A.M. Costa Rica: Your English language daily news source

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San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008, Vol. 8, No. 213

Environmental tribunal found fault with 14 of 16 projects

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Of 16 projects inspected by the nation's environmental watchdogs in the Cantón de Osa, 14 have come under investigation.

In a report Friday at the end of a four-day sweep, the Tribunal Ambiental Administrativo released a summary of its findings.

The first was the discovery of a major hotel in Playa Hermosa de Osa that had been constructed without the proper environmental clearances, said the tribunal.

Also cited was a 492-hectare (1,215-acre) project in which a road encroached on a river and passes by a nearly vertical slope.

Then there was the two-story house in Pozo Azul de Osa that not only was constructed without any permits at all but had been built on Instituto de Desarrollo Agrario land in a primary forest, said the tribunal.

Tribunal officials said that they visited La Parcela, a restaurant and cabina tourism project that had been constructed in the prohibited zone that covers the land from mean high tide to 50 meters inland.

The tribunal began the sweep Tuesday with an overflight of the Cantón de Osa. From photos released after the flight, there has been intense development and the movement of land in the canton, which runs from Dominical south to the north half of the Osa Peninsula.

The large project is Costa Verde Estates on the border of Pérez Zeledón and Bahía Ballena de Osa, said the tribunal. The first stage of this project involves some 56 terraces for homesites, said the tribunal.

Tribunal judges said they found new terraces, extensive soil movement and roads in forested land, which brings up some very technical requirements.

This is where the tribunal said a road was found encroaching on a river course.

The tribunal said it was seeking information from both Pérez Zeledón and Osa on permits for the project.

The house at Pozo Azul de Osa went up with no permits, said the tribunal, which issued a closing order for the site. In addition to the homesite in forested land, the access road passes through forest, too, the tribunal said.

The hotel project in Playa Hermosa is almost ready to

Tribunal Ambiental Administrativo photos

This is the nearly completed hotel that the tribunal said lacks an enviornmental permit.

work stopped on house

These workmen got the rest of the day off because the tribunal shut down this project that it said had no permits whatsoever.

open its doors to the public, said the tribunal. It is owned by Tucano Group S.A., said the tribunal. The project covers some 5,000 square meters or about 54,000 square feet, more than an acre. This project, too, was constructed in forest, said the tribunal.

The tribunal, its judges and experts from several different ministries went to the Cantón de Osa because of the extensive construction there. Municipal permits were up 200 percent in 2008, officials said.

Bus stickup turns fatal as passenger pulls his own gun

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Armed bandits are having their way with buses along the General Cañas highway, and one stickup proved fatal Friday.

At least two buses were held up by bandits a short distance west of Parque la Sabana. The first was at 7 p.m. where armed men disguised as passengers suddenly revealed their criminal intent and pistol-whipped the driver. They collected money and valuables from westbound passengers.

One report said a passenger doused one bandit with pepper spray as he left the bus.

About 10 p.m. another robbery took place near Hospital

México on the same highway. In that one a former police officer pulled his personal handgun, took a fatal shot in the chest and still managed to blast one of the robbers three times before he died. That bus was coming from the west.

Investigators detained a man with bullet wounds at Hospital San Juan de Dios a short time later.

There were three persons in the later attack.

The site is within walking distance from some of the cities more notorious slums, and that probably was the origin of the bandits.

Bus robberies are not new, but the frequentcy seems to have increased.

U.S. State Department official questions credibility of Nicaraguan elections

Special to A.M. Costa Rica

The U.S. State Department is questioning the credibility of the Nov. 9 municipal elections in Nicaragua.

Robert Wood, the department's deputy spokesman said that two opposition parties have been decertified and there is interference with non-governmental organizations that are working to promote respect for human rights, rule of law, and economic development in Nicaragua.

"We are also concerned that the Supreme Electoral Council has generally not processed requests by domestic and international groups to observe the upcoming election in a

timely manner, thereby preventing them from doing so," he said Friday.

Wood said that the United States calls on the government of Nicaragua to ensure that the campaign and the elections will be free of intimidation, violence, and harassment of Nicaraguan voters wishing to exercise their right to vote.

He said the Nicaraguan government should create the conditions for free and fair elections by allowing opposition parties, the press, and the people of Nicaragua to express their views freely and peacefully, granting all political parties the right to participate in the elections and inviting credible groups to observe the elections.

You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE!

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San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008, Vol. 8, No. 213

Superintendent picked for opening of insurance market here

By Dennis Rogers
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s newly-opened insurance industry has a supervisory agency in operation, dubbed the Superintendencia General de Seguros or the insurance superintendent general.

Economist Tomás Soley took charge of the agency Oct. 20. He will oversee the development of the regulatory operation for Costa Rica’s newly opened insurance market.

As a result of the Central American free trade agreement with the United States, Costa Rica was obliged to remove the monopoly enjoyed by the Instituto Nacional de Seguros since 1924. In theory, the market is no longer a monopoly now that the enabling legislation has passed the National Assembly, but until the administrative structure is established, the institute will be the only operator.

Some aspects will still be controlled by the government,

with workman’s comp coverage and the small obligatory liability coverage included in the annual vehicle registration not planned for wide sale until 2011.

