (Film director Stone has made a number of movies highly critical of the U.S. government.) “Mostly the Gringo bashers are Americans who have left the U.S,” he explained. He went on to say that Germans came in a close second for their antagonism toward the U.S. And he reminds them that there is probably more German blood in the veins of U.S. citizens than any other kind. But we were not off the hook yet. M went on to say that there are generally three types of Americans living in Costa Rica. They make up the continuing comedy/drama that takes place in his store. First are the Republican types who are easy to deal with because they generally stick to themselves, live in their gated communities, invest their money in offshore businesses or real estate and enjoy life. Then there are the Democrats who are silly because they want to do good – help out the local population, become friends and generally get involved with the community. He could not come up with what he meant by silly except his description of their activities. And finally, he said, there are the religious types, the missionaries who usually are ardent supporters of George Bush, who have learned Spanish and want to convert the locals. They are beyond silly. Well, I thought, I would have to find another informant |
When I brought up American expats’ feelings about other
Americans
(actually citizens of the U. S. are called estadounidenses in Costa
Rica, a mouthful for most of us.), A discounted that by saying that she
is very critical of Ticos, especially when she is abroad. In her
opinion, Ticos in general like Gringos because of their unparalleled
generosity. They have always been the first to offer help, get
organized and get involved when there has been a crisis in this
country. She does not mean the government, but rather the people
themselves. The one President who personifies the American people, she
feels, was John Kennedy, with the Peace Corps, his attention to Central
America, the things he did for the “little people.” |
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| Latin
Urban unemployment is estimated at 8.5 percent |
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Special
to A.M. Costa Rica
Urban unemployment rates in Latin America and the Caribbean reached 8.5 percent in the second quarter of the year and could average the same at the end of the year, estimated the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the International Labour Organisation in a joint bulletin. This means that 2.5 million additional people will join the ranks of the urban unemployed, which would then reach 18.4 million, say the organizations in their second joint bulletin "The Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Crisis in Labour Markets and Countercyclical Responses." The 8.5 percent estimate for 2009, calculated on the basis of a 1.9 percent drop in gross domestic product this year, is slightly more optimistic than the forecast published in the first bulletin in June (between 8.7 and 9.1 percent) and is one percentage point higher than the unemployment rate in 2008 (7.5 percent). The adjustment of the estimate is due mainly to the fall in the participation rate during the first half of 2009 and which is expected to maintain throughout the year. This could be largely due "to a sense of discouragement as a result of scarce job opportunities in the context of the crisis". In this second bulletin, the Economic Commission, a U.N. agency, and the labor organization analyze how the impact of the crisis has deepened in labor markets in the region during the first semester of this year and examine the progress made in public investment in infrastructure and emergency employment programs implemented to counteract its effects. They conclude that labor markets in the region continue suffering the impact of the international crisis and |
deteriorated even
further in terms of employment levels during the
second quarter of 2009, according to the latest available indicators
from countries in the region. The bulletin asserts that regional unemployment reached 8.5 percent in the second quarter of 2009, up from the 7.7 percent registered during the same quarter last year. In addition, some indicators reveal a rise in labor informality, a weakening of social-security protected employment and a contraction of full-time jobs. "Youths have paid a high cost for the crisis or economic slowdown, given that unemployment among youths has increased significantly," said the bulletin. Nevertheless, both organizations see signs that the economic crisis already reached bottom in mid-year. In many countries, production has stopped declining and there are signs of an incipient recovery, partly due to the impact of countercyclical policies implemented there, which could prop up labor markets in the region during the fourth quarter, the organizations said. However, they stress that greater economic growth will not solve labor problems immediately. Recovering employment levels will lag behind economic activity, and will be gradual and heterogeneous in the different countries in the region, they said. Labor demand and job creation will continue weak as well, they added. The Economic Commission and the labor organization called on countries to redouble their efforts to stimulate decent job creation, strengthening the effectiveness of available instruments. Through this, they may advance in social inclusion and towards compliance of the Millennium Development Goals. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, Vol. 9, No. 195 | |||||||||
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| U.S.
Supreme Court begins term Monday with key cases By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Supreme Court opens its annual term Monday with a new justice and a new slate of potentially significant cases. The Supreme Court traditionally opens its annual term on the first Monday in October and usually renders its final decisions of the term by the following July. In recent years, the high court has considered an average of about 80 cases each year selected from about 8,000 requests for review. Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the newest member of the high court, following her confirmation by the Senate in August. She is the first justice with Puerto Rican heritage on the nine-member court and is the second woman on the current court, joining Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ms. Sotomayor recently told the CSPAN public affairs network that President Barack Obama asked her to make two promises shortly after accepting his offer for nomination to the Supreme Court. "The first was to remain the person I was and the second was to stay connected to my community," she said. "And I said to him that those were two easy promises to make because those two things I could not change." In the months ahead the Supreme Court will have an opportunity to render important judgments about gun rights, anti-terror laws, freedom of speech and punishment for juvenile criminals. One of the most closely watched cases involves the rights of gun owners in the city of Chicago, where the city's ban on handguns is being challenged by 2nd Amendment advocates. Last year, the court ruled the U.S. Constitution's 2nd Amendment protects the right of an individual citizen to own a handgun in the District of Columbia, a federally governed enclave. Gun activists are hoping to use that five to four ruling by the Supreme Court to challenge local and state gun control laws around the country. The high court has also agreed to hear a case involving part of an anti-terrorism law the government says is a vital part of its effort to fight international terrorism. The law in question bars material support to groups designated by the U.S. government as terrorist organizations. But the statute is being challenged by the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Those groups say they are engaged in peaceful activities in the U.S. even though they have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department. The court is also scheduled to consider whether a law that prohibits pictures of animal cruelty constitutes a violation of free speech under the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In addition, the nine justices will also hear arguments about whether sentencing juveniles to life in prison without paroles for crimes other than murder violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment. Generally, five of the nine justices make up a conservative majority on the high court, including Chief Justice John Roberts. Justice Sotomayor is expected to generally side with the liberal minority on court, following in the footsteps of the man she replaced, retired Justice David Souter. The high court is expected to rule soon on a case unresolved from last term involving long-standing restrictions on corporations and labor unions contributing to political candidates. |
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Latin American news |
Clash over
petroleum law results in death and injuries By the A.M.
Costa Rica wire services
Ecuadorean police clashed with Amazon Indians protesting new laws they fear will increase oil drilling. One person died and at least 49 others suffered injured. Authorities say the violence occurred Wednesday in Morona Santiago province, a major oil producing region. Officials say the clash came after three days of demonstrations in which native groups had blocked roads in the jungle region to protest laws they say would encourage more oil drilling. The officials say one protester was killed and 40 police and nine protesters were injured. At a news conference late Wednesday, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa blamed the protesters for the clash, calling them tremendously violent armed groups that waited for police with shotguns and rifles. The president also repeated his call for dialogue with the native people to address their concerns. For years, native communities in Ecuador have accused oil companies of damaging the environment and the health of community members while operating petroleum facilities. Five detained in Limón raids By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Anti-drug police detained five persons, three men and two women, when they made two raids in Cieneguita, Limón, thursday morning. The Policía Control de Drogas agents were accompanied by the local prosecutor who will bring allegations of sale and possession of drugs, said the Poder Judicial. Agents reported that they confiscated 39 kilos (86 pounds) of marijuana and 17 baggies prepared for sale. Also Thursday anti-drug agents detained a man and a womannnn in Barrio La Esperanza of Río Claro, Golfito, and said that they confiscated crack cocaine. They credited calls to the 176 drug hotline for the information leading up to the arrests.
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