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A.M. Costa Rica
Your daily English-language news source Monday through Friday |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 210 | |||||||||
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off road near the Zurquí tunnel? By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
For some reason murderers favor the drop off leading up to the Zurquí tunnel as a place to dispose of bodies. This is the tunnel
Although the body was just 30 meters, just short of 100 feet, from the level of the roadway, rescue workers took four hours to extricate it Sunday from heavy brush. Agents said they thought the body had been there awhile. The Durán case is unusual because it does not appear that the young man, 25, was engaged in any illegal activity. The Judicial Investigating Organization sent out a bulletin on the missing man Oct. 12, just four days after he vanished. Agents have to start this investigation without any clear motive. Typically robbers do not go to the trouble of hauling off their victims to an isolated spot. Agents have not reported if the body found Sunday had personal effects, such as a cell telephone or money. In Costa Rica if there is no body there is no crime, so a killer has an incentive to get rid of a victim. A neighbor discovered another man dead Sunday morning. That was in Ticabán in La Rita de Pococí. The 50-year-old man has not yet been identified formally. He was found in the public right-of-way with machete slashes. One arm had been severed. Persons in the area heard a noisy dispute Saturday night and think that was when the man died. A dispute in Jacó Sunday morning is being blamed for the death of a man there. A 29 year old with the last name of Gallego died in central Jacó about 6:30 a.m., said the Judicial Investigating Organization. The dispute was about a woman, said agents, and the second person in the argument pulled out a pistol and shot Gallego in the head. He was hospitalized but died later at Hospital Monseñor Sanabria in Puntarenas. Quakes continue to rattle Pacific coast communities By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The quakes continue on the far Pacific coast. There were two quakes greater than 4.0 magnitude Sunday. The Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica said a 4.3 magnitude quake took place at 2:29 p.m. 12 kilometers northwest of Zapotillal de Santa Cruz in Guanacaste. The Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica, also at the Universidad de Costa Rica, said that residents of Nosara started Sunday with twin quakes: One at 7:32 a.m. This quake had a magnitude of 4.6 and the epicenter was 15.6 kilometers north northwest of Nosara. Two minutes later a 3.3 magnitude quake took place less than a kilometer from the community. There also was a quake at 3:46 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean between Nosara and Sámara to the south. That quake's magnitude was estimated at 3.1.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page | |
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 210 |
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| U.S.
lawmakers seek study of expat tax exclusions |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Three members of the U.S. Congress have asked for a close look at the earned income tax exclusion and a second exclusion for housing costs that benefit overseas Americans. The request was in a letter sent to Gene L. Dodaro, comptroller general. The three members of Congress, all Democrats, said they wanted a clear summary of the effects of these tax exemptions. Such an assessment by the General Accounting Office, in the light of the extensive changes to the global economy that have occurred in recent years, will provide lawmakers with better information about these provisions as we contemplate changes to the U.S. tax code, they said. The three members of Congress support the tax exemptions for overseas Americans because they see the tax rules as being related to the competitiveness of the United States in overseas markets, they said. They are Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Jim McDermott of Washington State and Michael Makoto Honda of California. They also asked that the study consider the impact of removing the income exemption. Other members of Congress have questioned the exclusions and the concept may face stiff questioning in the coming months. The three U.S. lawmakers noted that although estimates vary, most show that around 6 million |
American citizens
live aboard in almost 200 countries around the world, a population
larger than that of most U.S. states. The United States requires its citizens to pay taxes on any money they earn anywhere. This is a controversial policy. The tax laws allow overseas Americans to exclude more than $90,000 in earned income a year. For those who earn more than that, the household provision allows them to exclude about 16 percent of their income for housing and some living expenses. The expat advocacy group, American Citizens Abroad, said that the foreign earned income tax exclusion is an essential part of the U.S. tax code that helps keep Americans overseas competitive economically, particularly against emerging economies such as China that actively promote their citizens living and working overseas. By providing a timely and accurate report on the foreign earned income tax exclusion’s impact on Americans living overseas and its importance to the U.S. economy, the General Accounting Office report will go a long way towards ensuring that other members of Congress recognize the need to protect and expand the exclusions, said the advocacy group. Ms. Maloney and Honda also are sponsors of legislation to create a federal commission to study the impact of government policies upon Americans living overseas, she noted in a press release. That story is HERE! |
A grandfather tells the Tico version of a ghost story to youngsters in an illustration accompanying the Mitos y Leyendas stamp issue. Framed, the stamp set would make an interesting present for those who need a little encouragement to stay away from strong drink, strange women or profane drivers of carretas. |
 Illustrations
by Heriberto Barrientos A.
