Gabrielito and his dad are inseparable. Photo: Mayela López
President Carlos Alvarado has left the politics of the country in the hands of his vice-presidents while he takes a few days off work, to spend time with his son, Gabriel who is five, in the last days of mid-year school vacations.
Gabrielito and his dad are inseparable. Photo by Mayela López taken in February during the presidential campaign trail.
Casa Presidential announced that the president will be back to work on Monday, July 16.
Thus the country was on Thursday in the hands of first vice-president and Foreign Minister, Epsy Campbell, and will be again today, Friday and tomorrow, Saturday.
On Sunday Campell is off to Brussels and the country will then be in the hands of second vice-president Marvin Rodriguez.
Costa Rican model Karina Ramos is enjoying herself, enjoying the last days before turning 24 and published on Tuesday a very sensual photograph next to her novio (boyfriend), Esteban Castillo.
In the image Kari appears unclothed in the upper part of the body, yes, but you cannot see anything because she is well ‘agarrada” (attached) to her lover, who is also shirtless. And anything more would violate Instagram rules.
Kari has never been shy about showning off her body in social networks, but now he is going a little further and adding a bit more spice to his sessions.
The World Cup in Russia left some Ticos (Costa Ricans) who traveled there for the many joys and festivities, but others came in contact with four “friends” who are not welcome anywhere: chlamydia, herpes, papilloma and gonorrhea.
The cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may increase in the coming months when symptoms manifest more clearly. That is the word from sexologist Mauro Fernández who told us that he has already received six cases of Costa Ricans who traveled to Russia and came back “pegado” and with an additional concern, the gonococcus (which produces gonorrhea) that is more resistant to treatments.
The infected are four men and two women. According to Dr Mauro, in four of the cases the men said they had used a condom and that liquor was involved, in that two of those four were so drunk they do not remember if they put on the condom correctly. The other two did not even protect themselves.
The good doctor commented that in three cases, people knew they were at high risk and still took a chance.
“The classic story is that they were very beautiful women. Three said they were healthy, elegant women who smelled nice and therefore ruled out any risk, as if gonorrhea chose not to like elegance,” says the doctor.
He also added that three of the Ticos paid for sexual services and the other three had encounters with women visiting Russia.
Dr Mauro commented that the festive atmosphere typical of activities such as a World Cup, Olympics or concerts, with more the consumption of liquor and in some cases of drugs, disinhibits people and leads them to engage in dangerous behavior.
The MOPT, through its various sub-agencies, builds and maintains and assures our safety on the roads. Well, that is the goal. In reality, we all know how inefficient and incompetent the Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes can be.
The latest case to come to light is the naming of the new road to San Carlos, that runs between Sarapiqui and La Fortuna.
The sign on the new road to San Carlos, a road project 12 years in the making, with the incorrect spelling of the town Vuelta de Kopper
I drove this road in May and was impressed, though it’s just a matter of time before the Chilamate – Vuelta de Kooper joins the rank of the country’s road network. And the misspelling on the signs of the town and family name for which the road is named after.
But the name is wrong, it should be Chilamate – Vuelta de Kopper. What’s the difference? Besides the spelling, it is disrespectful to the Kopper family to which the road is named after.
Freddy Kopper says that the Solis government, at least, should have investigated a bit more.
According to Freddy, “Kooper” has displeased some members of the Kopper family in San Carlos and in Grecia. Some people in the country see the surname Kopper (as it is written correctly) and read it “Cúper”, but it is not like that; it is pronounced “Cóper”.
“We are Kopper of German descent. My great-grandfather came in 1856 with the filibusters and fell prisoner and they took him to Cartago at that time. The Cooper (with C and double o) is Anglo-Saxon,” said soccer coach Henry Kopper, who even led the San Carlos team.
Henry explained that Kooper, as it is written on the sign, does not exist, that Vuelta de Kopper is so named because a family settled in that place (there is a town called Kopper, near Muelle) and there is a turn or “vuelta” approaching the town and people began to call it that way.
Screen shot of Google Maps
Didn’t anyone at the MOPT even consider looking up Google maps, where you can have the right spelling.
Ok, we can all make mistakes. But a mistake like this is sheer incompetence when you take into account the report this Thursday by the Federated College of Engineers and Architects (Colegio Federado de Ingenierios y Arquitectos – CFIA) that the design and work for the road project was a 12-year process.
In the words of Olman Vargas, executive director of the CFIA: “In general, the institutions, the MOPT among them have had a deterioration of the corresponding technical details. That is why we believe that political decisions should be based on technical criteria”.
I admit I have been calling the road “Kooper”. I even thought Google had it wrong when I noticed the discrepancy between their online map and the road sign. Foolishly I gave the MOPT ‘la razon”. I should know better.
A fight ended in gunfire outside the La Reforma prison in Alajuela. The incident happened after 3:00 in the afternoon Thursday.
According to Pablo Bertozzi, director of the Penitentiary Police, at the main entrance to the prison center, “a subject who claims to be the bodyguard of a woman who came for a conjugal visit, fired a gun against another man who, apparently, was arguing with the woman.
“What is unknown is the reason for the argument. For the time being, we saw that this guy shot at the other man several times, but no injuries reported. The man fired on fled in a vehicle at high speed,” said Bertozzi.
The man who fired the shots was detained by the Fuerza Publica (police), confirmed by Raúl Rivera, regional director of the Fuerza Publica of Alajuela.
Bertozzi did not indicate if the conjucal visit took place.
The Government through the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transporte (MOPT) – Ministry of Public Works and Transportation – intensified the operations against UBER drivers throughout the country.
After the pressure measures taken by the taxi drivers the previous week where they completely blocked the access to Presidential House, it appears the Government committed itself to persecute the UBER drivers more strongly.
In a statement on the social network of the MOPT, the success of the operation based on the pressure from taxi drivers is recorded.
“Limón, Miramar, Puerto Jiménez, Guápiles, Pérez Zeledón, San José, Heredia, Liberia are some of the places where the special operations of the Policia de Transito (Traffic Police) continue to work against conducts such as the illegal transport of people,” the statement and photos was posted on the MOPT official Facebook page.
According to the post, some 80 cases have been opened against Uber drivers.
But, Uber does not exist in Miramar, or in Limon, or in Pérez Zeledón, or Guapiles, or Puerto Jimenez. Uber is available only in San Jose, Heredia and Liberia, of the cities mentioned in the post.
This generated strong comments on the social media, comments such as:
(MOPT) don’t be such liars and if they did they swiped the law in their ass in order to brush the taxi driver thieves
But what the hell is happening to this government repressing in this way the people who want to earn their livelihood honestly … they should be ashamed
Ridiculous
Another inoperative and inefficient Ministry more … ah, and without ethics or morals either
Congratulations, they say that Daniel Ortega is looking for people like you who are against the people, and he is committed to making everything legal. Freedom to choose who will transport us efficiently, that’s what we require
The majority of the other comments were on the graft and corruption of the traffic police, not willing to take a firm hand on taxi drivers who break the law and more serious, nothing on the piques or street racing that is common on weekends.
Nervous when boarding a flight to Germany, an Italian national, was arrested while trying to leave Costa Rica with 197 ovules of cocaine inside his body.
Following his arrest, the man was transferred to a medical center.
The detention was made at the Juan Santamaria international airport on Tuesday. The man, identified by his last name, Biadene, is exposed to a penalty of between 8 and 20 years in prison if found guilty for international drug trafficking.
A 63-year-old woman, administrator of a massage parlor on Paseo Colon, was arrested Wednesday, for alleged “proxenetismo” (Spanish for “pimping”).
The investigation indicated that women inside the massage parlor were being offered to clients who paid up to ¢20,000 colones for one hour for sexual services.
At the time of the raid, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) and San Jose Municipal Police, found three women inside the massage parlor: a Costa Rican, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan, allegedly working as prostitutes.
The administrator, whose identity was not released, was the only one arrested. In Costa Rica pimping (living off the avails) is illegal, prostitution is not.
According to the OIJ, the investigation began several months ago and, after a series of monitoring and follow-ups, the agents managed to determine that the woman whose identity was not disclosed-used the massage room as a screen to prostitute the women.
Last month, six young women between the ages of 20 and 30, who were offered for sexual services, were found by OIJ agents inside a house raided in Escazú.
The officers detained a 32-year-old woman, whose surnames were Castro Aráuz, on suspicion of pimping.
One of Avianca’s the new Airbus A320neo planes will have Costa Rica as its home, for which it will carry the Costa Rica tail number, as acknowledged by that airline, which will present the aircraft on July 19 at San Jose’s Juan Santamaría international airport (SJO).
The Costa Rica based Airbus A320neo will include the Costa Rica flag and tail number starting with the letters “TI”
In the Costa Rica, the registration number is commonly referred to as Tango India and all aircraft registered here have a number starting with the letters “TI”.
