Rubbing Shoulders: Spanish King Juan Carlos (left) talked with (left to right) Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, Panamanian Vice-President Samuel Lewis and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet during the closing session of the Latin American-Iberian Summit in Chile Saturday.

Despite the announcement more than two weeks ago that ocean waters in Tamarindo are polluted, Rodrigo Acuña, of the Santa Cruz office of the Public Health Ministry, said Friday that the ministry will be “moving slowly” in dealing with the problem.

National Theater Company Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Gala celebration, free admission, 7 p.m., Melico Salazar Theater, Ave. 2, Calle Ctrl.

“Mary Poppins”
Musical performed by 4 th -6 th grade students at Saint Anthony School, 7 p.m., Eugene O'Neill Theater, Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center (CCCN), Barrio Dent, San José. Info: 297-4500. 

U.S. Embassy and Consulate Closed
In celebration of U.S. Veteran's Day, the U.S. Embassy and Consulate will be closed and will reopen with their regular office hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., tomorrow.

The U.S. Embassy announced Friday that U.S. Ambassador Mark Langdale will be leaving his post in Costa Rica to head up the George W. Bush Presidential Library beginning Jan. 1, 2008.

Langdale will supervise the daily operations of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, including hiring staff and overseeing the library's construction on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, according to a statement from the embassy.

The embassy did not release any information Friday about who will take Langdale's place as U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica.

“I'm anxious to supervise the library foundation to develop a presidential library that will give historians access to important documents and information about the 43 rd U.S. President,” Langdale said in the statement.

Through the foundation, Langdale also hopes to “offer a space for world leaders, scholars and experts to discuss, debate and advance on public policy ideas,” the statement said.

Langdale and Bush have been friends for 20 years, since they met as neighbors in Dallas, Texas.

The ambassador practiced law in Houston, Texas, before co-founding the satellite communications company CapRock Communications Corp. He has also acted as president of the Texas Department of Economic Development and as president of Posadas USA Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of the Mexican hotel operator Grupo Posadas.

He and his wife Patty have two children. During his stint as ambassador here, Langdale focused on pushing Costa Rica to approve the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), which was passed in a nationwide referendum last month.

-Tico Times

The Caribbean was hit with flooding over the weekend that affected about 8,000 people, according to a statement from the National Emergency Commission (CNE).

A cold front dumped intense rain over the canton of Matina, where about 30 communities were flooded. The commission opened eight shelters in the canton, and about 400 people were staying in them yesterday.

The communities of Banasol, Agrodisa, La Luisa and Anabelle were left inaccessible after roads leading to them washed out. The commission had to deliver emergency supplies to these areas via helicopter and boat.

In the canton of Limón centro, two communities became isolated. Shelters in Villa Plata and Cieneguita are housing a total of about 30 people.

The canton of Talamanca also saw significant flood damage, forcing about 60 people to head to a temporary shelter, the statement said.

The CNE maintains a red alert for the canton of Matina, while the rest of the Caribbean is under a yellow alert and a green alert is in place for the southern Pacific.

The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) predicts the cold front to continue today, bringing more rain to the Caribbean, Northern Zone, central Pacific and Central Valley.

-Tico Times

By Dave Sherwood
Tico Times Staff | dsherwood@ticotimes.net