Costa Rica’s three-pronged strategy, plus international cooperation, has this Central American nation scoring high in the region when it comes to fighting international organized crime – mainly drug trafficking.In this context, national police forces – the only security bodies in the country, since Costa Rica’s army was abolished more than six decades ago – work tightly coordinated, as well as with security forces in other countries, mainly the United States, Colombia and Panama.The successful Tico approach has placed Costa Rica for the past several years as the region’s leader in drug confiscation and in cracking down on both local and international narco-structures, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.Public Security Ministry figures for last year (Jan. 1-Dec. 22) put cocaine confiscation at the unprecedented level of just over 26 metric tons – more than half of the 52 metric tons captured by the previous administration from February 2010 to February 2014.The number of dismantled drug gangs last year was 126, and more than 50,000 arrests were made.In its anti-drug offensive, the ministry’s main police bodies – the National Police, Coast Guard and Air Surveillance Service – are coordinated through a fairly new plan known as Operaciones Mar, Aire, Tierra (Sea, Air, Land Operations, or OPMAT).The program, launched in May of last year by the current administration, focuses on the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, with special attention on Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific Zone.Caribbean waters are one of the northward routes for cocaine from South America, as well as the westward trail for marihuana coming from Jamaica, while the Pacific is another major path for U.S.-bound cocaine. A Coast Guard officer surveys the Angel del Mar II, one of two fishing boats captured by authorities in May 2014 carrying 1.9 metric tons of cocaine. (Courtesy Public Security Ministry)Col. Martín Arias, head of the Coast Guard, describes OPMAT as a crucial component in the anti-drug success of the three police forces.“This combined operation is giving us very good results,” Arias noted.“We have the same radio frequency, the same work procedure, and the same communications system – with the codes we use – and that gives us these results,” he explained, adding that “no sooner an alert goes off – any of the three forces shoots an alert – and all the others react.”Said Arias: “If we see an increase in drug confiscations, it isn’t that there are more drugs, or that the country has been invaded” by drug traffickers, as many speculate.“It’s because of the efficiency due to equipment, information exchange [and] support from the Americans. That has made us more efficient,” he said.“A few years back, we were capturing less, but the loads were similar – production in Colombia and Perú was similar – but we had less capability to capture,” Arias said. “So, you capture more because you’re more efficient.”Arias noted that the damage caused last year to organized crime “has been very high.”The focus on the Southern Pacific Zone responds to the fact that “it poses the most problems we’ve been having,” he said.Arias believes a regional problem such as drug trafficking merits regional security action.Recommended: Drug traffickers lure Costa Rica’s struggling coastal fishermen with offers of easy money Costa Rican Coast Guard officers survey a boat en route to Guatemala from Colombia that authorities believe carried over 1.3 metric tons of cocaine on April 9, 2014. (Courtesy Public Security Ministry)Reflecting on international cooperation, the Coast Guard chief said that “the drug trafficking issue is a regional one, and we, the security forces, also have to act in a regional way. And that’s what we’re doing with Colombia, with Panama, and with the United States.“With Colombia, we constantly have communication. We talk up to three times a day, and sometimes even more, depending on the case,” he said.In some cases, the Colombian intelligence service learns there will be drugs moved by sea, close to Costa Rican shores, and an alert is issued giving a possible route.“Colombia has extraordinary intelligence teams. … When they give us information, we know it’s a sure thing,” he said, adding that, “It’s thanks to the evolution we’ve had in the atmosphere of trust we have with them. This is all about trust.”The South American nation also cooperates in training Costa Rica’s police, and in the case of the Coast Guard, almost 60 percent of its sailors were trained by Colombian instructors both in Costa Rica and in Colombia, he said.Costa Rican police officers – mostly from the National Police force – also are trained by Panamanian instructors. Such is the case of 44 officers of the National Police’s Operations Support Group, or GAO, who graduated in September 2014 from the first international course on Police Motorcycle Operations.The course, aimed at improving Costa Rican elite police officers’ techniques, was provided by the National Police of Panama’s “Lince” Motorcycle Police Service, with support from the U.S.During the graduation ceremony, Public Security Minister Celso Gamboa said the officers “will be a tool … that enables Costa Rica to achieve all our goals,” making it possible for “the people to exercise their rights and freedoms, and weeding out … homicide and crime.”The government’s aim is “to gradually improve the quality of service regarding citizen safety,” and the message conveyed through the training of the GAO officers – whom he described as “an elite group” – is that “Costa Rica needs to improve, to strengthen its National Police.” Some of the 1.9 metric tons of cocaine Coast Guard officers uncovered hidden in the hauls of two Costa Rican fishing boats caught off the shores of Golfito, on the country’s southern Pacific coast in May 2014. (Courtesy Public Security Ministry)Also speaking at the ceremony, police chief Juan José Andrade said the aim of the course was to “develop better techniques” in police work, which “led us to knock on the doors of countries that are our friends.”Regarding specific international anti-drug cooperation with Costa Rica, in Arias’ view, Colombia and the United States are “two outstanding countries, … our friends who give us the biggest support.