Archive for June, 2010
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Now that medical residents at state hospital are back at work, their paycheck tomorrow will be a little light, as the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) says it will dock their pay for the 13 day strike between June 14 and 26.
The CCSS says it plans to deduct the residents pay by ¢458 million colones.
Rosa Climent, medical director of the CCSS, said that on average each of the 475 residents will have ¢966.000 colones deducted from their paycheck.
On average, medical residents at the CCSS earn ¢2.230 million colones monthly or ¢74.333 daily.
The strike affect state hospitals and clinics, the Calderón Guardia hospital the most affected with the suspension of 45 elective surgeries and more than 100 medical appointments. Other hospitals affected by the strike were the Hospital México and the San Juan de Dios.
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Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Today is an important day, for following 17 days of total closure of the 11 kilometres of the Atenas – Orotina section of the San José – Caldera, the decision could made to re-open and as soon as this the next couple of days.
The decision to re-open or continue closed will be based on a report that is to be tabled today on the progress of the work by Autopistas, the road concessionaire.
The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) will be basing its decision on the report by engineers if the risk of landslides and rock falls has been minimized.
With the start of the rainy season, the new road that was officially opened in January, some six months in ahead of schedule, suffered a series of land slides and rock falls that put drivers at risk between kilometres 37 and 48.
One death was directly attributed to the falling rocks, a woman who has the passenger on a motorcycle that slammed into a big rock in the middle of the night.
In total, the new highway has claimed five lives, though most were due to excessive speeding and “maniobras indebidas” (bad driving) and dubbed “la autopista de la muerte” (highway of death).
The problems with the landslides and rock falls caused the highway to be partially closed numerous times, with a total closure for several hours on one occasion.
Francisco Jiménez, ministro del MOPT, the latest inspection is to determine the status of the work and the minimization of risk to drivers.
Although the inspections have already been carried out, the details of the inspection and decision to re-open will be make public today.
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Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
In most Latin American countries, domestic beers are just about all you’ll find. Imports are rare, are often overpriced when you can find them. Domestic Latin American beers, on the whole, are rarely very exciting or innovative, but I’ve almost always been able to find that there are some that rise above the teeming legions of uninspired, adjunct-laden, pale American-style industrial lagers, which are even more prevalent in Latin America than they are in the U.S.
At least the weather is always sunny and warm, so light lagers go down easy when chilled…
In Costa Rica, there is only one major brewery. It goes by the name Cerveceria de Costa Rica, at least if you believe the labels, but in fact, it’s owned by a conglomerate called the Florida Ice and Farm Company. Florida Ice & Farm has been into brewing for a long time — ever since they bought the Traube brewery in 1912.
There used to be another brewery called the Cerveceria Ortega, but it got snapped up by Florida in 1957. Since then, it’s been a one brewery country, especially when Florida built a big, modern, gleaming stainless steel brewery in Heredia in the late 1960s.
Today’s Costa Rican Beers…
Imperial:
Costa Rica’s most popular brand, it seems like you can’t move 10 feet without spying the very Russian looking eagle-emblazoned logo of Imperial. The beer itself is a straightforward American-style pilsner. Light bodied with a somewhat sweet malt and corn base, a crisp dry mouth-feel, and just a light pepper kiss of hops in the finish.
Pilsen:
The second-most popular brand in Costa Rica, Pilsen is also available just about everywhere. It’s somewhat lighter in body and color than Imperial, and the flavor is thinner with more corn apparent and virtually no hops character beyond that needed for balance. It’s similar to U.S. brands like Keystone or Milwaukee’s Best.
Bavaria Gold:
The Bavaria product line seems to be the upscale image section of Cerveceria de Costa Rica’s product line. They’re better marketed and more attractively packaged, with foil labels and neck wrapping, and there are three styles under the Bavaria banner. Bavaria Gold claims to be a Dortmunder style lager, and it is noticeably better in quality than either Imperial or Pilsen, with a firmer body, a cleaner flavor with less corn and sulfides apparent in the flavor, and a drier mouth-feel with a bit of grassy hops noticeable in the finish. I’d rank the Bavaria Gold as about a 3-star mid-range performer, but definitely the best of the pale lagers.
