Free Republic

SAN JOSE – Laura Chinchilla, who was elected Costa Rica’s first woman president over the weekend, vowed in her victory speech to open a dialogue with all sectors of society and improve the quality of health care, education and security. “We do not get a blank check from the people to do anything, on the contrary, they have placed very solemn obligations on our shoulders, (such as) serious and permanent dialogue with all the parties and social sectors,” the 50-year-old Chinchilla said. Chinchilla, of the ruling National Liberation Party, or PLN, garnered 46.8 percent of the vote, with 71.1 percent...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Costa Ricans have elected their first woman president as the ruling party candidate won in a landslide after campaigning to continue free market policies in Central America's most stable nation. With most of the votes from Sunday's election counted, Laura Chinchilla held a 22-point lead over her closest rival. Her 47 percent share of the vote was well beyond the 40 percent needed to avoid a run-off. The 50-year-old protege of the current president, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias, promised to pursue the same economic policies that recently brought the country into a trade...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) – A protege of outgoing President Oscar Arias could be elected Costa Rica's first woman head of state on Sunday, though a conservative rival has upped his challenge ahead of the election. Opinion polls show ruling party centrist Laura Chinchilla, who has promised to expand Costa Rica's free trade pacts beyond the Western Hemisphere, within striking distance of the 40 percent of the vote needed to avoid a second round run-off. A late surge by libertarian Otto Guevara, who wants to replace the local currency with the U.S. dollar and crack down on rising crime,...

While riding in a taxi in my native Costa Rica recently, I saw the country’s magnificent new national soccer stadium rising—it is scheduled to open later this year. The Chinese government bankrolled the $83 million stadium project after Costa Rica ended its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and launched official relations with Beijing. Journalists have referred to the stadium as a “gift” from China to Costa Rica. And, as my cab driver told me, the rulers in Beijing sent hundreds of Chinese workers to do the construction work. The Costa Rican soccer stadium is a symbol of Beijing’s growing interest in...

Several years ago, I enjoyed an amazing vacation in Costa Rica. Shortly after I arrived, I found myself reclining in a comfortable leather chair. I leaned back and relaxed, staring at the flawless blue sky and the steep, misty mountains surrounding San Jose. Soft, soothing music played in the background. I was beginning to drift off when a young woman walked over. She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Good afternoon, Jon. I hope you’re comfortable,” she said, in perfect English. “Can I adjust the chair for you? Would you like something to drink?” “No, thank you. I’m just fine.”...

Sanibel, Fla., was one of the first U.S. cities to endorse the Earth Charter nearly a year ago as a part of Earth Day celebrations. It was also the first U.S. city to withdraw its endorsement. This controversial document, promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong for a decade, is seen by many to be an effort to create a new "16 Commandments" to serve as the foundation for a new global religion. Sanibel citizens were not happy about the endorsement. Forty-two citizens and five former mayors signed an open letter, published in a local newspaper, demanding that the endorsement...

When Islamists made their roots south of the border... Venezuela's dictator: H. Chavez that "sees" only money, oil and Anti-Americanism-Power, does "serve" the Islamic Iranian Republic well, giving out passports to anyone. From that "port" it is quite easy for an Islamic Iranian AGENT to arrive into any other Latin American country as a... "Venezuelan". A "random" different case (of a Muslim trying to "blend" into Latin America), a year ago, a Jordanian Arab that "met" a Costa Rican (Tica) girl in Spain (she vouched for him in CR, asw this man came from the area in Jordan where a...

Known as the 'Crocodile Man', Costa Rican animal lover 'Chito' swims, plays and even feeds 'Pocho' the giant crocodile in what is one of the world's most unlikely friendships. Wading chest-deep through the green water in a 100 sq/m lake in Siquirres, this bizarre and dangerous spectacle draws tourists from around the world. Calling quietly for his five metre long 'companion' before thrashing around, lifting his tail and head above the water. 'This is a very dangerous routine but Pocho is my friend and we have a good relationship,' says 52-year-old Chito. 'He will look me in the eye and...

The Highland Park parents of 28-year-old graduate student David Gimelfarb are searching their son after he disappeared while hiking in Costa Rica. The doctoral student who went to South America a week ago was last seen by a park ranger about 10 a.m. on August 11. Gimelfarb was reportedly driving a rented sport-utility vehicle the Parque National Rincon de la Vieja, friend Michael Kipnes told Chicago Breaking News. His parents, Roma and Luda Gimelfarb, have flown to Costa Rica to look for him. "He [Roma] was OK," Kipnis said about his conversation with David's parents. "She's not holding up very...

