 |
| |
Costa Rica Your daily |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
|||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 248 | |||||||||
 |
| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
 |
 |
|
to feed political debate By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Opposition political party members are sensitive to the arrival of U.S. warships, even when they are not U.S. warships. The security minister held a press conference and issued a statement Wednesday after the Partido Acción Ciudadana complained in its own earlier press conference that U.S. military ships are docked without permission in Costa Rican ports. The issue is a hot topic now being promoted by Prensa Latina, the Cuban news service, and leftist politicians. The actions seem to be an effort to reduce the joint action between the United States and Costa Rica in interdicting illegal drug shipments. The minister, José María Tijerino Pacheco, said that two supposed warships that docked in Costa Rica between August and October were not military vessels. One was the "Clipper Oceania," which is a Bahama-flagged tanker and the other is a U.S. Coast Guard boat, the "USCGC Aspen" that services buoys and cleans up oil spills, he said. It docked in Golfito. Tijerino added that the gun that Acción Ciudadana said the Coast Guard boat sported was really a crane for lifting bouys out of the sea for maintenance. The issue is before the legislature now because the security ministry is seeking permission again for up to 46 U.S. military craft to visit Costa Rican ports for shore leave. Only about 20 percent of that number actually will make a call on Costa Rica, but officials have no way of knowing now which will, they said. The legislature has to approve the arrival of foreign ships and has done so routinely every six months since 1999. U.S. Ambassador Anne Andrew hosted 18 Costa Rican legislators aboard the USS Doyle last week to outline the Joint Maritime Agreement Against Illicit Trafficking between the two countries, the U.S. Embassy reported. The approval for the coming six months is likely to be approved in the legislature despite opposition party resistance, but they also have appealed the measure to the Sala IV constitutional court. Rains expected to endure through next Tuesday By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Despite the winds from the north the Central Valley has a 30 percent chance of rain from today through next Tuesday, according to the Weather Underground, a forecasting service of this newspaper. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional said that today will see a continuation of the pattern of moderate winds as well as low temperatures in the mountains. The institute also predicted occasional rain in the central pacific and south Pacific as well as in the mountains of the northern zone and Caribbean. The 1 a.m. temperature was 20 degrees C or 68F, considerably warmer than the last two nights. Plunge on quadracycle is fatal to U.S. tourist By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A quadracycle rider who was a U.S. tourist, died Tuesday night near Jacó when his machine plunged off a road into the ravine. The man, identified as Jonathan Andrew Sharp is believed to have suffered a broken neck in the mishap. The quadracycle sustained little visible damage although rescue workers had to tow it up from the ravine. The four-wheel-drive vehicles are frequently street legal and are used extensively in rural areas. In the case of the Tuesday night accident, investigators speculated that the vehicle was going too fast to make a curve. The man was driving at night on an errand. Our readers' opinion
Colon-dollar exchange ratekeeps this tourist away Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I see in today's A.M. Costa Rica that the dollar has again fallen below 500 colons. I noted also that there is a story projecting, as usual, improved tourism visitation, but detailing how poorly the tourism industry performed in the past year. I was about to purchase my tickets and book my hotel rooms for one of my usual quarterly two-week visits to Costa Rica, but after seeing the current exchange rates, I believe I will take my January vacation in Panamá instead. I've seen a steady decline in the value of my tourist dollars in Costa Rica in the past couple of years. Yes, I know, the dollar has struggled elsewhere also. But it seems that in Costa Rica there are these volatile changes that aren't fully explainable, except perhaps as greed by Costa Rican banks and financial regulators. I do love Costa Rica and have many Tico friends and acquaintances. But Costa Rica isn't the bargain that it once was as a tourist destination. Besides the devastating impact of the global recession in the past 18 or 20 months, the devaluation of the dollar in Costa Rica is probably another significant factor in why fewer North American tourists are visiting the land of Pura Vida. More and more, Costa Rica is becoming the land of "Pura Greed-a." Terrell Hinton
Tulsa, Oklahoma Great irony follows talks about global climate change Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I am an off-and-on reader. Maybe I missed a comment or there was none on what happened in Cancún. Well, nothing to write home about but we received another glimpse of the irony of the subject matter, of our moment in time. With "climate-gate" duly forgotten 15,000 lucky bastards from 196 countries convened as delegates (I love that word... like they "convened in the cafeteria of Sing-Sing") and had a free luxury vacation with their wives in the Moon Hotel on the Mexican Caribbean while the entire event cost the taxpayer about 50 million USD. Meanwhile drunk on disinformation and free champagne, they produced an estimated 25,000 tons of CO2 and produced a humongous amount of garbage, which — green as the Mexicans are — was going to be recycled and therefore transported to Mexico City, about 1,200 km away. The outcome of this bla-bla event was that they decided upon decisions to be made in 2011 in Durban though everyone — unisono — was brainwashed enough to agree that climate change was not caused by the workings of the universe but an act of "Us, the People." Okay, now to the irony: After earlier global warming having mutated to global climate change many radical scenarios were hyped-up in the MSM suggesting exorbitant rising of the sea-level, methane disasters... Mexico had the coldest registered temperatures in a hundred years. Axel Marquardt
San Jose
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| 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 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica's third newspage |
