Archive for January 13th, 2010
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Harry Mannil, 89, a Estonian-born businessman, arts collector, economic adviser, and suspected war criminal died in Costa Rica.
For years Mannil was listed as the 10th most wanted Nazi criminal by the influential Simon Wiesenthal Center. The accusations stir from his work for the Nazi-organized political police in 1941, when he allegedly participated in persecutions and executions of at least a hundred local Jews and communists.
Due to the accusations he was expelled from Switzerland, where he had fled after the war. He was also barred from entering Britain and the United States.
However in Estonia Mannil was viewed as a respectable businessman and philanthropist. Most of his life was spent in Latin America, where he had a successful career. He was among the founders of the leading Venezuelan holding ACO Group and held positions on the management boards of several other big companies.
He was also an art collector and owner of one of the world’s largest private collections of pre-Columbian art.
In 1990, Mannil returned to his native Estonia and worked as an economic advisor to two governments of the newly independent nation. He also had close personal relations with the Estonian elite and was godfather to the daughter of the former Prime Minister and now Mayor of Tallinn Edgar Savisaar.
In 2005, an Estonian investigation found no evidence of Mannil’s alleged crimes during World War II. The Wiesenthal Center called the results “a pathetic whitewash for political reasons” and said the Estonian prosecutor’s accusation that the center had purposely targeted Mannil was “the best proof that Estonia lacked the political will to prosecute a prominent Estonian.”
Harry Mannil’s ashes will be buried at his ranch in the mountains of Costa Rica.
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Speeders beware, the Policía de Tránsito is targeting you and with new radar equipment, that in addition to checking speed, also takes a photo of the driver and notes the license plate number, time and date, the location of the infraction and the direction of the vehicle.
Huanelge Gutiérrez, sub-director of the Policía de Tránsito, explained that the new units will help reduce speeding and curb traffic fatalities.
Gutiérrez said that in many cases, speeding motorists do not heed to the indications of the officer to pull over, making it difficult to fine the offender, while many others refuse to sign the ticket and then appeal it.
With the new system, Gutiérrez said the Policía de Tránsito can now provide the traffic courts with all the details of the infraction, including a photo of the driver.
However, speeders can rest easy for a bit longer, because the units won’t be on the country’s roads for a while.
The Policía de Tránsito has just commencing the process of purchasing the units, which includes budget approval by the Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi).
Each unit costs ¢7 million colones (us$12.000 at today’s exchange rate).
Gutiérrez said that the plan is to buy 10 units and have them in the hands of the traffic officials within the next four months, shortly after the introduction of the New Ley de Tránsito that takes effect on March 1, 2010, if not postponed again. The new law was to have taken effect on September 23, 2009, but pushed back after problems were encountered with some clauses in the legislation.
The new law in addition to imposing higher fines, it also introduces a point system and suspension of the drivers license of repeat offenders.
“It is a matter of need. We want to have more sophisticated equipment”, said Gutiérrez.
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
About 15,000 people remain isolated due to floods caused by pouring rains in Panama, the National System of Civil Protection (Sinaproc) said Tuesday.
Highways and roads in Bocas del Toro bordering with Costa Rica were flooded as Sixaola River roared. Many communities in the province were made isolated, the Sinaproc said.
Meanwhile, Luz Graciela Calzadilla, a meteorologist at the Electric Transmission Company, said that the effects of the cold front in Costa Rica would continue over the next 18 to 24 hours in Panama.
On Monday, the Panamanian authorities issued a green (preventive) alert in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Vergaguas and Colon, asking the inhabitants to be cautious.
In November last year, Panama’s Darien province on the border with Colombia was hit by pouring rain, causing the rivers of Chunchunaque, Chico, Tupisa and Turqueza to overflow and making some 700 Panamanian families in the province threatened by hunger.
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Costa Rica is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Americas. this tropical paradise boasts great beaches, rain forests, mountains, people and culture. It’s no wonder this small Central American country is one of the tourism powerhouses of the Americas.
The People: Costa Rica has the unique characteristic in that it does not have any military. that is the ultimate sign of a peaceful nation. Costa Rica’s are known as “Ticos” and they’re know throughout Latin America as being people who very positive, friendly and full of life. in Costa Rica, the national catch phrase of the people and the country is “pura vida,” which translates to “pure life.”
The Beaches: Costa Rica has many famous beaches. Some beaches attract surfers from all over the world while others attract tourists and locals. Costa Rica has the benefit of having both a Pacific and Atlantic coast giving it plenty of beaches to pick from. the beaches of Costa Rica have something for everyone. Some beaches have nice waves for surfers, while other like Jacob beach have a party atmosphere, while others just have pristine waters for people that just like to enjoy a nice calm swim on a beautiful beach.
Eco-Diversity: The rain forest is the most valuable and special part about this country. Being so narrow and located between two oceans in the tropics means that the rain is abundant. There are many conservation efforts within the country by the local government and foreign investors. you may NOT cut down a tree in Costa Rica anymore and you may not even take fallen trees from within the habitat without proper permission from the state. the Guanacaste region was deforested for farming and now they suffer drought causing the forest to become dry. Now about 25% of the country is protected land. one of Costa Rica’s benefits is that it’s so mall and has different kinds of environments in close proximity. if you were willing to travel, you could be at the sunny beach at 9am in Guanacaste (northwest), at 1pm in a tropical rainforest with hot springs in San Carlos (north), at 3pm in the capital San Jose with a mild weather (March, center), and at 5pm in cold mountain temperature (5 Celsius) in Cartago (east).
Bio-Diversity: Costa Rica is considered to be one of the 20 countries with greatest biodiversity in the world. its geographic position, its two coasts and its mountainous system, which provides numerous and varied microclimates, are some of the reasons that explain this natural wealth, both in terms of species and ecosystems. the more than 500,000 species that are found in this small country represent nearly 4% of the total species estimated worldwide. of these 500,000 species, just over 300,000 are insects.
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