The Airbus A320neo family (neo for new engine option) is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. Launched on 1 December 2010, it made its first flight on 25 September 2014 and it was introduced by Lufthansa on 25 January 2016. Re-engined with CFM International LEAP-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and with large sharklets, it should be 15% more fuel efficient. Three variants are based on the previous A319, A320 and A321. Airbus received 6,031 orders by March 2018 and delivered 318 by May 2018.
The Colombian airline explained that four of these units will reach Central America and one of them be Costa Rican based. Avianca has its Central America hub in San Salvador, the Comalapa International Airport (SAL), El Salvador, with 29 destinations.
In 2015, the airline had signed a memorandum of understanding to agree on an agreement to purchase Airbus ships, including the A320neo, with deliveries beginning in 2018.
Among the features of the Airbus A320neo the entire cabin is equipped with an LED lighting system, which allows a better ambiance of the journey for the well-being of the travelers.
The new aircraft has a renewed onboard entertainment system that is accompanied by a USB port for travelers to connect their devices and the inclusion of Wireless functionality allows customers to control the content of their screens from their portable devices, through the Avianca Entertainment application available in the iOS and Android stores, the company said.
Carlos Alvarado visited Puntarenas on Wednesday. There I leave open the door for the Government to rescue part of the tax proposal of the unions. At his side, Elizabeth Odio, judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (left) and the first lady, Claudia Dobles. Photo: Alonso Tenorio.
President Carlos Alvarado assured that the Executive Branch “will not be embarrassed” in adopting those points that coincide with the tax proposal that the unions presented last Monday.
Carlos Alvarado visited Puntarenas on Wednesday. At his side (left), Elizabeth Odio, judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and (right) the first lady, Claudia Dobles. Photo: Alonso Tenorio / La Nacion
In Puntarenas, where he toured on Wednesday, Alvarado defended his vice president, Marvin Rodriguez, who on Tuesday said Presidenica (the presidency) saw “con muy buenos ojos” (with good eyes) seven points in the proposal drafted by union leaders, to collect (taxes) between 3% and4% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The president said he has read the document and “there are elements in which the Government of the Republic agrees and wants to work to make it a reality”.
He added that no one should be surprised that the Executive is interested in rescuing some of the trade union proposals and that, rather, it is positive that the Government and workers’ organizations agree on several points.
In 2017 imports of vehicle parts in Costa Rica totaled close to US$200 million, and 65% of the value purchased came from the US, Japan and China.
According to estimates made by CentralAmericaData, between 2016 and 2017 the import value of spare parts and accessories for vehicles in Costa Rica registered a decrease of 7%, going down from US$215 million in 2016 to US$200 million in 2017.
The fall reported in 2017 contrasts with the sustained increase recorded from 2012 to 2016, a period in which imports grew at an average annual rate of 9%.
Origin of imports. In 2017, 25% of the value imported by companies in Costa Rica came from the USA, 24% from Japan, 15% from China, 5% from Taiwan and 5% from Germany.
China is the country of origin of Costa Rican imports that has grown the most in the last six years, as in 2012 it represented 11% of the total value purchased, and in 2017 this figure rose to 25%.
Twenty-five properties, between 5 and 1,500 manzanas (hectares), have been invaded by “tomatierras” – land grabbers – in the context of the sociopolitical crisis that the country has been experiencing since April 18, according to the Union of Unión de Productores Agropecuarios de Nicaragua (Upanic) – Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua.
The total area affected, says Upanic, amounts to 5,550 manzanas (13,600 acres), that includes farms for agricultural, livestock, housing, forestry, among others
The total area affected, says Upanic, amounts to 5,550 manzanas (13,600 acres), that includes farms for agricultural, livestock, housing, forestry, among others.
According to the organization’s count, 32.5% of the areas affected by the tomatierras are greater than 100 manzanas; 22.58% are of 50 to 99 manzanas; and 46.16% are land less than 50 manzanas.
The problem is in seven departments, but Chinandega is the most affected, according to the complaints that Upanic has received.
Of the total area, 43% of the land grabs is in Chinandega; 25% in Managua; 11% in Rivas; 7% in Estelí; 7% in Matagalpa; and 3% in Granada.
The agricultural areas represent 43% of the total area affected; livestock land represents 44%; housing, 7%; forest 5%, and others, such as industrial and mining, 1%.
“These illegitimate actions are carried out by heavily armed people, depriving their legitimate owners of possession through violence and mistreatment, which is usurping the private domain and violating the right to property, recognized in the Political Constitution of Nicaragua,” Upanic said in a statement.
Between June 10 and 11, around 1,000 people invaded the property of 32 blocks of land known as La Ceiba, in the Las Joyas sector, in Estelí.
Ulises Herrera, one of the owners of La Ceiba, of the Herrera Molina family, said that “these people have take our land and have divided it up.”
The tomatierras took it all. “The second day of the seizure, they destroyed a tobacco warehouse that was on the property, valued at thousands of dollars, “said Herrera.
The affected said they have gone to the authorities in Estelí, among them the mayor, Francisco Ramón Valenzuela, who made public a statement in which he said that “the Mayor’s office does not have any responsibility in the land grabs and that the mayor calls the tomatierras not to continue invading properties”.
The total area affected, says Upanic, amounts to 5,550 manzanas (13,600 acres), that includes farms for agricultural, livestock, housing, forestry, among others
However, Mayor Valenzuela later urged the owners of affected properties to try to persuade the tomatierras on their own and to evict them by force, if necessary, according to Herrera.
“There have been several properties taken (In Estelí). Ours is the largest. And nothing has been done. Now nobody assumes responsibility. Neither the Mayor’s Office, nor the Procurator’s Office, nor the Police, nor the Army, nor the Judicial Branch,” he said.
The La Ceiba property has been historically dedicated to the planting of tobacco. According to Ulises Herrera, it was owned by his grandfather and has been handed down from generation to generation. Today, the Herrera Molina family holds it legally. For some years, with the development of Estelí, the family decided to split the land, because “practically the property is in the urban area”.
Another property taken in its entirety and violently is the Hato Grande estate, in Villanueva, in Chinandega.
Arsenia Aguilar, the granddaughter of the owner of the farm, said that on the morning of June 11, “about 200 armed men broke into Hato Grande.”
They told their owners that they had six hours to get out and take the cattle off of the property. “They were taken out immediately. My grandmother is diabetic, depends on insulin and was not allowed to take her medication. My grandparents ended up taking shelter in the house of a friend of the family, near the farm,” said Aguilar.
The farm, with more than 700 manzanas of land, is dedicated to the production of livestock and basic grains.
As in Estelí, the authorities of Villanueva and Chinandega incited the owners of Hato Grande to evict the people who took over the farm on their own account.
According to those affected by tomatierras and Upanic, there is a latent fear among property owners throughout the country.
The land grabs have been qualified by the Consejo Superior de la Empresa Privada (Cosep)(Cosep) – Higher Council of Private Enterprise – as actions directed within the context of socio-political crisis that the country is experiencing.
“These groups continue to act in complete impunity and now it is also evident that they are being used (by the government) to intimidate and repress directly the private sector through directing and organizing land takeovers and invasions outside the Constitution and laws, violating and usurping the right to private property with the satisfaction of the Government and police authorities of the country, which leads us to observe with great concern forms of de facto confiscations in our country,” the Cosep denounced in a statement.
Likewise, the issue has been exposed in its reports by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Banana Plantation just outside Limon, on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast
Due to the effect of climatic phenomena at the beginning of the year, in the first five months of 2018, banana sales abroad amounted to US$410 million, 9% less than was reported in the same period in 2017.
According to data from the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer), a comparison between the period between January and May 2017 and the same in 2018 shows that the value of banana sales abroad fell by 9%, going from $448 million to $410 million.
For the periods in question, the volume sold also reported a decrease of 9%, falling from one million tons in the first five months of 2017 to 972,000 tons from January to May 2018.
Regarding the factors behind the decline in sales, Jorge Sauma, general manager of the National Banana Corporation (Corbana), explained to Nacion.com that ” … at the beginning of the year the effects of cold fronts that caused some flooding were felt in banana regions. The plantations, he explained, were affected for several months.”
Regarding what the producers expect in the coming months, Sauma explains that ” … banana farms recovered from the impact of the cold fronts and the decrease in heat units, therefore the impact was temporary and not a structural problem for productive activity.”
Latin America is one of three regions where deforestation continues, according to The State of the World’s Forests 2018, published today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO.
The FAO report indicates that between 1990 and 2015, the world’s forests decreased from 31.6% of the world’s land areas to 30.6%, although the rate of loss has slowed down in recent years. This loss occurred mainly in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
According to the report, deforestation is the second leading cause of climate change – after the burning of fossil fuels – and accounts for almost 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than the entire transport sector. Between 24% and 30% of the total mitigation potential can be obtained by stopping and reducing tropical deforestation.
