Costa Rica Digest, Oct. 22

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>>Costa Rica News Digest<<
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A publication of Destiny Worldwide Net
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net

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http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/

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TODAY'S CONTENTS
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*Feature Article: First Hand Account of Costa Rican
Medical Care

*CALENDAR, WEATHER, EXCHANGE RATES

*News Digest

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WHAT'S NEW AT THE COSTA RICA PAGE!
=========================================
Our real estate section has just been totally updated
with lots of
new listings, mostly in the residential real estate
section, but also
we have a new rental on the rental page and some new
additions to the
land for sale section.

http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/real.htm

We are adding new things every day, and when our
merger comes with
COSTARICACENTER.COM, we will have a fully operational
Mercado Central
for you to buy Costa Rican products over the internet
from local merchants
[if you have a reputable business here, and want to
sell through the
Mercado, just let us know. We can help you to accept
credit cards and
all the major e-currencies on the net! We break
through the Great Barrier
that many Costa Rican merchants face getting their
products on the net!].

Hotels and tourist businesses will be able to add
their own links, and you
will be able to place your own online classifieds and
MUCH MUCH MORE!

Watch this newsletter for our official launch, coming
soon!

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FEATURE ARTICLE
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*A First Hand Account of Costa Rican Medical Care



The following comes to us through George
Lundquist. George believes it is important people
realize
living in Costa Rica is not at all bad --- once you
accept the differences and take appropriate actions.
The story is from one of George's former guests.
Thanks, George

=========================================

It was Thursday, 16 September and I stopped by the Coco
Lindo Restaurant to chat with Claudio, the manager, and
Ricardo, one of the regular diners there. Claudio and
Ricardo are both from Switzerland and Claudio's
girlfriend Francois was visiting from Switzerland so I
wanted to stop by.

It was late and I had already eaten dinner so I had a
couple of beers with the group and then left for home.
At home I had a puppy waiting for me that I had found
one the road a few days earlier. I had not named him
yet as I wanted to be sure to select something
appropriate and unique. After I got home I prepared for
bed and the last step was to take the pup out just
before turning the lights out. By this time it was
about half past midnight.
I took the pup out in the front of my rental house to
let him do his thing. I was trying to train him and
give him freedom at the same time so I didn't have him
on a leash but merely tried to stay close by so he
couldn't run off. He had a few spots he liked to
explore and he had wandered off a couple days before so
I was watching closely. As he got to the hedges in the
front of the house he picked up his pace and I knew he
was on the move so I walked over to pick him up and
point him in the other direction. The hedges line a
very steep embankment that leads to the bottom of the
driveway. When I got to the pup I leaned over and
scooped him up in my right hand. I had to lean forward
quite a bit to get him but the hedges were there and I
thought the hedges were thick and strong and would
provide some resistance against my weight as I leaned
over.
Wrong! As soon as I grabbed the pup I knew I was in
trouble because my shoulder pushed against the hedge and
there was no resistance. The problem is that I had most
of my body weight forward and I was committed. There
was nothing I could do.
It is such a steep embankment and the hedges proved to
be so thin, I was in deep trouble before I knew it. As
I felt myself continue to fall forward, it was like
falling through rice paper. A couple of friends said
later that they could see where I grabbed the bushes on
either side and I just ended up with straw in my hands.
Anyway, as I fell through the hedges I still had the pup
in my right hand. I knew I couldn't stop so I tucked my
right shoulder and as I tumbled the first time I pitched
the pup in any direction I could just to get him out of
the way. I heard him give out a little yelp but knew he
was OK.