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu, the government said in a televised statement on Tuesday. Arias fell ill on Sunday, complaining of a sore throat and temperature, Presidential Minister Rodrigo Arias said. A doctor's visit on Tuesday revealed that the president had the H1N1 virus, cases of which had been reported earlier in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose. The president's overall health was good, but following his doctor's advice, he will rest at his home until Sunday, Rodrigo Arias said. The president is expected to return...

Edén Pastora threatened to attack Honduras According to the former military, the Honduran conflict could only be resolved by guns. 18.07.09 - Updated: 18.07.09 06:56 pm - Writing: redaccion@elheraldo.hn Tegucigalpa, Honduras . Former Nicaraguan guerrilla Eden Pastora, threatened to take up arms if there is no agreement in Costa Rica on the return of Manuel Zelaya as president. Pastora, a former Sandinista commander, is known for having led the command that took the National Palace, in the late 70s, during the Somoza dictatorship. See the biography of Eden Pastora According to El Universal of Venezuela, "Commander Zero," he told the...

Al Gore’s campaign against global warming is shifting into high gear. Reporters and commentators follow his every move and bombard the public with notice of his activities and opinions. But while the mainstream media promote his ideas about the state of planet Earth, they are mostly silent about the dramatic impact his economic proposals would have on America. And journalists routinely ignore evidence that he may personally benefit from his programs. Would the romance fizzle if Gore’s followers realized how much their man stands to gain? Earlier this year Gore experienced a notable public relations debacle. The Tennessee Center for...

London, U.K. (AHN) - A research group in Britain has chosen Costa Rica as the happiest place in the world citing its content people, long life expectancy and tiny carbon footprint due to the use of renewable energy.The Central American country topped the Happy Planet Index published on Monday by the New Economics Foundation, a British think-tank. The index measured the ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life-expectancy of 143 countries. According to the HPI, life expectancy in Costa Rica is 78.5 years and 99 percent of its energy comes from renewable resources. NEF started conducting the survey for the HPI in...

I’m under the impression that every time Caribbean and Latin American countries meet with the President of the United States of America it’s to ask for something or complain about things. Almost always it’s to blame the United States for our past, present and future problems. I don’t think that’s completely fair. We mustn’t forget that Latin America had universities before the United States created Harvard or William & Mary, which were the first universities in that country. We can’t forget that on this continent, as well as the world over, at least until 1750 all Americans were more or...

Costa Rica tops the "Happy Planet Index," a ranking of ecological efficiency among the world's nations, survey officials say. Costa Ricans reported the highest life satisfaction and have an average life expectancy second only to Canada, said a release from the New Economics Foundation, a British think tank that promotes ecology and sustainable economics. Nine of the 10 highest-scoring nations were in Latin America, with the United States reportedly "greener and happier" 20 years ago than it is today. Of the 143 nations surveyed for the Happy Planet Index, the United States ranked 114. While ecological progress is being made,...

Note: The following text is a quote: June 24, 2009 46 street gang members and associates arrested in New Jersey-wide operation ICE works with local law enforcement agencies to make arrests NEWARK, N.J. - Forty-six gang members and associates were arrested as a result of a statewide public safety initiative in New Jersey led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Investigation in Newark. The operation ended June 20. Each of those arrested were targeted for their membership, participation or association with violent street gangs. The success of the operation dubbed "Community Shield" was the result of an...

La Prensa (Managua, Nicaragua) 5/7/09 (Full translation of speech by Oscar Arias, President of Costa Rica, at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Trinidad & Tobago on April 18, 2009) “I have the impression that every time Caribbean and Latin American countries get together with the president of the United States of America it is to ask for things or to demand something. Almost always it’s to blame the United States for our past, present and future ills. I don’t believe that is at all just. We cannot forget that Latin America had universities before the United States created...

CHICAGO – A federal judge dashed indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's reality TV dream Tuesday, refusing to give the ousted Democrat permission to travel to Costa Rica to tape a show in the jungle. U.S. District Judge James Zagel refused to modify terms of Blagojevich's bail to allow him to leave the United States, saying he needs to remain in the country to help his attorneys formulate a strategy for his defense. The judge said that would give Blagojevich a better sense of the gravity of the legal problems he faces — including allegations he tried to auction off President...

Just two days after US President Barack Hussein Obama shared a controversial and landmark handshake with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center has released a study analyzing the flowering alliance between the increasingly anti-Western Latin America and the virulently anti-Israel Iran. The study was conducted at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC), a non-governmental organization dedicated to Israeli intelligence and terrorism issues. According to the study, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using anti-Western Hugo Chavez as a springboard into several Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Nicaragua, and...

