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2010-04-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Homosexuality: Born or Made? Controversy Stirs In Costa Rica

Homosexuality has been practiced for thousands of years. Simply put, homosexuality is defined as sexual relations between like genders (i.e., two males or two females). Many people now believe that homosexuality is part of who a person really is from the moment of conception.

*This article was put HERE by me, in case insidecostarica.com decides to take down their plagiarized story....this is the EXACT "article" posted by insidecostarica.com. (check the link, see if it's still GOOD). Anyway, back to the "article"

Former legislator Juan José Vargas (left), psyciatrists Larisa Escalante (right) and Ángelrafael González (second from left) discuss the homosexuality issue with Pilar Cisneros on Costa Rica's national television.
The “genetic and unchangeable” theory has been actively promoted by gay activists and the popular media.

Is homosexuality really an inborn and normal variant of human natural?

For some people yes, and for others no. Some people do not have their first homosexual feelings or experience until they are well into adulthood.

For that reason many believe that homosexuals are made, not born. To me homosexuality is a chosen, learned behavior and former legislator Juan José Vargas has raised controversy in assuring that there is a safe treatment that could end with homosexuality for those undergoing special therapy.

Against Vargas are Costa Rica's psychologists who say that homosexuality is not a disease, and therefore cannot be cured.

The Pros
In relation to homosexuality, the nature concept explores the possibility of a specific gene or combination of genes present at the time of birth that genetically predispose people to homosexuality. In other words, some people are born gay.

Gay advocates say proving there is a gay gene will provide "wider social acceptance and better protection against discrimination," as Neil Swidey writes in his Boston Globe article, "What Makes People Gay?" Proving that being gay is not a choice means that discrimination against gays becomes a matter of civil rights.

The Cons
We're all influenced by our environment, but to what extent? The nurture concept of homosexuality argues that social, parental and environmental variables influence a person's homosexuality. A nurtured gay person is one that is "made" gay.

For some time, the notion of an overbearing mother or an absent father or even sexual abuse were thought to be catalyst of future gay people. If the root of homosexuality does not lie within DNA, then the nurture concept implies people have a choice whether to be gay or not be gay. Many ex-gay reparative therapy groups believe that homosexuality can be reversed or "repaired". Some religious organizations also believe that the concept of Adam and Eve (or one man, one woman), provides an absolute explanation that homosexuality is unnatural.

Resolution
Can the origin of same gender loving feelings be absolute? Does it lay within the complexities of the beginning of man or the development of society?

If homosexuality is indeed a product of a special genome, then will that lead to predetermination by expecting parents at the time the baby's sex is revealed? One can envision some parents being excited to hear the sexual makeup of their fetus while others seek to "repair" the gay gene. Lawmakers would be obligated to protect gay people, just as any other group of individuals with a predetermined genetic makeup. The religious implications would be widespread and increase the growing list of religious organizations that welcome gay members.

The concept of a homemade gay person cannot be ignored either. Is there a consistent pattern between a person's parental or environmental influences and their sexuality? Does the explanation of homosexuality lie within Paul Ewald's theory that homosexuality is a virus or the reparative therapy model that a traumatic life situation planted the seed of choice? Some debate that homosexuality is not deserving of natural rights since it has not been proven that being gay is indeed the same as any other born characteristic.

Or, is it possible that being gay is a combination of both nature and nurture? Imagine a person that is born gay, but their same gender feelings are either perpetuated or (not perpetuated) by their environment. If this were indeed the case, homosexuality would only be an issue of if or when one comes out of the closet.

Either scenario, researchers will continue to hunt for the origin of homosexuality. Many avenues have been explored, from isolating DNA to observing gay animals, but as of yet, no one absolute explanation of homosexuality has been found. And even if it were, would society accept it?

Costa Rica Travel Information

2010-03-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

I will no longer post on this site, but if you happen upon it and are looking for INFO on Costa Rica, I would encourage to CHECK OUT the above links. PURA VIDA!

"hehe, not really 'good bye'.... hopefully we'll see you on are other sites."

Costa Rica's Golden Toads Killed by El Niño & A Pathogen, Not Climate Change

2010-03-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

This probably won't be the last word on the demise of the Monteverde golden toad, but a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that normal El Niño conditions, not climate change, lead to the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus and caused the iconic Costa Rican species to go extinct.

Science Codex sums up the report, by scientists from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory:

The golden toad vanished after an exceptionally dry season following the 1986-1987 El Niño, probably not long after the chytrid fungus was introduced. Scientists speculate that dry conditions caused the toads to congregate in a small number of puddles to reproduce, prompting the disease to spread rapidly. Some have linked the dry spell to global warming, arguing that warmer temperatures allowed the chytrid pathogen to flourish and weakened the toad's defenses. The new study finds that Monteverde was the driest it's been in a hundred years following the 1986-1987 El Niño, but that those dry conditions were still within the range of normal climate variability. The study does not address amphibian declines elsewhere, nor do the authors suggest that global warming is not a serious threat to biodiversity.

As for that 'won't be the last word' part: The lead author of the study in Nature back in 2006, which first made the climate-golden toad extinction connection, disagrees with this study's findings. J. Alan Pounds claims the the authors of the PNAS paper missed a long-term drying trend "because they were unable to analyze moisture variations day to day or week to week."

Pound added, "Anyone paying close attention to living systems in the wild is aware that our planet is in serious trouble. It's just a matter of time before this becomes painfully obvious to everyone."

90 tickets issued Monday morning under Costa Rica's new transit law

2010-03-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

Despite legislators' best efforts to rewrite the law and a union's refusal to implement it, the new transit law went into effect on Monday with fines some call disproportionately high.

During a five-hour period on Monday morning, police issued 90 tickets, for violations ranging from driving without a valid license ($536) to talking on a cell phone ($300).

“Our obligation is to apply the law,” said Juan Carlos González, spokesman for the Public Works and Transport Ministry, who said the union's protest hasn't affected the ticketing.

Marco Vargas, transportation minister, told the daily Diario Extra that police should put more emphasis on actions that endanger other people, and not be as vigilant in applying the tickets to minor offences.