For me, with my weight moving forward and my shoulder
tucked, and with such a steep embankment, I took off
like an unguided missile. I think I made 3 or 4
complete revolutions before coming to rest. Much of
this was up in the air because the first time I hit the
ground I bounced into the air and from then on I hit the
ground occasionally but I was usually up in the air. It
was like one of those old cowboy movies when the good
guy and bad guy would be fighting while they were
rolling down a hill. You would see their bodies
bouncing up in the air and then coming back down. This
was very much the same sensation.
I finally came to rest against a tree stump and I
distinctly remember the bone jarring feeling that went
through my entire body and the "hmmph" grunt I gave out.
I had come to rest with my back against the tree stump,
with my head facing north, and the stump had hit the
kidney area just above my hip on my left side. So I was
laying on the ground on my right side.
The brunt of the impact was absorbed by the back and
side area on my left side. I guess I was partially
rotated in the air when I hit the stump because I did
not (thankfully) hit it squarely on my back and spine,
giving my side a chance to absorb more of the impact.
I laid there for a while, probably 20 or 30 seconds and
then started to get up. I knew I was hurt but thought I
just had some bruising and would be OK. It was very
difficult to get up and make my way up the embankment.
As I got to the top the pup was there and was looking
around as if to say, "hey, what's going on?" The little
guy was luckily totally oblivious of what was going on.
I picked him up and put him in the house, took my
clothes off and then went to bed.
At approximately 6:00 a.m. Friday morning I awoke, lying
on the floor, with my face in a large pool of blood. At
first I thought I may have cut myself but then realized
I had no cuts. I had suffered very serious internal
injuries in the fall and had vomited a large quantity of
blood during the night. Now I knew I was in trouble but
I didn't have the strength to do anything about it. I
got up but it was difficult to maintain consciousness. I
got to the bed and sat on the edge. Each time I tried to
stand up I could feel myself losing consciousness. So I
lay down on the bed and each time I moved the pain was
unbearable. There was no way I could move or lay that
didn't produce tremendous pain. But I finally fell back
to sleep (or more accurately I lost consciousness
again).
I woke again at about 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Now
there was blood all over my pillow and I was barely
conscious. This time I didn't try to go back to sleep.
I knew I was in very critical condition and that if I
went back to sleep I would not wake up again. I could
tell that I was in shock and that I had lost a lot of
blood internally. However, phone service is not
available in the village yet, so there was no way to
call anyone. Each time I tried to stand up I began to
lose consciousness again so I had to sit back down. But
this time I knew I had to find a way to get to the car
so I could coast down the road and get help. I stood up
and the room started spinning but I managed to put on my
pants and I grabbed a t-shirt as I walked towards the
front door. The pup seemed to intuitively figure that
something was wrong because he stayed by my bedside the
entire time.
I slipped on the t-shirt as I walked out the front door
and headed for the car. My legs were like jelly and my
head was spinning like crazy but I knew if I lost
consciousness then that would be the end of the story.
I remember how wildly my hands and legs were shaking as
I tried to put the key in the door of the car and get it
open. I finally did and I put it into 4 wheel drive so
that I would just be able to put it into gear and let
the car practically drive itself. I was too weak to do
any more than that.
I started the car and backed down the drive and then
pointed the car down the road toward Michelle and Leo's
place. They live about 1/4 mile from my rental house.
They own a small restaurant and have a few cabins that
they rent as well. They are French Canadians who have
lived here for 14 years and they really "know the
ropes." Both speak fluent Spanish and would know
exactly where to go and what to do so I thought if I
could just get to their p lace I would be OK.
The car was pointed towards Leo and Michelle's and I
still had it in 4 wheel drive so I was going slow but
steady, but it still took less than a minute to get
there. When I arrived I was too weak to do anything but
I needed to get their attention. I had stopped the car
just near the entrance to the restaurant and I just