Demand for charcoal pressure on forest resources
In places where the demand for charcoal is high, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia and South America, its production puts pressure on forest resources and contributes to degradation and deforestation, especially when access to these forests is not regulated.
According to the FAO report, the proportion of people who depend on firewood varies from 63% in Africa to 38% in Asia, and 16% in Latin America.
Among the good examples, the report highlights are Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil, and Costa Rica.
The forests managed for soil and water conservation have increased worldwide in the last 25 years, with the exception of Africa and South America. Only 9% of the forest area of South America is managed with the objective of protecting soil and water, well below the global average of 25%.
Close relationship between forests and poverty
Forests and trees provide about 20 percent of the income of rural households in developing countries. However, according to the report, there is a strong relationship between areas of extensive forest cover and high poverty rates: in Brazil, for example, just over 70% of closed forest areas (dense, with large canopy cover) had high poverty rates.
According to SOFO, in Latin America, 8 million people subsist on less than USD$1,25 a day in tropical forests, savannas and their surroundings,
Globally, more than 250 million people live below the extreme poverty line in these areas: 63 % are in Africa, 34 % in Asia and only 3 % in Latin America.
Although Latin America’s participation in the global total is low, it should be noted that the vast majority (82 %) of those living below the poverty line in rural areas of Latin America live in tropical forests, savannahs and their surroundings.
With a total of 85 million people living in tropical forests, savannas and in theirsurroundings in Latin America, caring for forests will be a key factor in moving towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Community forestry enterprises in Guatemala
The FAO report highlights that in Guatemala -where 70% of the forest land is under some kind of protection- community forestry companies manage more than 420,000 hectares within the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
The State granted these companies forest concessions. In one year (2006 to 2007), they obtained revenues of US$4.75 million dollars for sales of certified wood and 150,000 for sale of non-wood forest products.
These forestry companies generated more than 10,000 direct jobs and some 60,000 indirect jobs. In addition, workers were paid more than twice the minimun wage (World Resources Institute, 2008).
In Mexico, starting in 1997 an important program was launched to help communities create forestry companies. Today, more than 2,300 community groups manage their forests for timber extraction, generating significant income for communities and households.
Tijuca Park in Brazil: the importance of conserving urban protected areas
The Tijuca National Park, located in Rio de Janeiro, has an area of 4 thousand hectares and was declared a cultural landscape world heritage site by UNESCO in 2012.
According to the FAO report, in order to confront the proliferation of exotic species and urban expansion, the park has been reforested with native trees and recreational infrastructures have been built to involve the local community and raise awareness about the importance of protecting urban forests.
Since 1999, the park has been jointly managed by the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Ministry of the Environment: today it is an exceptional natural environment for its 2.5 million annual visitors, and the restoration of the Atlantic forest that it hosts has allowed it to be converted in a sanctuary for a great diversity of endemic species.
Costa Rica: forests as tourist attractions
Costa Rica is one of the main ecotourism destinations in the world: in 2016, 2.9 million foreign tourists visited the country and 66% of them said that ecotourism was one of their main reasons for visiting.
The tourists spent an average of US$1,09 dollars per person, reporting income to the country of US$2.5 billion dollars, related in part to ecotourism, which is equivalent to 4,4 % of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Costa Rica.
It is estimated that, in 2015, forest conservation areas received approximately one million non-resident visitors and 900,000 national visitors.
Adriana Moya Alvarado, 24 years old from chepe (San José, Costa Rica’s capital city) will be vying for the Reina De La Costa Maya 2018-19, at the Costa Maya International Festival
Adriana Moya, Costa Rica
Adriana joins Guatemala’s Hilary Dhianette Castillo Cumings in awaiting the announcement of the remaining contestants for this year’s pageant. The grand event will be held at the festival grounds inside the Louis Sylvester Sporting Complex in “La Isla Bonita”, San Pedro Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Adriana Moya, Costa Rica
Delegates from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama will all be on stage on Friday, August 3rd, vying for the coveted title of Miss Costa Maya International.
The title is currently held by Belize’s very own Michelle Estrella Nuñez.
Miss Belize Michelle Nuñez is Reina de la Costa Maya 2017-18!
Hosts for this year’s pageant will be Daedra Haylock and the charming Eiden Salazar Jr.
Adriana Moya, Costa Rica
Intermission performances will be done by Grupo Crash from El Salvador. After the winner is announced, the after party will be headlined by Belize’s very own Chico Ramos. He will be accompanied by Sweet Pain band, so get ready for some amazing Belizean soca and punta!
There has been a change in schedule for the festival, with the pageant moving up a day. Thursday August 2nd will feature the official opening ceremonies, as well as pageant preliminaries.
Entertainment will be provided by Alma Caribeña, the Charikanari Dance Group of San Pedro, Belize and Grupo Crash from El Salvador. After the preliminaries and official stage events, the Youth Connection Band, alongside Ernestine Carballo and Dawgy and DJ Patron will lead the after-party.
Saturday August 4th – Noche Internacional – features the amazing headliner Ivy Queen.
The Queen of Reggaeton will be on the island performing her greatest hits. Also on stage will be the Garifuna Collective, Grupo Crash and Tagg International.
Before a body can be removed from a crime scene or a traffic accident, a judge and prosecutor has to be present to authorize the judicial police
The removal of bodies from a crime scene or a fatal accident can sometimes last for hours because the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) has to notify a judge and the prosecutor or urgent raids that are delayed while waiting for the arrival of a judge on scene.
Before a body can be removed from a crime scene or a traffic accident, a judge and prosecutor has to be present to authorize the judicial police
These are situations that the director of the OIJ, Wálter Espinoza, wants changed, as explained during his appearance before the Comisión Legislativa de Seguridad y Narcotráfico (Legislative Commission on Security and Drug Trafficking).
To achieve the goal of faster procedures, the Commission is working on a proposed bill within a list of ambitious reforms that would give the judicial agency greater independence in decision-making and even possibilities to manage their own budget.
Espinoza said that they need greater possibilities of autonomous investigations and own initiative, always in coordination with the Ministerio Publico (Public Prosecutor’s Office), under which the OIJ functions in law.
For example, for the removal of bodies, the entity would send the report to the judge and the prosecutor within a maximum period of 24 hours.
“With that, we can work faster. The country has to modernize. We can not think like 45 years ago. We cannot close a highway for hours to remove a body,” Espinoza said.
The OIJ director is referring to fatal traffic accidents that can block a major artery for hours, like the case of an accident occurring in the middle of the night of February 23, on the Circunvalacion in the area of the Ruta 27, where it took five hours to clear the scene, the majority of the time waiting for a judge to arrive to give the order to remove the body. Less than a month later, on March 15, on the Autopista General Cañas, in the area of Cariari, it took more than four hours for the judge to arrive.
The crash occurred shortly after 1:00 am Thursday. Photos from Facebook
Lukewarm support. The pretensions of the OIJ is finding lukewarm support other judicial sectors. The possibility of removing bodies without judge or fiscal (prosecutor) seems to find no major objections, but in the case of raids, doubts do arise.
For Ronald Segura, member of the executive committee of the Federación Latinoamericana de Fiscales (FLF) – Latin American Federation of Prosecutors, what the OIJ asks is “perfectly viable” and the current system should be directed to make the necessary adjustments to the Criminal Procedure Code, given that 20 years have passed since any major reforms.
“We should go towards a purer accusatory system and many of the functions in which the Public Prosecutor’s Office is going to give functional direction, perfectly the police can do it,” he said.
“Imagine what it is like to close a road for six hours while looking for the judge and prosecutor. That hurts the economy of the country, due to the congestion, because we have a large infrastructure gap. That paralyzes the country, people cannot get to work and exports are also affected,” Segura explained.
Prosecutors, he said, should be more in the legal part and not so much in the (field) investigation,” assured Segura.
Currently the Prosecutor’s Office tells the OIJ in which cases it is convenient to make a search or removal of bank secrecy, for example, but Segura believes that the OIJ is a mature entity, with great capacity and certified laboratories, so it should have the autonomy to make such requests in order to accelerate the processes.
Segura explains that the need for a judge in a raid is due to old remnants of distrust of the police, from the time of dictatorships. “The times have changed, we have to adapt to modern research techniques without affecting the guarantees of the accused in the process.”
On the other hand, Jorge Tabash, of the Asociación Costarricense de la Judicatura (Acojud) – Costa Rican Association of the Judiciary, does not agree with the OIJ to deal with raids, unless they are in offices or on public roads and do not require the confiscation of doctors files and others that are very personal.
For Tabash, when there is a raid on a private home, he warns, there must necessarily be the judge, it is the guarantee for respecting constitutional principles.
“For the human being the domicile is very important and to transgress it, I do think that there must be a judge’s order and that he/she be present, as well as the prosecutor,” he said.
Tabash expressed that to change that, first we must change the Constitution. The director of the OIJ, however, insists that the institution’s shackles be removed.