“What I have said in our guidelines is to pay particular attention to what we call serious offenses, such as drunk or reckless driving,” he said. “But that transit authorities should apply the full force of the law.”

As police are busy handing out tickets, legislators are still working in an effort to make changes to the law before they leave office in May.

“We are looking for the necessary consensus,” said National Liberation Party lawmaker Alexander Mora. “The idea is to adjust the sanctions so that they reflect Costa Rican society.”

The original law was supposed to take effect in September of 2009, but due to inconsistencies in the legislation and fines that many lawmakers considered too high, the Legislative Assembly voted to postpone the implementation of the law an additional six months.

Even with the added time, they weren't able to achieve agreement on changes, and the law went into effect March 1, looking much like the original one approved in November of 2008.

Costa Rica looks to take itself off tax haven list

2010-03-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

This past Friday morning found more than one hundred dark-suited men and women in a windowless meeting room of the Intercontinental Hotel, plotting how to remove Costa Rica from the international list of tax havens.

It's been nearly a year since Costa Rica was identified as a so-called tax haven due to outdated legislation that makes exchange of information on suspected tax evaders complicated and time-consuming. The Central American country was hit with another slap in mid-February when France announced it would levy high sanctions on interest and dividends earned in the country.

“Costa Rica is recognized in the world as a haven for peace, a haven for ecological tourism, a haven for the respect of human rights; but under no circumstance, can we or do we want to run the risk that Costa Rica is perceived as a tax haven,” said Rodrigo Arias, minister of the presidency, at the Friday morning forum.

The worldwide recession has motivated developed countries to clamp down on suspected tax evaders, looking for additional income for cash-strapped budgets. With the participation of countries around the world, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) drafted an international standard for the exchange of tax information and got dozens of countries to sign on to it.

"We've made more progress in 10 months than we have in 10 years," said Pascal Saint-Amans, head of the international cooperation and tax competition division of OECD. “The standard for the exchange of tax information is now almost universally accepted.... There are no more safe places to hide money to avoid paying taxes.”

Costa Rica has dragged its feet in the process of subscribing to international tax standards, but Finance Minister Jenny Phillips has pledged her commitment to meet OECD demands. In order to make it off the list of havens, Costa Rica must sign information sharing agreements with 12 countries (it has one now and nine pending) and adopt new national legislation.

Phillips said the legislation has been drafted and is now before the Legislative Assembly. Though she said she will push for legislators to pass it before they leave office in May, she also recognizes the tight timeframe.

“Two months is very short in order to pass a reform like this one,” she said. “But after hearing what was said today(Costa Rica could face more sanctions), … Today it's France, tomorrow it could be another country... and some of the sanctions could come from international organizations such as the World Bank.”

Transit Law Stalled

2010-02-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

Steep fines for traffic violations likely will go into effect on Monday without the reductions legislators had hoped to apply.

The fines, which climb as high as $415 for attempting to bribe an officer and $300 for talking on a cell phone while driving, were first included in the law in November 2008 as a means to help deter reckless and drunk driving.

But as September 2009 approached – when the fines were to go into effect – legislators began to question whether they were excessive. They agreed to delay the law's effective date until March 2010 to allow themselves more time to review the sanctions and a handful of other inconsistencies in the law.

“Today, th e parties who proposed all of this are looking for an exit,” said Luis Antonio Barrantes, legislator for the Libertarian Movement Party. “We've said from the beginning that the fines and sanctio ns were disproportionate and it included unnecessary requirements, such as first aid kits.”

Speaking on the floor of the Legislative Assembly early last week, independent legislator Andrea Marcela Morales said, “This is the hour to vindicate these mistakes, to give the Costa Rican people a better quality law, traffic legislation that is the law not lenient, but also doesn't smother people.”

But when the law returned to the floor of the assembly, legislators threw motions at it, handcuffing any forward progress.

Some factions wanted to lower the blood alcohol level for drunk drivers. Others looked to take out the requirement of a psychological exam on applications for driver's licenses. And others simply pushed for lower fines for traffic violations.

“I presented a few (motions) to try to lower the fines to a reasonable amount, to eliminate the point system, and to modify the law so the medical exam doesn't just need to be done by a doctor in order to obtain a license,” Barrantes said. “Together, they are a series of motions that would make the Transit Law more reasonable for our country. If this doesn't happen, I can't support it.”

Barrantes and dozens of his colleagues presented a total of 220 motions to modify the law.

As a result, the Transit Law likely will take effect Monday without any of the changes the legislators proposed.

At this point, the only way the existing law could be changed is via an agreement reached through an expedited legislative process. If legislators were to follow such a path, the agreement would be signed after this newspaper's deadline

Cameras To Monitor Crime Activity Across Costa Rica

2010-02-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Smile, you are on camera. No, not Candid Camera like the hidden camera television series created and produced by Allen Funt and seen on American television in the 1960's, but rather a network of hundreds of cameras that will be installed by the ministerio de Seguridad Pública across the country, as a means to cutting crime.

The cameras will be placed in strategic locations in San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Limón and will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by a group of 60 police officials.

A total of 342 cameras with "intelligent video" will be the eyes of the Fuerza Pública.

The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) is partnering with the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública in the us$9 million dollar project.

Pedro Pablo Quirós, president of ICE, along with Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, the ministra de Seguridad Pública, Janina del Vecchio and the ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, announced the plan at Casa Presidencial on Wednesday.

Quirós explained that the video feed from 182 points in the four provinces will be sent by way of ICE's telecommunications network to the Fuerza Pública operations control centre.

The cameras will be placed in locations like rotondas, highways, buildings, in neighbourhoods with high incidents of crimes.

The program is not new, it is a result of research of use in places like Colombia and England and according to Costa Rican officials, it is a very important way to fight crime.

The system, in addition to allowing police to keep an eye on things, will also be used to gather evidence to be used in court against criminals.

The video information from the cameras will be stored for 30 days to allow judicial authorities time to obtain the material for their investigation in criminal cases.

Janina Del Vecchio said that the installation of the system and the training of the officers is expected to begin in August.