started honking the horn. It wasn't intermittent
honking but rather continuous as I wanted to be loud and
obnoxious to get their attention. At first Michelle
came to see why I was honking and she just smiled and
waved at me and walked away. I started honking again
and she came back and this time I was able to put my
left arm out of the car and make a slight "come here"
motion. Michelle started walking towards the car and
when she was a few feet away we made eye contact. I
said, "Michelle, I'm hurt and I need help", but it was
obvious from the expression on her face that I didn't
need to say that. I guess I wasn't the prettiest sight
in the world.
At about that time Leo walked out and Michelle ran to
him and told him I needed help. He ran to the car and
said something like "Oh shxt", when he saw me. He
started rubbing my arms and said, "You are really cold."
He knew I was in shock and in trouble as well. He
helped me out of the driver's seat and put me in the
passenger seat and then he jumped into the driver's
seat.
He drove to the local town of Cortes, which has a
hospital. Cortes is about 15 minutes from the village.
He told the staff at the emergency room what he knew and
they started examining me. As they asked more
questions, Leo was translating.
While this was going on I kept asking Leo what the
doctors were saying. I could tell that he was hesitant
to tell me but I wanted to know exactly what was going
on. Then one of the doctors --- there were at least
three that examined me --- came in who spoke some
English. He told me that among my many injuries was a
ruptured spleen and that I had already lost a tremendous
amount of blood and that I needed to be transported to
San Jose for care. Within 15 minutes an ambulance
arrived to take me to the airport at Palmar Sur for the
ride to San Jose. At this point, it was all I could do
to remain conscious.
The ambulance ride from the hospital at Cortes to the
small airport at Palmar Sur took approximately 15
minutes. My clothes had been taken and I was covered in
a small blanket and placed on the ambulance litter. I
could gauge what was going on during the ambulance ride
by listening to the sounds. I noticed the driver was
doing his level best to get me to the airport quickly
but he was very safe as well. As we went down the
highway he went as fast as possible but when we got to
town it was easy to tell when he had slowed at an
intersection because the engine slowed and the siren
came on and when he cleared the intersection, the engine
roared again and the siren was turned off.
At the airport I could not see much because of the way I
was positioned on the litter. I was laying on my right
side and the blanket was covering most of me but I could
see out of my left eye, which was exposed. I was loaded
into the back of a small fixed wing aircraft. I
couldn't see much but when we arrived I could see half
of the right wing. The litter was secured to the floor
of the aircraft and it was a very small space and my
face was pressed against the side of fuselage. I
rotated my left eye to see that there was a very small
window above my head. It did not provide much advantage
because I could only see straight up. I could not see
anything to the left or right of the aircraft. The
carpet that lined the fuselage was in front of me and I
had an area approximately 6 inches square just in front
of my face that I concentrated on. One of the attendants
from the Cortes Hospital climbed in with me for the ride
to San Jose. My hat is off to her because it was a very
small space for the two of us in the back of the tiny
aircraft. It only took a few minutes to get me loaded
and to lock the doors of the aircraft. When the pilot
began the ignition sequence I noticed that he only
started one engine so I assumed it was a single engine
craft. The pilot wasted no time getting the engine
started and we lifted off quickly.
The flight to San Jose lasted just more than an hour, I
think. I was trying to figure what was going on around
me. I felt my best chance for survival was to remain
conscious. I thought that if I allowed myself to slip
into unconsciousness then I might not regain
consciousness again. As I stared at the small area of
carpeted fuselage in front of me, I listened for any
clues as to what was going on. The only time I really
started to think the worst was when listening to my
heart monitor. The attendant had the volume on it
turned up very high so I was able to hear it throughout
the entire flight. It was not good. My heartbeat was
extremely irregular and I knew that basically the pump
was running dry because I had lost so much blood. My
blood pressure was extremely low.