“Of course, the United States has never left us aside,” he said, adding that over the past several years “they’ve been investing large amounts of money – not all that we’d want, but, yes, they provide us with very important support in equipment, vessels, motors and training.”Arias also highlighted a joint patrol agreement between the U.S. and Costa Rica that has been in force since October 1999 in a combined effort to combat drug trafficking at sea. He said the agreement has contributed significantly to this country’s effective action in fighting drug trafficking. The coast guards of both Costa Rica and the United States participate in that agreement.Related: Costa Rica Coast Guard confiscates 810 kilos of cocaine near Quepos Facebook Comments Related posts:Dutch seize huge cocaine shipment hidden in cassava roots from Costa Rica In ‘Narcos,’ Netflix recreates Pablo Escobar’s world After 23 years in prison, top assassin for Pablo Escobar is a ‘reformed’ man US seizes $12 million of drugs in Caribbean
Source = e-Travel Blackboard: G.A The Asian travel industry considers social media a key branding and marketing tool, and as such investment in social media will grow, revealed a recent survey.98 per cent of travel industry respondents to an online ITB Asia survey indicated they will increase or at least maintain their social media spend in 2011.Some 56 per cent of the 212 travel industry repsondents said they would increase their investment in social media while 42 per cent said they would maintain budget levels.Despite this commitment to social media investment, respondents said they expected to allot less than five per cent of their total marketing budget on social media.Almost half the survey respondents claimed it is simply too early to tell if social media is helping to increase profits or reduce costs. The organiser of ITB Asia’s travel technology show, Web In Travel, Yeoh Siew Hoon said that the perception of the worth of social media has changed in a relatively short time.“At last year’s Web In Travel, most people dismissed social media as hype but this year, there was real and serious discussion about its use in all forms of communication and marketing,” she said.According to the survey, social media is crucial to attracting new business, said 81 per cent of survey respondents.Almost 74 cent said social media was a “very” or “fairly important” tool to maintain existing business. The number one reason to use social media is to enhance the brand name, second is to create financial returns and third is to boost marketing campaigns.“Social media is yet another new component added to the spectrum of marketing tools available and necessary,” a survey respondent said.“There is no way to stay out of it, especially in regard to future customers.” The ITB Asia social media survey took place between 16 September and 26 October 2010.
MasterChef is adding spice to Western Australia tourism, with up to six million viewers watching the first three episodes of the show filmed in the state.Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the “bold initiative” to bring the television show to WA “hailed an overwhelming success”, as publicity equated worth of up to $9 million. “Although the third WA episode only went to air Tuesday night the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” the Minister said. “That modest investment has already been returned many times over through the millions of dollars worth of promotion the State has received.” Sunrise Dam gold mine near Laverton, Clairault Winery and Busselton’s famous jetty the three attractions in WA to feature in the series which is aired nation-wide. Minister Dames added that the cooking show’s publicity does not include other marketing activities to promote tourism into the region, with the government organising radio promotions in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as well as a South-West food feature in the June edition of MasterChef.Tourism WA cinema ads have also features across TV stations in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, while the tourism bureau has also unveiled a partnership with Qantas Holidays to promote a gourmet Margaret River holiday package.“WA has so much to offer, and the more national and international audiences we can reach through these media visits the more tourists we will attract, and that’s a win-win for everyone.” Source = e-Travel Blackboard: N.J
The 5: Takeaways from the Coyotes’ introduction of Alex Meruelo For Michael Floyd, to say this season has been a bumpy one would be an understatement.He entered the year with incredibly high expectations after a strong finish to 2015 led into a contract year in 2016, only to struggle with consistency and drops.His role seemed to decrease, and though his Arizona coaches and teammates continued to express confidence in him, it was turning into a year to forget.Then, Floyd hit his low point, getting arrested on DUI charges on December 12 in Scottsdale. Comments Share Top Stories New England Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd stretches while warming up during an NFL football practice, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) The Cardinals, who were 5-7-1 at the time, released him a couple days later, though soon after he was claimed by the New England Patriots.New England finished with a 14-2 regular season record — the best mark in the NFL — so it’s safe to say things have taken a turn for the better for the 27-year-old former first-round pick.“The hot and cold, that’s for sure,” Floyd joked at Super Bowl Media Day Monday when asked what the difference is between Arizona and New England. “But nah, it’s two different organizations. They run it totally different.“I’m not going to bash on either one of them; I love both places and I’m excited that I’m here now.”In 12 games with the Cardinals this season, Floyd caught 33 passes for 446 yards and four touchdowns. He appeared in just two regular season games for the Patriots, catching four passes for 42 yards and one score, and was active for the team’s Divisional Round win over Houston but caught just one of three targets for nine yards.Floyd was inactive for the AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh, and it would not seem likely that he will be in uniform Sunday when the Patriots take on the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