|
||||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|||
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 248 | |||||||||||
 |
| Fishing boats are tied up at a private dock in Puntarenas, a situation that raises the suspicions of environmentalists. |
 Programa para Restauración de
las Tortugas Marinas photo via YouTube
|
| Environmentalists concerned by apparent fishing violation |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Environmentalists trying to enforce a commercial fishing regulation thought they had a deal. The Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura and the Ministerio de Agricultura y Gandería said that by Dec. 1 every commercial fishing boat would have to unload its catch at the public docks in Barrio El Carmen, Puntarenas. The purpose of the agreement was to conform to a law that provides public oversight to fishing operations. So what are two boats doing tied up at a private dock in Puntarenas, asked the Programa para Restauración de las Tortugas Marinas, the environmental group that also has an interest in sharks. The organization reported Wednesday that two Belize-registered boats, the Yu Long 35 and the Hung Chi Fu 27 are unloading some 55 tons of shark at the private Mariscos Wang facility. The organization has photos and posted a YouTube video based on a visit to the Pacific port Monday. |
The environmental group said it was
told that the port captain never
got the message not to permit fishing boats to tie up at private docks.
In addition the fisheries institute said that because the boats were
not actually unloading their catch there was nothing illegal taking
place, said the organization. Randall Arauz of the environmental organization accused the fisheries institute and the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes of evading the law as they have done since 1998. The fisheries law is designed to make sure that boat captains comply with the many laws relating to their activities. Among other problems on the high seas is that of shark finning in which sharks are caught and their fins are cut off. The fins are a premium product in Asia. Than the sharks are just dumped back into the sea to die. This has been a continuing problem, and the Costa Rican regulation is that a shark must be unloaded with fin attached. In some cases, fishermen tie a shark fin to a carcass to comply with the regulation. |
| Arrest in tire-puncturing case serves to remind tourists |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Tourists continue to be easy picking for crooks who take advantage of flat tires on rental vehicles. The Judicial Investigating Organization made an arrest Wednesday, but the threat for tourists leaving Juan Santamaría airport in Alajuela and Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia is continual. Such crimes have been reported for at least 10 years. The crime requires an insider at a rental car company. The individual uses an ice pick or other sharp object to puncture the tire of a vehicle that soon will be on the road. The trick is not confined to rental agencies. Some service station attendants have been found doing the same thing in all parts of the country. The idea is to cause the tire to deflate slowly so that when it goes flat, the occupants are stuck in a spot where they are easy prey. Sometimes this in the Autopista General Cañas between Juan Santamaría and downtown San José. The stranded |
tourists are approached by
motorists who want to help. When the help is accepted, the good
samaritans grab luggage and other valuables from the car, frequently
without the knowledge of the tourists who are preoccupied with the flat
tire. Alternately, the good samaritans may pull a gun and strip the victims of all they have. Even long-time expat residents have been victimized even as they knew what was going on. Somehow the crooks managed to steal items from one car even though the expats did not see anyone approach it. In one incident, an armed expat waved his revolver at the approaching samaritans, who then quickly drove off. The man detained in a raid Wednesday is a Colombian, but many nationalities have been involved in such crimes. Judicial police usually advise expats to drive on the deflated tire until they reach a safe location even if doing so means the tire is destroyed. Some frequent visitors make detailed checks of their tires before leaving the rental car yard. |
 |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| 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 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth news page |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 248 | |||||||||
| Defensoría fielded more than
20,000 complaints in 2010 |
||
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Ricans, who have a reputation for suffering silently, really do complain. The Defensoría de los Habitantes said that it received more than 20,000 complaints over the quality of public services in 2010. The most complaints were about public transportation, the condition of buses, the location of bus stops and rates. There also were complaints about problems women faced in the health system, including long waits for mammograms and delays in treatment. There also were complaints about the lack of specialists in public hospitals. This problem is more acute in areas outside the Central Valley. The Defensoría actively seeks out citizen complaints with outreaches and six regional offices. The agency expects to see 21,000 complaints by the end of the year. That's about 1,200 more than in 2009. The Defensoría, which is considered the nation's |
ombudsman,
has only the power of persuasion to effect changes. Among other current problems is that of sexual harassment in the workplace of public institutions, it said Wednesday. There have been 130 complaints this year, 19 more than in 2009, the agency said. The agency handles a wide variety of complaints and raises some issues on its own initiative. For example, Wednesday Ofelia Taitelbaum, the defensora de los habitantes, urged horse owners to keep ill animals out of the various horse parades that take place around the beginning of the year. There is such an event, called the Tope Nacional, in San José Dec. 26. The Festival de Palmares hosts another several weeks later. The concern is equine infectious anemia, which is spread by mosquitoes and other biting insects. The disease is incurable and can lead to weakness and death in horses and similar animals. |
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| 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 2010 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 |
|
|||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