[DUE TO THE LENGTH OF THIS STORY, IT WILL BE
CONTINUED ON MONDAY.
STAY TUNED, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!]

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CALENDAR, WEATHER, EXCHANGE RATES
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Ballet Show
Performances today through Sunday at 8 p.m., Melico
Salazar Theater, Av. 2, Ca. Ctrl. Info: 233-5424.

Beyond the Grave
A spine-chilling play in English, with candlelight
dining and intrigue, Saturday, at Big Mike's Club.
Info: 289-6087.

Book Exchange Fair
Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., CENAC, Calle 15, Av. 17.
Info: 305-6074.


*Classical guitarist Matthew Dunlap will visit San
José from his home
in Florida to perform a concert at the Eugene O'Neill
Theater in the
Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center next
Wednesday.

His performance is the next in the Promising Artists
of the 21st
Century series that has brought performing artists
from U.S. universities
to Costa Rica to entertain the expatriate and Costa
Rican national communities alike, as well as to share
some of their knowledge with
students here.



Saturday, Oct. 23
Auction and Potluck
The Computer Club invites the public to its Auction
and Potluck
Benefit today. Guests are asked to bring an item to
auction
for the benefit of the club, potluck dishes, drinks
and ¢1,000 ($2.20).
The activity begins at 10 a.m. today, at Casa María
in Escazú. Info:
228-0190.


Sunday, Oct. 24

Unwanted adults home anniversary
Today is the fifth anniversary of the Tom and Norman
Home for unwanted
adults in Guápiles. The home is operated by the Angel
of Love
Foundation. This year the event will begin at 9:30
a.m. with a pageant
of golden agers. There will be entertainment. and a
golden age queen
will be selected. The local grandmother who has been
able to sell the
most votes to benefit the home wins. Later lunch will
be served and
bingo games will be played. As in past years,
transportation will be
provided from San José. A donation of 500 colons
($1.10) is requested. Visitors are encouraged to
bring donations of food or cleaning products.
The bus will leave from in front of the Catedral
Metropolitana in front
of Parque Central.
Reservations may be made at 763-2121 or 763-4611.



Monday, Oct. 25

U.S. ELECTION COUNTDOWN!
Discuss the debates, hear about the hot state Senate
and House races,
and make a wager on the Nov. 2 Presidential electoral
vote outcome. Democrats Abroad of Costa Rica meets
today at 9:30 a.m. to noon, Gran
Hotel Costa Rica, fifth floor. Coffee break menu,
3,500 colones, reservations at 494-6260.


Friday, Oct. 29

Halloween party
The Little theatre Group will hold a Halloween party
tonight at Blanche
Brown theatre in Escazú. Everyone is invited.
The party starts at 7:30 p.m. entertainment includes
live movie
scenes, pantomime, music, scary readings. Drinks and
treats will be
be available Admission: 1,000 colones ($2.20) or
bring bocas for 10
people.


*Weather

Friday
Chance of a Thunderstorm. High: 77° F / 25° C Wind
West 8 mph / 14 km/h
Friday Night
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Low: 73° F / 23° C Wind NW
11 mph / 18 km/h
Saturday
Thunderstorm. High: 77° F / 25° C Wind West 4 mph / 7
km/h
Saturday Night
Thunderstorm. Low: 73° F / 23° C Wind West 6 mph / 10
km/h
Sunday
Thunderstorm. High: 77° F / 25° C Wind SSW 2 mph / 3
km/h
Sunday Night
Thunderstorm. Low: 73° F / 23° C Wind WNW 2 mph / 3 km/h
Monday
Chance of Rain. High: 77° F / 25° C Wind SSW 2 mph /
3 km/h
Monday Night
Chance of Rain. Low: 73° F / 23° C Wind NW 0 mph / 0
km/h
Tuesday
Chance of Rain. High: 75° F / 24° C Wind East 4 mph /
7 km/h
Tuesday Night
Thunderstorm. Low: 71° F / 22° C Wind SW 4 mph / 7 km/h
Wednesday
Thunderstorm. High: 75° F / 24° C Wind WNW 2 mph / 3
km/h
Wednesday Night
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Low: 73° F / 23° C Wind WNW
6 mph / 10 km/h
Thursday
Chance of a Thunderstorm. High: 75° F / 24° C Wind NW
2 mph / 3 km/h
Thursday Night
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Low: 73° F / 23° C Wind WSW
4 mph / 7 km/h


*Exchange Rates:

Dollar Exchange:

Central Bank
Reference Rate


Buy
¢449.38

Sell
¢450.86
CR Colon:


CAD
354.815

GBP
806.016


EURO
556.410

JPY
4.103


NIO
27.357

RUB
15.144

US Dollar:


BZD
0.5063

GTQ
0.1244


HNL
0.0526

SVC
0.1142


NIO
0.0620

PAB
0.9950

22 Oct 2004





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=========================================
NEWS DIGEST
=========================================
*New Non-stop Flights Announced From San José to Los
Angeles

Beginning Nov. 5, American Airlines will offer
weekend non-stop flights
from San José, Costa Rica, to Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX) in California.