Bavaria Dark:
The label says “dark beer”, but most of the bartenders and waiters refer to this one as “Bavaria Negra”. It’s a very nice, well-crafted Vienna style dark amber. It reminds me of a cross between Mexico’s two big Vienna beers: Negra Modelo and Dos XX. Lighter in color and somewhat drier than Negra Modelo, it’s also darker in color and maltier than Dos XX. It has a very well rounded mouth-feel with some soft malt sweetness and low hopping rates that let the malt really dominate the balance. The flavor and aroma are very clean, with no defects and with no adjunct signatures. I rank this well-crafted beer as a solid 4-star above-average beer that will find a place at the table of most discriminating drinkers.
Bavaria Light:
Typical thin, watery low-cal and low-alcohol beer with a harsh bitter bite and no body to back it up. It’s as good as light beers sold by major U.S. breweries.
Rock Ice:
Typical thin, watery, unbalanced “ice” beer that strikes me as badly conditioned and somewhat oily feeling on the palate. An offensive substance that cries out for substance.
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Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Belleville resident George Maiorano, 65, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty on Monday in Morris County Superior Court.
Maiorano was among 34 defendants indicted on charges connected to the Lucchese crime family and its alleged underground international gambling operation.
They have been accused of processing $2.2 billion in sports bets during a 15-month period, by means of a “wire-room” stationed in Costa Rica. The overseas wire-room was allegedly designed to thwart detection of illegal activities.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the specific charges brought against Maiorano could not be confirmed by the Times.
A 195-page affidavit “in support of application for arrest warrants and for restraint-seizure of property.” however, does make mention of taped phone conversations between Maiorano and a man in a “supervisory role” for the Lucchese family. The men discuss “the Lucchese gambling operation and making collections of money from that illicit activity,” the affidavit states.
The phone conversations delineated in the affidavit accuse Maiorano as “collecting debts on behalf of” the supervisor.
According to the affidavit, Maiorano has four felony convictions in New Jersey dating back to 1975 that include receiving stolen property and narcotics, namely cocaine. His other two New Jersey convictions, from 2002 and 2005, respectively, are for marijuana distribution. Maiorano is currently on “supervised release” for the two latter convictions, the affidavit states.
Maiorano also has a conviction in Maryland for sale of untaxed/unstamped cigarettes, the affidavit states.
Of the 34 defendants in the case— alleged members and associates of the Lucchese crime family— 32 entered not guilty pleas on Monday. The other three defendants did not appear in court that day, although one of them had previously pleaded guilty.
Two dozen of those defendants are New Jersey residents, with most others residing in New York.
Three years ago, police arrested approximately two dozen people in connection with the Lucchese family’s gambling ring. After a continuing investigation, a 34-count indictment came to fruition in May, which led to Monday’s arraignment.
According to the chambers of Judge Thomas Manahan, who is presiding over the Lucchese family case, a status conference has been scheduled for Sept. 13 for all 34 defendants. During a status conference, attorneys meet before the Judge to update the court on how the case is proceeding, if any discoveries have been made (depositions, interrogatories, production of documents), if any settlement negotiations occurred, and other matters relevant to moving the case toward trial. A trial date is usually scheduled at the status conference.
Maiorano’s attorney Jessica Moses declined comment.
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Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
The attorney for Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot says his client will take his unlawful detention case to the Peruvian Supreme Court and beyond if necessary.
Van der Sloot is jailed in Peru pending trial on first-degree murder and robbery charges in the May 30 slaying of Stephany Flores, 21, CNN reports.
Defense lawyer Maximo Altez said Monday their new legal strategy is to “paralyze the process.”
