Olimpia and Motagua are the finalists for the closing tournament of the Honduran soccer league for the 1997-1998 season. Both teams soundly defeated their rivals in the semifinals, and now will play two games to determine the champion. Although theoretically both games should be played in Tegucigalpa since that is where both teams are based, the directors of the Olimpia team have requested that the second game be played in San Pedro Sula, in the Francisco Morazan stadium. It is very interesting to note that they do not want to play in the Olympic stadium that was our featured article in last week's edition.

On Tuesday, October 13^th, the buildings hosting the factories of DIBISA and DERIMASA caught fire and were burned almost completely. Initial sources indicate that sparks that spewed from welding work being conducted on the premises caused the fire, but the official investigative report still has not been released.

CLICK HERE for exclusive photos of this disaster that has resulted in millions of lempiras of damage. We noted that the firefighters, armed forces and police all worked in conjunction to control this catastrophe, and we applaud this cooperative effort amongst these various agencies and sincerely hope that this type of communal effort expands to all areas of public service.

Salvador Moncada, an internationally known Honduran scientific investigator, was recently overlooked for the Nobel Science prize. The prize went to three North American individuals for discovering that nitric oxide, a colorless, odorless gas, transmits an order to human blood vessels so that they dilate and reduce blood pressure. This discovery is a key element in the properties utilized by the infamous Viagra drug that enhances men's sexual activity. The local Honduran press plus some Spanish scientists, lament the fact that Moncada was overlooked in the prize. The three individuals apparently formulated a theory which Moncada's investigative team was the first to validate through their work. According to declarations made by Moncada in Science magazine, there may be many theories, but the important thing is science is to discern which are true and which are not. We personally feel that the Nobel prize nomination has become a very political affair, and have disagreed with their final choice several times in the past. It doesn't surprise us that Moncada was overlooked, it's just part of the reality of the Nobel prize - some win, others lose. This incident reminds us of Tibetan sherpas who carry heavy loads up Mount Everest (including the flag, food and other supplies), guide the team up the mountainside, then plant the flag for the expedition leaders - but are not included in the photo released to the world. We lament the fact that one of Honduras' greatest contemporary scientists has been treated as a sherpa and has been excluded from the recognition that he so justly deserves.

Carlos Alberto Mendiata Guillén was recently kidnapped from his office on the third avenue. The family of this seventy-year-old man indicated to the press that he suffered from diabetes, which required multiple daily injections in order to stay alive. The kidnappers contacted the family only once and the police were kept out of the negotiations. On Tuesday, October 13^th, it was reported to the press that his body was found in a recent grave. The location of the grave is on the same property in a remote area of Armenta which formerly hosted a moto-cross track, and which is presently owned by the Private University of San Pedro Sula (USPS). The latest press release on October 15th has revealed that Mendieta was murdered with a shot to the head prior to the kidnappers contacting the family. The police now consider the kidnapping as a cover-up to the real motives of the crime. We sincerely hope that the kidnappers/murderers are quickly caught, this recent crime wave has turned living in Honduras into a nightmare that society must quickly awaken from. Unfortunately, contemporary human rights prevents the authorities from brutalizing the culprits, it's times like these that we feel nostalgia for the days when the armed forces handled these matters in their own, unique way.

The Honduran Counsel of Private Enterprise, COHEP, has pronounced to be in favor of Honduras "opening its skies". The Secretary of Tourism, Norman García Paz, who wants to liberate the Honduran skies in the sense that any commercial airline can begin to service the country, is spearheading this initiative. The idea is that new, additional competition will ultimately result in both enhanced service and lower rates to consumers. The present structure is considered to be oligopolistic since the few airlines servicing the country operate like a cartel. Basically, since there are only a few airlines servicing Honduras, the rates between this country and the United States are more expensive than those between the US and Europe even though the distance is much shorter. This axiom also applies to maritime rates, which ultimately adversely affects the costs of Honduran goods marketed within the United States.

A final note to our readers - we sincerely thank all of you who have written such glowing letters regarding our new format here at Honduras.com!!!

One way to help us grow is to tell others about our vibrant web site that speaks out and actively tries to help the wonderful country of Honduras J

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