The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, November 01, 2002

ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO: Campesinos hope TLC with Canada will provide new large market for Tico crops. Story Below.
TT/ Photo

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November 01

III Baroque Music Festival
Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., at Santa Ana Church. Info: 282-8682, 282-9106.

Biggest Buffet in the World
With a minimum of 400 different dishes, on Sun., Nov. 3, at 10:30 a.m., at the Convention Center of the Herradura Hotel, General Cañas Highway, San Antonio de Belén. Info: 222-2118, anchef@racsa.co.cr

"Caminos Cármicos" Dance Show
Dance School of the Universidad Nacional presents different aspects of social life. Show runs today through Sunday. At 8 p.m., FANAL Theater, Av. 3, Ca. 15. Info: 277-3393, 277-3394.

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Congressman Weighs in on Villalobos
For the first time since the Prosecutors' Office ordered a blanket freeze on the bank accounts of Costa Rican businessman Enrique Villalobos last July, a member of Congress has thrown his hat into the ring.

National Liberation Party lawmaker Luis Ramírez yesterday sent a two-page letter to Head Judicial Prosecutor Carlos Arias, asking the Ministry to unfreeze the accounts and all funds not connected to the investigation into the $380,000 allegedly laundered Canadian money.

"For reasons of humanity and social solidarity, I decided to send you this letter," Ramírez wrote. "…the freezing of all the accounts of Casa de Cambio Ofinter…has caused great damage to many Costa Ricans who deposited their savings and, as a consequence, depend on the interest that is generated to attend to their economic necessities and their families."

Ramírez continued: "it would have seemed logical and reasonable to have frozen only the sum of $380,000, which corresponds to the supposed laundered money.

"The decision of the judicial authorities has causes enormous damage to the company Ofinter S.A., resulting in the firing of more than 300 employees an the paralyzing of interest payments to hundreds of Costa Ricans and foreign residents in the country who are now in a very precarious and difficult economic situation."

Claiming he doesn't want to interfere in the investigation, Ramírez concluded by asking if it would be possible "in the short term to unfreeze the funds of most of the depositors and investors who, for many years, decided to use the financial services of this company, and who are honest people with no link to operations or management of fraudulent money."

For more on the Villalobos, read today's TT print edition.

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Unemployment on the Rise
Unemployment and underemployment grew slightly in 2002, while income levels dropped and the poverty level continued to hover at 20.6%, according to a household survey released yesterday.

The study, conducted by the Institute of National Statistics and Census (INEC), polled more than 13,100 households throughout the country and found that income and work levels were down from last year.

Unemployment grew from 6.1% in 2001, to 6.4% this year, while underemployment jumped from 13.7% to 14.6%. The work shortage was felt most by women and in urban areas, where unemployment grew from 5.8% to 6.8%.

The survey also found that monthly per capita income levels dropped this year from $373 to $368. Poverty levels, according to the study, are defined as monthly income levels less than $78 in urban areas, and less than $61 in rural parts of the country.

The VIII State of the Nation Report, detailing this year's trends in poverty indicators, will be released next week.
-AFP

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TLC with Canada Goes into Effect Today
The free-trade agreement between Costa Rica and Canada will go into effect today, when the Trade Ministers of both governments exchange the notices of ratification, the final step to make everything official, announced Foreign Trade Minister Alberto Trejos.

The two governments first signed the much-anticipated free-trade agreement in April 2001, but the process was delayed because of opposition by Costa Rica's agricultural sector. After an arduous negotiation process between the government and Tico farmers, especially potato growers, the Legislative Assembly finally ratified the trade pact with Canada last August (TT, Aug. 30).

This week, a group representing Costa Rica's agro-industrial producers traveled to Canada to participate in Toronto's Trade Fair, to seek ways to introduce Tico products into the Canadian market.

Last year, Costa Rica exported $121.8 million worth of products -- mostly agricultural and agro-industrial -- to Canada, while importing only $39.5 million, according to statistics provided by the Canadian government.

Now that the free-trade agreement has gone into affect, Tico exports to Canada are expected to grow even more, according to Trejos.
-AFP

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Honduran Author Tries to Break
C.A. Literature Stereotypes
Breaking the mold of Central America's literary tradition of books focusing on war, dictators and political oppression, Honduran author Roberto Quesada recently unveiled a new comic and erotic novel about an underemployed Honduran actor struggling to find work in New York City.

Quesada jokes that his new novel, "The Big Banana," breaks the rules of Central American literature by not mentioning politics.

Central American literature has been stereotyped as novels about guerrilla movements, desperation and poverty, Quesada said. And before that, he added, it was novels about "banana republics" with cruel dictators.

"In reality, Central America has lots of diverse literature: novels filled with humor, love, eroticism, science fiction, hope and imagination," Quesada said. "I think Central American authors who write 'emergency literature' served an important function in the past, but now we need to find new ways to express ourselves."

The critically acclaimed Big Banana (a spoof on the Big Apple) follows the struggles of star-gazed Honduran actor Eduardo, his Gringo boss, his true love Mirian, and his other Latino friends trying to get by in New York.
-AFP

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