The new route is in addition to American's existing
daily non-stops
from San José to Miami and to Dallas/Fort Worth.
Bookings can be made
online at www.aa.com.


*Banco Elca will be dissolved!

That is the news from the Consejo Nacional de
Supervisión del
Sistema Financiero (CONASSIF) who intervened the
bank's operations
on June 29, 2004. The head of the Superintendencia
General de Entidades Financieras (SUGEF), Óscar
Rodríguez, says the bank is not a viable
operation and it is best to liquidate it completely.

The president of Banco ELCA, Carlos Alvarado Moya,
along with former
manaher, Hernán González Peña, and advisor Javier
Filloy Esna, are
still in jail on three month's preventive detention.



*La Nacion Publishes Scandal Chart

One remark is that it is becoming like a "game of
monopoly." To help
all of us keep score, the nation's largest newspaper
published a chart
yesterday so that we can keep things straight. If
you know Spanish,
this will help you keep score:

http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2004/octubre/21/separata.pdf


*Former President Calderón Detained

What may have come as surprise to many, however,
expected, former Costa
Rican president Rafael Angel Calderón Fournier left
his house in the
early hours of yesterday morning to give declarations
before the
Fiscalía, following the declarations made by former
Caja Costarricense
de Seguro Social (CCSS), Eliseo Vargas.

However, a few hours later, the former president
found himself riding
the back ofa "perrera" - a police wagon - headed for
the jail cells
of the Goicochea court house, reportedly the same
jail cells that held
former president Miguel Angel Rodríguez less that a
week ago, and the
same jail cell of his accuser(s).

As of this morning, Calderón is still being held in
the jail cell, as
any other prisoner, waiting the decision of criminal
court judge,
Carmen Peralta.

The decision had been expected last night, as
possibly the night court
judge would render a decision on the Fiscalía's
request for six month's preventive detention against
the former president.

Calderón had been interviewed by prosecutors in the
past for his role
in the Fischel-Caja scandal that involved up to us$9
million dollars of commissions paid on the loan of
us$39 million dollars from the government
of Finland to the CCSS to purchase medical equipment.

Calderón had been impeded from leaving Costa Rica,
while Eliseo Vargas, former president of the CCSS,
Walter Reiche Fischel, president of the Corporación
Fischel and Fischel lawyer, Randall Vargas, were
being held
in preventive detention.

Eliseo Vargas has been in the Cocorí jail in Cartago
since September 7
for his role in accepting a bribe, when it was
discovered that the house
he lived in, that was owned by Fischel, was purchased
with the commission money.

On Monday, Vargas's daughter was added to the
investigation when the
Toyota Rav4 she owned was discovered to have been by
Fischel. It was
then that Eliseo Vargas decided to tell all.

Vargas went before the Fiscalía on Tuesday and in
exchange that the investigation be dropped against
his daughter and for a move to house
arrest from jail, he told prosecutors how Calderón
was the mastermind
behind the payoffs and it was Calderón who decided
who got what and how
much.

Vargas also told prosecutors that he got twice as
much, some us$600.000,
from the others because he had been a legislative
deputy when the loan
was approved and then later president of the CCSS.

I a more surprising move, Walter Reiche Fischel,
decided to also talk
and tell all. Reiche was interviewed by telephone by
channel 7 news Telenoticias from his home at the La
Reforma jail.

Reiche told reporters that it was Calderón who
contacted him regarding
the Finnish loan. "Calderón was contracted as a
political consultant.
Once the laws to make the loan possible was approved,
Eliseo Vargas
contacted me and suggested I have a political advisor
on my team so
that the project won't get buried as it has happened
in the past.
Vargas suggested that I hire former president don
Rafael Angel
Calderón."

Reiche continued with his story, that Calderón's role
was to ensure that
the project moved quickly and there were no
conditions tied to the
contract the Corporación Fischel received to make the
purchase of the equipment.

There never was any written contract and all dealings
were made by
Eliseo Vargas.