The new agency, to be known by the usual alphabet soup of SUGESE, will be overseen by the Superintendencia de Pensiones, known informally as SUPEN, while the final regulations are established and the agency takes shape. According to Wilbert Quesada who coordinates the work of establishing the new regulator, At present, there are four or five pension agency employees working on the matter now and has budgeted about 20 positions in the independent entity.

However, Quesada said “anybody can apply now for approval though we don’t have any formal applications yet.” He said several companies with foreign capital have expressed interest in the local market.

The full text of the regulatory plan as passed by the legislature (in Spanish) is available HERE as a .pdf file.

Drug police face down five dogs to make an arrest in Montes de Oca

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Police paid no heed to a “Beware of Dog” sign last week in Montes de Oca, as they battled past five attack dogs in order to arrest a man accused of running a drug operation down the street from a church.

Police said that the 50-year-old suspect, identified by the last names Mora Pérez, processed drugs in his home on Calle Salitrillo in San Rafael. He hired a 22-year-old undocumented Nicaraguan, identified by the last names Alonso Fuentes, to sell the home-made drugs on the town's main street, police also allege.

Police were alerted to the drug operation after receiving 20

phone calls to the local hotline 176, a telephone service used for anonymous complaints against local drug activity.

Wednesday afternoon, a local force of the Policia de Control de Drogas attempted to enter Mora's home, but first had to face down five attack dogs before making it to the front door. Both Mora and Alonso were then taken into custody.

The minister of public security, Janina del Vecchio, said the event proved that reducing narcotrafficking was a high priority for President Oscar Arias' administration. She encouraged citizens to continue reporting drug dealers by calling the hotline 176. The 24-hour-hotline is free and treats all phone calls as confidential.

Four Americans among those detained in police sweep of Calle de Amargura

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Police detained a group of seven men, including four Americans, two Nicaraguans and a man wanted for sexual assault late Friday night in San Pedro after police said they found a sizable amount of drugs in their possession.

The seven men met in popular destination Calle de la Amargura minutes after 11 p.m., only to be surprised by a police patrol. Along with two firearms, the men were carrying 45 hits of crack, three ounces of marijuana, three hits of cocaine, and four marijuana joints, two of them already used, said police.

The four Americans and two Nicaraguans were officially detained for failing to carry either a passport or some other form of identification. One Nicaraguan was arrested on an

allegation of carrying false identification documents.

The group included a man with the last names Romero Cordero, wanted by the police for sexually assaulting a minor. According to the police, Cordero had previously faced charges of fraud and robbery.

German Acosta, an official from the Grupo de Apoyo Operacional, a tactical squad that coordinated with the Fuerza Pública during the operation, said that three of the men were also wanted for previous charges.

According to Cristian Zamoro, an official from the Fuerza Pública San Pedro unit, these surprise patrols are meant to increase police presence in Calle de la Amargura. Also known as Calle Tres, the area is a popular nightlife destination for students from the nearby university.


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San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008, Vol. 8, No. 213

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Each day someone complains via e-mail that the newspages are from yesterday or the day before. A.M. Costa Rica staffers check every page and every link when the newspaper is made available at 2 a.m. each week day.

So the problem is with the browser in each reader's computer. Particularly when the connection with the server is slow, a computer will look to the latest page in its internal memory and serve up that page.

Readers should refresh the page and, if necessary, dump the cache of their computer, if this problem persists. Readers in Costa Rica have this problem frequently because the local Internet provider has continual problems.

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Ingrid Betancourt wins
Prince of Asturias award

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

Spain's Prince of Asturias Foundation has presented this year's award for promoting understanding among peoples to former French-Colombian hostage and politician Ingrid Betancourt.

Spain's Crown Prince Felipe presided over the awards ceremony Friday in the northern city of Oviedo.

In her acceptance speech, Ms. Betancourt appealed for Latin American countries to fight arms and drug trafficking, which she said feed kidnappings and terrorism.

Among other recipients of the 2008 Asturias awards were tennis star Rafael Nadal for sports, and the Internet search engine Google for communication and humanities.

The scientific and technical research award went to one Japanese and four American scientists for their work in the field of nanotechnology.

The Prince of Asturias Foundation, headed by Crown Prince Filipe, awards eight Asturias prizes annually, covering such fields as the arts, science, and sports.

U.S. secretary of State
holds talks in México

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Mexico for two days of talks with her Mexican counterpart at the ocean resort of Puerto Vallarta.

Rice and Patricia Espinosa, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, will discuss Mexico's battle against its brutally violent illegal drug trafficking gangs and other topics.

Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico this year, despite President Felipe Calderon's deployment of 36,000 troops throughout the country to battle the gangs.

Mexico City has called on Washington to release more than $400 million approved by the U.S. Congress as part of an initiative to help Mexico and Central American countries fight the cartels.

Ms. Rice and Ms. Espinosa will also discuss Mexico's newly won seat on the United Nations Security Council.

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San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008, Vol. 8, No. 213

80-year-old true crime story provide the plot for 'Changeling'

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

In 1928 in a Los Angeles suburb, the peaceful life of a young single mother is shattered when her 9-year-old son, Walter, disappears.