In the story of the emperor with no clothes, it took someone whose observations are rarely heeded -- a child -- to point out the obvious fact that no one else could acknowledge. In the case of drug policy, it takes people who are usually ignored by Washington policymakers -- Latin Americans -- to perform the same invaluable service. Last week, a commission made up of 17 members, from Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa to Sonia Picado, the Costa Rican who heads the Inter-American Institute on Human Rights, did nothing but admit the truth: The war on drugs is a...

A strong earthquake shook the Costa Rican capital of San Jose Thursday afternoon, sending frightened residents running into streets. There were no reports of injuries in the minutes following the earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude temblor struck 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of San Jose, at a depth of 28 miles (35 kilometers). Canal 7 television showed images of broken windows, fallen ceiling panels and cracked walls. It said the quake was felt strongly throughout the small Central American country.

President George W. Bush cleared the way on Tuesday for Costa Rica to formally join a regional free trade agreement between the United States, the Dominican Republic and four other Central American countries. Bush issued a proclamation that brings the pact into force between the United States and Costa Rica on January 1. "This step marks an important milestone in our relationship with Costa Rica, building on our strong economic and political partnership," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. Costa Rica began negotiations with the United States on the agreement in January 2003, along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua...

I've been looking at the possibility of retirement abroad for some time, so I'm on several e-mailing lists. I've been struck by how quickly a couple of these international agencies have pointed to the financial crisis as a marketing pitch. They're focusing on retirees and near-retirees hit hard by the crisis and encouraging us to consider a much more affordable retirement abroad. Here's the most interesting I've found so far (they even have a price list of common items): http://serenity21.com/ http://serenity21.typepad.com/serenity_real_estate/2008/10/to-north-americ.html http://serenity21.com/why_nicaragua.html http://serenity21.com/pricelist.html Very intriguing. I think there's going to be a big and growing market for them to cater...

Beaches Not for Germ-a-Phobes By Leland Baxter-Neal Tico Times Staff | lbaxter@ticotimes.net Some of the Pacific coast's most popular beaches are dangerously polluted with sewage runoff, according to a broad study by the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA). Water samples taken Aug. 13 show the beaches of Playas del Coco, Playa Tambor and Jacó are hazardous to human health as a result of elevated levels of fecal matter in the ocean.

OAKLAND — A 61-year-old Orinda real estate executive and former Saint Mary's College professor pleaded guilty Friday morning to producing child pornography in a case in which he traveled to Costa Rica to have sex with a 12-year-old girl.Leonard Auerbach faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.No family members or friends attended the hearing. Auerbach, dressed in a red Alameda County Jail jumpsuit, answered the judge's questions with simple "Yes, sir," responses.In April, Auerbach fled the country after charges were initially filed. After being named a "most wanted" fugitive by U.S. Immigration...

Watchdogs Cower in Crime Wave By Nick Wilkinson Tico Times Staff | nwilkinson@ticotimes.net It was just their third neighborhood watch meeting when four local gang members showed up, pointed menacingly at their eyes and then their mouths. Sibling Crime Fighters: Lillian and Victor Saborio, siblings from different neighborhoods in Cuatro Reinas de Tibas, discuss the crime problem and what they're doing about it. Click here for a photo report. Ronald Reyes | Tico Times “The message was clear,” says Barbi Mora, leader of the neighborhood watch in Leon XIII de Tibás, a neighborhood on the north side of San José...

BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION ONE-E ADVISORY NUMBER 1 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP012008 800 PM PDT WED MAY 28 2008 ...TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS NEAR COSTA RICA...EXPECTED TO BRING HEAVY RAINS TO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AMERICA... AT 8 PM PDT...0300 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF COSTA RICA HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE PACIFIC COAST OF COSTA RICA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE PACIFIC COAST OF NICARAGUA DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FOR STORM...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - An American in Costa Rica was caught smuggling nearly a pound of cocaine (0.4 kg) in his stomach after he went into convulsions on a plane bound for Miami, police said on Friday. The 22-year-old man swallowed dozens of capsules stuffed with the drug before boarding a plane on Thursday in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose. Police said he started to vomit and convulse before the plane took off and was rushed to a hospital where he was still recovering on Friday. "They had to open him up too remove the capsules," said...

By a razor-thin margin last week, Costa Ricans approved their country's entry into the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which they've been told will bring all kinds of benefits to their economy. But nearly half of voters in that U.S.-friendly country viewed CAFTA as a bad idea. We've long supported free trade and hope that, with Costa Rica's approval, the pact will make commerce easier among the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. But the growing skepticism about free trade across the Americas, including in the U.S., suggests the results have fallen short of expectations....

