FEBRUARY 15, 2007

MARKS of a Marero: Luis Mario Torres, an alleged Salvadoran gang member accused of murder and conspiracy, was arrested Tuesday in San José. Some of his tattoos bear the initials of his gang “Mara Salvatrucha.”

TEACHER Turmoil: José Antonio Barquero, president of the National Association of Educators (ANDE), held a press conference yesterday to address recent chaos in the Public Education Ministry's Personnel Department. Officials there allegedly played to political ties when appointing teachers, and mix-ups resulted in 4,000 teachers not showing up on the first day of school last week. Barquero called for Education Minister Leonardo Garnier and President Oscar Arias to declare the situation a national emergency.

High-Level Officials Step Down In Teacher Placement Scandal

What began last week as an apparent case of regular first-day-of-school mayhem has now become a full-fledged scandal, with the Public Education Ministry (MEP) facing allegations that its Personnel Department ceded to political pressure when appointing teachers and other MEP employees for the 2007 school year.

Mara Salvatrucha Member Arrested in San José

An alleged Salvadoran gang member on the list of people most wanted in his country was arrested Tuesday afternoon in San José, according to a statement from International Police (INTERPOL).

Minister Promotes Costa Rican Medical Products In United States

Foreign Trade Minister Marco Ruiz is in Anaheim, California today and tomorrow to show off Costa Rica's medical products industry to U.S. companies at the Medical Devices and Manufacturing Fair, the biggest event of its kind in the United States.

Gas Price to Increase

High-Level Officials Step Down
In Teacher Placement Scandal

By Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff | kstanley@ticotimes.net

What began last week as an apparent case of regular first-day-of-school mayhem has now become a full-fledged scandal, with the Public Education Ministry (MEP) facing allegations that its Personnel Department ceded to political pressure when appointing teachers and other MEP employees for the 2007 school year.

Personnel Department director Alvaro Alpízar resigned from his post Tuesday, and assistant personnel director Edwin Hernández also resigned at Education Minister Leonardo Garnier's request, the minister explained yesterday following President Oscar Arias' weekly Cabinet meeting.

“Things weren't working the way they're supposed to work,” Garnier said of the department. Last week, an estimated 4,000 teachers did not show up for the first day of school Feb. 7 because they weren't properly notified; cases have been reported of two or three teachers named to the same post, or one teacher given two jobs in different parts of the country, or schools missing as much as a third of their staff.

However, accusations of favoritism, particularly in favor of candidates allegedly recommended by members of the National Liberation Party (PLN), have taken center stage. The daily La Nación reported yesterday that Néstor Jiménez, a Liberation campaign leader in Puriscal, southwest of San José, asked the Education Ministry to create 21 positions for people who had worked on Arias' campaign.

The day before, La Nación reported that Liberation legislator Olivier Jiménez had coordinated teacher placement in the Southern Zone through one of his advisors.

Garnier said he has no problem with people making recommendations, but that those shouldn't be taken into account in placing personnel, which should be done according to the experience-based point system that's in place.

The Comptroller General's Office has agreed to conduct a study of the ministry's hiring practices as a result of the irregularities, and the ministry is conducting an internal audit, Garnier said.

José Antonio Barquero, president of the National Association of Educators (ANDE), held a press conference yesterday to ask Garnier and Arias to declare a state of emergency and direct increased attention to the problem. Many schools are still missing 10 or more teachers, he said.

Mara Salvatrucha Member Arrested in San José

An alleged Salvadoran gang member on the list of people most wanted in his country was arrested Tuesday afternoon in San José, according to a statement from International Police (INTERPOL).

The 26-year-old man, identified by the name Luis Mario Torres and commonly known as “Pimar,” is accused of murder and conspiracy.

He is associated with Mara Salvatrucha, a Salvadoran gang that originated in the United States and is suspected of orchestrating organized crime, theft, kidnapping and homicide. Torres also has a criminal record in the United States.

Torres told police he fled El Salvador because he had “changed his life and decided to turn himself over to God,” according to the statement.

However, Public Security Minister Fernando Berrocal told the daily La Nación the young man had made contacts with youth in Santa Ana, west of San José, with the intention of starting a Mara Salvatrucha branch in Costa Rica.

Torres left El Salvador Oct. 29, 2004 and traveled briefly through Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Immigration officials believe he then entered Costa Rica illegally through the southern border town of Paso Canoas and stayed here illegally, the statement said. He is under police custody and faces deportation to El Salvador.

-Tico Times

Minister Promotes Costa Rican
Medical Products In United States

Foreign Trade Minister Marco Ruiz is in Anaheim, California today and tomorrow to show off Costa Rica's medical products industry to U.S. companies at the Medical Devices and Manufacturing Fair, the biggest event of its kind in the United States.

