Two Dissident Deputies Return to PAC
Two of the eight congressional deputies who last month defected from the upstart Citizen Action Party announced yesterday that they will return to the party that got them elected to office.
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Medford Homage Highlights Successful Career
National soccer hero Hernán Medford, at 34 years old, has achieved iconic status in Costa Rican, according to a group of prominent Afro-Costa Ricans, who last Friday hosted an honorary dinner at the Club Uníon de San José to honor his contributions to Tico culture.
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French Business Delegation to Visit C.R.
PANAMA CITY (AFP) -- A delegation of 30 French businesses belonging to the private chamber French Business Movement (known as MEDEF) will travel to Costa Rican and Panama next week to look into the possibility of investing in the two Central American countries.
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Trombone Concert
Enjoy "Martes por la Noche," featuring Trombones de Costa Rica at 7 p.m., room 107, School of Music, University of Costa Rica Campus. Info: 207-4271.

Talk on Taxes in C.R.
By Mr. Rodrigo Bolaños, former president of Canco Central de Costa Rica, at 10:30 a.m., Hotel Radisson, next to the offices of La República newspaper, Barrio Tournón. Info: 224-6644.

Handicrafts Classes
Including quilting, puppets, cloth angels, country painting, hardanger, needlepoint, smock, more. Individual instruction in English or Spanish. In Colima, Tibás, 150 m west of the Cruce Llorente-Colima. Tuesday through Saturday. No registration fee. Info: 236-6937 (business hours), 235-1738 (after hours).

Two Dissident Deputies Return to PAC

Two of the eight congressional deputies who last month defected from the upstart Citizen Action Party announced yesterday that they will return to the party that got them elected to office.

Congresswoman Daisy Quesada and congressman Edwin Patterson said during a press conference yesterday afternoon that, after a period of reflection, they had both decided to abandon the newly formed Patriotic Parliamentary Bloc of dissident lawmakers and return to Citizen Action.

"Only the fools will not return to Citizen Action," Patterson told AFP, adding that it will be easier to work with his old party than with the new voting bloc.

The return to Citizen Action came slightly more than a week after eight of the young movement's 14 congressional deputies defected from the party, claiming they could no longer work for a party that adhered to such a rigid ethics code (TT, Feb. 28).

Party leader and former presidential candidate Ottón Solís said he hoped the departing lawmakers would reconsider their positions and return back to the party.

Now that two have returned, the Citizen Action party is back to eight seats, edging the Patriotic Bloc's six.

Congressman and veteran journalist Humberto Arce, the defacto leader of the Patriotic Bloc, could not be reached for comment by press time.

Medford Homage Highlights Successful Career
By Amanda Schoenberg
aschoenberg@ticotimes.net

Hernán Medford

National soccer hero Hernán Medford, at 34 years old, has achieved iconic status in Costa Rican, according to a group of prominent Afro-Costa Ricans, who last Friday hosted an honorary dinner at the Club Uníon de San José to honor his contributions to Tico culture.

Medford's extraordinary soccer career includes two World Cup performances, one of which was the triumphant last-minute goal in the 1990 World Cup game against Sweden, which put Costa Rican soccer on the map. His played in his last game last January, before hanging up his cleats for good (TT, Jan. 24).

Poet Eulalia Bernard-Little presided over the homage to Medford, which included speeches by Minister of Women's Affairs Esmeralda Britton, Congresswoman Epsy Campbell and Littleton Bolton, president of the Costa Rican Oil Refinery. Medford was also joined by his family, friends and many other well-known soccer greets.

Campbell said Medford's successes have highlighted the strengths of the Afro-Costa Rican community, and asked the audience to continue to recognize the positive achievements within the community and the importance of sports in a democratic nation.

Medford joked that he had never before spent a whole hour listening to praise about himself, and thanked his family, his wife and the Afro-Costa Rican community for supporting him throughout his career.

He said he felt proud to call himself black and mentioned that the only racism he had ever faced during his years as an international player was in Costa Rica.

Bolton and Delia Villalobos, of the Costa Rican Sports Institute (Icoder), presented Medford with a plaque marked with a black star in honor of the Universal Negro Improvement Association-operated Black Star Line steamship company in Limón, which described Medford a "star in our flag."

Bernard-Little read her poem "My Black King," dedicating it to Medford, who she said made the Afro-Costa Rican community proud. She hoped March 7 would continue to celebrate Afro-Costa Rican contributions to sports.

"Being surrounded by my people is very important to me," Medford thanked the crowd.
The retired soccer star now dedicate himself to Saprissa youth leagues, working with young people who have eagerly followed his career and hope to become the next "Medford."

"It is important to be attentive to our young people," he said.