On prosperity: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking recently in Qatar, will visit Costa Rica on March 3 as part of a Latin America to

2010-02-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

The Public Security Ministry is beginning the nationwide installation of 342 surveillance cameras as a means of curtailing the crime rate.

The cameras will be strategically located in the cities of San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Limón, and will be monitored 24 hours a day by 60 policemen.

According to the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE), which is partnering with the ministry on the $9 million project, the system is modeled after similar ones in Colombia and London.

“This is not new,” said Pedro Pablo Quirós, president of ICE. “We did thorough research … and believe this is an important way to fight crime.”

Quirós said it would be used as an evidence-gathering tool, lower the costs related to security personnel and help supervise critical operations.

“There will be electric eyes on different points chosen by security forces, both for roads, roundabouts, some buildings and corners of various neighborhoods,” Quirós said. “These cameras can capture images, deliver them and process them, and from there actions can be taken.”

Janina del Vecchio, public security minister, celebrated their pending installation saying, “By announcing the Citizen Protection Video Project today, the government has completed another of its promises, which … was to bring more security to citizens…. I am proud to say (the Oscar Arias administration) has been able to complete 87 percent of public security challenges.”

Del Vecchio expects the installation to begin in August.

Is Costa Rica a Developed Country?

2010-02-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

In her victory speech on election night, President-elect Laura Chinchilla listed her administration's many goals for the next four years. On the list were improving public education, bettering health care coverage and continuing the country's push for environmental sustainability.

And, she offered a lofty idea: “On the basis of our two biggest strengths – the intelligence of our people and the generosity of our environment – we will make Costa Rica the first developed country in Latin America.”

This statement drew rousing cheers from her supporters, but the assertion that Costa Rica could soon become a “developed” country is an audacious one.

While Costa Rica's positive characteristics – including the lack of a military, the stable political climate and the region's highest literacy rate (95 percent) – are often touted, a November 2009, National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) report said 18.5 percent of the population, or nearly one in five residents, lives in poverty, earning less than $120 per month.

Keeping these contrasts in mind, the follow-up question to Chinchilla's pledge must be “If Costa Rica is to become a so-called ‘developed' country, what must be done to achieve that status?”

Who Says a Nation Is Developed?

Currently, there are two respected organizations whose opinions as to whether a country is developed or not receive wide acceptance. These are the 30-country Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index (HDI). Each uses a different set of criteria to make the distinction.

The OECD, based in France, collects and analyzes economic and social data from countries worldwide and places nations into fiv e categorizes according to their gross national income (GNI) and the amount of economic financial aid they receive from the organization's member states. On the lowest rung of the category ladder is the “Least Developed Countries,” which include the most strife-torn African nations and countries affected by war, such as Afghanistan. On the top rung are perched the 30 nations that are currently members of the OECD and are financially sound enough to provide aid to less-developed countries. Included in this group are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Japan.

Currently, the OECD places Costa Rica in the “Upper Middle Income Countries and Territories” category. Countries ranked here fall just short of OECD membership status. Among the countries that join Costa Rica in this category are Brazil, Mexico, Panama and South Africa.

“Membership in the OECD means that you are a developed nation,” said Roberto Jiménez, leader of the environmental group CO2 Neutral 2021. “When you look at Latin America, you see countries in three groups. There are the least developed countries, includ ing Nicaragua, Bolivia and maybe Honduras. Then there is a different group that has moved on from least developed to a middle stage. Those are countries such as Brazil and Argentina. And then you have the developed countries, and the only (Latin American) country I have heard of being mentioned here is Chile … In that middle group there are several countries that are moving at a very fast developmental pace and I would say that, of that group, Costa Rica is one of them.”

The HDI places Costa Rica 's development status in a similar range.

According to the index, Costa Rica is the 54th “most developed” country in the world, one slot behind Mexico and six places above Panama. The HDI considers Chile to be the most developed Latin American country and ranks it 44th.

The HDI differs from the OECD in that it deviates from the economics-heavy criteria of the latter, considering other factors when determining the development status of a country.

“The components making up the HDI include health, as measured by life expectancy at birth; education, as measured by the adult literacy rate and the gross enrollment ratio in (formal) education; and a decent standard of living, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) in U.S. dollars,” said a representative of the United Nations Human Development Report office in a statement to The Tico Times. “These are used to create three indexes – life expectancy, education and GDP – which are combined to create a single HDI.”

Once these three criteria are averaged together, the HDI attributes a value to each country. On a scale with 1 being the highest achievable value, Costa Rica scored 0.854 on the 2009 HDI scale, boosted by the life expectancy of 77 years and a strong commitment to national health. The HDI considers all countries with a ranking over 0.9 to be “developed.”

“As you see, in the 2009 HDI, Costa Rica is in the ‘High Human Development' category and is, therefore, referred to as ‘developing',” the statement said.

Thirty-eight countries have an HDI rating of over 0.9, with Norway being considered the “most developed,” with a 0.971 score.

There is a multi-million-dollar mega-mall in Escazú, west of San José, which sports outlets of some of the world's most exclusive stores.

However, in October 2009, six people died when a rickety, wooden bridge in a rural area collapsed as a bus was crossing it.

The giant international software company Intel exported more than $2 billion in microprocessors and chipsets from its Costa Rican plant in 2009.

But, according to the State of the Nation report in November, at least 16,000 Costa Rican homes are “without basic services,” such as electricity and running water.

Twenty-nine multinational companies made plans to enter or enhance operations in the country in 2009, accounting for more than $304 million in investment and crea ting more than 5,729 jobs.

However, in April 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a stand-by arrangement in which Costa Rica was offered as-needed access to a $730 million precautionary fund should the economic and financial crisis become too overwhelming.

Costa Rica is among the world leaders in pineapple, coffee and banana exports.

But, street signs and direct addresses remain a rarity.

A constant feature of this disparity in the makeup of Costa Rica is that, while certain areas of the country are surging ahead, there are many areas in which the country is not keeping up or is, indeed, falling behind.