Five months later, Los Angeles police tell Christine Collins that her son has been found. So far, this true story, dug up from public records, sounds like every other missing child story with a happy ending.

But what followed shook up Los Angeles and brought down the city's political establishment. Now, 80 years later, director Clint Eastwood revives the story in his movie "Changeling."

Capt. J.J. Jones, the officer in charge of the case, refuses to accept that he failed to find the real Walter, especially at a time when the Los Angeles Police Department is under fire for corruption and incompetence.

Things get even more complicated because the boy who has been found claims he is Walter.

Determined to fight for her son, Christine gathers evidence on his identity.

Capt. Jones dismisses Christine as hysterical and insolent because she dares to question his judgment.

"Changeling" is a surreal drama based on a true story Actress Angelina Jolie interprets Christine. She says, back then, women couldn't stand up to men.

"They had the final word. They could easily say 'You're emotional. You're a woman. You're a mother. You're not

thinking clearly,' and a lot of people at that time would say, 'That's right,'" Ms. Jolie says.

Christine's situation worsens when Jones has her arrested and sent to a psychiatric ward. She is treated brutally there.

Christine gets help from a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Gustav Briegleb, an outspoken critic of the police.

He gets her out of the hospital and recruits a high-profile lawyer to represent her in a suit against the city. At the same time, there is new evidence that Christine's son was abducted by a serial killer. The boy who has insisted he is Walter confesses that he is not.

Clint Eastwood says it is difficult to believe that the story is true.

"What this woman had to go through was really amazing," he says. "And the fact that she actually could bring down the whole political structure of Los Angeles in 1928 is amazing."

Eastwood's production is elaborate. The sets, costumes and gestures replicate the times. Colors are subdued, scenes are moody. Angelina Jolie offers a solid performance as a fragile and tormented mother. John Malcovich adds intensity and eccentricity to his character, the Rev. Briegleb. James Donovan is dark and unyielding as Capt. Jones.

Unfortunately, the characters, as written, are one-dimensional. Christine Collins, a beautiful lady, has no flaws. Capt. Jones is pure evil. Eastwood attempts to give equal treatment to the film's subplots, but in so doing, he loses focus and the movie drags on. In the end, it is the sheer power of Christine Collins's true story that makes "Changeling" an interesting film.

Trim your bets to save chips and maximize your gain

In no-limit hold’em tournaments, size your bet's based on your opponent’s skill level. You can cut corners by betting wisely — save a little here and make a little extra there.

It’s one of my basic premises for tournament play: Choose to bet the lesser amount when a smaller-sized bet will accomplish the same objective as a bigger one.

You see, it’s really tough to hit a flop. That’s why players are often glad to see their opponents fold after they’ve made a post-flop bet. Say you flopped a hand like top pair. Well, there’s always the chance that someone else did even better, possibly flopping two pair or even three of a kind.

In tournament play, reduce your risk by targeting beginning players whose play is predictable. One way to exploit these players is by betting a bit less when you’re bluffing and a bit more when you have a strong hand. Beginners simply lack the sophistication to pick up on this betting pattern.

But don’t try this same strategy against skilled players. Professional players will eat you for lunch! They’ll see right through your gambit.

Let’s take a look at an example.

With blinds at 100-200, you decide to raise from late position with Q-J. A weak beginner calls from the big blind, leaving you heads-up with 1,100 in the pot. The flop comes As- 4c-4s, completely missing your hand and probably missing your opponent’s hand as well.

Against a thinking professional player, you might bet something around 800 if you were trying to steal the blinds. A bet of that size would make it a little too expensive for the pro to try to bluff the pot away from you if he had nothing at all.

Had you bet a lower amount instead, say 500, the pro might conclude that you don’t have an ace. He might consider reraising to 1,200, even with a marginal hand like J-9.

That’s not how it would work against a weak beginner.

Beginning players are predictable and rarely bluff. They tend to focus only on their own hand and simply hope to catch the

one card they need to improve. This creates the ideal situation to cut a corner by betting a little less since your bet size won’t affect the outcome of the hand anyway.

Let’s go back to the sample hand.

Instead of betting 800 chips to try to steal the pot from a rank amateur, bet a smaller amount equivalent to your pre-flop raise. If he does have the ace, he’d probably call anything, making the size of your bet totally irrelevant. The smaller bet, however, will save you 300 chips. And those kinds of savings can really add up throughout the course of a tournament.

What if your novice opponent doesn’t have the ace? He’ll fold regardless of how much you bet. So there’s just no reason to risk more than you have to.

Let’s say, though, that you do happen to have the A-K. Make the bigger bet. The amateur will react the same way to a bet of 800 as he would to a 500 chip bet if he also has an ace. In this situation, a bigger bet will maximize the value of your hand.

Here’s one last thought to remember: The other skilled players at the table will know exactly what you’re up to. They’ll recognize your betting pattern. They’ll assume that you don’t have much of a hand and are just trying to run a bluff against a weak player. But that’s okay; they’re not in the hand anyway!

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San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008, Vol. 8, No. 213