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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 29, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 214 | |||||||||
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should decriminalize libel Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The United Nations independent expert on the right to the freedom of opinion and expression voiced concern Thursday over a prison sentence for two Panamanian journalists, who had earlier been acquitted on charges of slander and libel. UN Special Rapporteur Frank La Rue said in a statement that, according to available information, the two journalists were also prohibited from carrying out activities related to their profession for one year. The pair are Sabrina Bacal, TVN Channel 2's news director, and Justino González, the reporter on the story. “This judicial decision represents a worrying precedent for the efforts being made to decriminalize such incidents, especially in cases such as this, wherein the act which led to the punishment relates to information about the actions of public officials,” La Rue said. Costa Rica has a similar law. Although the Panamá prison terms were later commuted to a fine and there was the possibility of a pardon, the expert reiterated his position on the importance of the right of citizens to be fully informed about the activities of public officials. “Despite the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, states frequently limit or restrict freedom of expression arbitrarily, even resorting to criminal laws or civil actions, in order to silence dissent or criticism,” he stated. He urged Panama to take account of international instruments related to the exercise of the right to the freedom of opinion and expression. The Committee to Protect Journalists said two lower courts dismissed the charges but a court of appeals convicted the pair of criminal defamation and banned them from professional work for one year, news reports said. President Ricardo Martinelli said he would pardon the journalists, the Committee said that lawmakers should repeal all criminal penalties for defamation. The case stems from a 2005 story alleging that Panamanian immigration officials were taking part in human trafficking. Two officials named in the story filed a defamation complaint against the pair. In a ruling dated Sept. 28, an appeals court in Panama City overturned the lower court decisions and barred the reporters from working for one year. The court also ordered Ms. Bacal and González to pay a $3,650 fine or be subjected to a one-year suspended prison term. Earlier this year, veteran Panamanian journalist Carlos Núñez López served 20 days in prison in connection with a 2008 criminal defamation conviction, the committee said. A property owner alleged he was defamed in a story about environmental damage in Bocas del Toro province. Panama has only partially decriminalized defamation. Under a May 2008 reform, defamation of high-ranking public officials is no longer subject to criminal sanctions. But other criminal defamation provisions remain in place. The TVN Canal 2 case would be subject to criminal defamation even now, for example, because it did not involve senior officials, said Miguel Bernal, a Panamanian lawyer who handles press freedom issues, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. President heads north for two days of visits By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
President Laura Chinchilla Miranda will be going north today and will eventually visit Alfaro Ruiz, San Carlos, Guatuso, Upala and Los Chiles. The first stop today will be the celebration of Zarcero's 100th anniversary. This afternoon the president will meet with the Cámara de Ganaderos in San Carlos at 2 p.m. Friday the president will be in Guatuso, Upala and Los Chiles for various official functions. Quepos residents invited to gripe about government By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Got a beef? Live in Quepos? If so, the Defensoría de los Habitantes will have a representative in the regional office of the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social Wednesday from 8 a.m. to receive complaints. The Defensoría is the nation's ombudsman, an office that takes the side of citizens against government transgressions.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 29, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 214 | |||||||||
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| Archivo
Nacional will mark the lottery's 125th birthday |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some 125 years have past since the Junta de Caridad in San José staged a lottery to support Hospital San Juan de Dios. The concept was not universally popular and the city was full of such lotteries, legitimate or not. Eventually the idea took hold and the Junta de Caridad became the present Junta de Protección Social. The destination for funds raised in the lottery were spelled out clearly by law. The Archivo Nacional is marking the anniversary with an exposition, “El juego de la solidaridad. Historia de las loterías en Costa Rica,” which opens Wednesday in Zapote. Like postage stamps, lottery tickets are colorful and laden with history. They also attract collectors. One is Jorge Castro Mora, whose collection is part of the exposition and who wrote the guide for the displays, said the Archivo Nacional. The Junta notes that the early lotteries faced heavy competition and displeasure from the Roman Catholic church. Now, however, the drawings have multiplied to instant lotteries, electronic lotteries and the Gordo Navideño, the fat Christmas lottery.  Lotteries available today |
