San José, Costa Rica - Wednesday 21 July 2004

1.415.265 Hits in June!

Updated every day by 8:00AM Central Standard Time

The chip in the foto is what all the fuss is about. as ICE customers waited for hours on Monday and Tuesday to get "their" GSM chip, to connect their cellular telephones. Click for larger image!

Trial Begins for Two Suspects for Abuse of Minors
Thomas Scott Cochran, a U.S. national and Costa Rican, Pérez Chaves, began their day in court yesterday suspected of sexually abusing street children.

ICE Directors Dismissed
The turmoil at ICE - Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad - stemming from a trip made my managers of ICE to the Czech Republic, resulting informal meetings with the managers of Ericsson, who was subsequently awarded the contract to install 600 GSM cellular lines, is resulting in firing of managers while others are still under investigation.

50% of the 15.000 GSM Lines Sold in Two Days
In only two days, it is estimated that 9.500 of the 15.000 GSM cellular lines were sold.

Costa Rica's Team Bitter Return
Angry Costa Rican players are arriving home in dribs and drabs from the Copa America quarterfinals because their national federation made travel plans expecting them to fall in the first round.

California University Professor Wins Award for Geophysical Research
Retired University of Califarnia Santa Cruz (UCSC) professor Karen McNally is only the second person to receive a prestigious medal from the National University of Costa Rica. 

News Briefs
A woman who was on the lam following her conviction in 1997 for drug trafficking, was arrested yesterday. Jeannette Jara Chavarría was arrestedin Alajuela. She was sentenced in May of 1997 for selling "crack", along with four others who also received a 10 year sentence. Chavarría had been at large, evading police capture for all these years.
 

First corruption lawsuit filed against former Chilean dictator Two human rights lawyers on Tuesday filed the first corruption lawsuit against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet for alleged financial crimes after the disclosure of his secret bank accounts in the United States. Mexican FM to meet with Powell, Rice Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Derbez will start a two-day visit to Washington to meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Venezuela congratulates Bolivia on natural gas referendum Venezuela on Tuesday congratulated the Bolivian government on conducting a successful referendum on natural gas policy.   International News from the New York Times

SPECIAL REPORTS VENEZUELA: NGOs Successfully Press for Replacement of Dubious AIDS Drugs The Venezuelan government will supply HIV/AIDS patients with alternative antiretroviral drugs after versions of lamivudine (3TC) and zidovudine (AZT) produced by the CIPLA laboratory in India were removed from the World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalification list. The Health Ministry ”will buy equivalent medication from the Ranbaxy laboratory, also in India, on short orders, but with enough supplies for the rest of the year,” Alberto Nieves, with Citizen Action Against Aids (ACCSI), told IPS. TRAVEL Travel Stories... Rhythms of the Rainforest: Exploring Costa Rica The dense jungle surrounds us, pulsating with the sounds of roaring howler monkeys and chattering birds. Clambering after the agile, barefoot guide, my companion Cris and I clutch at the jagged rocks lining the dried riverbed, eager for any leverage up the steep, uneven slope. My hand reaches automatically for a large boulder, covered in gorgeous, emerald-green moss. "The snakes know you're coming before you ever see them," our guide Esteban warns, and I've obviously forgotten what I was told back at the tent camp. Don't touch before looking--don't assume. An hour later, we trod into the space of a deadly fer-de-lance viper, its brown coils blending perfectly with the river's edge.   THE TAKE: DOUBLE TAKE In an attempt to surpass an already extraordinary 97% literacy rate, the Costa Rican government now requires cattle to attend school. [Photo by Stephen Bauer]

With GSM and the Lowest Cost to Rent a Cellular Telephone in Costa Rica!

Retirement/Relocation Tours for the Non-rich! I am the ONLY Retirement, Relocation Guide in Costa Rica without a hidden agenda. I will show you many of the best areas for value of climate, land, amenities, and building costs. I will introduce you to honest, value, people who will share with you the actual costs of real estate & homes built for people like you. You can then compare these to any of the other "DEALS" promoted by the many other "Tours" Please visit: www.costaricaretireonss.com and contact my References. George Lundquist, Retirement, Relocation Columnist for: www.insidecostarica.com and www.welovecostarica.com