A sniper with a Dragunov sniper rifle, in a range of eight hundred meters away, can point directly at a person leading a march. From atop a building, from a privileged position, without someone interrupting throwing stones or mortars at him, the armed man simply pulls the trigger and kills easily.
That is the explanation by the former major of the Nicaragua Army, Roberto Samcam, after analyzing the latest report of the Asociación Nicaragüense Pro Derechos Humanos (ANPDH) – Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights – published on July 3, that 198 people have died from a single shot since the protests began on April 19.
In the same list, which records data between April 19 and July 2, it is noted that 127 people died of accurate shots to the head, neck and chest. “There is a decision to kill, to murder. There are weapons with the capacity to carry out the political will to assassinate. There are people ready to do it,” Samcam said.
There are more figures to support this pattern, since at least 253 deaths were the result of firearms, which is equivalent to 81.88% of the 309 total deaths that occurred up to last Tuesday. In addition to that 51% of the shots went to the upper body.
Samcam explained that the trajectory shows that the bullets come from shooters ready and in favorable positions. “The trajectory is descending, and this means that they are in an elevated position, at a distance long enough, so that nobody realizes that they are aiming or firing,” he added.
70 people have died from direct shots to the head. LAPRENSA/J.Flores
“The objective of these impacts is to terrorize. When you go in a march or you are in a tranque (barricade) and you see that someone falls next to you and you do not know where the bullets come from, it causes panic, it causes terror. A single sniper can put an end to a march of 100,000 people, because people simply say: ‘the next one to follow, is me’,” explained Samcam.
Roberto Samcam. LA PRENSA
Samcam added that the Dragunov is a medium-range rifle, of approximately 800 meters, from which the target can be perfectly identified. For the former soldier, in the repression, they can be using AK47’s with telescopic sights with an effective range of between two hundred and four hundred meters.
Another of the weapons that Ortega’s armed forces suspected of using are the Catatumbo rifles, the Venezuelan version of the Russian Dragunov, manufactured by the CAVIM company of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, which has even produced 50-caliber rifles for use by snipers. These rifles have an effective range of five thousand meters (three miles) and these cartridge shells have been found in Masaya and Granada.
“If the use of this type of weapon is verified, it would be a total barbarity,” said Samcam.
50 caliber shells have been found in Masaya y Granada. LAPRENSA/O.Navarrete
Among other weapons that have been used in this repression are the AK47, AR15, M16, 12 caliber and M40 shotguns and M40. Also FAL rifles FAL and M1 carbines.
“Most of this armament was in warehouses since the end of the war of the 1980s, evidently in charge of those who constitutionally had a monopoly on arms,” said Samcam.
The bishops of Nicaragua lived on Monday in Diriamba what Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes himself described as “something never before seen in the country.”
The bishops arrived in the city with the intention of freeing a group of people who were inside the San Sebastián Basilica, but were met with punches, insults, and expressions of hatred by pro-government mobs and hooded armed civilians, referred to as ‘orteguistas’.
Since Sunday, the cities of Diriamba and Jinotepe, in Carazo, are under the control of police and para-police forces, after an operation with combat rifles to eliminate the tranques (barricades), leaving at least 18 dead and dozens of injured.
Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes (2-L) and bishop Silvio Baez (3-L) arrive at the San Sebastian Basilica in Diriamba, Nicaragua, on July 9, 2018 where they were attacked by members of the pro-government Sandinista youth. AFP PHOTO / Inti OCON
Monday morning, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes and his auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Silvio José Báez, decided to visit Carazo to show solidarity with the people affected, to try to stop the siege and negotiate the release of the detainees. Both were accompanied by priests from the Archdiocese of Managua and the apostolic nuncio in Nicaragua, Monsignor Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag.
Momentos en que los miembros Conferencia Episcopal de Nicaragua llega a la Basilica de Diriamba y son asediados y agradedidos los Obispos por parte de un grupo de sandinistas. Como ya sabemos varios de los sacerdotes fueron golpeados al igual de algunos periódistas. #SOSNicaraguapic.twitter.com/1OUIAbLA9Q
— TrincheraDeLaNoticia (@LaTrincheraNic) July 9, 2018
When they arrived in Diriamba, they were targets of attack. From the sector of Las Esquinas, four kilometers before the entrance to the city, groups of supporters of the government of President Daniel Ortega were waiting for them carrying red and black flags and shouted: “Assassins”, “coup plotters”, “pedophiles” and other expletives. They also shouted, “we want peace”.
Catholic priest Edwin Roman (R) is attacked by members of the pro-government Sandinista youth at the San Sebastian Basilica in Diriamba, Nicaragua, on July 9, 2018. AFP PHOTO
The bishops tried to enter the Basilica through the main door, but it was impossible. A mob of women and men, hooded and civilians, threw punches at them, pushed them and insulted them incessantly. The siege and aggression continued as the bishops tried to enter through the back door.
Paramilitaries surround the San Sebastian Basilica, in Diriamba, Nicaragua on July 09, 2018. AFP PHOTO
On the south side of Diriamba central park, officers of the National Police on board a mobile unit observed the aggression against the bishops but never intervened or came to their defense.
A group of residents tried to help the bishops but were prevented by the mob.
AFP PHOTO
When the bishops entered the Basilica, the mobs surrounded the building carrying flags of the Sandinista Front. Five minutes later the mobs entered by force.
Nine people who were in charge of an improvised medical post in the Basilica to care for the wounded in the attacks had been trapped in the Basilica since Sunday, surrounded by mobs.
Paramilitaries surround the San Sebastian Basilica, in Diriamba, Nicaragua on July 09, 2018. AFP PHOTO / MARVIN RECINOS
In the interior and in the outskirts of the Basilica there were moments of chaos. Journalists, representatives of human rights organizations, bishops and members of the diplomatic corps, such as Monsignor Andrea Piccioni, business manager of the Apostolic Nunciature in Nicaragua, received blows.
Cardinal Brenes, Monsignor Stanislaw and Monsignor Baez tried to leave the temple escorted by a group of priests who received punches and blows with motorcycle helmets.
Paramilitaries burst into the San Sebastian Basilica, in Diriamba, Nicaragua on July 09, 2018. AFP PHOTO / MARVIN RECINOS
Monsignor Silvio José Báez was one of the most offended and attacked. He was wounded with a knife to his right arm, he was punched in the stomach and his episcopal insignia was taken from him.
Asediado por una turba enardecida que quería ingresar a la Basílica San Sebastián en Diriamba, fui herido, golpeado en el estómago, me arrebataron las insignias episcopales y agredido verbalmente. Estoy bien gracias a Dios. Se liberó la basílica y a quienes allí estaban. pic.twitter.com/9qTgugBjic
Monseñor Miguel Mántica and Father Edwin Román, from Masaya, were brutally attacked when they were guarding Baez’s departure with other priests. Mántica had his cell phone stolen.
Paramilitaries burst into the San Sebastian Basilica, in Diriamba, Nicaragua on July 09, 2018. AFP PHOTO / MARVIN RECINOS
On leaving the Basilica, Brenes decided that everyone should return to Managua. From Diriamba they were guarded by police to El Crucero. Monsignor Rolando Álvarez was waiting for them there. Upon arriving at the Cathedral of Managua, everyone went straight to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, knelt down, prayed, sang and wept.
“We have felt the brutal force against our priests. We have gone to the parishes to console our priests, to accompany them in suffering and we have faced aggression. Lord, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing,” lamented Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes.
Monsignor Báez said: “We fulfilled our mission to free the people who were trapped in the Basilica of San Sebastian. What happened to me is nothing compared to what the people have suffered. ”
AP Photo
“Through violence everything is heading towards a dead end,” he added.
In a homily Sunday, Brenes called on the president to end forceful clearings of roadblocks, saying it would only “bring more pain” and “this situation is being placed on your shoulders.”
Baez said Catholic authorities, who have been mediatiors and witness to the national dialogue – the on-and-off talks to bring a resolution to the crisis – would evaluate whether they could resume this week after Ortega ruled out early elections.
The government “will be the responsible ones if the dialogue is broken off for not having wanted to involve a peaceful exit to this national crisis which they themselves have provoked,” the auxiliary bishop said Sunday, “and history will judge them as intransigent, lying and arrogant.”
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has congratulated the EU on the adoption of the new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a pre-authorization system which allows the EU to know who is entering the EU, from where and if they pose a risk to EU security.
When ETIAS comes into operation, all visa-exempt third-country nationals who plan to travel to the Schengen area will have to apply for pre-travel authorization. The aim of this is to ease travel to the EU and simplify border checks.
During negotiations, WTTC stressed the importance of the process to be made as easy as possible for legitimate travelers. In addition to the ease of process, WTTC also advocated for the fees to remain at a reasonable level, one that did not discourage travelers from coming to Europe. The final fee of seven Euros meets this balance.