 Jorge Castro Mora collection
Ticket issued in 1921 to mark the 100th anniversary of the
country's independence. |
| Disabled access lacking at bank ATMs, Defensoría
reports |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Defensoría de los Habitantes is asking banks to explain why they have not complied with plans announced two years ago to make automatic tellers accessible for the blind and persons in wheelchairs. The Defensoría said it looked at what has happened since 2008 and found that only Banco Nacional had partly complied with the agreement. The Banco de Costa Rica has an automatic teller that |
responds with a voice, but it does
not provide additional voice
instructions as to various menus and the keyboard, said the
Defensoría. Costa Rica has a law, well-known as Ley 7600, that requires that public places and activities be accessible. The Defensoría only checked the four public banks. It said its responsibility did not cover private banks, but it asked the Asociación Bancaria Costarricense to move toward the requirements of the law with its affiliates. |
| The popular tide seems to be turning in favor of San
José |
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| When I asked the
question about the word with the longest list of definitions last week,
I had not set a time or manner in which to inform readers or tell those
of you who guessed it right. Vi, from Jacó, who loves anything
regarding linguistics, let me know on Friday morning at 6:15 that the
word was set. And at least six others responded correctly. It is
not a versatile word. None of set’s many definitions wander far
from its primary meaning. (Unlike the word cop that has a short
list of definitions and a wide variety of meanings.) Usually my week has no theme. That is, I don’t have the routine of a job (except for writing my column, which I don’t consider a job), or something repetitive to give it form. The days are complete unto themselves. Sometimes I have a week of lunching out or a week of seeing old friends, or even a week of living dangerously. But usually, after the routine of my morning coffee, each day is whatever I plan it to be. Or don’t. But the days of this past week did seem to tie together harmoniously. I joined other English speaking expats at the Luis Dobles public school located in La Sabana in what used to be the former airport complex. The students were in their auditorium which once was the airplane hangar, so you can imagine the size and height. It was English Day. Groups of students had tables with decorations, brief histories (in English) and hand-made artifacts and were wearing costumes depicting holidays celebrated by English-speaking people throughout the world After we viewed the displays there was a program, the highlight of which was a group of students dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Then we formed small groups and talked with the students, when possible, in English. Afterwards we were asked if we could stay for coffee, as they wanted to thank us. We were led to a room where the white clothed tables were set with coffee cups, and then we were served, not only coffee, but sandwiches, fruit, cheese and cake. Miriam, the teacher who is working with members of the Little Theatre Group to bring English speakers to schools, thanked us. That was quite a thank you! The next day I attended a meeting of the Professional Women’s Networking group where the talk was about sustainable growth, recycling and conscious living. It was held in the newly built bamboo room at the Tin Jo |
restaurant. The room was filled with women in all kinds of businesses from running bed and breakfasts to making jewelry with recycled tabs from cans and other nonprofit organizations. A small group of people are organizing to revive San José as a destination of choice. They want to advertise the one-of-a-kind places to visit in the city. I was overjoyed. I have felt like a voice in the wilderness lauding San José and talking about frugal living, and now I am not alone. Then to tie it together for me was hearing some quotes from Erich Fromm the psychiatrist and philosopher who died in 1980. I had read some of his works but forgotten them. Googling him, I discovered that 40 years ago he was talking about two personality types that embraced two ways of living: having and being. A having personality looks for happiness through accumulating and possessing things, sometimes even people. This personality type has increased in some countries. The urge to own and keep stuff is responsible for the appearance and success of a new business: renting storage units. In its extreme, it can lead to pathological hoarders. Being personalities savor the experiences in life rather than what possessions they can accumulate. They are the people who believe in the saying “Be here now.” of Ram Dass and the 60s. (And believe me, talking with students you are here now, even if they are not.) The extreme of this group might be the mendicant monks. Fromm, not surprisingly, thought that the being types were healthier, more productive people. Well, this group is growing. They are the small is beautiful, less is more, frugal, recycling, let’s appreciate the here and now and save our planet for future generation. I felt like the band is joining the different drummer, and this is not happening just in Costa Rica. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Oct. 29, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 214 | |||||||||