Altez said his client will use every possible law that is available.
If that fails, Altez said they will reach out to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica on grounds his client’s rights have been violated.
Last week a judge refused to throw out a confession van der Sloot gave to police following his arrest for the death of Flores.
Van der sloot also is the main suspect in the disappearance five years ago in Aruba of Alabama teen Natalie Holloway.
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Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Eighty new Tránsito officials hit the streets after completing their training program that began last November. The 80 officials are the first group of the 400 that is to make up the expansion of the Policía de Tránsito police force.
The first 40 officers are already on the job, starting last Friday, while the other 40 will be on the streets in two groups of 20 in the coming week.
The Policía de Tránsito is now made up of 880 officials and is expected to be a force of 1.200 when all the hiring and training is finished.
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Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
A 13-day standoff between resident doctors and the Costa Rican Social Security System (Caja) came to an end on Saturday, when both parties signed an agreement regarding continuing education for physicians.
The strike arose from a disagreement over the terms of service to the Caja – which oversees public health care – by doctors completing training as specialists at the University of Costa Rica. Under the previous system, doctors were required to fulfill a certain number of years of paid service in a post determined by the Caja. If a resident doctor opted out of the position – for example, if they wanted a post that didn’t take them out of the city – they were fined ₡ 32 million (about $62,000).
Resident Doctors protested the fine, believing they shouldn’t have to pay to work in a post of their choosing, especially after financing their education at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
“No worker in this country takes on a debt to work,” said Ana Belén, a resident who spoke to The Tico Times Thursday. “And that is what is happening with us here. We are incurring a debt with the Caja.”
Nevertheless, the Caja has argued that a UCR tuition of about ₡ 500,000 ($965) per student per semester only covers a fraction of the cost of medical training, and that a large part of the difference is paid by the Caja.
The agreement reached Saturday requires each medical intern to work for one year based on each year of study. If the resident doctor chooses to work at a post other than that assigned by the Caja, he or she takes an 8 percent pay cut.
Story by TT
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Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Residents of Santa Ana have reason to be upset over the government’s plan to use a 50 hectare parcel of land that is home to fauna and flora managed by FUNDAZOO, to build offices for the MINAET to serve the areas of Mora, Santa Ana, Escazú and others.
The land have now become “grounds of contention” that even those who donated the land are upset at the government’s hidden agenda for the land.
Residents learned of the alternate plans contained in a letter last year by the then deputy ministra de Ambiente Energía y Telecomunicación.
The letter clearly states that the land is a perfect location for the construction of a sub-regional office.
The lands, for the meantime, continue to be under the administration of FUNDAZOO, but will handed over to the Areas de Conservación del Pacífico Central (ACOPAC) if legislators pass a law to transfer the lands into the hands of the government.
Residents argue that the area should handed over to the Municipalidad de Santa Ana to recover the beauty of wetlands and forests that was once the nature of the land.
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Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
A year after the coup in Honduras, the Obama administration, to its shame, has thrown itself fully behind the country’s ongoing repressive regime.
On June 28, 2009, the Honduran military deposed President Manuel Zelaya in his now-famous pajamas, with the collusion of most of the country’s ruling oligarchs. A year later, the country’s military and ruling elites remain in tight control after the fraudulent election of Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo Sosa last November.
Massive state-sponsored repression continues to terrorize the opposition — although rarely reported in the U.S. media.
Paramilitary-style assassinations are picking off opposition activists or their children one by one, with near-total impunity. At least fourteen people associated with the opposition or critical of the regime have been killed since Lobo’s inauguration, including seven journalists and three trade unionists.
Just in the last month, armed invaders shot up the offices of the bottling-plant workers’ union in Tegucigalpa, the capital. A group of armed men who arrived in police and military cars shot and killed a peasant activist. And more than 300 police and military officers surrounded and shut down a tiny community radio station on the southern coast.