“We see this as an important first step in the digitalization of travel. The ultimate aim will be the use of biometric technology to ensure seamless, more efficient and more secure travel. WTTC is committed to enhancing security and improving the entire passenger journey. This will essentially maximize the potential of the Travel & Tourism to create jobs and drive economic growth,’ stated Gloria Guevara, President & CEO World Travel & Tourism Council.
ETIAS will be free for under 18s and over 70s. Applying for ETIAS aims to be quick and simple, requiring no more than a travel document, credit card and access to internet. A vast majority of applicants will receive a positive reply within minutes. If additional information, documentation or an interview would be needed, different possibilities will be offered taking into account the situation of the traveler.
WTTC welcomes the fact that the needs of the travel and tourism community were taken into account whilst ensuring enhanced EU security. The new system was adopted on Thursday, 5th July) at the European Parliament Plenary in Strasbourg and is expected to come into operation in 2021.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. Ambassador to India, Sergio Dario Arispe Barrientos, said Bolivia has the largest deposit of Lithium and India could explore this opportunity
Bolivia, known to have the largest reserves of lithium, has offered the metal –used in making batteries of electric vehicles, laptops and smart phones– to India. Ambassador to India, Sergio Dario Arispe Barrientos, said Bolivia has the largest deposit of Lithium and India could explore this opportunity.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. Ambassador to India, Sergio Dario Arispe Barrientos, said Bolivia has the largest deposit of Lithium and India could explore this opportunity
Barrientos said his country is willing to sign a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) — a pact between countries that provide preferential access to certain products by lowering tariff and other conditions — with India for select goods.
Terming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as somebody respected in the international community for a host of measures being taken by him, the Bolivian ambassador said he expects him to explore Latin America more to create a win-win situation for both the countries.
”We have the largest Lithium reserves. We would like India (both the government and the private sector) to explore this opportunity,“ he told the Indian media.
Bolivia can become a strategic partner to India in providing the resource, Barrientos said.
Referring to reports that India was looking at an all-electric car fleet by 2030, the ambassador said in the years to come Lithium will become a very important commodity.
”I think the sooner we consolidate the links with particular countries, which have markets, I think it would be better in way of ensuring your needs (of meeting supply demands of Lithium),” he said.
In line with its aspiration to achieve 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030, India can rise among the top countries in the world in manufacturing batteries. India’s market for EV batteries alone could be worth as much as US$ 300 billion from 2017 to 2030.
“India could represent more than one-third of the global EV battery demand by 2030 if the country meets its goals for a rapid transition to shared, connected, and electric mobility,” the report said.
Barrientos, who is also known as ‘the Lithium Ambassador’ among many, said India must push forward in Latin America with stronger objectives.
“I think you will be surprised how we receive you,” he said, suggesting an all-favorable atmosphere for Indian industries in Bolivia.
Asked whether it will not be expensive to ferry Lithium from Bolivia, he said most commodities travel throughout the world.
”I think these imaginary seas cannot limit us how we see the world. I think considering the two-digit growth India aims to achieve there is no other way (than to engage itself in more countries like Bolivia),“ Barrientos said.
He said China is already acquiring Lithium from Bolivia.
The ambassador said Bolivia is trying to have the PTA with India to cater to markets in each other’s country.
”We have already sent a letter that we want to start the negotiations on the PTA. We are still waiting to hear back from them. I understand it takes time. These things don’t start just like that. But the first step has been taken,“ Barrientos said.
However the ambassador pointed out to the fact India does not have its embassy in Bolivia. ”We still don’t have an embassy of India in Bolivia. We have a concurrent embassy. If India wants to be the world’s largest economy, it needs to have a presence everywhere,“ Barrientos said.
”A country as large as yours needs to be everywhere on the ground because it is the only way of understanding in depth possibilities of increasing both economy and bilateral relations,“ he said.
The Indian Embassy in Lima is concurrently accredited to Bolivia since April 1981.
”China has an embassy, which they opened several decades ago. It is the key means to understand the realities of the countries,” he said.
Frustratingly for president Macri, Argentina’s travails are, in part, a consequence of his efforts to put the economy on a firmer footing.
On a residential street corner in Buenos Aires, Van Koning Market sells imported beers to the city’s well-heeled. Since it opened in June last year costs have soared. The peso has plummeted, meaning wholesale prices have shot up.
Frustratingly for president Macri, Argentina’s travails are, in part, a consequence of his efforts to put the economy on a firmer footing.
Inflation is running at 26%; the reduction of government subsidies means the monthly electricity bill has risen from 700 pesos to 4,000 pesos (US$ 142).
Already losing customers, Sergio Discenza, the manager, is reluctant to raise prices much. “In a normal country this would be a viable business,” he says. “But here everyone is struggling.”
The year started badly for Argentina when the worst drought in 50 years hit the harvest of maize and soy-beans, both important exports. In May a stronger dollar and higher US Treasury yields prompted international investors to flee risky assets. Most emerging-market currencies suffered, Argentina’s especially. Its twin fiscal and current-account deficits have seen the peso lose more than a third of its value this year, making it the world’s worst-performing currency. A recession, the fifth in a decade, appears inevitable.
In May the central bank hiked interest rates to 40% to prop up the peso. When that failed Mauricio Macri, the president, secured a US$ 50bn credit line from the IMF. The peso continued to fall. On June 14th the central-bank governor resigned, admitting he had lost the confidence of investors. Luis Caputo, a former Wall Street trader, was moved from the treasury to replace him. Mr Caputo has had a tough start: since his appointment the peso has slid by a further 4% and the Merval, Argentina’s benchmark stock index, by 8%.
Frustratingly for Mr. Macri, Argentina’s travails are, in part, a consequence of his efforts to put the economy on a firmer footing. When he took office in December 2015, inflation was running at 25%. He allowed the peso to float. It quickly fell by 29%. He also gave the central bank freedom to raise rates, which encouraged foreign investors to buy government bonds and supported the currency. It remained overvalued. That kept imports high and made it hard for exports to compete. The current-account deficit rose to more than 5% of GDP. Meanwhile the government raised large amounts of foreign-denominated debt to cover the fiscal deficit. When investors cooled on emerging markets, all that left Argentina painfully exposed.
The IMF credit line means most of Argentina’s external-financing requirements are covered until 2020. But it is tied to austerity measures, including cutting the budget deficit, which reached 3.9% in 2017, to 1.3% of GDP next year and to zero by 2020. The savings are supposed to come from postponing infrastructure projects, cutting subsidies and transfers to the provinces, and shrinking the federal payroll. But Mr Macri controls neither house of congress, and investors fret that austerity lacks support. If he were to lose the presidential election due in October 2019, the deal with the IMF might collapse.
The currency crisis has also stoked social unrest. Argentines have long regarded the peso’s strength against the dollar, which is widely used for savings and property transactions, as a yardstick for their country’s economic performance. On June 25th a general strike called by the General Confederation of Labour, the largest trade-union grouping, in protest at the government’s economic policies, brought the country to a standstill. According to Capital Economics, a consultancy, “further strikes could force President Macri into wage concessions, slowing progress in bringing down inflation and the budget deficit.”
The pressure on Mr Macri is unlikely to ease soon. Aggravating the rise in prices caused by the peso’s weakness, oil prices are on the way up. As pay packets stretch less far, consumption will suffer. Interest rates will have to remain high for some time, putting companies off investment. Most analysts expect Argentina to fall into recession in the third quarter.
A stronger harvest could mean a return to growth next year, says Irina Moroni of Fundación Capital, a consultancy in Buenos Aires. But interest-rate hikes elsewhere may yet hurt any future recovery: in America because it puts investors off emerging markets and in Brazil because of the impact on already-feeble growth in Argentina’s largest trading partner. In January the World Bank predicted 3% growth for Argentina’s economy in 2019; last month it cut that forecast to 1.8%.
Mr Macri was elected because Argentines, sick of populist economic policies, supported his plans for reform. Now many are wavering. A recent poll of Buenos Aires residents found almost half saying they had been happier under his populist predecessor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. “We would probably have sold more beer under the previous government,” says Mr Discenza, standing in his deserted shop. Until recently, political analysts felt confident that Mr Macri would win a second term. His hopes rest on convincing Argentines that their glasses are still half full.
A proposal has been made to build an elevated monorail metro (monorriel in Spanish) system, that surrounds the center of San José in a circuit similar to Cirunvalacion (ring road), which would use three circuits measuring 40 kilometers in total to connect the La Sabana on the west to Curridabat on the east.
Image for illustrative purposes
The proposal by the Colegio Federado de Ingenerieros y de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA) – Federated College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica, every time it gains more strength, as a method to reduce the bottlenecks in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM).
According to its promoters, Monorrieles de Costa Rica, S.A., the project that consists of developing an integrated public transport system in the metropolitan area of Costa Rica does not require expropriations, and operate at an average speed is 80 km/h.
From CFIA
Monorrieles says its construction is fast and low impact, has a self-sufficient energy consumption and friendly with the environment. In addition, they say, the investment required is less than other projects that have been analyzed in recent years.