| This
is the town dump for Los
Chiles |
 Tribunal Ambiental Administrativo
photo
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| Environmental inspectors open 19 cases
at Caño Negro |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Tribunal Administrativo Ambiental reported Thursday that the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro and adjacent areas harbor a multitude of environmental problems. Among other concerns, the Tribunal expressed worry about the growing monoculture of pineapples in the areas near the protected area and said there were invasions of wetlands and waterways. It also expressed concern about possible pollution of drinking water as a result of agricultural chemicals. The area is in the cantons of Upala, Guatuso and Los Chiles in northern Alajuela province. The tribunal also cited the Los Chiles dump for air pollution and other environmental problems. Experts from the tribunal, the Área de Conservación Huetar Norte, Fuerza Pública officers, and technicians from two public universities toured the area twice. The report reads like a textbook of environmental damage. The Tribunal said it found construction within the Caño Negro wetlands as well as logging in protected forest areas. Inspection also revealed earthworks such as dikes and drainage canals that have an impact on the adjacent wetlands. There also were evidences that gravel had been extracted from rivers, mainly the Río Frio, and that earth had been moved without steps being take to minimize the damage. This alters the natural flow of water, the Tribunal said. Inspections also revealed changes in land use and the cutting of primary forests as well as secondary. |
 Tribunal
Ambiental Administrativo
photo
These trees are uprooted to make way for more pineapple land,
the Tribunal said.The Tribunal expressed many concerns about activities that change the water flow and seepage into the wetlands where many species of birds nest. The pineapple operations are legal, despite some violations, but the Tribunal has seen many problems elsewhere. Inspectors even found a bar that has been built partly on refuge land. The owner was cited, the tribunal said. In all there were 19 cases of environmental problems that came from the inspections. In addition the Tribunal urged that the municipalities take more control and conduct more oversight of the areas. It also called on a handful of ministries and national institutes to take a lead role in imposing land use planning on the area. |
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Latin American news Please reload page if feed does not appear promptly |
San
Ramón expats discuss security with U.S. diplomat Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Visiting diplomat Arturo Valenzuela and U.S. Ambassador Anne Slaughter Andrew met with the San Ramón-based Community Action Alliance Wednesday to discuss crime and security concerns. In addition to expats, local politicians, chamber of commerce members and police attended the session at the Escazú residence of the ambassador. Valenzuela. a Latin expert, is U.S. assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs. Ambassador Andrew and Assistant Secretary Valenzuela were scheduled to meet with President Laura Chinchilla immediately after the meeting to discuss a range of issues upon which the U.S. and Costa Rica collaborate, including security. This is the latest outreach effort by the U.S. Embassy and follows on the heels of an embassy-sponsored speaking tour that took place in late September by community policing specialist Arturo Venegas, Jr. in San Ramón, Quepos, Dominical and Jacó. The Community Action Alliance is one of several expat groups that have organized to address issues of special interest to foreigners here. Valenzuela was visiting Nicaragua Thursday. Sala IV orders repairs for risky Barva bridge By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An Heredia resident who uses a bridge over the Quebrada Seca in Barva got fed up with the condition of the span and filed a Sala IV appeal. He said the bridge was putting at risk the lives of those who crossed it because of lack of maintenance and that he feared a catastrophe. The Sala IV agreed, in part because there is a technical report on the poor state of the bridge. The court ordered the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad, the road agency, to issue orders immediately so that within a month's time work will begin to replace the bridge. The court also issued similar orders to Francisco José Jiménez Reyes, minister Obras Públicas y Transportes and the municipalities involved. |
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