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Second news page |
 Click HERE for photo tour of 526 properties for SALE or RENT in Escazú, Ciudad Colón, Santa Ana, Rohrmoser, Curridabat, Heredia and the Pacific Coast. |
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| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
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Our readers' opinions
This reader is citingother crime statistics Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Interesting that Scott Pralinsky quotes NationMaster as evidence that Costa Rica has a low crime rate. The NationMaster statistic he didn’t quote is that Costa Rica ranks No.19 as the most murderous country per capita and No. 7 in total recorded intentional homicides committed with a firearm per capita John Earl
Alajuela Figures are not valid, this reader argues Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Scott Pralinsky’s letter in your online paper today shows how figures lie. If anyone looks at the parameters that were measured for his 80 per thousand statistic, they would see how worthless that figure is. Take a look at just robberies as an example. Ken Holdeman
DeBary, Fla. Crime statistics lack validity in Third World Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I read with great interest Scott Pralinsky letter citing crime statistics. As everyone knows “there are lies and then there are statistics”. Scott is wrong Costa Rica is 41st, he claims 46th, on the list and he did not include the key definition “Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence . . . ." The other trouble I have is with the definition of crime by the reporting government. Let us look at some statistics which are more relevant, the murder rate Costa Rica is 19th, US 24th, Canada, 44th. Manslaughter Costa Rica 3rd, Canada 40th, U.S. not on the list. Murders with weapons CR 7th, U.S. 8th, Canada 20th. I am having fun perception of safety walking at night Canada and U.S. tied at 82% Costa Rica is not listed but New Zealand at 62% is the lowest. Why go lower? I would posit that most crime which lacks a consistent definition and enforcement in Costa Rica does not get reported. The statistics are probably a joke for other than the first world. Now where do you feel safer? I won’t touch on the other part of the Web site ranking Costa Rica as first for Mortality: Failure in dosage during surgical and medical care (per capita) among other poor health care statistics. David Moir
Country is not corrupt, so Dall'anese was right Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The A.M. Costa Rica staff in their Nov. 29 editorial titled, “An analysis of the news: Crime-solving monopoly lacking in controls” overstated their justification for the existence of separate police powers for Paul Cháves’ Dirección de Investigaciones Especializadas of the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. The tenor of the editorial suggested this small group of investigators was more effective than the Ministerio Público and the Judicial Investigating Organization (OIJ), which to the contrary, according to Fiscal General Francisco Dall’Anese’s ruling last week. According to the 2004 Global Corruption Report from Transparency International Costa Rica ranks 41st of 146 countries (50th in 2003) they compared in determining the least corrupt among them. Although the U.S. ranked 17th that was behind the leaders, which included Iceland and Finland. Maybe A.M. Costa Rica should have compared the Costa Rican system to them or other regional systems such as Chile (21) and Barbados (24). Positive highlights of the report about Costa Rica included the 2004 legislative approval of the Law against Corruption and Illegal Enrichment in Public Office and 2004 Supreme Court revocation of provisions for “special courts for the mismanagement of public resources and tax crimes” considering the limited resources of the court system such investigation was considered best coordinated under a streamlined authority. The A.M. Costa Rica staff’s support for the Dirección de Investigaciones Especializadas of the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública was based on a flimsy comparison to the complex layers of law enforcement agencies in the U.S., which failed to acknowledge recent consolidation of numerous U.S. agencies under the Department of Homeland Defense. As important to consider in making such governmental comparisons is recognition of the differing form of governance in the U.S. among local, state and federal authorities and their policing powers as compared to Costa Rica, which is much smaller in land mass and population. And limited financial resources necessary to complete public projects is a reoccurring theme found in the stories of A.M. Costa Rica. According to Transparency International, Costa Rican authorities are appropriately dealing with some of these issues exemplified by the 2002 legislative appointment of such road construction oversight bodies as the National Laboratory of Structural Materials and Models (LANAMME). Sure there are continued problems with slow road construction and questionable construction quality, but much of the problem is rooted in the lack of government resources that duplicate law enforcement authority can result in. Paul Cháves can continue to push for changes in the law as can any Costa Rican or special interest, but everyone must do it within the constraints of the legal framework established by the CR legislator and judiciary. For A.M. Costa Rica or anyone else to advocate extra-legal solutions and faulty comparisons to the U.S. system denies the accomplishments and achievements that Costa Rica has made in becoming the most transparent and least corrupt government in Central and South America. John Hawley