The Elevated Monorail Metro, which would function as a collector-disperser transit system, was presented on Wednesday night (July 3) to the technical community, public opinion and the press, at the CFIA offices, as one of the projects endorsed by the Comisión de Planificación Estratégica “Pensar en Costa Rica 2025” (Strategic Planning Commission “Think Costa Rica 2025 “).
The CFIA affirms that this project achieves a true solution to the road problem, by offering a system of articulation with the existing public transport, which guarantees an efficient and profitable service for all.
From the technological point of view, it highlights that the elevated monorail uses high-efficiency auto batteries rechargeable by friction, which avoids the need to place elevated electric cables, as required in the electric trains.
The project includes a double circuit layout, which circumambulates and connects the city, from La Sabana to Curridabat, also providing the transportation service from north to south. This means that the route would cross the city between East-West and North-South.
From CFIA
The monorail has more than triple the climbing capacity compared to the traditional train and a tighter turning radius, allowing easier integration with the needs of the city. In addition, the construction process is fast and efficient, using prefabricated and prestressed beams, so normal traffic is not interrupted.
Regarding the estimated cost of the project, the only reference provided by Monorrieles de Costa Rica is that the cost of construction per kilometer is US$22 million, compared to the cost of construction per kilometer of a metro which is US$100 million, as indicated in its presentation.
According to the document, the monorail would have three circuits: South, 7.8 km, North, 8.5 km and Centro San José, 23.5 km.
From Monorrieles de Costa Rica, “a national strategic vision is needed, which prioritizes development needs. This includes offering investors not only for construction but also for the operation and maintenance of the other infrastructure so that they are interesting for potential managers. ”
The monorail would be another option to the one already proposed by the government, the construction of a rapid train that communicates Alajuela with Cartago, with a required investment of close to US$2 billion.
In June, the CPI registered a monthly variation of 0.18%, mainly explained by prices registered in the Transport and Communications sectors.
From a report by the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica:
Of the 315 goods and services that make up the consumer basket, 50% increased in price, 36% decreased in price and 13% did not change.
In June, the goods and services that showed the greatest positive effect are: gasoline, internet services and air tickets.On the other hand, tomato, avocado and eggs were among the main items with the greatest negative effect.
In June of the last ten years, the highest inter-annual variation was presented in 2009 with 8.20%; while in 2016 the only negative year-on-year change was registered (-0.88%).
A moonlit view from the lush grounds of SarapiquiS Rainforest Lodge. Lisa Monforton
A group of college students wearing headlamps huddle around the large leaf of a palm tree to watch a pair of nocturnal red-eyed tree frogs mate under a near-full moon night.
A moonlit view from the lush grounds of SarapiquiS Rainforest Lodge. Lisa Monforton
I’m walking to dinner at Selva Verde Lodge & Reserve, but give in to the impulse to lean in, too, and be a voyeur on this natural love scene.
It’s that easy to become a creature-peeper in the wild forests of the Sarapiqui region, located in Costa Rica’s Heredia Province. It’s in the northeast of the country bordering Nicaragua, two hours north of the capital city of San José.
Right now, the upside-down bikini, the current worst trend on Instagram is blowing up like a couple of helium balloons across Europe and the United States. Apparently, the trend was started by Italian model Valentina Fradegrada.
Fradegrada then made it official by giving the trend its own Insta page, “Upside Down Bikini,” where you’ll find endless pictures of her impressive boobs.
The trend works by tying the halter neck straps across the chest, which pulls the triangle material further apart than usual – enhancing cleavage and revealing more under boob than ever before
The new trend is pretty easy. Just take your halterneck bikini top and invert it. This results in far less support, with many Instagram users pointing out just how impractical the style is.
On the upside, it’ll give you an instant boob lift. Some users were so impressed they called the style “an instant boob job”.
It was a place frequented by a president and witness of a famous crime. The Limón bar, on Avenida 7 de San José collected more than 110 years of history until, this week, it was reduced to rubble.
The Limon Bar before being demolished. Foto: Gesline Anrango
Since June 25, a group of workers has demolished the old structure that was once owned by the Spaniard Juan Horacio Puertas Amieva, who turned the business into a distinguished point of the capital. It was located near the Heredia by Tibás bus stop, on the north side of downtown San Jose.
The Limón bar was the scenario to one of the most infamous crimes in the history of Costa Rica: the murder of Dr. Ricardo Moreno Cañas.
That’s what the Limón bar looked like 60 years ago. Photo taken from the book presidencies of the Castillo Azul.
It all happened on the night of August 23, 1938, when two policemen from the Guardia Civil (now the Fuerza Publica or national police) were stationed at the corner of the premises. There, they observed Beltrán Cortés approaching, who minutes before had left a trail of death.
Beltrán Dalay Cortés Carvajal (21 November 1908 – 11 June 1984) had fatally shot three times the man who at that time was considered the most famous doctor in Costa Rica and the first surgeon of the time, as well as a legislator.
While fleeing, he also murdered Dr. Carlos Manuel Echandi Lahmann, another noted doctor, and a Canadian citizen named Arthur Maynard and severely injured two others. Prior to the murders, he had threatened killing the two doctors, who had operated on him years earlier.
The officers captured the killer in front of a house located next to the bar: the residence of former president Otilio Ulate.
Cortés is one of the most famous former prisoners of San Lucas Island.
Otilio Ulate, the stellar client
Otilio Ulate, who served as President of Costa Rica from 1949 to 1953, had a very close relationship with the centenary cantina and with Juan Puertas, who acquired the business in 1960.
Former president Otilio Ulate (center), poses next to the old owner of the Limón bar, Juan Puertas. Photo: Supplied by Mario Zaldívar.
Ulate spent every morning at the bar to have a drink before starting his walk of about 600 meters from his home and to Casa Presidencial (Government House), which at that time was located in what is today the headquarters of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
Upon returning to his residence, now converted into a motel, the former president visited the cantina, according to the architect and researcher Andrés Fernández.
The relationship between Ulate and Puertas was so close that the head of state became the godfather of two of the daughters of Spaniard.
Otilio Ulate with Juan Puertas and his wife, during the christening of their daughter, Ana Rita. Photo: Supplied by Mario Innecken Puertas
But not only that, it seems that the bar had a secret compartment that Ulate entered to hide from the journalists and enjoy a drink in peace, accompanied by “boquitas” (snacks).
“I half saw it once (the secret compartment), I was in the bathroom in the back, but I did not see it very well, but it is true that it existed,” said Puertas’ grandson, Mario Innecken Puertas.
Mysteries, stories and memories
One of the great mysteries that surround this bar is the origin of its name, since, according to Fernández, it was not Puertas who baptized it, but it already had that name when he acquired it.
His grandson does not know the reason either, nor the writer Mario Zaldívar, author of the book ‘300 cantinas antiguas de Costa Rica‘, who recalled one of the most curious anecdotes of the bar’s past.
“The Municipality of San José agreed to leave at the discretion of the bartenders to open a Good Friday and the Limón bar was the first one opened, I went for a walk to see which ones dared and that was the first one I found, after he says was the Tapioca in Barrio Mexico that also opened that same day,” Zaldívar said.
Not only the years or the memories gave account of the antiquity of the business, but also its structure, made from adobe (an unburnt brick dried in the sun, a mudbrick) and bahareque (construction material similar to adobe, consisting of clay or mud reinforced with sticks or canes), among other materials. Despite its long history, it was never declared as heritage (Patrimonio in Spanish), which would not be possible according to architect Andrés Fernández.
The Spaniard Juan Puertas, attending a business during his youth, before becoming the owner of the Limón bar. Photo by Amantes de Casa Antiguas CR
“Architecturally the place was very transformed and damaged, in which case what could be declared heritage is the site because of the historical memory that it keeps,” said Fernández.
In any case, the architect was critical of the Ley de Patrimonio (Heritage Law) of our country.
“It’s wrong (the law), I consider as a specialist that heritage declarations are the worst thing that can happen to a well-built property because it ceases to be yours. When I have to ask what I can do with my property it is not mine anymore,” he said.
For him, the solution for private owners to preserve historic buildings is to make a change in the regulations that modify the law’s “confiscatory” aspect and establish parameters.
The man behind the bar
The history of the Limón bar is tied to that of Juan Puertas, the Spaniard who, like many others, arrived in the country during the first half of the 20th century, and who mainly worked in cantinas or as waiters, explained Fernández.
Juan Puertas, serving the clientele at the Limón bar. Photo by Amantes de Casa Antiguas CR
This was the case of Puertas, who started in the country working as a waiter at the soda Palace (closed in 1999), which allowed him to save enough money to finally buy the Limon bar.
The Spanish died in 2015, due to a cardiorespiratory arrest from a skin cancer that had removed him from his beloved bar.
When seeing the deterioration of the man, his children decided to sell the bar and that the old man could rest. However, the sale would not materialize until a year ago, said his grandson Mario Innecken.
