A criminal judge has agreed with prosecutors and barred the board of directors from the facilities of the Caja Costarricense de Seguros Social.

The decision by the Juzgado Penal del II Circuito was made public Wednesday afternoon.

The Caja is the nation’s largest social agency and runs the hospitals and clinics as well as handles health and related insurance for the nation’s employees.

An investigation by the Ministerio Público became public knowledge Monday when prosecutors went to court and asked for the restrictive measures against the entire nine-member board of directors.

They are being investigated for misuse of public funds because they placed full-page advertisements in the local newspapers in support of the former Caja executive president Eliseo Vargas.

Under terms of the judicial order, the nine are suspended from their jobs for six months and may not communicate in any way with employees of the central administrative offices. In addition, each must sign in with the relevant prosecutor every 15 days.

Vargas was at the center of a scandal when La Nación, the Spanish-language newspaper revealed that he was renting a luxurious home in Santa Ana from a major supplier for the Caja. He resigned and an investigation was begun.

That’s when the board voted to place the ads, which cost about $3,000. When they were questioned about the propriety of using public funds to present their views, some board members tried to pay for the ads with their private funds, according to La Nación. But by then prosecutors had confiscated the ad placement orders.

The investigation of the directors suggests a more widespread investigation of Caja financial practices. Some employees there claimed they had been instructed by supervisors not to assist agents in the investigation.

Help for customers
of America Online

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Regarding your blurb about AOL: 

"Note to AOL customers 

America Online continues to block our daily digest. If you are a digest recipient who gets the daily briefing via AOL, you better contact your customer service people to have them put dailydigest@amcostarica.com on your safe list."

I thought I'd try to shed some light on the subject and provide some instructions that may help out AOL users.  I obviously receive the daily digest fine, and I've never had to call them, either.  Here's the scoop: 

In the last few versions, when reading e-mail you could click on "report spam."  If you ever did this, not only would the report be sent to AOL, but you wouldn't get further e-mails from that sender.  People do this accidentally and as an alternative to contacting you and requesting they be removed from the distribution list you have.  The e-mail would merely be deleted automatically by AOL. 

In Version 9, it is much more simple.  When you view mail, you'll notice the "Manage Mail" tab. Click on it, then click on the Spam folder.  In here you'll find all e-mails from senders that a) AOL has determined as spam due to complaints and b) email they have marked as spam. 

Locate the amcostarica e-mail in this section if you're not receiving it for some reason.  Now merely click on the button "This is Not Spam." 

Bingo, you're done.  No call necessary.  If they aren't using Version 9, they should certainly upgrade.  Its much easier to manage your mail, especially given the proliferation of spam filters across all ISPs.  False positive detections are growing daily no matter what service you use.

After a month and a half of discussions, the Asamblea Nacional Wednesday night picked Alex Solís Fallas as the new contralor general of the nation. He got 46 of 49 votes, including 14 blank ballots.

The blank ballots were cast by deputies who opposed the parliamentary maneuvers used by Gerardo González Esquivel, the president of the congress, to bring the measure to a vote. He cut off debate even though some deputies still wanted to talk.
 

Two held in sex case

Two men in El Roble de Santa Barbara have been arrested because a 12-year-old girl claimed she had been abused sexually by the pair. The men, who both have the last names of Tercero Gutiérrez are the stepfather and brother of the girl.

The report was made by the mother of the girl, said officials.
 

Professional Directory A.M. Costa Rica's professional directory is where business people who wish to reach the English-speaking community may invite responses. If you are interested in being represented here, please contact the editor. Medical services Introducing holistic medicine and alternative health care Dr. Roy Nichlas San José Specializing in chronic health problems and lifestyle improvements We seek the underlying or hidden problems  to help you maintain an overall higher level of health.  And we make house calls! holisticcr@yahoo.com 290-5854     381-1816 Web Design Personalized Web Design ¥Hosting ¥Promotion ¥Logo Design Prices so reasonable they will astound you Call for a quote:  220-4602 www.alegria-webdesign.com We have over 12 years international experience 616-7/15/04 Real estate agents and services First Costa Rican Title & Trust Protecting your interests since 1994   Purchase contracts   Escrow services   Title Transfers   Title Guarantees   Trust Services   Investment and        Mortgage Services Call us for your real property legal and investment needs at 225-0501 or send us an e-mail at service1@firstcr.com Title Guarantees issued by First American Title Insurance Co., one of the oldest and largest title companies in the world. The First American difference in protection is that the policies cover unrecorded matters and unknown risks. www.firstcr.com 645-8/18/0 MARGARET SOHN formerly with  Carico and now with Great Estates 15 years Costa Rican real estate experience Member of the Costa Rican Real Estate Association, Lic. #1000 Member of Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce samargo@racsa.co.cr www.realtorcostarica.com (506) 291-2825 & (506) 291-2826  fax (506) 296-6304   (506) 382-7399 cell  229-8/9/03 Lawyers KEARNEY-LAWSON & Asoc.       Lic. Gregory Kearney Lawson,  Costa Rica/U.S.A. Attorneys at Law Villalobos and Savings Unlimited Collections *Investments  *Corporations  *Real Estate Sales in Costa Rica *Tax Shelters  *Immigration *Intellectual Property     *Business procedures *Family and Labor Law     *Locate People *Private Investigations        Ph/Fax: 221-9462, 356-2449 gkearney_lawson@hotmail.com attorneykearney@yahoo.com

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A nutrition program that provides special help to some of Mexico's poorest residents is proving effective at reducing anemia and increasing height, which is a key marker for child development. The study is published this week in JAMA, a journal of the American Medical Association.