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| Tico legends are depicted in stamp issue
in time for Halloween |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Halloween is not really a Costa Rican tradition even though youngsters go wild that night, block streets and set trash afire. So maybe it is just coincidence that the national postal service has come out with a set of scary stamps. The issue is designed to mark U.N. World Post Day, the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. Correos de Costa Rica chose two legends to immortalize on stamps. The are La Segua and La Carreta sin Bueyes. Both legends are at least from the 18th century but the theme is universal: To terrify those who would drink, pick up strange women or curse God. La Segua is the beautiful woman whose face changes at a key moment from that of a damsel to that of a female horse. The legend is so well known that there even is a local beer named after her. The Carreta sin Bueyes is not the taxi an expat wants. One popular version takes place in Escazú where the driver of an oxcart, a carreta, has a running feud with the local priest. To emphasize his point, the oxcart driver prods his oxen or bueyes onto the church steps with the goal of barging into the holy |
place. The well-brought-up bueys
balk and eventually end up in buey heaven. The profane driver of the
carreta is turned over to Satan Lucifer and must spend the nights
traveling through the streets of the Central Valley with a
self-propelled ox cart. One image of this phantom cart shows a giant
hand in the place where the oxen should be, and that is the propulsion
system. The driver remains in a casket in back. Correos de Costa Rica stopped short of recreating this grim picture. The 485-colon stamp shows an empty cart scaring the wits out of a Tico as it patrols the streets. The set of stamps, illustrated by Heriberto Barrientos A., shows a grandfather recounting the legends to enthralled youngsters. The horse-faced Segua is pictured along with Cadejos, a demon dog that is the subject of yet another legend. Each of the two stamps is placed near a short explanation of its legend. The La Segua stamp carries a value of 385, so the set is worth 870 colons or about $1.76. The postal service made 15,000 stamp sets with 500 first-day covers. The demon dog shows up again on the special cancelation. Just about every Costa Rican knows these legends. The stamp set is available at local post offices or the special collector's window downtown. The stamps also are available online. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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Jo
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 210 | |||||
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| Seven groups receive grants to projects
in ethnotourism |
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By
Kayla Pearson
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Seven ethno-tourism initiatives will receive $87,000 from the Fondo Concursable para Iniciativas Etnoturísticas de la Región Brunca. The goal of the fund is to strengthen and innovate the sale of ethnic tourism products in the native territories of Térraba, Boruca and Salitre in southwestern Costa Rica. "The tourist activity in the Brunca region is still beginning in terms of visitation and positioning of ethnic tourism products, both nationally and internationally,” said Jorge Rodríguez, director of international cooperation of the economic ministry. “That is why the Fondo Concursable para Iniciativas Etnoturísticas de la Región Brunca seeks to support those projects of organizations and associations legally constituted in the above territories." Ethno-tourism is defined as when persons visit a region to interact with local persons who are considered exotic. Most of the time they are native people who have not been assimilated into contemporary culture. The innovation fund aims to enhance the competitiveness of ethno-tourism in the Brunca region by investing money in |
specific projects of
organizations. This directly improves tourism which leads to the
improvement of infrastructure, diversification and development of
touristic products in the area, spokespersons said. Also, the fund is expected to help organizations make the investments necessary to receive the tourism certification given by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. This certification allows the organization access to training and promotion services. The winners are Asociación Bribripa Kaneblo, Asociación para la Defensa de los Derechos de los Indígenas de Térraba, Asociación de Turismo Eco Cultural Indígena So Cagru de Boruca, Asociación de Productores La Flor, Asociación Cultural Indígena Teribe, Mano de Tigre Sociedad Civil and Eco Aventuras Kuasran. These seven organizations have received training and advisement in how to profile their projects. They also received technical support from the fund's committee and help with the revision of the proposals. The innovation fund is financed by the Fondo Naciones Unidas-España para el Logro de los Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio. It has been implemented by the Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo and the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio. |
| Bad
U.S. bills intercepted by police officers in Limón |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two men detained Saturday in Limón serve as a reminder to expats to take a good look at the money they receive in their businesses. The two men are accused of trying to buy a pair of shoes with a fake U.S. $100 bill. The merchant spotted the bad bill immediately and alerted police, said the Fuerza Pública. Officers were able to stop a vehicle containing two suspects a short distance away. They had in their possession bills. Fuerza Pública officers said there were 12 authentic U.S. bills and 200 fake ones. The men sought to make the purchase at an artisans fair, part of the Limón carnival. Police said one of the men had been detained on an identical charge twice before, once in 2008 and once in 2009. There is not a lot of counterfeiting of U.S. currency in Costa Rica. The reason is that there are sophisticated operations in Colombia that can make good copies of even the most secure |
 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía
Some of the bad bills recovered
Saturdayy Seguridad Pública photo bill. These operations turn
out millions in fake bills every week, and the produce is distributed
all over the world. Local distributors generally pay about 30 percent
of the face value of the bills and then seek to pass them to earn a
profit.