Ruiz said he is “pleased” by his presence at the fair, where he aims to catch the attention of companies interested in developing new products. Representatives of the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) are also attending.

Last year's fair attracted more than 1,240 companies and 16,920 medical and pharmaceutical professionals.

Events like this one help Costa Rica attract more foreign buyers in an effort to reach a goal set by President Oscar Arias' administration to export $18 billion worth of goods per year by 2010. Last year, the country exported $8.1 million.

There are approximately 300 medical or pharmaceutical companies in Costa Rica that make 458 products exported to 74 countries, mostly in Central America and the Caribbean, with smaller amounts going to South America, North America and other regions.

-ACAN-EFE

Gas Price to Increase

Gas prices just got a hike for the first time so far this year. The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) has approved increases in the prices of gas, diesel and other fuels, according to a statement it released yesterday.

This hike, which will go into effect as soon as it is published in the official government daily La Gaceta, will bring the price of one liter of super gas from ¢453 ($0.88) to ¢463 ($0.90), regular gas from ¢425 ($0.82) to ¢436 ($0.84), and diesel fuel from ¢335 ($0.64) to ¢347 ($0.67).

The National Oil Refinery requested this increase last week to reflect variations of petroleum prices on the international market caused by cold weather in the United States and problems with refineries there, the statement said.

Few plant species can be considered a marvelous discovery that has transformed human culture. Bactris gasipaes is definitely one of those rare cases in which a plant provides a wide variety of products for different uses. The peach palm supplies two of the most delicate and exquisite vegetable products Costa Rica exports to the world: peach palm (pejibaye) and heart of palm (palmito).

It is thought that plantations already existed by the time Columbus arrived on Costa Rica's Caribbean island of Uvita in 1502, which was appropriately named La Huerta (The Vegetable Garden). It wasn't until 1541 to 1546 that the first reference to the peach palm appeared in official colonial records, when Spanish settlers entered the southern hills of the Coaza Cacique territory in today's Talamancas, an area in which a tree locals called “pijibay” (pronounced pe-hee-BYE) was more than prominent and utilized by the locals in many ways.

Conquerors discovered how not only the fruit but also the core of the palm was consumed, and that the palm fronds were used for thatch and the tree trunks for timber. At that time, the peach palm was cultivated throughout southern Mexico and Central America to the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon regions. Although today the peach palm grows in most tropical areas of the globe, its potential production scale is still in its infancy.

Mixing Palm Products: Pejibaye and palmito in Chef Marco's “Mocha Mexicali Sauce” with cumin rice.

Marco González | Tico Times

Costa Rica and Brazil are the leading exporters of peach palm products. Pejibaye and palmito are considered delicacies sent abroad to gourmet markets in the industrialized world. The pejibaye itself is so unique in taste that it has been described as somewhere between a sweet potato and a water chestnut, with a unique bright orange color and nutty texture. It is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in many ways, either savory or sweet. Flour, starch and oil are extracted from the flesh for both industrial and domestic uses. Palmito is one of the crispiest and delicious of the edible palms; its rich aroma and consistency are comparable to those of tender bamboo shoots.

Chefs from around the globe continue to be inspired by these two ingredients, creating a melting pot of techniques, recipes and ideas. Their versatility means they are adaptable to almost any kind of cuisine, style, technique or flavors. Commonly found in gourmet markets of New York, London and Tokyo, their prices in these far-off locales certainly categorize them as “elite” ingredients, deserving of regal treatment.

Many Costa Rican and Brazilian scientists are dedicated to the collection, distribution and expansion of knowledge of this “perfect palm.” Costa Rica is the largest exporter of peach palms in the world, and one of the top exporters of heart of palm, thanks largely to the effort of Jorge Mora and his colleagues at the University of Costa Rica, whose dedication and hard work are the backbone of the Pejibaye Research and Technology Transfer Program. Gathering all information available, they have created a database of all things peach palm. From seed banking to general information, their efforts to utilize the palm in different ways is finally paying off as peach palm is put to use in new ways, such as animal fodder and industrial raw materials.

Costa Ricans have a keen taste for pejibaye and palmito, and are quite discerning when it comes to quality. Surprisingly, however, the use of pejibaye in local gastronomy is rather shy, and it is usually served simply as boiled peach palm with mayonnaise or in soup or bread. The same goes for heart of palm, usually appearing in salads and in the quintessential Tico pie, pastel de arroz con palmito, a creamy, buttery, cheesy baked dish with simple flavor but lots of character.

For this recipe, I chose to combine the two amazing products from this versatile tree into one recipe, fusing their flavor and providing a Caribbean twist. ¡Buen provecho!