Archive for December, 2009
Monday, December 28th, 2009
The TSA issued the following statement:
“Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in.”
The additional security measures will mean that you can expect longer delays at security screening. Expect more pat-downs and expect to see more bomb-sniffing dogs.
Many passengers getting off international flights said they were told they couldn’t get out of their seats on the last hour of the flight. Air Canada said that during the last hour of flights passengers could not have any items on their laps and would not have access to carry-on luggage.
The advice for all passengers is to allow a little extra time in case the lines are longer at security check in.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
Last year the government of China donated to the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública 200 police vehicles. We have all seem them, as they overtook the patrols of the run down, some even beaten, up small blue vehicles that were in use for some time.
However, the same is fate is soon becoming the donated vehicles, as 20% or 40 of the vehicles are sitting idle, not fit for duty.
Seguridad officials say the vehicles are broken down due to mechanical failure, others having been involved in a collision or two during chases.
At least three of the vehicles are a total write-off, according to the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública.
The reason that the majority of the vehicles are sitting idle is due to the long and complicated process of buying and importing replacement parts, which can only be purchased from the manufacturer in China.
Police officials are quick to deny that the units are of low quality and the reason for their quick deterioration. The problem, most will tell you is the bureaucracy in getting parts.
And the problem is intensified by the policies of the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) - national insurance company - that insists that replacements parts for the repair of the vehicles must be original and not aftermarket.
Kattia Rivera, the sub-director of the Fuerza Pública, said that a recent approval for a ¢90 million colones purchase of parts was approved and that the parts should be arriving in the first months of 2010, at which time repairs can be made and the vehicles back in use.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
The blood continues to run on Costa Rica - the majority on Costa Rican roads - with a total of 66 deaths, an average of 3 daily, so far this month. And the worst of the season is still yet to come.
The numbers were made public yesterday by the Cruz Roja to make the public aware of the problem, especially when it comes to getting behind the wheel of the vehicle.
The Cruz Roja said a total of 21 people died resulting from a traffic accident, the main cause of “violent” deaths this month. This number does not include those who died later in hospital.
Following is 18 deaths from stabbings or a firearms, and 9 deaths from aquatic accidents.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
Considering a romantic or family Costa Rica vacation? You’re choosing one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Costa Rica has been called the Hawaii of Central America. ACosta Rica vacation is full of beauty, lush foliage, many wildlife surprises, incredible lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.
Activities on a Costa Rica vacation include bird and butterfly watching, surfing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, tree top (canopy) tours, four wheeling, snorkeling, shopping, hiking, river rafting, horse back riding and casinos. On a Costa Rica vacation you’ll find pristine beaches, tropical jungles, clear blue skies, high mountain rain forest, and tropical sun. That’s why Costa Rica was aptly named ‘rich coast’ by Christopher Columbus in 1502.
Nature is Costa Rica’s green card. Wildlife diversity and exceptional landscapes merge in a long list of untouched lands and protected areas that will get you involved in as many Costa Rica expedition activities and adventure sports as you can imagine.
Costa Rica is unusually blessed by the diversity of its butterflies. There exists about 20,000 butterfly species worldwide. Of these, about 1,000 or 5% can be found in Costa Rica. With more than 850 species of birds, all found within a tight geographic area, Costa Rica offers birders of all levels of expertise an unrivaled bird watching experience. Birders out on the trail in Costa Rica’s forests should keep an eye out for mixed flocks foraging on certain types of food, especially fruit, in the forest canopy.
Costa Rica is home to roughly 150 species of amphibians, some of which are extremely colorful and exotic. There are tree frogs, which spend their entire lives above the forest floor, breeding in the water of tank bromeliads or in holes in the trunks of trees. Others, like the poison-arrow frog, are exuberantly colored, ranging from bright red with blue or green legs to bright green with black markings. There are over 200 species of reptiles in Costa Rica. The 14 turtle species include both marine and freshwater varieties. The largest of the marine turtles are leather-backs. Their shells are up to 5 feet and they weigh upwards of 800 pounds! Marine turtles climb up sandy beaches to lay their eggs, a spectacular sight because it happens en masse.
