Kidney Disease 83% increase in CR
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Oh my God, just met with my oncologist at Johns
Hopkins in Baltimore and I am suffering from
kidney problems after living in Costa Rica for 3
years. Jaco to be specific.
It is not kidney specific, I have been diagnosed
with Multiple Myeloma Blood Cancer that damages
your kidneys severely.
This cancer comes from genetic mutations from
environmental contamination such [as that]
resulting from the use of weed killers using
glysophate also known as Round-Up.
I observed workers spraying with this chemical
while in Costa Rica.
Multiple myeloma was once a very rare and always
complicated cancer that needs special testing to
detect which is probably not readily available in
Central America.
How scary.
While I am no longer in Costa Rica I would be
happy to share my story and information.
Scott Alpert,
MA, U.S.A.
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My opinion on moto deaths
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Moto drivers should follow the same laws as cars.
Lane changes, passing between, weaving in and out
create an attitude that “cars and trucks are
simply in-the-way and a bother” to many moto
drivers.
My concern is that most problems are with this
swarm of underpowered Asian ‘ring-bing-bingers’
with only 100-250 cc carrying a driver and fatso
passenger on the Circle Traffic.
It’s the Asian ‘dirt bikes’ that should be heavily
regulated. Speed is something these riders can’t
handle on this country’s roads and traffic.
I say only 850 plus cc. on highways. The weak
little 200cc bikes are called ‘off-road bikes’ in
the USA and belong on dirt trails only.
I used to have several H-D bikes here in Costa
Rica.
The big bike riders usually better behaved here.
Impossible to change now, that’s the problem not
helmets.
Michael Staryk II
Coral Springs, Florida and
Concepcion de Tres Rios, Cartago.
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My thoughts on traffic stop bribes
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Before living in Costa Rica I lived in Panama for
12 years. Being stopped for invented or real
traffic infractions was a biweekly event as
everyday corruption is rampant there.
In the late nineties when the bribes were a
laughable $2 or so I would just forked over with a
smile.
But by 2008 they were up to $50 or more and
becoming a serious expense. At that point
I
decided to change my strategy.
If I had done something wrong I just paid my
"coima". But if they were inventing an infraction
I would simply say that I would prefer the ticket.
There the cops were not paid for court appearances
so they rarely show up and you were declared
innocent by default.
That being said, the cops in Panama were much more
abusive and unaccountable than those of CR.
Complaints against cops go nowhere, so your risks
of more serious problems are higher. An argument
could be made that the probability of personal
threat rose to the level of justifying bribes to
calm crooked cops.
Costa Rica is very different. In the 8 years I
have lived here I have been stopped maybe ten
times, twice by crooked cops.
One was a legitimate infraction and I simply paid
the bribe seeker a much reduced amount than
the
official fine. The other was a brazen fabrication
and a demand for 50,000 colones.
I just explained that I would rather a ticket, pay
the fine and exercise my right to file a complaint
for the irregularity of the stop. He decided to
wave me on.
I do not believe that the probability of police
abuse rises to the level to justify paying bribes
for reasons of personal safety in Costa Rica.
If you want to save money after breaking the rules
that is your choice but you are encouraging bad
behavior.
But you should never allow them to intimidate you
into paying against your will.
The police here are investigated heavily for
corruption and fear complaints. No one should ever
pay for a fabricated infraction.
Marcos Evans,
Herradura Beach
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My opinon on Uber issues
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Should the government speed up the approval of
Uber as a legal company?
Yes they should and if they are going to try and
screw them into the sunset they need to give them
all the breaks that they do for the taxis.
IE let them buy new cars with no tax.
Robert Woodrow,
CW4 Retired,
Curridabat
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My opinion on 4 children with measles
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
All these terrible parents that do not vaccinate
their children are a danger to society.
No country should permit children into their
country if they have not been vaccinated!!
No exceptions!!
This family has endangered all the Costa Rican
babies that are too young for their vaccinations!!
