Two murders, a suicide and a pregnant woman who has disappeared in suspicious circumstances have kept the investigators busy in the past two days. 

Thursday about 2 p.m. Alan Murillo Blanco, 24 was stabbed in the throat with a knife. He died from his injuries later that afternoon at San Juan de Dios Hospital.  The incident occurred in Barrio México, San José, close to Bar Castros. Investigators say that he was attacked because he was attempting to steal a television set from a house. Murillo was chased, caught and then stabbed by a man who investigators say was the owner of the television. 

At 9 p.m. Wednesday a man was shot and killed in Alajuelita. He was Aron Alvarez Miranda, 28, Investigators said he arrived at his home and a man approached him and shot him six times. Alvarez was dead at the scene.

About 10 p.m. Wednesday investigators were called to the scene of a suicide. The victim, Eduardo Handel Redondo, 33, was found in the bathroom of his house with a bullet wound to his temple. A rifle was found near his body. 

Investigators confirmed that he committed suicide and are currently concerned for the welfare of his wife. Teresa Marbel Pineda, 27. The woman, from Nicaragua, was seven months pregnant. 

A spokesperson for the Judicial Investigating Organization confirmed that agents are excavating the patio of the house seeking the woman. Investigators noticed that the earth had recently been disturbed around the patio area. 

New film explores
oil drilling on coast

A new Costa Rican film hits theaters today. It is "Caribe," a 90-minute drama revolving around the impoverished Caribbean coast.

The bad guys are the North American oil executives who would drill off the Caribbean coast, so the film already is winning plaudits from the environmental organizations.

The director is 30-year-old Esteban Ramírez, and this is his first feature film, although he has won praise for several shorts.

Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría is the male lead, Vincente. He wants nothing more than to live a peaceful life with his wife Abigail (Spanish actress Cuca Escribano).  But first Vincente is hit with a pullout by a banana company. Then the oil company arriving, splitting the community between those who wish to protect the area and those who see the new industry as a source of jobs.

The Federación Costarricense para la Conservación del Ambiente, an environmental group, has been quick to promote the film, as the unequal battle between the community and the company. The organization is quick to identify the real life oil company as Harken Energy, which is associated with the Bush family.

Harken failed in its efforts to obtain help from the Sala IV constitutional court last month, so it probably will seek international arbitration to compensate for Costa Rica pulling the plug on oil drilling.

Colonial coins heart
of museum exhibit

Colonial money, mostly made in Spain, will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit opening next week at the Museos del Banco Central below the  Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San José.

The title is "Escudos, Reales y Maravedís: Moneda de España y América durante la Colonia 1500 -1825." Museum officials promise some 150 authentic pieces of colonial money in the Museo de Numismática.

About 75 of the specimens are on loan from the Museo Casa de la Mondea de la Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre de Madrid. and a number of examples will be of pieces minted in the Americas, including Bogotá, Lima, Potosí and Guatemala, said a release on the exhibit.

The exhibits also will address the cultural significance of the money as they relate to conquest and trade.

Horse-faced woman
a winning character

Barbara Halen, a local writer, is the winner of the A.M. Costa Rica Third Annual Halloween Short Story contest. She was one of five contestants.

Her story ran Oct. 26. Judges were editors and writers of the newspaper. They liked her use of local folklore and the way she wove the tale of La Segua, the horse-faced woman, into a scary story.

Ms. Halen wins the prize of $25. Second place was a story about El Cadejos by Kevin Huey, who also used local folklore, the demonic dog that stalks persons at night.

The newspaper will continue the contest next year.

The Costa Rican government has responded to complaints by the Camara Nacional de Turismo, and more people will be hired to work and improve security at the airport in Liberia, Daniel Oduber International. 

The camara predicted that the airport will receive in excess of 180,000 passengers. The airport will receive 34 instead of 17 weekly flights in high season.

The government has agreed to contract more people and have also decided to develop a plan to improve the security in the airport. The urgent request was made as the tourism chamber became aware that the airport was struggling to cope with tourist arrivals in low season. At the end of September, Alberto Lopez Chavez expressed his concern to reporters.

"The airport in Liberia has many flaws and, at the moment, there are not enough people working there. In its current state the airport would never cope with such a large influx of people," said Lopez, executive director of the Camera Nacional de Turismo de Costa Rica.