Costa Rica is home to over 9,000 identified species of vascular plants, including over 900 different species of trees. Costa Rica is home to some 1,500 species of orchids. From sub-alpine dwarf vegetation, rain-forest flora from sea level to mangrove swamps and seasonal dry forest with its deciduous trees, there is an astounding range of floral habitats for a country so small.
The protection of Costa Rica’s natural heritage is managed by the respective national parks and reserves. These areas protect many species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fresh and salt-water fish, and a vast number of identified vascular plants-representing 4% of the world’s total floral and faunal species.
In addition, these management groups protect examples of almost all the existing natural habitats such as deciduous forests, mangrove swamps, rain forests, herbaceous swamps, cloud forests, paramos, hilillo forests and marshlands. They also protect areas of historical and archaeological interest, such as pre-Columbian settlements and early battlefields, as well as beautiful areas of scenic interest, such as beaches, valleys and waterfalls. But above all, the areas of particular interest to the conservationist are the zones which protect the last remaining examples of Central American dry forest and the beaches where the sea turtles nest.
The protection of Costa Rica’s natural resources has implications beyond its borders because they encompass an incredible biodiversity, including numerous species on the verge of extinction. All of this is the reason the country has become one of the most popular destinations for visiting ecologists and biologists. On the whole, access to these areas and facilities are freely available provided the visitor respects the need to protect them. These protected areas are ideal for hiking and rafting, for watching the birds and other wildlife, for camping and just for enjoying in general, their rivers, beaches, jungles, mountain forests, volcanoes as well as their historic and archaeological sites.
A Costa Rica vacation is fast becoming the #1 romantic honeymoon and family vacation destination in the world. Whether it’s your honeymoon or family vacation– Exotic, Romantic and Nature– the perfect ingredients for that special get away, what more could you ask for on your vacation. An unbeatable choice for those travelers looking for a combination of relaxation, romance and activity. The atmosphere on a Costa Rica vacation is “Pura-Vida”, the pure life.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
Costa Rica is a major tourist attraction for people from around the world but, primarily, the U.S. and Canada. Indeed, tourism accounts for nearly eight percent of its gross domestic product. This tiny country, only about the size of West Virginia, is world-famous for its warm, sun drenched beaches and beautiful tropical mountains and landscape. Though it encompasses only one tenth of one percent of the planet, it is home to an incredible diversity of plants and animals. In fact, nearly one of every five species of plants and animals on the globe is found here. There are more kinds of butterflies in this little place than on the entire African continent and nearly the same number of species of birds as in the continental United States. It is no wonder, then, that Costa Rica draws tourists like a magnet. This country, which has been a democracy since it cast off its Spanish conquerors, has acquired the status of a tourist hot spot in Central America. The boom in the tourism industry has contributed positively to the growth of Costa Rica real estate over the past decade.
Most investors prefer areas that are attractions for tourists and, in particular, its beautiful Pacific coast. The large scale purchase of prime property along beach fronts (all of its beaches are public), mountain properties, farms (called fincas) and vacation rentals by expatriates have contributed to a steep hike in real estate prices in the most coveted areas.
The demand for real estate is centered mostly in areas where the tourist influx is large particularly along the Pacific coast. The purchase of vacation property and real estate for relocation by expatriates are two main reasons why the property prices have gone up. In addition to the coasts, money is flowing into investments on farms (called fincas), mountain properties, and vacation rentals. Increasingly, Costa Rica is also being seen as a retirement destination by many retirees hailing from cold countries in Europe as well as America and Canada. The highly stable democratic political system and the beauty of this country attract real estate purchasers from around the world who want to have a piece of paradise to themselves. Costa Rica is one of only two countries in the world without an army, the other being Switzerland, and is extremely forward looking. The government is committed to sustainability and in a few years, Costa Rica will be the first country on the planet to have a zero carbon footprint. No wonder so many people fall in love with this place.
