Costa Rica Digest, Dec. 6

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Costa Rica News Digest
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TODAY'S CONTENTS
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*News Digest

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LUXURY OFFICES FOR RENT IN SAN PEDRO!
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FEATURE ARTICLE
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WHAT'S NEW AT THE COSTA RICA PAGE!
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Our real estate section has just been totally updated with lots of
new listings, mostly in the residential real estate section, but also
we have a new rental on the rental page and some new additions to the
land for sale section.

http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/real.htm

We are adding new things every day, and when our merger comes with
COSTARICACENTER.COM, we will have a fully operational Mercado Central
for you to buy Costa Rican products over the internet from local merchants
[if you have a reputable business here, and want to sell through the
Mercado, just let us know. We can help you to accept credit cards and
all the major e-currencies on the net! We break through the Great Barrier
that many Costa Rican merchants face getting their products on the net!].

Hotels and tourist businesses will be able to add their own links, and you
will be able to place your own online classifieds and MUCH MUCH MORE!

Watch this newsletter for our official launch, coming soon!

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DISCUSSION
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NEWS DIGEST
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*Amateur From Connecticut Hits Jackpot at
Poker Tour International Texas Hold 'Em Tournament

Amateurs went head to head with pros competing for a silver tray of cash, a

pot worth over $200,000, at the Poker Tour International (PTI) Costa Rica

Texas Hold 'Em Classic Saturday at the Aurola Holiday Inn Hotel in San José
..

Leaving the poker faces to the professionals, amateur card sharp Craig Laing

scooped up the largest prize pool ever given in Costa Rica with wild west

swagger. He had come back from just one chip in the middle of the
tournament,

but he had "decided not to give up," he said, posing with arms raised above

his head for the national and international television cameras.

The three who faced off at the final table among 110 contestants were second

place winner Chris Thomas, of Georgia, who had bought into an online game on

Partypoker.com just weeks before for $22 and ended up with over $50,000

Saturday, and Patty Gallagher, of California, professional poker player and
3

rd place winner of both the 2002 and 2004 World Series of Poker Las Vegas

Tournaments, among others.

Rounding off the top six, in order, were John Stolzmann of Wisconsin ,

Jouseph Masoudnia of San José , and David Hixson of Florida . Nine more

prizes were given, totaling 15 in all. Top three winners were also given

seats to the next PTI tournament to be held in the Dominican Republic .

The top two winners, Laing and Thomas, were sponsored by Partypoker.com.
This

was the first tournament in which Thomas had competed, and he said the money

he paid to buy in online was the "best $22 I ever spent."

This was PTI's second tournament, part of a Latin American series that mixes

the pros and amateurs for a weekend vacation and card games.

Lending their star power to the event, among the popular professional
players

who faced off with amateurs and online favorites were Ted Lawson, winner of

2004 World Series of Poker Omaha jackpot of $500,000, Phil Laak, dubbed the

"Unabomber" for his hood and sunglasses at the table, the sixth place winner

of the World Poker Tour Bicycle Casino and Bellagio Tournaments, both in

2003, Lee Watkinson, now rated #1 in the world by Bluff Magazine and among

the top 10 in every major ranking system, Costa Rica's Humberto Brenes and

José Rosenkrantz, who pioneered Texas Hold 'Em in Costa Rica, and Vinny

Napolitano, winner of PTI's Inaugural Grand Bahama Royal Oasis Tournament.

Florida-based PTI is owned and managed by Steve Kates, Watkinson, Lawson,

Brenes, and others.

Laak, "the Unabomber" came with his girlfriend the Hollywood actress
Jennifer

Tilly, who also competed.

"Phil taught me everything I know and I busted out on the first day," she

said.

This was the first time the winners had visited Costa Rica , and Laak's
third

visit to the country all three related to cards. About the explosion of the

game's popularity, he said he "doesn't know when the insanity will end," but

with the number of tournaments offered now, "every month people turn into

millionaires."

The event was sponsored by Costa Rican online gambling corporation SBG

Global.com, PartyPoker.com, and the Royal Oasis Golf Resort & Casino. For

more information on this tournament and others, contact

www.pokertourinternational.com or 001-954-923-4343.



*A Slap in the Face, Jailed Presidents Receive Pensions
In the year 1988, legislators created the law that guaranteed former

presidents "una vida digna" - a dignified life - after leaving the

presidential chair.

The regulation allows former presidents a "pension for life" of ¢1.229.518

colones (us$2.700) per month plus specified expenses that could easily top

the ¢2.000.000 colones (us$4.400) per month.

The pension is adjusted periodically, tied to adjustments made to
legislative

deputy salaries.

