After the Storm: Residents of the Caribbean beach of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, returned to their homes yesterday to begin cleaning up the wreckage left by Hurricane Felix as it hit this community on its roar through the Caribbean and Central America earlier this week.

Those from cold climates may be reminded of a Zamboni machine inching along ice when they see it, but a giant new machine at the central Pacific beach of Jacó will instead sweep the sand in an effort to beautify this popular tourist destination.

“Extrabajadoras del Amor ”
Comedy benefit, funds will be donated to the Costa Rican Addiction Rehabilitation Center Association (ACERA), Thursdays 8 p.m.; Sundays 5 p.m., Teatro Chaplin, San José, Paseo de los Estudiantes, 100 m. south, 125 m. east of former AyA building. Info. 825-7948, 363-4964.

Independence Night
Including a the talk “Freedom, Free Your Soul;” dance show by Pacuare Duchí Dance Company, 7 p.m., Auditorio MANA, La Uruca, in front of Pintura Sur Hardware Store. Info: 354-0331, 235-4028.

Televised Debate on CAFTA, Intellectual Property, Health and Medicines
Part of a debate series on the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) sponsored by the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), 7 p.m., broadcasted over Radio Nacional and TV Channel 13.

By John McPhaul
editorial@ticotimes.net

Four more nations joined the growing list of countries aiming to ban cluster bombs, munitions that disperse smaller bomblets with deadly results for civilian populations, during a two-day meeting of Latin American countries that adjourned yesterday in San José.

The 19 countries, along with a number of nonprofits, met to advance the so-called Oslo Process, a campaign launched earlier this year in Norway to ban the bombs, blamed for indiscriminant deaths of civilians.

Representatives of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Uruguay added their countries to the list of 76 nations, including Costa Rica, committed to banning the weapons.

Argentina and Chile announced that they had discontinued production of the bomblets, many of which remain unexploded to later kill or maim innocents, especially children who are attracted by their color and form.

“We have strong statements of support for the Oslo Process from virtually every state here,” said Stephen Goose, executive director of munitions for Human Rights Watch. “The only country not fully on board the Oslo Process aimed at a new treaty banning cluster munitions is Brazil.”

Brazil, a major exporter of cluster munitions, declared at the meeting that it prefers to address the issue though a U.N. process under way.

“The fact that Brazil is participating at all is a major step forward,” said Hildegarde Vansintjan of the nonprofit Belgium-based Handicap International.

Also participating in the meeting as an observer was the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which has donated $500,000 to help clean up cluster munitions that have been used extensively over the years in wars in the Middle East, the Balkans and southeast Asia and were used in Latin America only by the British against Argentina during the Malvinas/Faulklands conflict in 1982.

Two more preparatory meetings are planned to be held in Vienna, Austria, and Wellington, New Zealand, to hammer out a treaty that would be signed in Dublin, Ireland in May, 2008.

By Peter Krupa
Tico Times Staff | pkrupa@ticotimes.net

Knock on wood: The two sides in the long-running dispute over a contract to manage and expand the country's main airport have come to yet another agreement that would have the expansion completed by December.

The Costa Rican government and the banks financing the project both gave ground in coming to the agreement Tuesday, according to the daily La Nación.

The Costa Rican government will, as requested, add five years to Alterra Partners' concession contract to operate the Juan Santamaría International Airport, just outside San José, bringing that contract to 25 years.

Meanwhile, the banks financing Alterra's expansion of the airport – headed up by the International Finance Corporation – will drop a demand that the Costa Rican government put a $9-million cap on the fines that could be levied on Alterra for delays in the project, which includes building five new boarding gates.

All that, of course, is pending approval of the agreement by the Comptroller General's office, which has to OK all government contracts. In 2006, the office rejected three revisions of an addendum designed to balance Alterra's finances to the satisfaction of banks (TT, Aug. 4, 2006).

Those from cold climates may be reminded of a Zamboni machine inching along ice when they see it, but a giant new machine at the central Pacific beach of Jacó will instead sweep the sand in an effort to beautify this popular tourist destination.

Members of the Jacó community are excited to break in their new machine, called “the Beach King,” today during a ceremony with special guest Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides and Garabito Mayor Marvin Elizondo, according to a statement from the event's organizers.

This tractor-like green giant pulls a yellow machine behind it that drags along the beach picking up the garbage that's become a common eyesore at this heavily trafficked beach, where slews of high-rise condominiums going up in all directions suggest even more visitors to come.

Another small machine will weave around trees to pick up smaller garbage, and a crew of four workers have been employed to pick up big debris, such as logs and tires, that the machines can't handle, according to Christina Truitt, co-director of the Central Pacific Chamber of Commerce, which worked with local businesses and the Garabito Municipality to get the project going (TT, Aug. 24).

The $82,000 beach-cleaning machine, which is the only one of its kind in Central America, was donated to the chamber by DayStar Properties, the developer of Diamante del Sol condominiums, according to the statement.

“We're psyched about it,” Truitt said. “It will make our beach look really manicured and groomed.”

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. today in front of the Best Western Hotel.