They should be arrested for endangering the
public!!
Pauline Syke
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Costa Rica property
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
I have lived in Cost Rica for over 30 years and
still amazed at some way things are done here,
however I want to write about real-estate.
My experience about real estate dealing in the US
has been good and safe and if you pay the taxes
this will protect from theft.
This is not a sure thing here. Someone can get
lawyer called a notary and he will find a way
to
sell your property through the Registro.
Title companies are not freakily used. This
happens on any property, but most unattended
property many times are by other nearby land
owners.
One was a well-known man in San Ramon who built
roads and terraced the land owned a friend of mine
who lived in the US.
We went one time to visit the land she had bought
in an bank sale and said that is my land. We went
to court and won.
He had to pay the legal
expenses.
Some years later a neighbor was selling parcels of
the land. Had a
lawyer to investigate in the
Registro and they sent out notifications to
all
the buyers.
My purpose is to inform the readers if you buy
unattended
property.
See that is watched often.
Bobbhy FR,
Colonia del Rio Guadalupe
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The mirror image of tourist fraud
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
I applaud the news of a consumer finance
protection agency for the tourism industry here in
Costa Rica.
The fewer scandals, negative articles and word of
mouth horror stories, the more successful and
prosperous the sector will be.
There is also an
endemic problem of fraud by unscrupulous gangs
perpetrated on tour companies, small hotels,
restaurants, and management firms.
Telephone fraud schemes, fake checks, robbery
electronic and unpaid, phony reservations cost
these small businesses very substantial amounts
every year. This cost everyone more.
The newly
formed agency should protect all the stakeholders,
and centralizing complaints, arrest data, script
pitches, and targeted areas would give the OIJ
powerful assistance. So, think about expanding the
mission for the entire industry.
A 1,200 colon tax on every hotel bill would fund
the agency's investigations.
You're welcome!
Hara Maderich,
Papagayo Bay.
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On Measles vaccination and liquor contraband
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
If they are using the same vaccines that are made
in the United States
for measles, they are going
to be spreading the measles themselves.
This is been proven more than once in the United
States that the
measles vaccine spreads the
measles.
All vaccines there they use in
the United States
are poison.
I would not vaccinate my children for
anything if
they were still young.
It is the pharmaceuticals industry though not
making people well
because there's no money in
that.
Through the vaccines they're making
people sick. I
do not trust the FDA, AMA, or the
pharmaceutical
industry when it comes to my
health.
I've read stories of doctors
telling you that if
you want to live a long life, don't go to a
doctor
or hospital lesson something that has to be
taken care of by a doctor,
i.e. A broken bone.
Related on liquor contraband. If the contraband of
alcohol products we're to be inspected and
labeled
by the Ministry of health, that could be sold
legally in Costa
Rica to create additional income
for the country.
Destroying perfectly
good products that are
factory sealed from the manufacture is a waste
of
good money that can be made by the Costa Rican
government.
Turning
perfectly good illegal products into legal
products makes more sense
to me.
Carlos W
Edwards
Expat resident from the US
Naranjo, Costa
Rica.
Carlos W Edwards
Expat resident from the US
Naranjo, Costa Rica
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The tour guides being regulated
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Yes, guides must be trained and licensed.
This would have prevented the fatal accident on
Naranjo River. No trained guide would do a river
rafting trip in that bad weather. River extremely
high and river water very swift.
Very important airb&b should be
regulated—made to register and pay the 13% tax on
the rooms.
Anyone can put their house on airb&b NOT GOOD!
I work in CR tourism and I tell my clients “I
have nothing to do with airb&b in Costa Rica!
Ann Cabezas Creed,
Las Pilas de Alajuela.
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Editor’s
note: The views or opinions expressed by the
author are the sole and exclusive responsibility
of the sender and do not necessarily represent the
opinion of A.M. Costa Rica. Therefore, the
newspaper does not accept liability for reader's
opinion letter content.
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