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Eyes open, fingers crossed By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire service reports Costa Rican health officials are keeping an eye on 20 persons who have flu-like symptoms, but most of them have been cleared by lab testing. The concern is swine flu that is suspected to have killed more than 100 people in three Mexican cities and sickened at least eight people in the border states of California and Texas in the United States. The virus may have also spread to New York and Kansas. There are reports that the virus may have reached Europe and Canada, too. Costa Rica's health system is centered around its public hospitals and workers there have been outfitted with protective clothing. So have Cruz Roja ambulance attendants in some cases. Most health officials worldwide think it is likely that the disease will spread to all countries. The Obama administration declared a public health emergency to mobilize federal and state resources to combat the infectious viral illness. The World Health Organization has declared swine flu a public health emergency of international concern. Keiji Fukuda, World Health assistant director-general spoke with reporters via teleconference from Geneva: "We have asked all countries to increase their surveillance and their watchfulness so we can detect as quickly as possible how this virus may or may not be spreading," said Fukuda. Fukuda says the swine flu viruses detected in the United States and Mexico appear similar, despite the fact that symptoms reported in Mexico have been far more severe than in the United States. Mexico has recorded dozens of deaths from flu-like disease in recent days, although it is not clear whether swine flu was to blame in all cases. Fukuda says this particular strain of swine flu could become more or less virulent over time. "Influenza viruses are very prone to changing," he said. "They mutate easily. So when viruses evolve, they can become more dangerous for people — that is, to cause more serious disease. Or they are also able to mutate so they cause less serious disease." Moments after he spoke, U.S. officials declared a public health emergency in response to at least 20 known cases in five states. Officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control say they expect to see more cases with possibly stronger symptoms in the future. At a White House briefing, Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security secretary, said the federal government is mobilizing to confront the health threat, including providing states access to millions of doses of stockpiled anti-viral treatments. She appealed to the public for help. "The government cannot solve this alone," said Janet Napolitano. "We need everybody in the United States to take some responsibility. If you are sick, stay home. Wash your hands. Take all of those reasonable measures that will help us militate and contain how many people actually get sick." Fukuda said that if there is good news, it is that the international community is far better equipped today than in previous years to combat infectious disease in a coordinated way. "I believe the world is much, much better prepared than we have ever been for dealing with this kind of situation," said Fukuda. "In the past five years, countries have worked very hard to assess the threat of avian influenza. They have worked very hard on pandemic preparedness planning, and we have new tools. We have new surveillance. We have stockpiles of anti-viral drugs in case of a pandemic situation." Those international preparations are being put to the test. Canada became the third country to confirm swine flu cases, with several people suffering mild cases of the illness in Nova Scotia and British Columbia. Other possible cases are under investigation in France and New Zealand. Costa Rican officials also urge individuals to wash their hands throughly. There have been no prohibitions placed on travel or on large public gatherings. But in Mexico, officials there have closed schools in three states for today and urged persons with flu symptoms to stay home from school or work. Mexico City, according to news reporters, was a ghost town Sunday and some residents have taken to wearing surgical masks. Imported animals face examinations for viruses By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal is on alert to prevent the importation of pigs and chickens that might exhibit signs of a virus. The service, part of the Ministerio de Agricultura y Gandería, maintains frontier posts with veterinarians who check incoming animals. It said it was beefing up the staffing. The service also assured Costa Ricans that local animals are free of flu-like diseases and that they still could be eaten safely. Driver in bicycle deaths left an important clue By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers did not have to call in Sherlock Holmes to find a suspect in the death of two bicyclists early Sunday. The accident happened in front of a bar in the Santa Rosa section of Limón Centro. Dead at the scene was a 49-year-old man identified by the last names of Mejía Arriola. A companion died at the hospital. The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident fled, but when police arrived they found the license plate of a vehicle on the road. Conveniently they found the suspect vehicle parked at another nearby bar and arrested a woman with the last name of Estrada. Traffic police watchdog seeks citizen complaints By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Empowered by the new traffic law, the Departamento de Inspección Policial is seeking reports of wrongdoing by traffic policemen. The complaints can be presented in person at the office in the Obras Pública y Transportes complex in Plaza Víquez or via fax to 2257-5247. Motorists can talk to a live person at 2523-2016. The new law created the department exclusively for following up on citizen complaints, although officials said the unit will be mounting its own efforts to catch officers who stray. Also more people think of bribes when they hear about traffic officers, Policía de Tránsito, the new inspection unit said that physical aggression, inappropriate language and other transgressions also will be investigated. Officials will want motorists who complain to appear at a hearing and to bring any witnesses to the alleged act. They urged citizens to write down the identification number of offending officers or the license plate number of the police vehicle. The inspection service promises that most complaints will be resolved in 30 days or less, officials said.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 27, 2009, Vol. 9, No. 81 | |||||||||