“They (the family) tried to rent the patente (bar license) first, but it was not possible until finally a buyer was found,” he said.
The Puertas family realized the demolition of the building when one of the children observed the rubble while passing by the site, a situation that has filled each with nostalgia.
“My mom and my aunts became very sad, nostalgic, first because thanks to that (the bar), they were able to eat and have something to wear, then because of the cultural legacy, since practically you can count in one hand the cantinas (of San Jose),” Innecken said.
(Panam Post) One of the latest victims of the repression of the Ortega regime, was a child just over a year old. Renowned Cuban journalist and writer Carlos Alberto Montaner opined: “The murder of a 14-month-old baby was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Either Daniel Ortega and his wife accept early elections in March, and they take their millions and go elsewhere, or they will be overthrown, or they may face a similar fate to the Ceausescus in Romania.”
In this May 26, 2018, photo, the Spanish word for “Murderer” covers a mural of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega, as part of anti-government protests demanding his resignation in Managua, Nicaragua. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix
Montaner’s reference to the dictatorial communist regime of the late 1980s in Southeastern Europe is a very sensible comparison, which includes a warning, to boot: after his overthrow, Ceausescu found himself tried by a military court. They accused him of genocide, subversion of society by the state, destruction of the economy, and embezzlement. Being found guilty, they executed him and his wife, Elena Ceausescu, the Rosario Murillo of Romania.
Whether or not the Ortegas face a similar fate as the European communist dictators, depends, as Carlos Alberto Montaner notes, on them. However, there seems to be no indication on their part that they wish to avoid a dramatic and lethal conclusion.
Faced with massive and courageous opposition, with hundreds of thousands of young people in the streets, standing up to the rampant authoritarianism in the nation, Daniel Ortega has responded implacably and cruelly. His actions should be a clear reminder to anyone who doubted in the late 1980s that he was still a Communist; as his government destroyed the country in a scorched-earth campaign to convert it into a replica of Fidel Castro’s Cuba.
The peaceful demonstrations of recent months in Nicaragua were met with state security forces unconcerned about shedding blood. The rampant violence on the part of the government quickly conjures up images of the other great murderer of the region: the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro.
The massacres and the murderous expeditions of the so-called “death squads” and other paramilitary bodies of the Sandinista regime are countless. The crimes, atrocious. Arson, entire families attacked, and dignified and honorable cities and bastions of values, laid siege to, and destroyed.
The crimes cry out for justice: the burning of two children, numerous murders by snipers, tortures and arrests. “Before this horrific scene unfolding, my mind and my heart immediately thought about and contemplated the historical context, and I asked myself: how many children have died in recent days? How many children have been slaughtered in the past few weeks? How many children have been killed during the past two months?” asked the Nicaraguan Bishop, Rolando Álvarez, on June 24.
The answer, according to El Nuevo Diario: at least 12 children have been killed during this terrible political crisis in Nicaragua. They are deaths attributable to the police and to the paramilitary forces of Sandinismo. They are called “combined forces” because they act together.
These children join the more than 210 murdered, according to the latest estimates. And to these unfortunate deaths, we must add, also, the one-year-old and two-month-old baby murdered by the police in a neighborhood of Managua. An execution that should serve as a breaking point.
It is naive to suggest that the Ortega regime could still have democratic pretensions. It has murdered, in an unprecedented way, the political dissidence. From there to hijacking democracy, the road is short.
Ortega has formalized and officialized his role as a Latin American tyrant, and there is no denying that. He now pertains to the class of those who love blood and power. Those who prefer to go about destroying lives, even the lives of children, rather than give up their dictatorial arrogance. Fortunately, Ortega’s true nature is becoming abundantly clear for all to see.
Daniel Ortega reveals who he really is. He is guaranteeing a place for himself in the darkest chapters of Latin America’s modern history; as a dangerous and lethal dictator. He will be forever remembered as “the butcher” of Nicaragua. A well-deserved epithet that he can now share with “the butcher” of Venezuela.
Advocates for mass illegal immigration incorrectly suggest that open borders is the answer.
The Central American migrant crisis has sparked a nationwide debate over immigration, brought to the forefront by policies resulting in the separation of children from their mothers at the border.
Advocates for mass illegal immigration incorrectly suggest that open borders is the answer.
The vast majority of these illegal immigrants are from three Central American countries known as the Northern Triangle: Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Problems of crime, corruption, poverty, and insufficient infrastructure have negative impact on quality of life. It is not difficult to see why poor Central Americans would seek to migrate to the United States. But the American Left, in seeking mass illegal immigration and open borders, is fundamentally missing the main issue.
The ultimate solution to the Central American migrant crisis is not to import millions of Central Americans into the United States; rather, it is to seek to turn Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala into the United States. It is difficult to understand why more politicians, both on the left and the right, do not discuss this fundamental truth.
There are law and order and safety concerns in all three countries, but none of them are currently in the midst of a civil war. There are far more dangerous countries in the world today. Even more than personal safety, the labor market is the main reason that Central American immigrants want to come to the United States. The financial incentives are just too great to ignore. Typical low-skilled labor in Central America pays around USD $1 an hour, while low-skilled migrants in the United States are looking at the potential to earn ten times that much.
That is why they come.
Is an open borders policy the answer?
It is ironic that the American Left, which generally is scornful of free markets, is pitching something that is in many ways the ultimate libertarian concept: the dissolution of borders, and the creation of a single unified labor market. Immigration is a divisive issue within the libertarian community, more than ever in the wake of Trump, but libertarians are generally a pro-immigration lot, who recognize the incredible potential of the free market to rescue those fleeing war, crime, and poverty.
Other libertarians will quickly point out, however, that letting in hundreds of thousands or millions of Central American migrants is a perfect recipe for increasing the size of government, and massively expanding the welfare state. This is also a very good point, and one that must be carefully considered.
The role of moral hazard theory
Moral hazard theory examines situations where individuals may take excessive risk if they believe another party will ultimately bail them out. We must examine the current crisis through the lens of moral hazard theory. The only reason that they are coming is because they believe that they will be let in, despite the fact that their migration is in complete contravention of American law. I think Donald Trump is absolutely correct to send a loud and clear message to Central America. “Do not come, we will not let you, our borders are closed.”
If Trump does not stake out such a position, then he (or any president) is encouraging illegal immigration, and that is fundamentally wrong.
Rewarding illegal immigrants is not the solution
It is fundamentally wrong to reward illegal immigrants, when there are millions of potential legal immigrants to the United States: people who are playing by the rules, paying tens of thousands of dollars, and waiting years or decades to do so. It is complete and utter hypocrisy to reward those who break the law, giving them benefits not afforded to legal immigrants who are following the law.
Trump was elected to be the president of the United States; not to be the president of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. His responsibility is to do what is in the best interest of United States citizens. The fact that that perspective sounds extreme to some, is an indication of how far the American Left has gone of the deep end. Many so-called “progressives” now believe that it is the responsibility of the United States to take care of non-American citizens. That is insanity.
Here is my question to the advocates of open borders on the American Left:
Exactly how many low-skilled, non-English speaking, penniless illegal immigrants are you prepared to personally pay to feed, clothe, shelter, and educate? Are you prepared to take them into your home and put them in your spare bedroom? If you are not willing to personally care for them, then you are suggesting one of two things: 1. That we should simply add to our current USD $21 trillion in debt by spending money we don’t have on caring for non-Americans. Or…2. You don’t want to pay to care for these people, but you would like to force other people to pay for them.
Fundamentally, Central American migrants are the responsibility of the governments of Honduras, El Salvdor, and Guatemala, not the responsibility of the United States government. That being said, the United States should do what it can to help.
Immigration should be tied explicitly to the labor market
As a pragmatist, a Constitutionalist, and a libertarian, I don’t oppose immigration. I do, however, strongly oppose admission of the wrong kind of immigrants to the United States.
Opening up the borders to mass illegal immigration is simply not the answer. We already have millions of low-skilled, often non-English speaking, illegal immigrants living in the United States, and we certainly do not want or need any more.
We do, however, have urgent need for an effective and efficient guest worker program that would match employers and employees. The program would not confer benefits of citizenship, but it would allow for guest workers and their families to live in the United States, provided they find a job, and pass a criminal background check.
Foreign investment and cooperation on fighting crime and corruption
Ultimately, Central America must develop its economy, and ruthlessly pursue criminality and corruption. That is, of course, easier said than done. But where are Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffet? The immense good that they could do buy pursuing business opportunities in Central America would be immeasurable.
The people of Central America need safety and security, and they need jobs. The United States can and should play a leading role in making that happen. South American countries who have pursued free-markets and attracted foreign investment, like Colombia, Peru, and Chile, have seen massive economic growth and reduction in poverty over the course of the last generation.
It is time for a new era of entrepreneurs to invest in Central America, and begin the transformation there as well.
Mass illegal immigration is not the answer: economic development is.