So, with the law, that most Costa Ricans were not aware of, former
presidents

Miguel Angel Rodríguez (1998-2004)and Rafael Angel Calderón (1990-1994), who

are currently in the La Reforma prison in preventive detention accused of

corruption, are collecting a monthly paycheck.

When the law was conceived, no one would have 'thunk' that a former
president

would have or could have been accused of any wrongoing as is the current
case

and thus no provision was made in the law that would see the pension taken

away under any circumstance.

"The right to receive the pension is untouchable and cannot be lost in any

way", expressed Rodrigo Alberto Carazo, a legislative deputy with the
Partido

Acción Ciudadana (PAC).

Calderón is linked to the Fischel-Caja scandal, where he is accused of

receiving part of the us$9 million dollar commission paid on the us$39

million dollar loan from the government of Finland to the Caja Costarricense

de Seguro Social.

Rodríguez, for his part, is tied to the ICE-Alcatel scandal, where his
former

Minister and friend, José Antonio Lobo, told the Fiscalía that the former

president received part of a payment made to him from the Acatel contract to

install 400.000 GSM telephone lines while Rodríguez was president. Rodríguez

is also being investigated for receiving a multimillion dollar payment from

the government of Taiwan and linked to receiving payment on the underground

electrification contract for San José while in office.

The pensions paid to Calderón and Rodriguez, as well as other former

presidents, including José María Figueres Olsen, who is refusing to return
to

Costa Rica to answer questions over his role in receiving us$900.000 from

Alcatel for consulting fees, are for life and will be continued to be paid
to

them even if they are found guilty.

For their part, former presidential candidate and legislative deputy, José

Miguel Corrales del Partido Liberación (PLN) and legislative deputy,
Federico

Malavassi del Movimiento Libertario (ML), are pleading for a change in the

law, however, any changes will not be retroactive.


*Closed Helmets Out; Identifying Vests In For Motorcyclists

The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) has backed down on a

law that was supposed to have come into effect yesterday (Sunday) that would

prohibit "closed" helmets worn by motorcyclists.

MOPT chief, Randall Quirós, sent a notice to all Transit officers not to

enforce the law that would have seen motorcyclists fined ¢5.000 colones

(us$11) for wearing a closed helmet.

However, the MOPT has decided to replace the regulation with one that will

see all motorcyclists wear a vest with the plate number clearly identified
on

the back. The regulation is prepared and is waiting publication in the

official newspaper "La Gaceta".

The concept is to easily identify the motorcyclist in the commission of a

crime, the original reason for the prohibition of the closed helmet.

Motorcycles are used in the commission of many crimes, including as a
getaway

vehicle in bank robberies and several murders, where the rider comes up to

his victim and then speeds off.


*ARCOS Network Suffers Two Fiber Cuts

The Americas Region Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS) suffered two

separate undersea fiber cuts within days of each other, affecting services
to

seven Latin American countries.

New World Network, the principal owner of ARCOS, said services to Belize,

Nicaragua, Panama and Colombia have already been restored.

Emergency repair crews continue working around-the-clock to fully restore

services over the ARCOS network to Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica.

ARCOS is one two undersea cables that connects Costa Rica to the world.
Both,

the MAYA1 cable that runs a slightly different route than the ARCOS provide

telecommunications - both telephone and internet - connecting in Florida,

U.S.

"This is the first time in our company's history that we have experienced

nearly simultaneous cuts on the same ring," said Fred Wiener, president and

CEO of New World Network.

"Our system is designed for automatic protection and restoration against a

single cut, and the system performed perfectly following the initial fiber

fault."

The first of the two unrelated cable cuts occurred Nov. 11 in an undersea

fiber cable between Cancun, Mexico, and Miami, Florida, in the United
States.

The cut occurred in relatively shallow waters about 12 km east of Cancun.


*Holiday Season Shopping Underway

Holiday shopping in Costa Rica is in full swing, with today getting a boost

as government employees get their "aguinaldo" - their Christmas bonus.

The malls and shopping centres were brimming over the weekend with shoppers

looking for the perfect Christmas gift and/or taking advantage of the many

special promotions and pricing at just about every retailer, all bidding to

get a cut of the pie.

Multiplaza in Escazú and many other malls have extended their hours, closing

at 9pm every night, including Sundays. Hipermas, the giant multi department

retailer was filled to capacity, with every cashier busy ringing up sales.

Traffic around the rotundas on the south side of San José - the circular

roadway that moves traffic from multiple intersections - was heavy,
requiring

Transit officials at key point to move traffic along.

Traditionally, Costa Ricans begin their holiday shopping in October as many

retailers announce their holiday "lay away" plans. But, it is the first week

in December, when the aguinaldo is in their hands, that the season really

kicks off.

The rush is expected to continue right up to December 24.



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