“I think there are several Costa Rica 's,” says Roman Macaya, vice president of Agroquimica Industrial RIMAC.

Macaya, who unsuccessfully sought the nomination last year of the Citizens Action Party in the recent presidential elections, said, “I think there is a developed Costa Rica, with segments of society in which people have very good jobs, high incomes, big houses, two cars and all the amenities that you would expect in the upper class of developed countries. Then there's a poor Costa Rica, which is suffering quite a bit. You go into a poor residential area and you find every single problem there is … I wouldn't even say those areas are developing. They have stagnated in a general despair.”

The new administration faces the challenge of finding the appropriate mix of policies to assist and stimulate struggling sectors of the economy, while remaining supportive of those that are thriving. According to many, herein lies the challenge of raising Costa Rica from the uppercrust of the “developing” countries into the echelon of the “developed” ones.

Costa Rica exports open 2010 on the RISE

2010-02-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Signs of an economic recovery in 2010 are beginning to appear in different sectors of the Costa Rican economy.

One of the first indications of a sunnier new year was seen in the export market, as the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) announced that national exports in January totaled $727.9 million, an improvement of $133.5 million, or 22 percent, from the same month in 2009.

The news comes after overall exports fell 9 percent in 2009 from record highs in 2008.

Several export sectors experienced considerable growth in the first month of the year, including the industrial sector, which exported more than $535 million worth of goods, a 27 percent increase over January 2009. The industrial sector was boosted by a 57 percent increase in exports of food products, which brought in more than $99 million. The consistently valuable export of electronic components and microchips also opened the year with promising results, raking in $183 million, a 40 percent increase.

Of all the sectors, the increase in agricultural exports was possibly the most encouraging. In January, exports of pineapple and melon continued to shine, improving by more than 28 percent and 69 percent, respectively, in comparison to January 2009. Coffee and bananas, Costa Rica's traditional export staples, also showed signs of rebounding from a difficult 2009, when banana exports fell 15 percent and coffee over 31 percent. Exports of both products increased in January.

“The numbers indicate the possibilities for growth for the banana industry in new markets,” said Marco Vinicio Ruiz, the foreign trade minister. “These results allow us to continue with the established projections of the commercial agenda, which we expect to be favorable in the export market as we enter new markets.”

Of total exports from Costa Rica in January, 40 percent were sent to North America, 19 percent to Asia and 17 percent to the European Union. During the first two months of 2010, Costa Rica finalized free-trade agreement negotiations with Singapore and China, and this week will see the beginning of the seventh round of negotiations for a free-trade agreement with the European Union.

In comparison to last January, exports to North America grew 181 percent, rose 57 percent within Central America, increased 126 percent to the Caribbean region and jumped 76 percent to Asia.

Google includes Costa Rica in its search for new Latin America office

2010-02-22T04:26:00.000-08:00

Google, the most popular Web search engine, is eyeing Costa Rica as a possible location for what would be the company's seventh Latin American site.

Earlier this month, Daniel Gertsacov, the head of new markets for Google in Latin America, visited Costa Rica to meet with government officials, advertising agencies and representatives of the tourism sector to discuss and appraise the country's capacity for online advertising. Gertsacov said Google is analyzing the possibility of opening a new office in Latin America, and that Costa Rica, Panama and Puerto Rico are considered as potential sites for the Internet search giant.

“We are looking to approach new markets to reveal some important tools that we have indentified that businesses are still unaware of,” Gertsacov wrote in a statement to The Tico Times. “More than 90 percent of Google's income comes from online advertising that is conducted in the search engine. We want to promote this in the region and assist companies to know the benefits of online publicity and see the Internet as an ally to conduct business.”

Gertsacov said the creation of a Google office in the region would allow a representative of the company to act as a Google “ambassador” to ensure that the company was communicating and working with companies that could benefit from the services offered. Currently, Google has Latin American locations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and will soon open offices in Peru. According to Gertsacov, Google is drawn to Costa Rica due to its stable economy and the presence of several multinational companies here.

The new destination for Google is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

Costa Rican arrested following drug find

2010-02-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

A 32-year-old man from Costa Rica is being kept under arrest after he was found to be in possession of cocaine on landing at the airport.

In a joint action by the police and Customs Officers the man was arrested at the airport late on Wednesday evening and then taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he was found to be carrying a large number of capsules inside his stomach with around 10g of cocaine in each capsule.

The man is expected to be arraigned in court and charged with the possession, importation and trafficking of cocaine.

Prosecutor's Office: Talamanca mayor took from public coffers

2010-02-17T05:33:00.000-08:00

The Prosecutor's Office of Limón has accused Rugeli Morales, the mayor of Talamanca, of accepting a percentage of money that the municipality had slotted for public works projects.

Talamanca is a municipality in Costa Rica's southern Caribbean region. The new accusation adds to a list of corruption charges against the public official.

Press officers at the Public Security Ministry said that the authorities suspect that Morales maintained close contact with a municipal construction material supplier between 2005 and 2009. Officials believe that Morales received payments from the supplier, which was awarded contracts by the city council in exchange for the execution of community repair and construction projects.

Morales' lawyer told the daily La Nación that Morales denies the allegations and claims that the supplier and one other official in his administration devised the plan in order to frame Morales.

Morales, member of the governing National Liberation Party (PLN), was arrested Thursday and charged with directing ¢ 350 million ($641,000) in municipal funds to his personal bank accounts. Authorities also arrested three other Talamanca municipal officials who are suspected of aiding the mayor. They include a municipal accountant, a mayoral adviser and a city inspector.

They have been charged with embezzlement of public funds, aggravated corruption of public officials and activities incompatible with his public service.

Over the weekend, the Penal Finance Court ordered two months of preventative prison for Morales and Saúl Barrantes, the mayoral adviser, while authorities investigate the charges. The city inspector and municipal accountant, whose last names are Bastos and Cortés, and Morales' son have been ordered not to leave the country or talk to witnesses in the case.

The charges against Morales are the latest in a string of recent municipal corruption cases that have involved the mayor of Alajuela, northwest of San José, and Liberia, the capital of the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

Costa Rica still on blacklist of tax havens

2010-02-16T03:30:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica remains on the list of tax havens published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to documents seen by the wire service AFP on Monday.