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Ricans prepared on Monday to join a controversial free trade agreement with Central American neighbors, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. after a thin majority apparently backed the pact in a national referendum. But even Sunday's vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement did not end a yearlong battle over the agreement. Opponents said they will wait for a mandatory recount, set to begin Tuesday, before recognizing the referendum's results. The ballot-by-ballot recount is required by Costa Rican law, and can last no longer than two weeks. With 97 percent of precincts...

The President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, has said the country has given its backing to a free trade agreement with the United States. With most of the votes counted, Mr Arias said the treaty had been narrowly approved in a referendum. The treaty gives Costa Rica greater access to the US market. Opponents of the deal fear increased competition could ruin the country's successful economy and put the welfare system at risk. "The people of Costa Rica have said yes to the free trade agreement, and that for me is a sacred wish," Mr Arias said in a televised...

SAN JOSE: Costa Rica's president Oscar Arias declared victory Sunday in his drive to join a free trade deal with the United States, announcing on television that voters had backed it in a referendum. "The people of Costa Rica have said yes to the free trade agreement, and that for me is a sacred wish," Arias said in a televised address to the nation after Costa Ricans voted in their tens of thousands on the measure. Earlier partial results showed that with 73 per cent of votes counted, just over 50 per cent of voters said yes to the agreement...

Democracy in Central America's most stable country is rocking on its foundations. On Sunday, Costa Rica will vote on a free trade agreement with the United States. The country is so divided that everyone is worried about the future, whatever the result of the referendum. Demonstrations in every corner of Costa Rica have dominated the national debate for months. With flags bearing a heart in the colours of the national flag, protestors formed the word "No". No to CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which gives Central American countries a special status in economic relations with the US. Thousands...

America's only socialist senator traveled to Costa Rica last week, but it wasn't to work on strengthening ties between our two nations. Vermont's Bernie Sanders went to San José with Rep. Mike Michaud (D., Maine) to aid the local opposition to the U.S-Central American Free Trade Agreement, which has not yet been ratified by that country. The congressional visit was strategically timed. As one of seven signatories to Cafta, and the only one that hasn't made it official, Costa Rica has only until Feb. 29 to adopt ...the pact. But first it must be ratified... The Costa Rican Congress has...

February 23, 2007 A US tourist realized a robbery wasn't a joke when a masked robber put a gun to her head and a military veteran in her tour group grabbed the young assailant and killed him with his bare hands. "I thought it was a skit. But then he pointed the gun at my head and grabbed me by the throat and I thought I was going to die," Clova Adams, 54, told The Associated Press by telephone from the Carnival Liberty cruise ship on Friday, two days after the thwarted robbery. The assault took place during a ship...

LIMA, Peru -- Ten Iraqi citizens with forged passports are in a Peruvian prison after an apparent bid to enter the United States on a flight to Los Angeles, officials here say...One of the men arrested is thought to have links to al Qaeda, said Peruvian National Police Col. Roberto Lujan...The plot unfolded June 21, when three Iraqis entered Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima attempting to board a flight to Los Angeles. Airline officials alerted police after two of the men holding Dutch passports could not speak Dutch. Citizens of the Netherlands are not required to hold a visa...

Sinister Deceptions of Abortion Groups in Latin America Exposed A history of the infamous case of "Rosita" By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman Part II of a III part series: Part I: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/aug/07081602.htmlPart III: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/aug/07081604.htmlMANAGUA, August 16, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The political crisis surrounding "Rosita" began when two pro-abortion feminists, Marta Maria Blandon and Lorna Norori, discovered the existence of the pregnant girl at a Costa Rican hospital through media reports.  Blandon was the Central American Director of the US-based organization Ipas, which is a major promoter of abortion worldwide.  Noroni was a therapist, who ironically claims to specialize in child sexual...

The United Nations' Cash for Kim Jong Il scandal is now six months old, so it's a good time to assess progress, if that's the right word. The evidence of misdeeds at the U.N. Development Program in North Korea continues to mount, but there's still no "urgent" and "external" inquiry, as ordered by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in January. Now the U.S. has uncovered evidence that in addition to transferring millions of dollars in cash that may have gone to help prop up Kim's grotesque regime, the UNDP also transferred dual-use technology. It did so without bothering to secure a U.S....