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Kaufman's first project will
be 500 senior units in Santa Ana
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Henry Kaufman's first project in Costa Rica will be a 500-unit senior living complex in Santa Ana not far from the Cruz Roja building and just four blocks from the commercial center. Kaufman, a Wall Street legend, has been in Costa Rica hearing real estate proposals. But the $60 million senior living project is fully permited and ready to go. Associates say the ground breaking on the seven-hectare (17-acre) tract may be as soon as July. Kaufman, 84, is anxious to become a part-time Costa Rica resident, sharing his time between here and Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he has purchased about a third of the downtown area. Kaufman is high on Costa Rica, noting that the climate is perfect, the standard of living is high, the cost of living is low and there are no simmering social protests. But he said he believes the country is not promoting itself to the extent that it should be. Kaufman is an expert at locating hidden value. He made millions in Wall Street by recognizing undervalued bonds. He has such a reputation that the Spanish language newspapers sought him out for his views on the economy. He is pretty blunt. Despite his career as one of nine interdealer bond brokers on the floor of the New York Stock exchange, he is out of stocks and bonds, he told a reporter from El Financiero. He has his reasons. At the current interest rates, the return |
on bonds
is not worth the risk, and the current economic situation makes it
impossible to know the true value of a company, he said. Kaufman said he envisions something like the Del Webb Sun City adult living concept in Santa Ana. One of each unit's occupants will have to be 55 or over and children will just be visitors, an associate noted. Kaufman said in an earlier story that senior retirement communities, assisted living and even nursing care will propel the growth of Costa Rica to double digit gross national product during the next 20 years. But he also said that during his visit here he met with representatives of other projects that he will consider. He left today. Kaufman styles himself as a visionary, but in his conversation Saturday at an Escazú home some nostalgia could be detected and a little anger at the financial managers who have damaged the U.S. economy. They have no discipline and no responsibility, he said. Kaufman noted that when he had his own firm starting in 1958, the owners were partners. There were no corporate shields to hide behind. He is certain that interest rates are headed upwards, in part because of government spending. Kaufman is no stranger to tough times. He grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts, which was hard hit in the Great Depression. He concedes that may be what attracted him to Tulsa where tall office buildings were standing vacant because the oil wealth had moved to Houston, Texas. Now his eye is on Santa Ana where he hopes to duplicate his financial successes. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, April 27, 2009, Vol. 9, No. 81 | |||||||||
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Despite sitting ducks, some
bandits adopt creative methods
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Businesses always have been sitting ducks for robbers. As long as there have been liquor stores, there have been crooks to rob them. The same is true with taxi drivers. Only a few are using the protective shields that are standard in other countries. Four bandits held up a liquor store in Los Cuadros, Goicoechea, Saturday night, and three men killed a taxi driver early Sunday in Desamparados. But the crooks are branching out. Home invasions appear to be up, according to informal reports. So are business invasions. Enterprising crooks have found that they can rob a restaurant and take the money and wallets from the customers, too. That happened at Rock 'N Roll Pollo in Santa Ana two weeks ago, according to Roy Chavarría, head of the Fuerza Pública delegación there. He said four persons entered about midnight and by the time police arrived they had fled after robbing the customers, too. Informal reports say that a bar on Avenida 9 in San José was the scene of similar activity over the weekend, except that bandits wounded the operator. An establishment that caters to tourists nearby on the same street was a target more than a week ago. Bandits did not fare well in Los Cuadros at the El Pueblo liquor store this weekend. The store owner engaged them in a firefight, and two intruders are believed to have been killed. A third suffered bullet wounds As did the operator. Chavarria in Santa Ana said that geography plays a role. That community is near Alajuelita and Pavas, both areas that have more than their fair share of criminals. Chavarria estimated that his officers respond to from 30 to 40 robberies a month in just Santa Ana. Customers are getting nervous, too. A false report circulating on the Internet claimed that bandits held up |
Bacchus restaurant. Chavarria
said that what happened Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. was that men in a car
fired shots at the restaurant guard and wounded him twice. Police