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| Newspaper
warns of unrest in Colón, rest of Panamá |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Panamá News warned Sunday of unrest and a general strike today in the city of Colón and other possible unpleasantness that might extend north to Chiriqui, Bocas and Veraguas. There was a riot Friday in Colón, and a 9-year-old boy died from police bullets, the newspaper said. Editor Eric Jackson said that the strike would last at least two days. It has been called by business, labor, civic and community groups and even the Colón Chamber of Commerce. The dispute is over a law that would allow the sale of state land in a free zone. "It's not particularly safe to go to Colon," wrote Jackson. "There have been roadblocks set up by both protesters and police, and gun battles in which people from both sides have |
fired shots and in
which there have been casualties on both sides and the one person who
was killed was a nine-year-old boy who was not involved on either side
but was gunned down by police 'special forces' who appeared to be
randomly shooting at any available human target in a residential
neighborhood." The newspaper also said that different factions in the Ngabe-Bugle Comarca are calling for big public meetings and it may turn out to be another contest between the officially elected general cacique, Silvia Carrera, and the traditional general cacique, Celio Guerra. The native groups have blocked the main highways in western Panamá near the Costa Rican border in the past. "Anywhere in Panama, there is an increased possibility of drivers being delayed by protesters blocking the roads," said Jackson. |
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Food |
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Jo
Stuart |
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 210 | |||||||||
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| George
McGovern, 90, was strong peace advocate By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
George McGovern, a former U.S. lawmaker and the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Richard Nixon in 1972, has died at the age of 90. He made his mark as both a soldier and an activist for peace. George McGovern’s experience as a bomber pilot in World War II earned him military honors and changed the future politician’s views on life and death. After the war, McGovern returned to his home state of South Dakota to teach history and political science. In 1956, he ran successfully for Congress and became known as an advocate for the American farmer. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962. In 1972, as the Vietnam War entered its seventh year, Senator McGovern was nominated as the Democratic Party's candidate for President. He ran against President Richard Nixon on a platform advocating the unilateral withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam in exchange for the return of American prisoners of war. It was not a widely popular platform at the time, and it contributed to his lopsided defeat at the polls. He lost his Senate seat in 1980, but remained active in politics, working hard for liberal causes and candidates. He traveled the world, teaching and lecturing, and served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations' Agencies for Food and Agriculture. He left that post with a commitment to combating hunger in the United States and around the world. In 2000 President Bill Clinton awarded McGovern the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, and he and former U.S. Senator Robert Dole shared the 2008 World Food Prize. McGovern remained a standard bearer for the American peace movement, speaking out against the invasion of Iraq, pointing to parallels between that conflict and the war in Vietnam. Starbucks opens an outlet to switch India to coffee By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The world's largest coffee chain, U.S.-based Starbucks Corp. has opened its first store in India. The move comes at a time when coffee is winning new fans in India, traditionally a tea-drinking country. From a 370 square-meter outlet spread over two levels in an upscale Mumbai neighborhood, Starbucks began serving its first cappuccinos and lattes in the Indian market. Both in its décor and products, the Starbucks flagship store has an Indian touch. There are vintage trunks, hand carved-wooden screens and tables of Indian teak. The coffee it serves is prepared with coffee beans grown in India. Some food items such as chicken tikka Panini, cardamom croissants, and tandoori cottage cheese rolls have a local flavor. And to suit the pockets of a cost-conscious market, Starbucks has priced some products lower than in other countries. It will sell what it calls a short espresso for a little more than $1.50. Chief executive of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, who came for the store's opening Friday night, called it "perhaps the most beautiful, elegant and dynamic store we have opened." Starbucks comes to India in alliance with an Indian partner, Tata Global Beverages. It must compete with a host of coffee chains - both local and international - that are already established in India. Although India is traditionally a tea-drinking country, over the past decade, cafes have become the new social hot-spots, particularly among young people. Starbucks will have to catch up with coffee chains that have already spread across the country. The biggest coffee chain, Café Coffee Day, has over 1,300 stores. Starbucks will build its presence slowly - it is opening two new outlets in five-star hotels in Mumbai next week. And it will open its first store in the capital, New Delhi, next year. Sect that practiced celibacy dwindles to a few members By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
