Heat, Rain, Tiredness Doesn't
Deter Faith
Neither the heat, nor the rain,
nor tiredness could keep the
thousands of faithful away from
making their walk to the
Basílica de Los Angeles en
Cartago in what has become an
annual pilgrimage for the
devoted.
Each year devotees visit "La Negrita", coming from every corner of
the country on foot, to renew their faith while others hoping for a
miracle.
La Negrita offers hope for many. Hope that she will bring them a
miracle.
Today, Sunday, will be the "big" day as most are expected to make
their way go the "La Patrona de Costa Rica".
Authorities expect some 1.5 million to take part in the walk to go
"face to face" with La Negrita.
This year, 80 year old, Fenrando Arce did not make his annual walk
from Tibás, as has been his custom each year, due to a fractured
foot. However, Don Arce did make it by bus and on his knees from the
entrance of the Basilica.
It is traditional to get on one's knees as you enter the Basicila,
all the way to the altar as a form of respect and sacrifice.
The Red Cross, as of 6pm yesterday, reported that they attended a
total of 151 "romeros", mostly for muscle spams.
Slain Chilean
Diplomats Make Their Way Home
The bodies of two of the three Chilean diplomats gunned
down on Tuesday by the policeman who had been their guard for years,
began their journey home to their native land yesterday afternoon.
Both Costa Rica and Chile has mourned the death of the three Chilean
Embassy staff - Cristhian Yuseff, secretaria Rocío Sariego and
Roberto Nieto.
Nieto was cremated in Costa Rica on Thursday and his ashes are with
the family, who will stay in Costa Rica some time longer.
The bodies of the other two were placed in the cargo hold of
TACA flight 651 bound for Chile leaving Costa Rica at 2.35pm,
stopping briefly in Lima, Peru, and scheduled to arrive in Santiago
de Chile sometime after midnight.
Following the incident last Tuesday at the Chilean Embassy, Ministro
de Seguridad Publica, Rogelio Ramos, announced on Friday that a
commission will be created to evaluate the security given to the 36
different foreign embassies in Costa Rica.
Ramos said "the case of Mr. Jiménez is an isolated one, however, we
will not turn our backs and do nothing".
Ramos indicated that the commission will be made of members outside
of his ministry, but experienced in security matters, supervision
and the special needs required by embassies. The commission report
is expected within 30 days.
Ramos added that Costa Rica has an international commitment to
protect foreign diplomats.
Meanwhile, in Chile, the Asociación de Funcionarios Diplomáticos de
Carrera (Adica), in a report by the local newspaper 'La Tercera'
said that the security measures at their embassy in Costa Rica
should be reviewed and changes made to ensure such a tragedy does
not repeat.
Adica also made the statement that Chilean embassies around the
world are being instructed that outside guards not be permitted to
enter the interior of their embassy, even if they are not armed.
At the Chilean Embassy in Costa Rica, members of the Fuerza Publica
assigned to guard the Embassy were able to enter the Embassy armed.
Pair Thrown Off
Plane for Graphic Shirt
The Miami Herald
Two travelers were removed
Saturday from a New York-bound flight at Miami International Airport
because a crew member considered a T-shirt one of them was wearing
obscene.
The couple, making a connecting flight from Costa Rica, claimed
American Airlines violated their constitutional right to free
speech.
They said nobody on the earlier flight objected to the T-shirt that
Oscar Arela was wearing.
"It's a picture of a man and woman, and the woman's breast is
showing," said Arela's girlfriend, Tala Tow, speaking to The Herald
on her cellphone as she was being escorted off the plane. "The
flight attendant basically walked up to us and yelled, `You have to
take off that shirt right now.'
''This is unbelievable. Our rights are being violated,'' she said.
The company, through a spokesman, said crew members acted properly
and had broad authority to enforce standards of common decency.
''The description I heard was a picture of a graphic of a naked man
and woman performing a sexual act,'' airline spokesman Tim Wagner,
said from Fort Worth, Texas. 'We as an airline are in the service
business, and we have the same latitude as a restaurant that says
`proper attire' is required.''
Tow said four Miami-Dade police and three federal security agents
escorted her and Arela off American Airlines Flight 952.
A police supervisor at MIA confirmed police responded to the
incident.
Wagner said the couple had not committed a crime, but could legally
be barred from the flight. He said Arela was given the opportunity
to turn the shirt inside-out or change it.
''At that point, we had to enlist the help of law enforcement,'' he
said. Wagner said the flight was scheduled to depart at 5:56 p.m.
but did not get off the ground until 7:32 p.m. because of the
incident.
Tow said she felt ''humiliated'' because other passengers were
yelling at them to leave before authorities could remove them. She
said the image on her boyfriend's shirt was reproduced from a
Venezuelan record label.
Japan Approved Recycling
Project
The Government of Japan has
approved the project named “Red de reciclaje de Costa Rica (Redcicla)”,
the Japanese Embassy in Costa Rica informing the Fundación Centro de
Productividad Nacional (Ceprona).
The objective of Redcicla is to unite the efforts of the different
recycling groups in various communities, to strengthen their efforts
and take advantage of the experience in recycling.
Later this week the Japanese Embassy will release the dollar amount
to be donated by Japan.
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