The Central American country of 4.5 million people had signed an agreement in July saying it would take steps to ensure free exchange of financial information. But while Costa Rican officials made strides toward complying with the OECD, the country has failed to pass legislation in congress.

In December, Finance Minister Jenny Philips said, “We are continuing trying to comply with the OECD, but we can't commit to legislators passing (appropriate legislation.).”

She said her ministry is looking to reduce the time it takes for judges to review and authorize the release of financial information of suspected tax evaders, but that she needs more time.

“The French government has taken a very tough, very strong position,” Philips said at the December press conference. “But at the moment France decides to pressure, other countries have to unite and say, ‘Wait a minute.'”

According to various news sources, the French government will begin imposing fines of as much as 50 percent – up from 33 percent – on dividends and interest fees paid by French firms to people or other firms domiciled in tax havens.

As of press time, the OECD had yet to make the updated tax haven list public.

Talamanca mayor, three others arrested on corruption charges

2010-02-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Police officers (OIJ) arrested the mayor of Talamanca, Rugeli Morales, last Thursday morning on corruption charges, security ministry officials confirmed last week.

Talamanca is a municipality in the southern Caribbean region.

Morales, 45, was charged with directing ₡ 350 million ($641,000) in municipal funds to his personal bank accounts.

Authorities also arrested a city inspector, a municipal accountant and a mayoral advisor whose last names are Bastos, Cortés and Barrantes, respectively. The three have been charged with embezzlement of public funds, aggravated corruption of public officials, and activities incompatible with their public service. Prosecutors suspect that these three officials aided Morales.

OIJ officers and officials from the Adjunct Prosecutor's office of Limón raided the Talamanca municipality building and Morales' house on Thursday afternoon. Authorities removed bank documents that will be used as evidence against Morales and the three municipal employees.

The four city officials have been detained at the Bribri prosecutor's office. On Friday they were interrogated for the alleged crimes.

The Year of China

2010-02-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

Saturday marks the turn of the Chinese new year and, according to the Chinese calendar, 2010 is “the year of the tiger.” Though Chinese celebrations to usher in the new year may go fairly unnoticed, changes in relations between Costa Rica and China will be monumental during the next 12 months.

For Costa Rica, 2010 may go down in Costa Rican history as “the year of China.”

The latest handshake between the two countries took place Wednesday, when Costa Rica and China finalized negotiations on a free-trade agreement, which will initially eliminate tariffs on 58 percent of the products traded between the two countries. During the next 10 years, the agreement will eliminate tariffs on 90 percent of the goods traded.

Pending ratification by the Legislative Assembly, Costa Rica will be the first Central American country to forge a free-trade accord with China. The pact will be presented to the assembly for its approval in April.

“This is a very special day for us,” said Costa Rican Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz on Wednesday. “I am pleased to say that a few minutes ago we concluded the sixth round of negotiations between Costa Rica and the Republic of China. We have now satisfactorily concluded the free-trade agreement with the third biggest economy in the world. Without question, this is a milestone for Costa Rican commercial policy.”

Ruiz's words were echoed by Yi Xioazhun, Chinese vice minister of trade.

“The negotiations were conducted very professionally, and both countries were able to protect their own interests while satisfying the interests of their trading partner,” said Xioazhun. “I think the signing of a free-trade agreement with Costa Rica is the best New Year's gift we could receive.”

The pending free-trade agreement is the latest in a series of important developments between the two countries over the past two-and-a-half years, when they officially established diplomatic relations. In June of 2007, President Oscar Arias severed Costa Rica's more than 60-year relationship with Taiwan and announced Costa Rica's recognition of mainland China.

The ensuing Costa Rica-Chinese courtship has progressed at high speed and, with the approval of the free-trade deal in April probable, is showing no signs of slowing down

Costa Rica's President-elect pledges to help Nicaraguan migrants

2010-02-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica's President-elect Laura Chinchilla said Wednesday she will "seek to improve" ties with Nicaragua, as migration will be one of her administration's top priorities.

In her statement to a local TV channel, Chinchilla recognized the importance of Nicaraguan manpower in Costa Rica's agriculture.

The president-elect, who is expected to take office on May 8, said the issue of the Nicaraguan migrant in particular would occupy an important place in her government.

"I think it is important to recognize that the Nicaraguan people have made important contributions to the national economy, mainly in areas where manpower was needed," Chinchilla said.

"We have to exert efforts to regulate the right condition for the Nicaraguans seeking better living conditions," she added.

Chinchilla said it would be ideal if Nicaraguan workers arrived in Costa Rica with legalized documents and confirmed work, the right conditions to improve their lives.

Region's leaders applaud Costa Rica vote

2010-02-10T04:33:00.000-08:00

The election of Costa Rica's first female president has been a cause for applause in the region, stirring some nations to wonder when they will be next.

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said his country is ready for the milestone. “I think so, that there could be a woman president (here),” he told newswire AFP, adding that “Guatemala has changed a lot after its signing of the peace (in 1996)” that ended a 36-year civil war.

Costa Rica's neighbor to the north, Nicaragua, is among the Latin American nations that have already had female leaders, on a growing list that includes Argentina, Chile, Panama, and briefly, Bolivia and Ecuador. Nicaragua's current vice president showed optimism that the Chinchilla win will improve relations between the two countries, which have sometimes cooled during the administration of Oscar Arias.

“Without a doubt with the new president of Costa Rica relations with Nicaragua will harmonize much more,” Vice President Jaime Morales said, according to the newswire EFE. Morales said friction between Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Arias have not been “rows, but rather conceptual differences of criteria and personality.”

The vice president also took the opportunity to compliment the Tica president-elect's character and her looks.

“Laura is a disciple of president Arias, although she has her own trajectory…. She's very competent, pleasant, frank, with a nice presence and pretty at that,” Morales said.