A number of years ago, the country realized the benefits of sustainable development and tourism. Unlike many other countries, Costa Rica has learned the lesson that unregulated exploitation of resources is ultimately detrimental. Wisely, in the face of sometimes intense pressure, it refuses to allow oil exploration off its coasts. Tropical forests, once cut or burned for little farms, are returning. As more and more of the international community is encouraged to visit, investors from around the globe have found that Costa Rica is a wonderful real estate market. And, indeed, over the last decade there has been a real boom in development along the Pacific coast.
Of course Costa Rica has not been immune to the severe economic downturn in the States and Europe. Sales of condominiums and single family homes for expats or as second homes in subdivisions have slowed dramatically and in some areas along the Pacific coast cash-strapped Americans are selling their tropical homes at steep discounts.
Every contraction sets the stage for recovery. Costa Rica is expected to boom again due to the continuing tourist influx into the country, the high returns that real estate investment yields here, and the increasing scarcity of land in some places. Over the last decade, many investors have seen the value of their investments soar, though there is in fact a pull-back today in some areas because of the worldwide recession. Even many small investments have proved to be lucrative. Tempering the future boom a bit, though, may be that the fact that property in highly desired areas is becoming increasingly scarce. On the other hand, this may lead to increased investment in prime real estate inland.
Most retirees and investors prefer the more developed Pacific coast. Prices have risen the most there due to the increased demand though some of the most developed areas are temporarily witnessing some declines in prices. The Caribbean coast is not very developed yet and prices are often substantially lower than on the Pacific. Though most tourists head west, nearly 40% of the country lives in or around San Jose, the capitol city, and real estate prices there have not been significantly affected by the world’s recession because available land is at a premium as more and more Ticos move from the country to the city.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
The oldest former major leaguer died this year. Bill Werber played with Babe Ruth – and batted first in the first televised game, more than 70 years ago. So Werber bridged the gap between the myth and the myth-maker. Some of the sports figures who died this year were already long forgotten. Some will, no doubt, grow in memory and myth.
Other sports figures who died in 2009:
Administration
Myles Brand, 67, president of the NCAA and former president of Indiana University, died of pancreatic cancer, on Sept.16. Brand fired IU basketball coach Bob Knight in 2002 for continuing “defiant and hostile behavior.”
Auto racing
Kevin Grubb, 31, NASCAR driver, suicide, May 6.
Lloyd Ruby, 81, on March 23, in Wichita Falls, Texas. Ruby, who drove in 18 consecutive Indianapolis 500s, was called “the greatest driver never to win the Indy 500.”
Baseball
Nick Adenhart, 22, Angels rookie pitcher, in a car accident, April 9 in Los Angeles.
Dom DiMaggio, 92, of pneumonia, in Marion, Mass., on May 8. The younger brother of Joe DiMaggio, Dom was a seven-time All-Star who set the Red Sox record with a 34-game hitting streak in 1949.
Mark Fidrych, 54, former Detroit Tigers pitcher and folk hero, after a farming accident, April 13, in Northborough, Mass.
George Kell, 86, Hall of Fame third baseman, .306 career hitter, 10-time All-Star and Tigers broadcaster for nearly 40 years, March 24, in Swifton, Ark., in his sleep.
Dusty Rhodes, 82, unlikely pinch-hitting hero of the 1954 World Series for the New York Giants, June 17, of cardiac arrest, in Las Vegas.
Bill Werber, 100, in Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 22. He was the oldest former major leaguer, a teammate of Babe Ruth and the first man to bat in the first televised game — for Cincinnati in a game at Brooklyn, on Aug. 26, 1939.
Basketball
Chuck Daly, 78, of pancreatic cancer, in Jupiter, Fla., on May 9. Daly coached the Detroit Pistons to two NBA titles and coached the “Dream Team” to the 1992 Olympic championship.