The Lobo government is a direct continuation of the coup. A member of one of the elite families who have ruled Honduras for generations, Lobo came to power after an election that most opposition candidates boycotted because the military occupation’s repressive crackdown did not allow for free and fair elections.
Once in office in January, Lobo reappointed the very same generals who had launched the coup, then soon after named General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez, their top leader, to be head of the state-owned telephone company, and another top military officer to oversee the airports and immigration service. Lobo has also placed local police forces throughout the country under the direct control of the military; they now patrol the streets together.
Lobo is trying to cover all this up by calling his regime a “Government of National Reconciliation.” He’s launched a “Truth Commission,” which ostensibly will cleanse the nation of its coup trauma. But the commission does not allow victims to testify, only covers incidents before Lobo’s own regime, and has no enforcement powers.
Meanwhile, Lobo has fired five judges, magistrates and public defenders because they oppose his government’s ongoing corruption and impunity.
Despite this abysmal record, the Obama administration fully supports the repressive Lobo government. The United States is supplying military aid and training, and offering so-called humanitarian aid that legitimates the regime. The State Department asserts that everything has settled down now in Honduras and only the “extreme left” opposes the Lobo government. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton routinely chastises the other nations of Latin America — including Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela — that refuse to recognize Lobo’s administration.
Rather than side with the first military coup in Latin America in decades, the Obama administration should instead withdraw its recognition of the Lobo government, cut all aid and training for the Honduran military, and insist on an end to the chilling repression and impunity that continue to terrorize Hondurans.
Only then can Obama enter into the kinds of respectful relations with Latin America that he has promised.
Story by Dana Frank
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
Last year, we told you about a 9-year-old autistic boy from Glenburn who traveled to Costa Rica for an unusual treatment. His family says he’s made remarkable progress.
A year ago, 9-year-old Kenneth Kelley couldn’t read. Prior to the age of 7, Kenneth couldn’t even talk. He was diagnosed with autism at an early age. Now his parents say he reads all the time. “It’s amazing,” says Marty Kelley, Kenneth’s mother, “he was no where near that even in December. He just started a little bit a month ago. He picked up the books and started reading.”
Kenneth’s road to recovery began three years ago, when his parents started him on hyberbaric oxygen therapy. Last August, they traveled to Costa Rica where Kenneth received stem cells from umbilical cord blood. It wasn’t long after the procedure the Kelley’s noticed a difference in Kenneth. “Immediately, we noticed within that two or three day time frame,” says his father Donald Kelley.
His parents say his sentence structure has improved and he’s more aware of his surroundings. He even remembers birthdays, days of the week and he can tell time. “We’ve just been waiting for the new things and the gains to stop coming and they’re not stopping. They’re coming every day,” says Marty Kelley.
Kenneth was the first child in Maine, and one of of less than a hundred nationwide, to receive the umbilical cord blood as a treatment for autism. But that didn’t scare the Kelleys. “We were excited for his future and we were scared of a life for him without stem cells and what the future would hold with just autism and no hope,” says Marty Kelley.
The family is heading to Central America for another round of the same treatment. They’re hoping the improvements they’ve seen are just the beginning. “It looks like the sky’s the limit,” she says, “especially with the reading, I never thought I’d see it happen. He’s also doing simple math problems. His teachers who hadn’t seen him in a year said he had improved tremendously.”
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
Costa Rica’s ambassador to Beijing Antonio Burgues has condemned the pressure brought by a Chinese diplomat in Costa Rica to secure 100 working visas for Chinese nationals, La Nacion newspaper reported Saturday.
Burgues, identifying the diplomat as commercial attache Mao Furong, slammed “another case of unwelcome intervention… in Costa Rican internal affairs,” in a letter sent three weeks ago to the deputy foreign minister Carlos Roverssi, the newspaper said.
“I hope it’s the last time,” he wrote.