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| Festival will highlight the works of author Tolkien |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Sociedad Tolkien de Costa Rica has organized its annual Tolkien festival to honor the deceased author of the “The Lord of the Rings.” The Festival Tolkien 2005 is scheduled for Dec. 17 and 18 at the Ministerio Cultural, Juventud y Deportes. Organizers invite people of all ages to come and share the celebrations with people dressed as elfs, hobbits, wizards and all the other mythical characters from Tolkien's popular books. Festival organizers have planned a variety of activities as well, among them movie and documentary presentations and exhibitions of archery, magic and juggling, organizers said. There will also be an exhibition entitled “El Mundo Según Tolkien,” where, through illustrations and colectables, organizers have planned a discussion of the late author's philosophy and values. The ministery has also planned a discussion of the more intimate details of Tolkien's life including his friendship with C.S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicals of Narnia.” There will also be a workshop where participants can learn to draw the characters from |
 Tolkien society members pictured at
previous event
Tolkien's books, learn the history of Middle Earth and how to talk and write like elfs. Organizers have also planned a variety of games, raffles, and competitions to take place throughout the festival. The festival starts at 11 a.m both days. Entrance costs 1,000 colons but children under 10 get in free. For more information, go to www.sociedadtolkiencr.com or call 399-9120 or 369-9767 or e-mail. |
| American International School plans a bingo fund-raiser for
Saturday |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The American International School is sponsoring a bingo night to raise money to repair the school's gymnasium and make a donation to the Cruz Roja of San Antonio de Belén. The event is scheduled for Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 |
p.m. Tickets cost
2,000 colons at the door and will buy the purchaser one bingo
card. Prizes include: 10 pounds of Costa Rican coffee, hotel stays, raft trips, gift certificates, dinner, wine, bus tickets and more. The American International School is in Ciudad Cariari. For more information, send an e-mail to keithconvery@yahoo.com. |
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| Technical end of hurricane season hosts new storm |
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Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The official 2005 Atlantic Ocean hurricane season comes to a technical end today with officials and victims in the Americas assessing the damages of what may be the worst season ever, and keeping an eye on another tropical storm swirling in the mid-Atlantic. Leaders of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration laid out the year’s toll in a Washington, D.C., briefing Tuesday. “This hurricane season shattered records that have stood for decades — most named storms, most hurricanes and most Category 5 storms,” said Conrad C. Lautenbacher, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “Arguably, it was the most devastating hurricane season the country has experienced in modern times.” The 2005 season held a record in producing 25 named storms, pushing past the previous record in1933 when 21 storms gained enough strength to earn their own names. Just as officials prepared to announce the record Thursday morning, a 26th cyclone reached the 39 mph [62.7 kilometer] wind speed that classifies a weather system as a tropical storm. The new storm is dubbed Epsilon, a name that marks another record for the 2005 season. It is the first time the National Hurricane Center ever has used letters of the Greek alphabet for storm names, having exhausted all the names on the pre-determined alphabetical list. The 2005 season was also a record-breaker for the fiercest and most destructive storms. Three storms this year – Katrina, Rita and Wilma – escalated to the greatest intensity – Category 5 with winds in excess of 74 mph [119 kilometers]. This year also brought the costliest storm the United States ever has seen, with at least $80 billion worth of damage caused by Katrina, which slammed ashore on the Gulf Coast in late August. With at least 1,300 deaths, and a count still likely to rise, Katrina was also the deadliest hurricane to strike the United States since 1928. The backlash from the storms caused heavy damage in Costa Rica, mostly in the Central Pacific, the southern zone and Gunancaste. The community of Portlón and nearby settlements were whiped out. Many millions in repairs are needed for roads, bridges and sewer lines. |
Unprecedented though it
was, the 2005 storm season could repeat itself
next year, or the year after, weather officials said. Their analysis