Mike Casey, University of Kentucky guard in the 1960s and ’70s, of heart disease, in Nashville, Tenn. Johnny Kerr, 76, a 12-year NBA veteran who became the first coach of the Chicago Bulls, on Feb. 26, in Chicago, of prostate cancer.
Randy Smith, 60, of a heart attack while working out on a treadmill, June 4 in Uncasville, Conn. An All-Star with the Buffalo Braves, Smith once held the NBA record for consecutive starts, 906.
Wayman Tisdale, 44, of cancer, in Tulsa, Okla., on May 15. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma and an NBA star, Tisdale became a notable jazz bass guitarist.
Norm Van Lier, 61, Bulls guard, on Feb.26, in Chicago.
Marvin Webster, 56, in Tulsa on April4. The 7-foot-1 shot blocker for the Seattle SuperSonics and New York Knicks was known as “The Human Eraser.”
Roland Wierwille, 70, NAIA Hall of Fame coach at Berea College (464 victories from 1972 to 2002), July21, in Berea, Ky.
Kay Yow, 66, North Carolina State women’s coach, Jan.24, in Cary, N.C., of breast cancer.
Boxing
Alexis Arguello, 57, legendary lightweight, on July1, of an apparent suicide in Managua, Nicaragua, where he was the mayor.
Chuck Bodak, 92, after a stroke, in Orange County, Calif., Feb.6. Bodak, who was born in Gary, Ind., was a legendary “cut man” — and World Boxing Hall of Fame member — who worked the corner for Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali and Oscar De La Hoya. Bodak was known for giving money to strangers, and for sleeping on the floor, even in luxury hotels.
Vernon Forrest, 38, of gunshot wounds in Atlanta on July 25 after exchanging fire with men attempting to rob him. The three-time champion was the first man to beat Shane Mosley.
Arturo Gatti, 37, after hanging himself on July11 at a Brazilian resort; police initially suspected his wife had strangled him with a purse strap. “Thunder” Gatti is best known for his epic trilogy of fights with Mickey Ward.
Ingemar Johannson, 76, former world heavyweight champion, Jan.30, in a nursing home in Sweden. He had Alzheimer’s disease.
Greg Page, 50, former WBA heavyweight champion, of accidental asphyxiation, in Louisville, April27.
Jose Torres, 72, former light-heavyweight champion and biographer of Ali and Mike Tyson, of a heart attack, Jan.19 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Football
Doc Blanchard, 84, Army fullback who won the Heisman Trophy in 1945, of pneumonia April19 in Bulverde, Texas.
Monte Clark, 72, former coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, Sept.16, in Detroit, of a bone marrow malignancy.
John Gordy, 73, former Lions lineman and early leader of the players’ union, on Jan.30, of pancreatic cancer, in Orange, Calif.
Chris Henry, 26, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, after falling out of a truck during a domestic dispute, Dec.17, in Charlotte, N.C.
Jasper Howard, 20, University of Connecticut defensive back, of knife wounds, Oct.18, in Hartford, Conn. Howard was stabbed during a fight outside the student center in Storrs about nine hours after UConn’s homecoming victory over Louisville.
Jack Kemp, 73, former New England Patriots quarterback, congressman and U.S. vice presidential candidate, May2, of cancer, in Bethesda, Md.
Dante Lavelli, 85, Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, Jan.20, in Cleveland.
Steve McNair, 36, former Tennessee Titans quarterback, shot by his girlfriend in a murder-suicide on July4 in Nashville.
Lou Saban, 87, who coached 15 college and pro football teams and was once president of the New York Yankees, on March 29 in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. He had a history of heart trouble.
Bruce Snyder, 69, former coach at Arizona State and California, from cancer, on April13 in Phoenix.
Burl Toler, 81, first black man to officiate an NFL game, died Aug.16, in Castro Valley, Calif.
Brad Van Pelt, 57, New York Giants linebacker who was a five-time Pro Bowler, on Feb.18 of a heart attack in Owosso, Mich.