Reiche also told Telenoticias that Emilio Bruce,
president of the board
of directors of the Corporación Fischel, knew about
Calderón's
involvement. Bruce has denied all knowledge of what
went on, in the
past saying only, that as head of the board, he will
take responsibility,
but knows nothing of what went on with the CCSS deal.

Calderón is the second former leader of Costa Rica to
be detained in
less than a week.

On Saturday, a judge ordered six months of house
arrest for Miguel Angel Rodriguez, president from
1998 until 2002, while prosecutors prepare a
case against him for illegally sharing commissions on
government
contracts.

Rafael Angel Calderón Fournier was president from
1990-1994 and is the
son of former president Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia
(1940-1944), who
was a practicing physician.

Calderón Guardia entered politics in 1934, serving
successively as
vice president and president of congress (1935-1939).
He was leader
of the Calderista, party. As president, he brought
Costa Rica into
World War II on the Allied side and cooperated
closely with the United States. He later served
(1966-1970) as ambassador to Mexico. Calderón
Guardia died in June of 1970.

Calderón Fournier, like Rodríguez, is holding firm
that he is innocent
of any wrongdoing. He told reporters as he headed for
the courthouse yesterday morning that he is a
"religious" man and that God will be
with him. And in the end, if he is brought to trial
(comment made before entering the court building) he
will be found innocent.

He also said that he is hurt by the lies told by
Eliseo Vargas to prosecutors. Words of "a desperate
man."


Two Former Presidents in Jail At The Same Time

Costa Rica is making history. Never in the history of
Costa Rica, from
the days of the Great Navigator himself, Christopher
Columbus, in 1502, h
ave Costa Ricans had to face such a situation and
international
humiliation.

Calderón is this morning waiting on a judge's
decision. It is expected
the former president will also get "house arrest"
though the Fiscalía is asking for six months in jail.

Calderón's lawyer has been making appeals to the news
media following
reports that Calderón's health was being placed at
risk, since jailers
did not attend to his needs of delivering specially
prepared food at
his jail cell, the same cell reportedly used to hold
Rodríguez and others involved in the various scandals
surrounding the country.

Calderón apparently suffers from "gastritis" and his
lawyer was emphatic
that it could lead to cancer if his clients special
needs were not
attended to.



*Taiwan Admits Donating to Ex-President Rodríguez,
report says

The Taiwan Embassy in Costa Rica has admitted
donating $400,000 to a foundation related to
scandal-hit former Costa Rican President Miguel
Angel Rodríguez.

According to the report, the embassy said it donated
$200,000 in 2001
and the same amount in 2002 to a foundation called
Liberty and Human Development of Costa Rica, to help
it hold some seminars and meetings to promote liberty
and human development, but the money was eventually
transferred to Inversiones Denisse, a private company
believed owned by Rodríguez.

Costa Rican authorities are investigating allegations.

Media reports said Taiwan made the donations against
the backdrop of its
hope to regain a seat in the United Nations. Costa
Rica recognizes the sovereignty of the government of
Taiwan, which China regards as a
breakaway province.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that Taiwan
Foreign Minister Mark
Chen denied the allegations, saying, "Taiwan has
never given political donations to any individuals."



*United Nation's Head Opposes Human Cloning Ban, U.S.
and Costa Rica Firm

The head of the United Nations says he opposes a
proposal to draft a
treaty banning all forms of human cloning. Meanwhile,
the United States
and Costa Rica are standing firm in their resolve to
fight for a complete
ban rather than delay a vote for another year or
allow a partial ban to
pass.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday
endorsed embryonic stem
cell research and said he opposes efforts by the 61
nation coalition,
headed by the U.S. and Costa Rica, to draft a treaty
opposing both reproductive and research cloning.

"Obviously it is an issue for the member-states to
decide, but as an individual and in my personal view,
I think I would go for therapeutic cloning," Annan
told reporters Thursday.

Meanwhile, a U.S. diplomatic official told the French
Press Agency that
its position in favor of banning all human cloning
has not changed.