shows that Atlantic Ocean storm activity is now in what they call
multidecadal cycle in which conditions are just right in the ocean and
the atmosphere to brew up monster storms. The ocean water is
warmer
than normal, the wind shear is low, the winds coming off West Africa
are just right to set a tropical cyclone in motion. “Because we’re 11 years into an active hurricane era,” said Jerry Bell, lead meteorologist at the Climate Prediction Center, “it’s reasonable to expect ongoing high levels of hurricane activity for many years to come, and importantly, ongoing high levels of hurricane landfalls for the next decade . . . " The prospect that greater than average hurricane activity will pound vulnerable Atlantic and Caribbean coastal areas for years to come makes a joint international scientific project all the more urgent, according to Lautenbacher. More than 40 nations and 25 international organizations are working to establish a Global Earth Observing System as a reservoir of climatic and environmental data from all around the planet to form the basis for better understanding and predicting how Earth functions as a single system. “This total global coverage of weather information and service information will allow us in the future to be able to build better models and better predictions,” said Lautenbacher, “and allow us to tell you more accurately what will happen and will give you much longer warning times.” Better science is on the horizon even as the global observation system is being implemented. In recent years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service have made progress in predicting the direction that a hurricane might take and where it will come ashore. Predictions have gone from a 300-400 mile [483-648 kilometer] error track to an error track in the area of 25 miles to 30 miles [40.2-48.2 kilometers], Lautenbacher said of recent improvements in forecasting capability. The next priority for improvement will be in gauging the intensity of storms, acquiring the capability to tell a given city that the storm bearing down will be a minor blow or a major killer, he said. |
| Holidays for public employees will begin Dec. 16 |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Public employees in the Executive branch here will leave work at the end of the business day Friday, Dec. 16, and not show up again until Jan. 2. The days off are counted as vacation, according to officials. A presidential decree sets the holiday, which amounts to 10 working days. Employees this year are not getting vacation credit for Christmas and New Year's Day. Both fall on Sundays. |
Excepted are emergency
services and other critical occupations, which will be covered during
the holidays. The Canadian Embassy will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, and Dec. 27. The days off are to mark Christmas, which falls on a Sunday this year, and Boxing Day, the traditional Commonwealth holiday, also known as St. Stephen's Day. |
| Soccer fans from Honduras try to make run to avoid
immigration checks |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers in La Cruz arrested 12 Honduran soccer fans Tuesday intent on entering Costa Rica to see their team, Olimpia, play Liga Deportiva Alajuelense – even if it meant doing so illegally, officers said. When stopped, the undocumented fans were all sporting Olimpia jerseys and bandanas, officers said. According to police, this is not abnormal, in preparation for such an event, border police had |
increased
their number since the early morning hours Tuesday. A bus with 27
Hondurans – all with the legal documents – entered the country earlier
in the day. However, later at 5:30 Tuesday afternoon, Fuerza Pública officers stopped another bus in Peñas Blancas. Eight of the Hondurans on the bus also had the required documents. The other 12 hopped out of the bus while it was still in Nicaraguan territory and made a run for it. Authorities caught them. Instead of watching the match, all 12 are stuck under the control of immigration, officers said. |
| Dance company festival starts today and will run through
Friday |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Compañía Nacional de Danza is organizing a gathering of dancers, choreographers and anyone else who loves dancing. The fair, Mudanzas II, is planned for the Teatro de la Danza at the Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes today through Friday. Entrance is free. Organizers have planned activities for the public as well as those directly involved in the industry. There will be classes, workshops and round tables, discussions and informal chats about the development of a Central American dance circuit, organizers said. |
This forum will
continue work that was started last year at Mudanzas I,
said Carlos Ovares, the director of the Compañía Nacional
de Danza. This year, organizers hope to discuss the company's proposed curriculum and the organizing process for local and national events among other themes. Activities have been going since Monday but the official inauguration is today at 9 a.m., organizers said. Ovares as well as Guido Sáenz, minister of Cultura, Juventud y Deportes, will be present. For more information, call 222-2974 or 256-4838 or e-mail comdanza@mcjd.go.cr. |
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