Golf
Betty Jameson, 89, one of 13 founders of the LPGA, on Feb.7 in Boynton Beach, Fla. She won the 1947 U.S. Women’s Open, shooting a 295 to become the first woman to break 300 in a 72-hole event.
Horse racing
Alysheba, 25, winner of the 1987 Kentucky Derby, euthanized on March 27 in Lexington, Ky., after a fall.
Bobby Frankel, 68, Hall of Fame trainer, on Nov.17 in Pacific Palisades, Calif., after a long illness.
Ira “Babe” Hanford, 91, the oldest Derby-winning jockey, in Ocala, Fla., on Nov.21. As an 18-year-old apprentice, Hanford rode 20-1 shot Bold Venture to victory in the 1936 Derby.
Lil E. Tee, 20, who won the 1992 Derby with Pat Day aboard, euthanized in Lexington on March18 after surgery for an obstructed bowel.
Ismael Valenzuela, 74, who rode two Derby winners — Tim Tam in 1958 and Forward Pass in 1968 — on Sept.2 in Arcadia, Calif., after a long illness.
Media
Joe Hirsch, 80, a Daily Racing Form writer and columnist for 55 years, of complications from Parkinson’s disease, in New York, on Jan.9.
Harry Kalas, 73, Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster, on the job, April13, in Washington, D.C., of heart disease.
Motocross
Jeremy Lusk, 24, on Feb.9, two days after crashing in competition in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Tennis
Jack Kramer, 88, of cancer, in Los Angeles, Sept.12. Kramer’s decision to turn pro — and his later success as a promoter — transformed tennis, prompting author Bud Collins to declare, “Jack Kramer was the most important figure in the history of the game.”
Track and field
Kamila Skolimowska, 26, Polish hammer thrower, on Feb. 18 while training in Portugal, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. At 17, Skolimowska became the youngest Olympic gold medal hammer thrower, at the 2000 Games in Sydney.
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Nicaraguan authorities said on Tuesday that the government of Japan has donated us$15 million dollars for the design of the bridge to be constructed over the Río San Juan that borders with Costa Rica.
The bridge will span 260 meters (853 feet) and will be constructed in the Municipio de San Carlos in the southern portion of Nicaragua and Las Tabillas on the north shore of Costa Rica.
Construction is expected to begin by late 2010.
Costa Rican authorities confirmed that a commission made up of ministers and vice-ministers has been analyzing such a possibility, with the objective of facilitating the movement of goods across the river.
The river had been the center of dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, when Nicaraguan officials refused Costa Rican police to patrol the river, a right granted by a century old agreement. Costa Rica lodged a complaint with the International Court at the Hauge which voted in Costa Rica’s favour ending a battle over the San Juan that had lasted almost a decade.
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Keeping pace with the downward economic trend for the year, the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) announced that Costa Rican exports fell 11 percent in comparison to the first 11 months of the year in 2008.
According to PROCOMER, exports have generated $7.98 billion in sales this year, which is $998 million less than the January-November the timeframe in 2008.
Though the 11 percent decline in export sales was disheartening, the market began to show small signs of recovery as exports in November were 2.8 percent greater than in November 2008. Last year, Costa Rican export revenues topped $9.5 billion, the highest amount generated by exports in the country’s history.
“These results regarding national exports are evidence that the demand of local goods and services has improved during the second half of the year in the principal export markets,” said Emmanuel Hess, the general manager of PROCOMER.
According to PROCOMER, the industrial sector accounts for 76 percent of export revenue, followed by the agriculture sector (21 percent) and livestock and fish sector (2 percent).
Some of the significant increases in export demand have been seen in medicines (7.2 percent), milk (20 percent), pork (82 percent) and pineapple (1.2 percent). Costa Rica is the world’s leader in pineapple exports.
The exports that have experienced the most significant drops in demand were seen in the manufacturing industry (15 percent), fish (3.8 percent) and coffee and bananas. No exact figures are yet available for the percentage decreases in coffee and bananas.
The biggest demand for Costa Rican goods and services remains in the U.S., which accounts for 38.6 percent of all local exports. Asia and the European Union each receive over 17 percent of the total Costa Rican export market.