believe the motive for the attack was to take the firearm of the
private security guard. Locals may have confused this case with that of
Rock 'n Roll Pollo, which is nearby. An informal report from the Pacific coast gives accounts of two home invasions there that were not confirmed by police. The reader cited cases in Nosara and Nosara over the last two weeks. Police have confirmed some home invasions along the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. A Dutch expat, 85, who lived in Costa Rica for 20 years died in San Martín de Santa Teresa de Cóbano Wednesday when bandits invaded his home and shot him. Another report said that some invasions took place in Sámara this month. Home invasions are not difficult technically. Sometimes crooks wait until an occupant drives up and opens the gate to the dwelling's parking area. Other times they use a car jack or other device to simply break the lock on the porton. Others take their cue from Fuerza Pública officers who frequently are seen on television conducting a raid. They attach a chain to a front gate, rip it from its hinges and then use a battering ram to quickly break down other gates and doors. Bars and restaurants are particularly vulnerable because they want people to enter. And one security worker can be overpowered by a bandit who gets the drop on him. Óscar Arias Sánchez promised rapid action on crime as part of his election platform. The administration seems more intent on reducing legal gun ownership. A proposal to do that has been promised to the legislature this week. Other measures have been bogged down by lack of resource or mixed views on how wiretapping should be done. Citizens are beginning to look to the February 2010 presidential elections with the hope that a candidate tough on crime will emerge. |
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World Bank will earmark
$100 billion for poor lands By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The major high income and developing countries that set policy for the 185 member-nation World Bank agreed in Washington Sunday that the bank should boost its lending to help poor countries adversely affected by the global economic slowdown. World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the bank will boost its lending by $100 billion during the next three years, noting that the economic crisis has forced as many as 90 million more people into extreme poverty. "There is a widespread recognition that the world faces an unprecedented economic crisis," said Robert Zoellick. "Poor people will suffer the most. And we must continue to act in real time to prevent a human catastrophe." The 24-member World Bank steering committee, called the development committee, was headed by Mexico's finance minister, Agustin Carstens. "The financial crisis is turning into a human and development calamity," said Carstens. "Many people have already been driven into absolute poverty." The World Bank is providing Mexico with $200 million in loans to help it deal with the recent swine flu outbreak. Earlier, the steering committee for the International Monetary Fund announced that it is implementing recommendations of the leaders of major advanced and developing economies, the G-20, giving the fund more resources to help member nations in financial distress. The World Bank and the Monetary Fund are owned by their 185 member nations. The fund is also being assigned a strengthened role to monitor financial markets - a move intended to forestall further financial crises. Correa an easy winner in Ecuadorian election By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Rafael Correa appears to have won the presidency again in Ecuador with 51 percent of the popular vote, based on projections, said the daily newspaper El Comercial in its Monday edition. The victory was not unexpected, and Correa claimed victory just a few minutes after the polls closed. His closest opponent, Lucio Gutiérrez, appears to have gotten just 29 percent of the vote. Correa's party, Movimiento País, got 61 seats in the legislative assembly. That just two less than a majority. However, according to El Comercial, some six seats allocated to citizens living outside the country have yet to be distributed, and it seems likely that Movimiento País will take at least two of these. |
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| Latin
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Long-time tourism figure will manage Holiday Inn By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
William Rodríguez López has been named general manger of the Aurola Holiday Inn in San Jose's downtown. Rodríguez, 59, has a long career in tourism and has been manager of promotion for the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. He also was a president of the Cámera Nacional de Turismo. An announcement from the hotel said that one goal will be to obtain a sustainable tourism certificate. Part of this goal will be to reduce fuel consumption. A hotel announcement said that the business is well on the way of handling solid waste. Residents upset by gun play in neighborhood in Pavas By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A Dominican national is being held in the shooting of a 33-year-old man in Loma del Río in Pavas. The victim, with the last name of Ugalde, was hospitalized with a bullet wound to the body. The presumed assailant, identified by the last names of Amaro Lantigue, took refuge in a home nearby to avoid a group of some 25 residents who were moving against him. Police said they managed to talk him out of the home and also confiscated a firearm. Just another work-at-home scheme By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Agents detained a 20-year-old woman with three minor children in Volio de Bribri Thursday and confiscated cocaine ready for sale, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. Agents said the woman explained she was a single mother without any other way to support her children. |
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