||
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 248 | ||||||||||
 |
| U.S. is wary of proposal to give Chávez decree power By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is subverting the will of the country's electorate by seeking emergency powers in advance of the seating of a new legislature next month. The current congress, filled with pro-Chávez members, is expected to approve rule-by-decree by the end of the week. The State Department has joined opposition figures in Venezuela in criticizing the move by Chávez supporters to grant him emergency powers before a new congress, with more opposition members, is seated on Jan. 5. The current congress, with an overwhelming majority of pro-Chávez members, voted Tuesday to grant him special powers to enact laws by decree for the next year. The national assembly is expected to give final approval to the measure by the end of the week. Chavez critics say the action, which would be the fourth time in 12 years the populist president has been given temporary decree powers, is a clear effort to sideline the next congress, which will have enough opposition members to block such action. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the action is contrary to the Inter-American Democratic Charter to which Venezuela is a signatory. "He seems to be finding new and creative ways to justify autocratic powers," said Crowley of Chávez. "What he is doing here, we believe, is subverting the will of the Venezuelan people. As the Inter-American Democratic Charter underscores, the separation of powers and the independence of the branches of government are an essential element of the representative democracy. An independent legislature has an essential role to play in the political system in order to meet the principles laid out in this charter." In the September elections, the opposition drew about half the total vote and won more than one-third of the seats in the new congress, enough to deny Chávez the two-thirds majority needed to approve some laws, including decree powers. Crowley said the successful elections, which drew millions of people to the polls, allowed Venezuelans to send "a clear message" to the Chavez government. He said the new legislature should have the ability to contribute to the country's political process. Hundreds of Chávez opponents demonstrated outside the legislature Tuesday, objecting to planned decrees they said could impose restrictions on the Internet and endanger Globovision, the country's last opposition television channel. Chávez loyalists say he will use new decree powers to boost infrastructure projects and help the country recover from recent floods and mudslides that have left thousands homeless. Chávez says all action contemplated will be within the framework of the Venezuelan constitution. He used past decree powers to nationalize privately-run oil fields, utilities and telecommunications companies. U.S. Senate passes plan to stimulate economy By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping federal tax bill that will swell America's national debt by hundreds of billions of dollars and, it is hoped, stimulate a lagging U.S. economy. Attention now shifts to the House of Representatives, where some Democrats want to alter the tax deal struck between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate voted 81 to 19 to extend existing federal tax rates for all income levels. Those tax rates are set to rise beginning next year — an outcome neither party wants at a time of chronic economic weakness. The bill also extends federal jobless benefits, limits inheritance taxes on multi-million-dollar estates, and trims worker payroll contributions to Social Security. The bill would increase spending and shrink revenue, sharply boosting federal indebtedness over the next two years. A common refrain from liberal and conservative senators alike: The tax deal is flawed, but better than doing nothing. |
|
 |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| 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 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 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 |
Looking
for a story from a past edition? See our search page or http://www.amcostaricaarchives.com |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 248 | |||||||||
 |
Latin American news Please reload page if feed does not appear promptly |
 U.S. Southern Command photo
Facade of new headquarters buildingU.S. southern Command set
inauguration of headquarters By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The U.S. Southern Command is about to inaugurate its $405 million, 630,425-square foot headquarters building in Florida. The command identifies itself as one of six Defense Department geographic unified operations centers and is responsible for U.S. military operations, cooperation and partnership-building in a region that includes 31 countries and 10 territories in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The inauguration will be Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the City of Doral, Dade County. Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, the commander, will preside, command said. The ceremony will feature a flyover by F-16s from the nearby Homestead Air Reserve Base, the command said. Military craft that come to Costa Rica on humanitarian missions, like the USS Iwo Jima are within the Southern Command, as are military boats on drug patrol in the Pacific and Caribbean. The new building, started in June 2008, will house 2,800 persons and 13 identified agencies. Big Christmas party today for 400 youngsters in Pavas By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Patronato Nacional de la Infancia will celebrate Christmas today with 400 youngsters in Pavas in the facilities of the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral. The celebration organized by the child welfare agency is part of the Red contra la violencia de Pavas in which 25 public and private institutions are participating. The event begins at 9 a.m. and runs until noon. Organizers promise dancing, music and presents for youngsters who attend. Pavas is heavily populated and parts are decidedly low-income. Some areas are controlled by gangs. Some young criminals live there but victimize persons elsewhere. The event today for those 18 and under is an effort to keep youngsters from adopting a life of crime or violence. |
| Latin American news feeds are disabled on
archived pages.
|
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| 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 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
James
DeRoy