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
A consortium made up of Spanish construction firm FCC, Mexico’s ICA and Costa Rica’s Meco has won a Panama Canal dry-excavation contract with a $267.8 million bid.
The consortium beat out Belgium’s Jan de Nul, Brazil’s Oderbrecht and the ISC Panama consortium to win the contract, the second most lucrative of the $5.25 billion canal expansion plan.
According to the specifications laid out by the Panama Canal Authority at the start of the bidding process, the project involves excavating a new channel that will link a new set of locks – yet to be constructed – with the Gaillard Cut, the canal’s narrowest stretch.
The winning consortium offered to carry out the dry-excavation work for a total cost of $267,798,795, well below the $294,913,000 offered by ISC Panama, which finished runner-up.
This was the last bidding process of the canal-expansion plan and will involve the excavation and removal of some 27 million cubic meters (951.6 million cubic feet) of material.
The work will involve opening a 6.1-kilometer (3.8-mile) access channel as well as the construction of a large earth and rock dam with a watertight clay core.
PCA administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta told Efe Tuesday that the idea is for this latest dry-excavation project to be completed by 2013. The entire canal expansion is due to be finished in 2014.
In July, a consortium led by Spain’s Sacyr Vallehermoso construction company won a $3 billion contract for the third set of locks for the Panama Canal.
The canal, designed in 1904 for ships with a 267-meter (875-foot) length and 28-meter (92-foot) beam, is too small to handle the “post-Panamax” ships that are three times as big, making it necessary for some time to expand by building the new set of locks.
The Panama Canal Authority, a government agency that manages the waterway, wants to double transit capacity.
The 80-kilometer (49-mile) canal, which currently handles about 5 percent of world trade, has been under Panamanian management since Dec. 31, 1999, when the United States surrendered it in keeping with the 1977 Torrijos-Carter treaties.
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
The holiday season is quickly approaching and with it a number of closures of businesses and government offices, agencies and institutions.
During the coming days we will be publishing a list, as completely as possible, of all the closures.
The most important of all closures is that of the banks, which will be closed on Friday, December 25 and Friday, January 1, both legal holidays in Costa Rica.
Some banks may close early on December 24 and 31, but will all be open come the Monday after the holiday. Some banks will be closed December 26 and January 2, if the bank is normally closed on Saturdays.
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Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Featured in Florida’s 12 Days of Fugitives is escaped convict Julio Bonchea. Julio Bonchea goes by the aliases Julio Bonachea, Manuel Tata Rodriguez, and Miguel Tata Rodriguez. On August 8, 1998, Julio Bonchea was convicted and sentenced to sever 18 years in prison for attempted murder. Julio was convicted of leading a home invasion burglary that resulted in one victim being stabbed and another victim being shot multiple times. He had been charged with attempted murder, burglary, grand larceny, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. On March 26, 2000, Julio Bonchea escaped from the Calhoun Correctional Institution.
Julio was later arrested in June 20001 in San Jose, Costa Rica; again he was charged with attempted murder. Julio Bonchea was sentenced to serve 11 years in a Costa Rican prison but escaped a second time in June 2005. It is unclear if Bonchea remained in Costa Rica or moved to Cuba as he has family members there. It is possible that he is in South or Central America as well. He has worked in various sales jobs and in the traveling industry and is fluent in both Spanish and English.
“This fugitive is the first to be featured as he has the dubious distinction of being highly violent and escaping from a Florida Prison and a foreign jail. He has family in Cuba and South Florida connections but could be living undetected in any Spanish-speaking community anywhere,” said FDLE Tampa Bay Special Agent in Charge Jim Madden.
Julio Bonchea stands 5’7” and weighed approximately 155 pounds at the time of his escape. He has brown hair and brown eyes and may be using his assumed aliases and working in sales, insurance, telemarketing, or the travel industry.