"A partial ban that prohibits cloning for
reproductive purpose but
permits the destruction of cloned human embryos for
experimental
purposes is unacceptable," the State Department
official said.

"Our position on cloning has not changed. We believe
all cloning is wrong
and should be banned," the official said.

A Costa Rican representative said that his country
isn't changing its
mind either. However, Costa Rica's U.N. Ambassador
Bruno Stagno Ugarte
also said he was concerned that pressure is building
to delay a vote
another year.

"We are convinced that we enjoy a clear majority.
However, and I think
we must be realistic here, we still face the specter
of some type of procedural vote as a way of avoiding
our responsibilities to address an urgent and
important matter," Stagno told Associated Press.

The UN's legal committee opened debate on Thursday on
guidelines for
drafting a human cloning ban treaty.

On Monday, Moroccan U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Bennouna,
who chairs the
legal committee, said he would do everything in his
power to delay a vote
for another year, claiming the international
community is not ready to
vote on the controversial issue.

"This has become such an emotional issue that I hope
to avoid a vote
this year," Bennouna told Reuters.

The U.S. and Costa Rica want nations to sign on to a
treaty saying
"human cloning, for any purpose whatsoever, is
unethical, morally reproachable and contrary to due
respect for the human person and that
it cannot be justified or accepted."

Belgium and other European nations are rallying a
smaller group of
countries in opposition.

The Belgian group of nations, with twenty-one
supporters, have drafted a competing proposal that
bans human cloning for reproduction but allows
it for research.

In a September speech, President Bush endorsed the
complete ban on human cloning.

"In this session, the U.N. will consider a resolution
sponsored by
Costa Rica calling for a comprehensive ban on human
cloning. I support
that resolution and urge all governments to affirm a
basic ethical
principle: No human life should ever be produced or
destroyed for the
benefit of another," he said.

The issue has divided the U.S. presidential
candidates with Senator
John Kerry co-sponsoring a Senate bill, SB 303, that
allows scientists
to clone and kill human beings for research.


*Shortage of Hotel Rooms

The joy resulting from an increasing arrival of
tourists in Costa Rica
is marred by the threat of shortage in hotel rooms,
both private and
official sources agreed.

According to the National Chamber of Tourism and the
Association of
Tourism Professionals, the increase in the arrival of
tourists who
travel by air has averaged 8.26 percent in the last
seven years, while
the number of new hotel rooms has averaged only 3.26
percent.

The Minister of Tourism, Rodrigo Castro, explained
that he has had
recent meetings with both local and international
investors to promote
new investments and expand the existing facilities,
in order to properly address the lodging needs of
visitors.


*CNFL To Change More Than 7.000 Street Lamps

In an ambitious project, the Compañía Nacional de
Fuerza y Luz (CNFL), announced that it will replace
some 7.580 light bulbs in street lamps
during the period of 2005-2006, at a cost of
¢320.000.000 colones per
year.

Fourteen districts in the Metropolitan San José area
will be affected
with the better lighting on their streets.

The areas most affected with the improved lighting
are Aserrí,
Desamparados, Montes de Oca, La Unión, Tibás and
Curridabat. The areas
of Alajuelita, Escazú, Santa Ana, Alajuela, Belén,
Flores, Barva and
Santa Bárbara in Heredia will also see lighting
improvements.

Henry Chinchilla Mora, a director at CNFL, says that
the improvements
will hopefully reduce the number of complaints about
street lights and
street lighting in general.



*Hydro plant frozen by water complaints

An environmental tribunal has blocked work on the La
Joya hydroelectric project at Tucurrique because of
fears that a tunnel there would damage
the source of underground water.

The news was spread via e-mail by the environmental
group Federación Costarricense para la Conservación
del Ambiente.

Neighbors of the project have been blocking access to
the $77 million
project for several days. The hydro plant is being
built for the
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad by the
Spanish firm Unión
FENOSA.

The municipal council of Tucurrique acted Oct. 13 to
have the project
shut even though it has received all the required
permits. Residents
fear that the tunnel will damage the domestic water
supply for the
nearby towns. The tunnel is for water that runs the
hydroelectric
turbines.



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