But whether he plays or not, Floyd is now part of a team that is preparing to play for the sport’s biggest prize, and should the Patriots come out on top, will be in line for a Super Bowl ring.He would also be able to call himself a champion, which is something that seemed incredibly unlikely back in mid-December.“I feel like I’m in a good position right now,” he said. “Obviously it’s pretty tough at times when you make a transition at the end of the year to a different team and you have to learn and pick up very quickly on a whole new offense, but with the guys that we have on this team helping me out every single day, and me taking the time to put the work in and get the playbook down, is a good thing for me.”SportsRadio610’s Garret Heinrich contributed to this report– / 3 Derrick Hall satisfied with D-backs’ buying and selling Former Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson retires Grace expects Greinke trade to have emotional impact
by Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press Posted Dec 6, 2017 8:35 am PDT Last Updated Dec 6, 2017 at 9:40 am PDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email In this Nov. 14, 2017 photo, Kiss frontman Gene Simmons poses for a portrait in New York to promote his book, “On Power.” (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP) With a small book, Gene Simmons is ready to make you rich
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Gene Simmons wants you to be rich and powerful, but it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to learn English, wake up early, turn off the TV and study.“I want to shake you up and tell, you a real harsh truth: The world doesn’t need you,” he says. “The only way you’re going to become rich and powerful is if you stand up on your hind legs. You’re only going to get the respect you demand.”Simmons, the co-founder and bassist for the rock band Kiss, is brutal in his advice: Women, choose between a career or a family. Guys, get rid of your worthless friends. Above all, don’t listen to the self-esteem movement or be politically correct. Simmons is here to demand that you drop and give him 20.“I want to be your drill sergeant and piss you off so that you wake up and smell the coffee and go out there and become that rich and powerful person you deserve to be,” he says. “You cannot fail in America.”Why should you listen to this guy, someone who has spent much of his adult life slathered in scary makeup, in towering platform boots, wagging his tongue onstage and singing songs like “Lick It Up”?Because he’s also an entrepreneur who came to America with no money and no English. He’s become, he says, a millionaire with a hand in a restaurant franchise, a wealth management services firm and a magazine, among others. “You don’t have enough hours in the day to understand what I do,” he says.Now Simmons is ready to reveal the principles he’s learned in his book, “On Power,” part guidebook, part self-help manual, with several profiles of people we should admire, like Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffett. It’s a small book, and that’s on purpose. “You can take it to the pooper with you,” he explains.Jessica Sindler, his editor, called working with Simmons “without a doubt a memorable experience” and that all the concepts in the book came from him. “They’re based on the way he lives his life and runs his career. He is very much a man who practices what he preaches.”In person, Simmons is a jokester and a wordsmith who clearly loves attention. He wags his impressive tongue to whoever asks and glad-hands strangers like a politician. He likes to wear a ball cap decorated with a picture of a sack of money that he’s trademarked. He puns outrageously (“Close but no guitar,” he says at one point. “See what I did there?”).Simmons cheerfully poses for selfies, interrupts conversations and likes to take candid photos of people he encounters who are lost in their phones. “Every once in a while, look up,” he told one startled bystander. Sometimes, he goes too far, as he did recently during a visit to Fox News Channel. He was allegedly crude, taunted staffers and exposed his chest, triggering a network ban.Simmons has become legendary for leveraging Kiss’s distinctive look and winking cool into everything from reality TV shows to action figures, colognes, keychains, cabernet sauvignon and even a coffin — the Kiss Kasket.Simmons is a curious mix of things. He’s a hawk on foreign policy, no fan of unions or socialism, but a liberal when it comes to social issues. “You want to get married to a rock? Or change your sex? Go to Mars and become a Martian religious fanatic? I really don’t care,” he says.He has boasted of his sexual conquests but is a long-married teetotaller who has no patience for illegal drug users. He can quote Kierkegaard and Kant and speaks four languages, but blames the recent global financial meltdown on greedy borrowers.He believes we’re still basically hunter-gatherers, with men awash with testosterone and only vaguely civilized. He applauds the wave of women these days calling out men for sexual misconduct.“There will always be bad guys, don’t kid yourself. The best thing that’s happening now is the female of the species is standing up collectively and saying, ‘That’s enough.’ Good for women. That should always have been the case.”His advice to gaining wealth is simple: Start a limited liability partnership in your home, use social media and deduct your costs from taxes. You can keep your old job until the rewards flow in. If they don’t? You can declare bankruptcy and “then you can start again.” (It’s advice not all financial advisers endorse.)Having a brilliant idea for a business is fine, but outhustling is more important to Simmons. “It doesn’t have to be new or original. It can be a stupid idea,” he says. “Some of the dumbest people have become enormously successful.”___Online: http://www.genesimmons.com___Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
January 12, 2001 Tourists pose on the Sky Theater. Arcosanti hosts 50,000 visitors, touristsand guests each year, with regular tours every day between 9 am and 4 pm on every hour.[Photoby Wes Ozier]
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