There is a cash reward offered for Julio Bonchea under the 12 Days of Fugitives program. If you have information regarding Julio Bonchea’s whereabouts you are asked to call (1-877-FLA Wanted) or email: FLAWanted@fdle.state.fl.us
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Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
In two days the year end parties begin around San José and it will be up to the officers of the Fuerza Pública (police), the Policía de Tránsito (traffic police) to ensure safety and security and the to the personnel of the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) and Bomberos (fire department) to respond to emergencies for the hundreds of thousands that will be taking part in the Zapote Fair and the Festejos Populares de San José.
At noon on Christmas Day, Zapote comes to life, as the annual fear plays hosts to those looking for entertainment, traditional fast food, the megabars and of course, the bulls.
The annual event attracts visitors from all over the country and tourists.
On Sunday, December 27, Paseo Colón and Avendida Segunda shuts down to vehicular traffic to host the Tope Nacional, the annual horse parade in downtown San José.
Raúl Rivera, regional director of the Fuerza Pública de San José, said that more than 200 police officers will be assigned to the Zapote fair, working in two 12 hour shifts.
Rivera added that police officials will be stationed at the points of entry. Even though entry to the fair is free, unlike other years, there are specific points of entry and exit to control the entry of firearms and other weapons on the fair grounds.
The police director is asking parents to keep a strict eye on their children. Lost children are always a hearbreaking situation for both the police and the Cruz Roja.
The Cruz Roja suggests that parents dress their children with a bracelet with the child’s name and emergency contact.
Both Cruz Roja and Fuerza Pública officials recommend an afternoon visit for those with children and avoid being in the park with children after 8pm.
Germán Marín, director of the Policía de Tránsito, said his officers will be on hand to control traffic and the traditional practice of illegal parking and blocking driveways and emergency routes.
Marín said that at least 25 Tráficos (Traffic officials) will be posted to the Zapote detail and more than double that to the downtown San José and Circunvalación that feeds traffic to and from Zapote.
Recommended for a safe visit to Zapote is not to wear jewellery or anything flashy and not carry large amounts of cash.
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Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Break out the piggy bank or the coin jar to remove all the large silver coins or “plateadas”, as they will be phased out next year.
Costa Rican banks will begin receiving in exchange of the coins during the first three months of 2010, after which the coins can only be exchanged at the Banco Central de Costa Rica (Central Bank).
TheCentral Bank informed on Tuesday that the local banks will begin receiving and exchanging en masse the ¢5, ¢10 and ¢20 large silver coins. These are the large heavy silver coins, not to be confused with the smaller and lighter silver coins that will be maintained in circulation.
The announcement to retire the coins was made last September and banks have been receiving the coins and remitting them for exchange at the Central Bank, though no mass public collection was announced,
Marvin Alvarado, director of the Tesorería del Banco Central said that beginning on January 1, the Central Bank will begin exchanging the silver coins collected by the local banks and hat beginning on April 1, 2010, the coins can only be exchanged at the Central Bank.
The Central Bank estimates that there are 205 million coins circulating, of which only 18.9 million had been recovered as of December 15.
The move, according to the Central Bank official, is to have only one size of coins in circulation. Although there will exist the the ¢5 and ¢10 gold and silver coins, they will be of the same diameter.
The Central Bank assures that is has enough coins on hand to replace the removal of the large silver coins and will begin a campaign to make the public aware of the exchange.
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Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
The total amount of cocaine caught being smuggled through Juan Santamaría International Airport, Costa Rica’s principal airport northwest of San José, has jumped from a little more than nine kilograms in 2008 to 209 kg this year, the Public Security Ministry said Monday.
The rise has coincided with increased efforts by narcotics police force and Costa Rica’s increasing presence on the drug-trafficking route.
So far this year authorities have caught 56 people carrying drugs through Juan Santamaría, the ministry said in a news release.
The latest capture was a 25-year-old Israeli male with four packages of cocaine taped to his legs.
Of the total 56 detained this year, 45 were foreign, hailing from countries ranging from Guatemala, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, South Africa and the United States.
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