According to the letter, Burgues noted that Mao met with Roverssi over the issue, and Roverssi sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese embassy regretting a delay in granting the work visas for 100 Chinese nationals to come to the Central American nation to build homes.
The pressure from Beijing began after Labor Minister Sandra Pisk ordered a suspension of a visa agreement for Chinese construction workers, Burgues said.
Chinese workers are well regarded in Costa Rica, who work on building the National Stadium in San Jose, raised with a Chinese donation worth some 80 million dollars.
Costa Rica gave up six decades of ties with Taiwan in favor of China in June 2007.
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
We’ve all come across them, some form of barrier closing off a public street from traffic or a security guard asking you where you are going and taking down your license plate. These barriers across a public street enable a “gated community”. But, they are illegal.
The trend began many years ago with the rise in crime.
Today more and more neighborhoods are adopting the measure as a way of combating the rise in crimes such a break-ins, assaults and home invasions.
The barriers known in Costa Rica as “Las Aguas” are prohibited under the Constitución Política (Political Constitution) as they hinder right of free movement.
However, the Fuerza Pública (police) and local municipalities close an eye to the barriers across public streets and are reluctant to step in to ask a community to remove them, heeding to call of residents for more secure streets and neighbourhoods.
These barriers, although similar, are different than barriers used at entrances of private properties like condominium housing developments.
The barriers are installed on public property and manned by a private individual or security company controlling movement on a public street.
Juan Rafael Marín, president of the Instituto de Fomento y Asesoría Municipal (IFAM), told the daily La Nación, he sees the indifference.
“IF we look at it from a legal point of view, the barriers should not be there, but looking it at from a point of view of security, the barriers are important”, said Marín.
The battle between their existence and their removal is constant. Some say they are needed and important, while others object to having someone control and in many cases, write down, their comings and goings.
However, what other options do residents have to make their homes and neighborhoods secure?
The barriers are most common in residential areas like Escazú, Santa Ana, Belén de Heredia, Curridabat, Alajuela, Cartago, etc. They are cropping up everywhere.
In Santa Ana, on the old road to Piedades de Santa Ana or in Lindora or even Villa Real, al where Costa Rica’s presidenta, Laura Chinchilla lives, the majority of the security gates are not legal, they are placed on a public road that leads into a residential community.
In each of those communities, unlike the gates entering a condominium development, cars are stopped and drivers are asked their destination and business in the community. License plate numbers are written down. In some, drivers are given a card that has to be handed back to the security guard on leaving.
Residents in these communities say they feel safe.
However, the Fuerza Pública do not agree, saying it is a false sense of security.
Whatever side of the gate you are on, it is certain that the barriers are here to stay and will be growing in number as more and more Costa Ricans feel insecure and do not see the police making head-ways in combating crime.
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
Seven of the eight legislative parties are looking for a zero tolerance to drinking and driving in discussing the reforms to the Ley de Tránsito, that is currently at the commission level and soon to before the legislative assembly for voting.
The only party to object to the zero tolerance is the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), the ruling party, that is supporting changing the limit from the current 0.75 blood alcohol content, to 0.50.
The current law that went into effect on March 1, 2010 makes drinking and driving a criminal act with a penalty of one to three years jail for drivers with over a 0.75 reading and a ¢381.000 colones fines for those with a reading of 0.50 and 0.75.
The subject of drinking and driving is one of the major provisions in the reforms to the Ley de Tránsito. The other is the reduction of the high traffic fines and elimination of the point system.
The previous legislative assembly approved the Ley de Tránsito in December 2008 with only the drinking and driving provisions going into effect on that date, while the rest of the law went into effect on March 1, 2010. And it was the same legislative body that began making changes to the law that it had approved, but could not come to an agreement on the changes and left it to the current legislative assembly that took office on May 1, 2010.
It is expected that the reforms to the traffic law will be before legislators for a vote.