The United States Embassy in Costa Rica said congratulations in a statement and said the recently arrived Ambassador Anne S. Andrew “hopes to forge a strong relationship with the president-elect, her cabinet and new members of the Legislative Assembly, with the goal of confronting our common challenges and advancing toward our shared interests.”

A Colombian government communiqué extended Chinchilla “best wishes for a successful administration.”

Spain congratulated Costa Rica, too. Its governing Spanish Socialist Workers Party issued a statement saying it is confident Chinchilla will continue the “social democratic policies” that will enable the country “to continue leading one of the soundest progressive projects of Central America,” Europa Press reported.

Sunday's elections process received good marks from international observers as well. “Citizens made their choice at the polls, participating actively from the opening until the closing of the voting stations,” María Emma Mejía, head of the mission sent by the Organization of American States, said in a statement. “ From the day I arrived, Costa Rica gave yet another piece of proof of civility and democratic responsibility.”

Chinchilla Costa Rica's FIRST female president

2010-02-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

Laura Chinchilla, a social conservative who opposes abortion but wants more help for the poor, became Costa Rica's first female president after a convincing election triumph.

Her main opponents conceded defeat and the 50-year-old ruling party candidate joined thousands of supporters celebrating in San Jose early Monday.

First results showed she won 47 percent of the votes counted, way ahead of her rivals and above the 40 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

Latin America now has five women leaders.

"Thank you, Costa Rica," Chinchilla said in an address in a hotel in the capital. "It's certainly a moment of happiness, but above all of humility ... I won't betray that confidence."

Centre-left opposition candidate Otton Solis won 24 percent of the votes counted and right-wing lawyer Otto Guevara garnered 21 percent.

"With a lot of respect, we accept the reality," Solis, who lost to President Oscar Arias in 2006, told his followers.

Guevara congratulated "our president Laura Chinchilla," shortly after.

The opposition had criticised Chinchilla as being a puppet of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Arias. She was expected to continue his policies of promoting free trade and international business ties.

The slight, long-haired graduate of Georgetown University in Washington served as vice president to Arias and is socially conservative on issues such as abortion.

Her National Liberation Party (PLN) bet on her past experience as public security minister and justice minister to win voters over on growing concerns over crime.

The mother of one teenage son has promised to increase grants for poor students, expand the pensions for the poor and open day-care centres to support working mothers.

Although she has vowed tougher anti-crime measures, she also underlined the importance of acting "intelligently" against crime caused by social inequalities.

Balloting took place calmly throughout Latin America's oldest democracy, which has no army.

The abstention rate at 33.43 percent, according to initial results, of some 2.8 million eligible to vote for a new president, two vice presidents, as well as 57 lawmakers and municipal leaders.

The elections again tested the organisational skills of the PLN, which has dominated politics in Costa Rica for the past six decades, and was expected to make gains among lawmakers too.

Chinchilla was also aided by Costa Rica's relatively smooth passage through the global economic crisis, and by support from powerful economic sectors close to Arias.

She follows in the footsteps of four female presidents in Latin America - in Chile, Argentina, Panama and Nicaragua - in a nation which has promoted positive discrimination to bring women to political posts in recent years.

Solis, an economist from the Citizen's Action Party, ran on an anti-corruption ticket and had lagged behind Guevara, a 49-year-old lawyer who founded the pro-business Libertarian Movement Party.

Some 200 international observers oversaw the elections in one of the region's most politically and economically stable nations famed for its lush flora and fauna and eco-tourism.

Arias is due to hand over to Chinchilla on May 8

Chinchilla has clear lead in Presidential Race

2010-02-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

The Costa Rican presidential race only became visible a few weeks before Sunday's election, and the campaign has never really heated up. The calmly run race is indicative of the political stability enjoyed by Costa Rica, which is famous for its lack of a standing army. Within an impoverished, historically strife-torn region, the country is sometimes called the Switzerland of Central America.

The top candidates to succeed President Oscar Arias are relative centrists with few major policy differences.

Laura Chinchilla, 50, the nominee of Arias' own social-democratic National Liberation Party (PLN), calls herself "the best alternative for Costa Rica." As the ruling party's next in line, she held a clear lead in voter surveys for most of the campaign.

Otto Guevara, a 49-year-old lawyer from the centre-right Libertarian Movement Party (PML), finished in a distant third place with 8 per cent of the presidential vote four years ago. He has emerged as Chinchilla's nearest rival, and the latest surveys show him closing the gap.

Economist Otton Solis, 55, of the Citizen Action Party (PAC) has stood third in pre-election opinion polls. In a 2006 presidential race dominated by the issue of a free-trade agreement with the United States, Solis lost with 39.8 per cent of the vote to Arias' 40.9 per cent. Solis has found little traction in the current campaign with his opposition to free trade.

The fourth candidate, Luis Fishman of the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), has portrayed himself as the "lesser evil" among the politicians in the race.

Arias, who was president from 1986-90 and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role as a mediator in the Central American civil wars of the 1980s, is prohibited by Costa Rican law from seeking a consecutive presidential term.

In addition to choosing a new president, who takes office on May 8, Costa Rican voters will elect a Parliament and 81 mayors on Sunday.

With a population of 4.5 million, Costa Rica's economy rests on the pillars of agricultural exports, particularly pineapples and bananas, and a tourism sector that has expanded greatly in the last two decades.

Crime has become the key issue in the presidential race.

Costa Rica reported nearly 1,000 slayings in 2009, an unheard of murder rate in what is considered Central America's oasis of tranquility. The major candidates have generally vowed to crack down on organized crime, particularly the drug trafficking from South to North America that flows through all the countries of Central America.

Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/307618,preview-woman-leads-race-to-become-new-costa-rican-president.html#ixzz0efOHDiyh

Scientists 'grow' edible insects in Costa Rica

2010-02-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

The day when restaurants will serve garlic grasshoppers or beetle larva skewers is getting closer in Costa Rica, where scientists are "growing" insects for human consumption.

Entomologist Manuel Zumbado's research into this alternative food source is inspired by practices in Africa, where insects have long been part of people's diet.

With its rainforests playing host to countless insect species, including thousands that have yet to be identified, Costa Rica is a perfect breeding ground for the work.