The main issue focused on the fact that no employees had been hired since 1995. Despite the growth of air traffic and passengers, the number of employees stayed at 106.  An increase in flights to the airport with the opening of new routes to Liberia from the United States and Canada also concerned the chamber.

A commission set up to investigate the running of the airport confirmed that five new positions have been advertised in security and in immigration. The vacancies will be filled at the latest by next week. 

In addition to these improvements, the operating hours of the airport will be extended to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the possibility of remaining open for delayed flights until 10 p.m. The airport will only remain open if the correct personnel can be obtained. At the moment delayed flights are re-directed to Nicaragua, Panamá or to Juan Santamaría Airport in Alajuela. 

The Papagayo Project, which is heavily dependent on the airport, will be donating two quad bikes to help improve the security around the airport. 

The tourism chamber still believes that more people should be employed at the airport, especially at customs, where there are only four employees.  William Rodríguez the president of the tourism chamber, said that the group will continue pushing for the necessary answers. 

"There is still a way to go, but with these reinforcements the airport will have a more fluid operation during high season, which is what worries us the most at the moment. We will continue and we await the next meeting on the 6th of December to obtain more solutions," said Rodríguez.

I may have to shave my beard and don shades to remain anonymous in restaurants. 

Mary from the supermarket offered a recipe that she created after reading the guava confusion column. A former favorite of hers was cold guanabana soufflé: the tart juice from a large (1-1.5 kg.) fruit boiled with two or three packages of gelatin and a cup and a half of sugar, thickened with four tempered egg yolks and mixed with stiffly whipped egg whites (four) and heavy cream ( a cup). 

Her new version skips the gelatin and sugar and uses instead a jar of pectin rich guava jelly. She also reduced the eggs from four to three. "Fabulous. Much better," she chortled. 

Grace (?) from the gas station wanted a recipe for roast turkey "now that many markets carry frozen birds for the holidays." She has had bad luck with "dry and tasteless birds."

Turkey tips:

1.) Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator, rather than at room temperature, to avoid salmonella problems. It may take 48 hours for a large bird.

2.) Brine the bird in very salty water, two cups of salt per gallon of water with enough to cover. I combine the two processes by defrosting the turkey in the salt water. Don’t use an aluminum pot. If you don’t have a large enough porcelain or stainless pot for large birds, use two heavy duty plastic bags, one inside the other, tied at the top and left in the fridge for two days. Brining adds flavor and makes the meat juicy. When you are ready to prepare your feast, rinse the bird very well and pat dry.

3.) Most recipes tell you to salt the bird well inside and out. DON’T. The brining has added enough saltiness. 

4.) Rubs and glazes are not the same. Glazes burn if you put them on too early. Rubs go on and/or under the skin before the turkey goes in the oven. A simple rub is to coat the skin with flavored sesame oil or butter and then sprinkle with sweet paprika for color. If you want to get fancy, carefully work your hand under the skin over the breast and thighs without tearing the skin. Smear soft butter and finely shredded fresh herbs (e.g. thyme, sage and tarragon) into the space. 

For a glaze, you might try guava jelly or marmalade straight from the jar. Paint it on three or four times at 20 minute intervals during the last stages of roasting and it won’t burn unless your oven is too hot.

5.) Particularly with large birds, you have to use low heat, 300 F. at most, or the white breast meat will be dry as cardboard by the time the meat near the bone is cooked. Use a meat thermometer and aim for 165 degrees deep in the thigh. You will have to be more patient than ever before and start 

Dr. Lenny Karpman On  the  food we eat

Remove from the oven and let it rest for about half an hour before slicing and serving. The meat will actually continue to cook for the first several minutes and the temperature will probably reach 175. Place the bird on a rack over a roasting pan. Put two cups of water and chunks of carrot, onion and celery in the bottom. Start with breast side down for the first two and a half hours to assure moistness, then turn just once with able bodied help.

6.) For the gravy, try a two-step version to make the final phase less stressful. First, make a roux with two tablespoons each of flour and butter, lightly brown in a dry skillet and slowly add a quart of rich chicken stock while stirring. This part can be done at any time while the turkey is roasting. The result is a bland gravy that is not too thick. 