Legislator Francisco Chacón of the PLN party explained that one of the changes being discussed is chaning the law to 0.50 from the 0.75 and more severe sanctions against drunk drivers under the age of 25 and “professional” drivers.
However, Juan Carlos Mendoza, of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) legislators, said they his party will not move from the zero tolerance stance. The Libertarios, led by Danilo Cubero, express the same position, adding that drivers are the influence of alcohol is dangerous and that there is no justification of any permissible percentage verus a life.
The PASE, the Partido Restauración Nacional, the Frente Amplio y Renovación Costarricense and the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana all want to see a 0.0 limit.
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
Mel Gibson’s ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva tells London’s Daily Mail that the actor is not paying child support for their nine-month-old daughter.
The Russian musician claims she has been forced to “live on credit cards” and borrow money from friends to support baby Lucia.
“He is not paying me a penny. Nothing,” she told the U.K. newspaper. “I was trying to keep things dignified and be respectful to the father of my daughter, but what he is doing is cruelty.”
Gibson — who is reportedly worth $900 million — split from Grigorieva two months ago.
The actor parted ways with his wife of 28 years, Robyn, after he was photographed kissing the 40-year-old musician while vacationing in Costa Rica.
Despite originally telling the press their break-up was amicable, Grigorieva now says she dropped the “Lethal Weapon” star after they had been together for three years.
“He didn’t dump me, I left him,” she told the Daily Mail. “I rescued my children and myself.”
Last Monday, Grigorieva filed a restraining order against Gibson claiming he had been violent towards her in January. The judge reportedly issued an order prohibiting the 54-year-old actor from contacting his ex.
But the couple’s legal battle soon appeared to turn into a case of tit for tat.
RadarOnline.com reported on Friday that Gibson had filed his own restraining order against Grigorieva.
His ex tells the Daily Mail that this is false.
“The truth will come out eventually,” Grigorieva told the the newspaper. “There are custody issues. What is happening to me is not fair.”
Besides Lucia, Gibson has seven older children with his ex-wife, Robyn.
Grigorieva also has a 13-year-old son with actor Timothy Dalton.
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Saturday, June 26th, 2010
Costa Rica has become a popular destination for vacations, weddings, honeymoons, and many other trips. Costa Rica has also become home to many resorts, conferences, and social gatherings. With so much hype about Costa Rica, you may consider retiring there. You are not alone. Many people from the United States and other English-speaking countries have retired in Costa Rica. There are many advantages of retiring in Costa Rica.
First of all, the lower cost-of-living in Costa Rica makes it a great retirement spot. Your savings and your retirement income will buy you more in Costa Rica than it will in the United States. If you lived and worked in Costa Rica, you would also receive a lower pay, which would balance out the lower cost-of-living. However, retirees have the advantage of receiving the same income no matter where they live. By retiring in Costa Rica, you can save a lot of money.
Another great thing about retiring in Costa Rica is that the local people are so polite. Politeness is a major part of Costa Rican culture. You will find that polite and helpful people come in especially handy when you have moved to a new place and do not know your way around that well.
You will also love the weather in Costa Rica. It is warm year-round. The only drawback is that Costa Rica does have a rainy season. If you really dislike the rain, Costa Rica may not be for you.
The wildlife in Costa Rica is amazing. There are all sorts of animals and plants. It is very green in Costa Rica, and the scenery is beautiful.
Costa Rica also has beautiful beaches on both sides of the country. If you really wanted, you could visit the Pacific beaches on one side of the country and the Caribbean beaches on the other side all in the same day. You can relax on the beaches, but you can also engage in various activities such as SCUBA diving or fishing.
Before retiring in Costa Rica, you want to think about it carefully. Research the country and the retirement laws. You do not want to make such a major decision on an emotional whim. If you have not visited Costa Rica, try visiting it a few times before deciding on retiring there. Also, remember that Costa Rica is a Spanish-speaking country, so you probably want to start learning some Spanish if you plan on moving there.
Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!
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