From leaf-cutting ants to rhinoceros beetles and a dizzying flurry of butterflies, the Central American nation is also a haven of ecotourism. But is it the next hotbed of mouth-watering bugs?

The food diversification program at the National Biodiversity Institute in Santo Domingo de Heredia, a small city close to the capital San Jose, looks into indigenous insect species.

But it also examines mushrooms, inspired by their importance in diets from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

At the institute, Costa Rican scientists mingle with Bhutan mycology expert Ugyen Yangchen and Elisabeth Zannou, an entomologist from Benin.

Costa Rica and Benin share historical ties, as many slaves were taken from the western African country to Central America during the colonial era.

"Benin knows a lot about insect consumption and Bhutan about eating mushrooms, while Costa Rica is bringing its experience in managing biodiversity," Marianella Feoli, who manages the foundation coordinating the research program, told AFP.

In Benin, termites, grasshoppers and crickets, as well as butterfly and moth larvae are a common part of people's diet, explained Zumbado, who traveled with his colleagues to explore the phenomenon in the coastal country.

"In other countries, gourmet restaurants serve insects," he noted.

"In the beginning, people thought we were a bit crazy, but I think this is an alternative, not only as a survival food, but also as a cultural concept."

Esperanzas, a large grasshopper species with long antennae that abound in Costa Rica's forests and rural areas are "far more savory than shrimp" when seasoned with garlic, according to the researcher. Zumbado should know -- he has consumed scores of insects during his travels in Costa Rica and Benin.

"It's worth the effort to taste them," he added.

"You can fry them, grill them on skewers with onions."

Insects a la fish were a favorite of Benin locals.

As part of his effort to convince a skeptical public not particularly enthused at the thought of munching on crunchy creepy crawlies, the entomologist suggested first adding insect delicacies to the menus of the best restaurants in town.

A boutique hotel in the northern province of Guanacaste -- the country's top tourist destination -- was tempted, an accompanying wine oblige.

"I would recommend a big pricetag for the entree, so that clients appreciate it," Zumbado said with a malicious smile.

Foreign residents in Costa Rica to receive stickers in passports

2010-02-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

Beginning Monday, foreigners with permanent residency in the country began receiving stickers to identify their status.

The stickers, which are placed inside passports when residency status is granted or renewed, are intended for people in “special categories” in the country, including, but not limited to students, academics, domestic servants and professionals.

According to the Immigration Administration, the new system is intended as a security measure to eliminate falsification of documents and to comply with specifications established by international travel organizations. The sticker includes photo identification, a signature, personal information and type of residency. Previously, foreigners with “categoria especial” had their passports marked with a stamp.

“The launch of this project, which we've been working on for several years, allows us to consolidate our efforts … to increase security in the distribution of documents for permanent residents in Costa Rica,” Immigration Director Mario Zamora said in a statement.

The Immigration Administration estimates the new system will apply to 16,000 foreigners living in Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica's outlook STABLE

2010-02-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

Fitch Ratings has today affirmed Costa Rica's long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at 'BB' and 'BB+', respectively. The Outlook on both ratings is Stable. Fitch has also affirmed Costa Rica's short-term foreign currency IDR at 'B' and the Country Ceiling at 'BB+'.

Costa Rica's ratings are supported by its high per capita income; a relatively diverse economy, which traditionally attracts sizeable foreign direct investment (FDI); and its net external creditor position. The ratings are constrained by a narrow fiscal revenue base, a comparatively weak monetary and exchange rate policy framework, and relatively low international liquidity indicators.

'The cyclical downturn exposed structural weakness related to Costa Rica's high dependence on the U.S. economy and a relatively narrow tax revenue base,' said Casey Reckman, Director in Fitch's sovereign group.

Costa Rica's real GDP growth contracted by 1.3% last year owing to weaker domestic demand and the collapse in external demand and reduced FDI flows. A more favorable external environment and some recovery in domestic activity could underpin 2.9% real GDP growth in 2010. However, the trend in GDP growth could be weaker over the forecast period than in recent years due to the slow pace of economic recovery in the U.S. and somewhat lower FDI flows.

Costa Rica's public finances deteriorated in 2009 as revenues contracted and counter-cyclical spending was financed with increased borrowing. As a result, central government debt increased to 27% of GDP in 2009 from 25% in 2008. The authorities plan to unwind the additional fiscal stimulus during the first half of 2010, but last year's social expenditure increases could be difficult to trim.

In the absence of higher growth, fiscal consolidation could be achieved through revenue-enhancing fiscal reforms and continued improvements in tax administration. However, political and institutional gridlock could continue to hinder passage and implementation of fiscal or other meaningful reforms.

Costa Rica has demonstrated resilience against the destabilizing effects of the global economic and financial crisis. The financial system was not exposed to toxic assets, and a precautionary IMF Stand-by Arrangement (SBA), at USD735 million or 18% of end-2008 international reserves, helped bolster investor confidence and preserve macroeconomic stability. Nonetheless, Costa Rica remains vulnerable to external shocks due to its comparatively high financial dollarization, structural current account deficits (CADs) and fragile albeit improved international liquidity.

'Sustaining macroeconomic stability and policy credibility is important for upholding investor confidence and supporting economic recovery, especially as inflationary pressures increase and extraordinary multilateral support is withdrawn,' said Reckman.

Further strengthening of Costa Rica's monetary and exchange rate policy framework, as well as its external balance sheet, could benefit the sovereign's ability to cope with external shocks and, in turn, its creditworthiness. Stronger growth and a credible fiscal strategy to stabilize the government debt burden could also support creditworthiness. On the other hand, sustained fiscal slippage and deteriorating debt dynamics could be negative for Costa Rica's ratings.

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CNE outlines risk areas around Turrialba volcano as gas still spews

2010-02-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica emergency officials have laid out specific trouble spots in areas surrounding Turrialba Volcano, located about 40 kilometers northeast of San José.The volcan again showed signs of increased activity after its initial ash eruption earlier this month.