Poor nutrition remains a serious and stubborn health problem and a leading cause of death for children, especially in the poorest countries.

"Worldwide, more than half of the yearly 10.8 million deaths of children less than five years are attributable to malnutrition," explained Mexican public health researcher Juan Rivera, citing statistics from the World Health Organization. Undernourished children are less likely to survive disease than children who get a balanced diet.

In 1997, Mexico began a program called Progresa — later renamed Oportunidades — aimed at improving education and health for low-income children. The theory behind it is that these are long-term investments, which will pay off when the children grow up to be healthier, more productive adults. Rivera says Progresa includes several elements. 

"The first one is the provision of nutritional supplements to all children from 4-23 months of age. This is the period in life when children are at the highest risk of undernutrition, and when nutrition interventions have the highest effects," he explained.

The program also includes cash payments, some of which are linked to school attendance.

Progresa is expensive, costing $2.3 billion last year. Are Mexican taxpayers getting a good return on their investment? Juan Rivera says yes. His survey indicates a positive change in the health of Mexican

"You can see in the lower socioeconomic status children who receive the intervention during the two crucial years between birth and 24 months of age had a height which was 1.1 cm. more than the group that received the program only during the second year," he says.

JAMA editor-in-chief Catherine DeAngelis notes that height is one of the best indicators of how a young child is developing.

"As a pediatrician I can tell you that, as you're looking at children's development, especially their cognitive and behavior and motor [skills], head circumference is the best marker. The second-best is height," she said.

In addition to the better growth shown by the Progresa children, 1-year-olds who were in the program had lower anemia rates than those not in. But children who started in the program at age 1 reduced their anemia rate to a level similar to those who had been in the program from birth.

Rivera points out that the survey may understate the potential benefits of the Progresa program, since many children who were getting the nutritional supplement were actually not eating it.

"Between 40 and 50 percent of children were not consuming the supplement regularly, and despite that, we show effects on growth," Dr. Rivera said. 

Several other countries in the region have shown interest in the Progresa program, and Rivera said similar programs might also be suitable for middle-income developing countries elsewhere.

CARACAS, Venezuela —  President Hugo Chavez has accused his opponents of using fraud during their campaign to confirm signatures on petitions for a recall referendum.

President Chavez made the accusation Tuesday, two days after the Venezuelan opposition completed the verification drive. The president claimed that some opposition voters may have used false identities and that the names of dead people appeared on the voter rolls.

Electoral officials have said any referendum would be held Aug. 8.

The Organization of American States and Carter Center of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter have been monitoring the petition effort. Carter said Monday in Caracas that Chavez told him he would accept the results of the recall petition.

The Venezuelan opposition accuses Chavez of ruining the economy and trying to model the country after Communist Cuba. Chavez said he is working to improve the lives of the majority.

BOGOTA, Colombia  — The nation’s second-largest leftist rebel group says it is ready to discuss Mexico's offer to monitor any eventual peace talks with the Colombian government. 

Earlier this week, Mexican President Vicente Fox offered to monitor peace talks between the Colombian government and the group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN. 

The ELN said Tuesday in response that it is ready 

The rebel group is one party in Colombia's four-decade long civil war involving leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and the government. 

The main right-wing group, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), declared a ceasefire in December 2002 to begin peace talks with the government, but those have floundered. In March, the AUC called on the United States to participate in negotiations to help bring about a solution. 

WASHINGTON, D,C, — Beginning tomorrow, U.S. authorities will require advance notice of all food imports destined for the United States, an agency in the Department of Homeland Security says.

The measure, which is mandated by a 2003 bioterrorism law, will enhance the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bureau's ability to detect potential bio- and agroterrorism, bureau Commissioner Robert Bonner said in a news release.

Shippers and exporters of food products are obligated to file notice with the bureau and the 

The agency also said it will refuse entry to any merchandise not preceded by proper notice.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the protection of U.S. borders. 

Costa Rican food producers have been thouroughly briefed on the requirements, and a number of seminars have been held.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina's new plan to restructure billions of dollars in debt is already facing criticism. 

The largest group of Argentine bondholders has rejected the latest proposal, saying in a statement from New York it is "extremely disappointed." The Global Committee of Argentina Bondholders, which represents investors holding about $37 billion in bonds, said the offer was not acceptable. 

Tuesday Argentina announced a revised plan that would pay creditors 25 cents for every dollar owed,
plus interest accrued since its default in December 

The new offer, called "final" by Argentina's Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna, would give creditors a 17 percent higher return on their investments in comparison to Argentina's initial debt restructuring offer. 

The International Monetary Fund, which provides credit to Argentina, has been pressing the country to quickly restructure its debt.  Two-and-a-half years ago, Argentina's economy collapsed amid deadly street riots and looting during which four different presidents held office in less than a month.