Via translation - Possible retensión of hostages in embajda of Russia San jOse. - Police Authorities have surrounded from 12:45 p.m., the building of the embassy of Russia, in the environs of the Church Santa Teresita, where it is presumed that a armed man entrance and would be retaining personnel of the diplomatic seat.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — An American senior citizen killed an alleged mugger with his bare hands, and his traveling companions aboard a tour bus fended of two other assailants in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, police said. A retired member of the U.S. military aged about 70 put suspect Warner Segura in a head lock and broke his clavicle after the 20-year-old and two other men armed with a knife and gun held up their tour bus, Luis Hernandez, the police chief of Limon, 80 miles east of San Jose, said Thursday. Segura was later declared dead, apparently...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) -- A tour bus of U.S. senior citizens defended themselves against a group of alleged muggers, sending two of them fleeing and killing a third in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, police said on Thursday. One of the tourists _ a retired member of the U.S. military aged about 70 _ put assailant Warner Segura in a head lock and broke his clavicle after the 20-year-old and two other men armed with a knife and gun held up their tour bus Wednesday, said Luis Hernandez, the police chief of Limon, 80 miles east of...

A tour bus of US senior citizens defended themselves against a group of alleged muggers, sending two of them fleeing and killing a third in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, Costa Rica police said on Thursday. One of the tourists - a retired member of the US military - put assailant Warner Segura in a head lock and broke his clavicle after the 20-year-old and two other men armed with a knife and gun held up their tour bus Wednesday, said Luis Hernandez, the police chief of Limon, 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of San Jose. The two other...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) -- A tour group of U.S. senior citizens fought off a band of muggers in eastern Costa Rica, ... One of the tourists -- a retired U.S. serviceman ... in his 70s -- allegedly put Warner Segura in a headlock and broke his clavicle ... "It was a group of 12 senior citizens from the United States who were going to spend a few hours in the area, but their tour bus entered a dangerous sector known as Cieneguita",

Latin America: politics, poverty and crime To desperate Nicaraguans, the prosperity of neighbouring Costa Rica makes it seem an accessible El Dorado. They can enter its labour market just by boarding a bus. But Costa Rica can barely cope with the influx. THEY waited at the intersection of two alleyways, as they do late every Monday afternoon. The entire population of the village of Santa Rosa del Peñon, in northern Nicaragua — the old, along with women and children — hoped for news from Costa Rica. When the post office truck raced up in a cloud of dust, there was...

Last Two Embassies Move to Tel Aviv Both El Salvador and Costa Rica, the last two bastions of political recognition of Israel’s capital, have decided to move their embassies from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. They, like many other nations, succumbed to pressure from Arab and Moslem nations which refuse to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or deal with countries who do.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - U.S. Coast Guards have seized a submarine carrying 3.5 tons of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica and arrested three Colombians on board, the Costa Rican Coast Guard said on Sunday. The submarine appeared to be a makeshift vessel unlike military submarines or those used by oceanographers. It could only submerge 6 feet under water, Costa Rican Coast Guard spokesman Jose Antonio Fallas told Reuters.

71 Year Old Man Has To Wait To 2009 For a Medical Appointment Nelson Castro thought he was a victim of a practical joke. But, soon the 71 year old man, learned that the appointment he was given to see a urologist on April 20, 2009 at the Pérez Zeledón, was in fact real. "I burst out laughing at first, then realized the vulgarity and the mockery", said Castro, who is suffering from an inflammation of the prostate which will get worse with time.

SAN FRANCISCO High in a downtown hotel, Nicaraguan folk dancers twirl in lacy white dresses, their bare feet tapping intricate rhythms on the wooden stage, giving their buttoned-down audience a bit of tropical warmth on a foggy afternoon. Their flounce and easy smiles before this roomful of travel experts are part of an effort to promote Nicaragua to Americans who might choose to retire there, attracted by its pristine beaches and colorful culture. And then there are the tax breaks and other incentives that baby boomers are likely to find even sweeter than the tropical fruits the dancers carefully balance...

El Salvador announced on Friday that it would relocate its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. The Central American country became the only country in the world with an embassy in Israel's capital on August 16, when Costa Rica announced it was moving its embassy to Tel Aviv. El Salvador's foreign ministry issued a statement saying that the decision was made in light of the present situation in the Middle East. Israel annexed eastern Jerusalem after capturing it from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War and claims all of the city as its capital. The Palestinians...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - John Mark Karr bragged to his landlord's wife that sexually, he was "like a wolf," and said he "liked little boys and girls" when he worked in Costa Rica as an English teacher, his former housemates told The Associated Press. Karr, now jailed in the United States after his arrest in Thailand, faces a Colorado warrant for the 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey. Karr traveled around the world in recent years, including brief stays in Honduras and Costa Rica, where he rented a room in 2004 from Canadian John Hall, who now teaches at...