Every 4th of July the independence of the first nation of the Americas, the United States, is commemorated in Cuba. Yanet Padrón Naya, secretary of the Cuban Libertarian Party-José Martí, celebrates the day in defiance of the totalitarian Cuban government.
Cuban political activist Yanet Padron Naya was imprisoned for celebrating the Fourth of July in Cuba (PanAm Post).
Since she dared to fly the United States, symbol of the eternal enemy of Castro’s Cuban Revolution, Yanet was the victim of political persecution.
The photo appeared on social media, on the party’s official page, where she is listed as party secretary. To the socialist dictatorship, hellbent on denying its citizens freedom of speech, this was an unforgivable crime.
The only legal party in Cuba is the Communist Party. Thus, belonging to any other political party constitutes a crime in the repressive Caribbean state.
On July 16, 2017, she was arrested for “unruly behavior.”
The government sought to keep her away from areas frequented by tourists, where she might have a space to disseminate her ideas, so they arraigned her on trumped up charges of prostitution.
She was banned from accessing the internet “navigation rooms”; the places where Cubans can connect to the internet, always under the watchful eye of Big Brother. She was isolated in an attempt to contain her “counterrevolutionary” behavior.
Following a year of visits by state security agents and judicial summons, Yanet was finally arrested and charged.
His mother said she was sentenced for a year, on the prostitution charge; a charge which the family claims is not true.
Contrary to accusations by state security forces, Yanet and a friend of hers – who preferred to remain anonymous but gave her testimony – young women like them resort to seducing the police to avoid being arrested.
“If I had to make love to him, I was not going to jail,” she explains.
She clarified that a technique that has been used involves leading a police officer into thinking that they will have relations, while secretly recording the conversation. Then, there is evidence against the police officer in question, and sexual relations are not necessary because the incriminating evidence forces the officer to back off.
“Many young women who have no experience go to bed with the police to avoid being imprisoned, because they are afraid, because they have children,” she added.
Yanet is the mother of a minor who is now in the care of her grandmother Rosa, also an activist of the Cuban Libertarian Party-José Martí, who is also involved in the Damas en Blanca organization.
Rosa is overwhelmed. She is close to 80 years old and in addition to the anguish over the detention of her granddaughter, she must take care of her great-grandson and another grandson who suffers from Down Syndrome.
She has gone to party headquarters to denounce the arrest of her granddaughter.
Since then, there have been state security forces surrounding the headquarters of the party.
Currently, she is being held in the party headquarters.
Miguelito Cartelito, is another party activist: he earned his nickname for carrying cardboard posters to demonstrate against government injustice.
He has also been deprived of his freedom in several instances for merely expressing his freedom of speech. One time, he was detained and released barefoot, more than 30km away, and forced to walk back to headquarters.
Although many have criticized the libertarian activists for posing with the American flag, they do not understand the significance of the protest.
It is an act of defiance against authority, and an act that, in rejection of the evil Cuban Communist regime, gives hope to those who advocate for freedom of speech.
Yanet was sentenced to one year in prison. She is one of many political prisoners on an island that is regarded to be the most repressive regime in all of the Americas.
Michael Miller author of The Real San José, and TheRealSanJose.com
Earlier this year I had a number of technical problems with my website, “The Real San José.” An endless number of fixes had to be made, most of which I did not understand.
Michael Miller author of The Real San José, and TheRealSanJose.com
After lots of time, lots of failed attempts and lots of swearing, those problems have finally been solved. I used this “down time” to give my website a much needed face lift.
I enlisted the help of expert website designer, Calvin Cahail. Calvin was a fellow expat who lived in Atenas for a few years. He is now in Astoria, Oregon, and he continues to do a lot of work with writers here in Costa Rica.
The results are wonderful: “The Real San José,” has received A TOTAL MAKE-OVER. It looks great! It is fresh! It is lively! It has many new photos. The photos on the site are sharp and clear.
This will take you to the front page of “The Real San Jose.com.” Then click on “Stories about San José,” and you will see my collection of articles about San José, the fascinating capital of Costa Rica. Scroll down and click on any of the articles that you want to see.
“The Real San José” is considered to be the finest English-language website that focuses on Downtown San José, Costa Rica. It features stories about the museums, the restaurants, the National Theater, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and many other attractions and events in San José.
But don’t just take my word for it. Here is what author, tour guide and relocation expert Christopher Howard had to say: “I found it aesthetically pleasing, well laid out and having good content. Indeed, it is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn about the thriving downtown area.”
“The Real San Jose.com” is used by visitors who want to make the most of their short stay in San José. And it is used by North Americans who are staying longer or who are considering living in or near San José. The website is the perfect companion to the guide book:
The Real San José
Michael Miller’s Guide to Downtown San José, Costa Rica.
Once again, from Christopher Howard: “Thanks for promoting one of the most interesting, vibrant and often overlooked parts of this wonderful country.”
President Daniel Ortega on Saturday ruled out early elections. In a rally of his supporters, in Managua, came Ortega’s response to the demand made by bishops of the Episcopal Conference last month, demanded Ortega to call an election for March 2019, ahead of his January 2022 mandate.
Daniel Ortega at the Hugo Chávez rotonda in Managua
“Here the rules are set by the Constitution of the Republic, through the people. You don’t just change them overnight because a group of coup plotters got the idea to do so,” Ortega said.
Ortega, who has not appeared in public since May 30, assured that if “the coup leaders” -as he calls an opposition movement demanding his exit from power – “want to form a government, the seek the people’s vote.”
“We will see if the people will give the vote to the coup leaders who have caused so much destruction in these weeks, there will be time for the elections, everything has its time,” said the president, along with his wife and vice-president Rosario Murillo, from a platform in the rotonda that bears the name of the late Venezuelan socialist leader Hugo Chávez.
Opponents accuse Ortega, who has governed since 2007 for the third consecutive period, to establish with Murillo a dictatorship marked by corruption and nepotism.
“The sowers of the tares are planting terrorist tactics to kill their Nicaraguan brothers,” denounced the 72-year-old ruler, describing them as “vandals” and “gangs of criminals”.
“Down with the coupists!”, “Not one step back!”, “He stays, my commander stays!”, We want peace,” shouted Ortega followers of Ortega, waving flags of the ruling Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN).
Daniel Ortega arrived with his wife and vice-president, Rosario Murillo at the Hugo Chávez rotonda where thousands of supportes gathered
“I am a revolutionary woman and I am defending my homeland from the rightwing coup and its vandals, the Sandinistas are pacifists, but if they seek us they will find us, they are the violent and blame the government for the dead,” said Martha Candray, a 57-year-old former military.
“I’m supporting Comandante Ortega, the only one who has watched over the poor against the right-wing coup, which is lying …, the hooded is theirs, the ones who are assaulting people,” Guillermo Ramirez, a 43-year-old mason, told AFP.
Thousands of Ortega supporters attended the rally where he spoke on Saturday.
However, the Alianza Cívica por la Democracia y la Justicia (Civic Alliance for Democracy and Justice) – made up of sectors of civil society that is in opposition to Ortega, demand his resignation and that of his and his wife.
The Civic Alliance postponed for next Thursday, July 12, a march that was scheduled this Saturday, and calling a 24-hour national strike for Friday, July 13. After the 24-hour national strike, the Civic Alliance said it will continue to demonstrate on Saturday, July 14.
Ortega, a 72-year-old Sandinista ex-guerrilla, governed Nicaragua for a decade after the triumph of the popular insurrection that, commanded by the FSLN, overthrew the dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979.
Ortega is a former leftist guerrilla who came to power with the popular uprising that defeated the dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979 and retook the presidency in 2007.
Defeated in the 1990 presidential elections by Violeta Chamorro (1990-1997), Ortega remained Nicaragua’s dominant political figure even during a 17-year hiatus, returning in 2007 to be elected president, and now in his third consecutive term.
For the time being, though, Ortega and Murillo, remain firmly in control. But signs are growing that the president’s position has been shaken. Former President Enrique Bolanos (1997-2007) has called on Ortega to step down, and even, Humberto Ortega, a former head of the army, called this week on his brother to hold early elections next year.
“If Daniel Ortega hadn’t turned to repression, to violence against peaceful demonstrators, nothing would have happened,” Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, the son of Violeta Chamorro, told the Washington Times. “[But with] blood spilt in the streets of Managua, the murders of children, of youngsters, of students — and to continue it instead of stopping it — the thing has already turned irreversible.”
The situation in Nicaragua will likely get worse before it gets better. “We’re dealing with an administration that’s battle-hardened: These are old-guard revolutionaries. They fought and won wars. There’s a bit of a siege mentality that is part of the current thinking,” is the opinion of Christine Wade, a political scientist at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and a co-author of “Nicaragua: Emerging from the Shadow of the Eagle”.
Wade told the Washington Times, “although not inclined to leave either quickly or quietly, Mr. Ortega also may no longer hold the political capital to serve out his term”.