When the turkey exits the oven, pour the drippings in the pan into a Pyrex measuring cup. Pour off two thirds of the fat. Remove the large aromatic vegetables from the pan. Deglaze all the caramelized bits off the bottom and add with the drippings to the gravy. Simmer on the stove. Season for taste. 

7.) Don’t stuff the turkey. Make the dressing in roasting pans, precook and you can reheat and brown the top in a hot oven while the turkey is resting. The same is true for reheating precooked candied sweet potatoes. Using the relatively low temperature method to assure a juicy tender turkey, you might never thoroughly cook the dressing inside the bird to a degree that is safe to eat without risking bacterial contamination. Enjoy.

Tempering egg yolks: If you were to add beaten egg yolks to hot liquid, they would scramble. Instead, lower the temperature of the liquid to simmer, remove a few tablespoons of the liquid at a time and add to the bowl with the eggs while stirring or whisking vigorously until the volume is increased by half. It is then safe to pour the egg mixture into the hot liquid and stir. 

As the final result of the U.S. presidential election was determined, people throughout Latin America reacted to the news of President George W. Bush's victory. 

The news of another Republican victory in the White House brought mixed emotions in Latin America. Leaders throughout the region, including those in Costa Rica, sent their congratulations to President Bush, many expressing hopes of increased relations during the next four years. 

Mexico's president, Vicente Fox, called to congratulate Bush, repeating his desire to advance bilateral relations with the U.S. and to work together on issues such as immigration, security and terrorism. 

Guatemala's president, Oscar Berger, assured his citizens that Guatemala was in the heart and mind of President Bush. Berger said the country wants to improve working conditions for immigrants and will look to the U.S. for help in modernizing its military. 

However some citizens and analysts were disappointed with the result. The majority of Latin Americans were against the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and consequently supported Democrat John Kerry in his bid for the presidency. 

Although geographically close, many critics have charged that relations between the U.S. and its southern neighbors have deteriorated in recent years, as the Bush administration has been occupied with the war on terror in the Middle East.

In Argentina, citizens expressed an array of feelings on the streets. 64-year-old real estate agent Bruno Teyka was indifferent. 

Raul Fernández, a 40-year-old Argentine businessman, supports President Bush.

Fernández said the United States is playing a very important role right now on the world stage, and that is security. "We all have the possibility to grow, to progress but if we don't have security around the world, anything could happen to us," he said. "It could happen to us here in Argentina or in any part of the world. I've always seen Mr. Bush as a winner, and if it's like that, then everything is good." 

In Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent words of support to President Bush. However, Marcilio Moreira, Brazil's former ambassador to the United States under President Ronald Reagan and Bush Sr. said most Brazilians are not happy with the result. "They are reacting with dismay," he said.

"The people on the streets, the people in the universities, the press, the people in Congress, they are really disappointed that the president (Bush) has chosen war instead of peace, has chosen aggressiveness instead of negotiations."

In 2000, President George W. Bush campaigned on the hope of increasing relations between the U.S. and Latin America, a desire that was somewhat derailed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

Many in Latin America are now hoping to build upon that promise now that the Bush administration will govern the United States for the next four years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  The United States has condemned what it calls Cuba's continuing repression of reformists.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher Thursday said political prisoners under the Castro regime have been beaten repeatedly while in prison. He also said seven prisoners who were released due to illness continue to face daily harassment, re-arrests and lengthy interrogations.
Havana has imprisoned some 75 people with 

Boucher called on Cuba to end the abuse of reformists, and to release all of its political prisoners. Said Boucher:

"The world denounced the Cuban government's repression, and the United States, the European Union and  others took steps to encourage the Cuban regime to release these prisoners of conscience. These measures have ensured that the Cuban regime knows the world is watching."

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — A regional summit of Latin American leaders is getting under way here where talks are expected to focus on fighting poverty in the region and peacekeeping efforts in Haiti.

Leaders from 19 Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Nicaragua and Mexico are attending the two-day 

Brazilian officials have increased police presence around Rio de Janeiro ahead of the event. 

The conference comes just days after a historic election in Uruguay brought a socialist president into power, following a regional trend of governments led by left-leaning or center-left leaders.