One of the swankiest suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, is Shaker Heights, and it’s not named for any kind of food shaker. Nor are Shakertown, Kentucky, Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts, or Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine. They were all once communal settlements of an ultra-strict religious sect that got its name from its followers’ exuberant dancing. There are only two, possibly three, members of the Shaker religious band still alive. Nobody outside the private community where the women are cared for in Maine knows the number for sure. Two hundred-thirty-eight years ago, Ann Lee, the charismatic British founder of the sect, formally called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, moved along with eight of her followers to the United States. Together, they began founding communal settlements from Maine in the Northeast to Kentucky in the mid-South. Onlookers called them Shakers as they watched these true believers twitch and clap loudly, shaking off the sins of the world as they sang and danced. President James Monroe, who stopped at a Shaker settlement in the 1820s, noted in his journal that, "The singers began increasing the violence of their actions as they were warmed by the Spirit." Shakers emphasized honesty, hard work, and simplicity. Shaker missionaries walked the countryside, seeking converts. New members were essential, because the Shakers lived as celibate brothers and sisters. There would be no children born to build the ranks, which helps explain why you can count the remaining Shakers on one hand. But Shakers embraced some earthly pleasures, such as music on the Victrola phonograph, automobile travel, and a glass or two of beer. Kentucky sourmash bourbon, too, at the Shakertown settlement in South Union, Kentucky. They made their living by selling high-quality garden seeds and making fruit preserves, straw hats and brooms, oval boxes, and distinctive wooden furniture whose simple designs still inspire the so-called Shaker style. After the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s, tens of thousands of Americans headed westward in search of fortunes and a new life, and lots of Shakers left the fold to do likewise. It was the beginning of a steady decline of their sect. Some Shaker settlements became museums and still draw visitors, curious to find out what all that moving and shaking were about. |
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Jo
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M.
Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 210 | |||||||||
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Latin America news |
Rains pound the
metro area,
and Caribbean system grows By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
San Pedro and San José appear to have endured the heaviest rains Sunday when nearly an inch of rain fell in less than an hour. The storm caused flash flooding, in part due to storm sewers clogged with garbage. Streets were flooded as were some homes and businesses because the rains came so heavy and fast. In San José the .96 of an inch followed a Saturday when 20.1 millimeters or about eight-tenths of an inch fell. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional attributed the wet weekend to a tropical wave that is in the Caribbean and moving slowly toward Central America. The institute expects the low-pressure trough or wave to become a tropical depression. This system will continue to affect the weather today. The Central Valley avoided much of the heavy rain that caused flooding and forced some Guanacaste residents from their homes last week. Saturday the heaviest rains fell in Santa Ana with 44.4 millimeters or 1.75 inches and Earth University in Guácimo, which got 60.5 millimeters or 2.38 inches. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, said that there is an 80 percent probability that the trough in the Caribbean will convert itself to a tropical cyclone in the next two days. Rebels in Colombia kill five government soldiers By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Marxist rebels have killed five Colombian soldiers just two days after the start of peace talks. Colombian military commanders say the FARC guerilla rebels blew up a bomb late Friday in the Putumayo region, near the border with Ecuador. At least three other soldiers were wounded. The Colombian government has rejected the rebels' offer of a bilateral ceasefire while the peace talks go on. The talks opened in Norway Wednesday and are set to resume in Cuba next month. The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia has killed tens of thousands of people during its nearly 50 year-long fight against the Colombian government. It is known for frequent kidnappings of politicians and foreigners and funds its operations largely with drug money. The United States has sent billions of dollars in aid and equipment to help the Colombian government tackle the rebels who are called the FARC. |
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| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