A yellow alert – the second of the country's three alert levels – in effect since the mountain began acting up during the first week of January, applies to a 2 km radius from the crater of the volcano, according to a statement issued Friday by the National Emergency Commission (CNE). This zone includes the Turrialba Volcano National Park and communities of El Tigre, Bajo Bonilla, Finca Quemadas and Lechería Tapojo as well as isolated homeswithin this radius.

Experts have indicated that the volcano will continue its phreatic activity, emitting gases and ash, which will affect areas near the crater. Anyone within the 2 km radius included in the yellow alert could experience adverse health effects from breathing the sulfur, helium and carbon dioxide that the volcano has been emitting, the CNE reported.

The areas under green alert, outside the 2 km radius, are far enough away from the volcano that they should not be affected by the gases, but residents should take precautions nonetheless. The green-alert (lowest level alert) zone includes La Central, La Silvia, Espino Blanco, Caridad, Hacienda Volcán, Finca Lechería Muralla, Esperanza, Coliblanco, La Virtud, Cabo de Hacha, Lecheria Quebradillas, Lechería El Roble, San Gerardo, Lechería Santa Teresita, San Rafael de Irazú, Irazú Sur, Finca Volio, Bajo Mora, Penas, Finca Angeles and El Sitio.

Downtown Turrialba and La Suiza de Turrialba are not under alert, according to the latest CNE information.

Agriculture and health officials are expected to visit the area Wednesday to inspect crops and examine the respiratory condition of any locals who might have been affected by the volcano's gases.

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San Jose Caldera Highway is Now Fully Operational in Costa Rica

2010-01-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

Costa Ricans and Expats cheered as the new Caldera highway to the Pacific officially opened in Costa Rica this week. The completed highway, initially planned over 30 years ago, began operation on January 28th, 2010, 3 months ahead of schedule. What was once a dream in the eyes of the administration of Rodrigo Carazo Odio, President of Costa Rica back in 1979 is now reality. Work on the project ground to a halt about 10 years ago after it was discovered that the government had not yet expropriated all the land needed to build the road. About three years ago current President Oscar Arias got the project back on track. "This is a huge boom to Pacific Lots expat community located in the southern Pacific region" said CEO Steve Linder. "It cuts an hour off the drive time to reach our developments".

What and Why? - The 77 Kilometers, built at an estimated $238 million dollars, was financed by Autopistas Del Sol, a consortium based in Spain. The company agreed to complete the road in exchange of a 25 year, 6 month concession. This agreement allows the company to collect tolls on the road equivalent to 1820 colones (about $3 dollars) for the entire route.

Pay us in Tolls - The first section to open was from San Jose to Cuidad Colon. When the first 310 colon toll collection started in Escazu, the opening resulted in traffic jams. Now frequent drivers on the road will be able to purchase a transponder pass, or quickpass, to speed toll collection and limit traffic tie ups.

The highway goes all the way from the center of San Jose to Caldera on the Pacific coast. The road was designed to open San Jose to the port of Puntarenas on the west coast. For drivers headed to the beaches in the central and southern Pacific regions, the road cuts nearly an hour off the current route known as the Aguacate pass. The aguacate pass has been the site of frequent accidents, weekend traffic back ups and occasional land slides. There are a number of single lane bridges along the route, numerous switch backs and grades to 10 degrees.

A few Mishaps - In building the new Autopista, a variety of mishaps have transpired. The Barva Aquifer was pierced at one point, a major water supply of the central valley. This stopped construction while repairs and a redesign were worked out. There was also an issue involving the negotiation of toll booths by police, fire and ambulance vehicles. Seems there was no lane designed for emergency vehicles, a necessity during rush hour.

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Qatar and Costa Rica Boost Ties

2010-01-29T05:14:00.000-08:00

Qatar and Costa Rica signed several agreements here following official talks between the two countries chaired by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias on Monday night. The talks were attended by HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad and the members of the official delegation accompanying the Emir.

On the Costa Rican side, the session was attended by Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno, Trade Minister Marco Ruiz, Tourism Minister Allan Flores and Communications Minister Mayi Antillon. The two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations in various fields.

Following the talks, HH the Emir and the Costa Rican president witnessed the signing of a number of agreements between the governments of the two countries, including a tourism co-operation agreement, economic, technical and scientific co-operation agreement and an agreement on encouragement and reciprocal protection of investments as well as a memorandum of understanding on bilateral political consultations between the two ministries of foreign affairs.

On the Qatari side the agreement and the MoU were signed by the HE the Minister of State for International Co-operation and Acting Minister of Business and Trade Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, while on the Costa Rican side they were signed by Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno and the Minister of Tourism.
Later the Emir and Sheikha Mozah attended the dinner banquet hosted by President Oscar Ariasat at the Four Seasons Hotel.

In his speech delivered on the occasion the Emir assured that the agreements that have been signed between the two countries would contribute to further enhancing co-operation between the two countries.The Emir expressed Qatar’s keenness in bolstering bilateral relations in all international forums, and working together in order to bring about peace, security and stability to all the nations. For his part, the Costa Rican President welcomed the visit of the Emir and Sheikha Mozah, expressing the hope that such a visit would help deepen bilateral ties.

The Emir and Sheikha Mozah left Liberia on Monday night wrapping up a one-day official visit to Costa Rica. The Emir sent a cable to the Costa Rican president in which he expressed thanks and appreciation for the hospitality accorded to him, Sheikha Mozah and the accompanying delegation during the visit.

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Costa Rica's Caldera highway opens, but not without roadblocks

2010-01-28T05:44:00.000-08:00

OROTINA, Costa Rica – The Costa Rican government inaugurated the 77 kilometer highway from San José to the central Pacific town of Caldera on Wednesday afternoon, 34 years after planning for the project began.

The roadway stretches across bridges built hundreds of feet above rivers in places and paved lanes rise and descend gently around gradual mountain curves. The new thoroughfare cuts the time of the old San José-Caldera trip in half – from approximately 90 minutes to roughly 45 minutes – and a one-way trip costs four wheel vehicles ₡ 1,930 ($3.47).

Not so gradual and gentle, however, are some of the sharp, 90 degree rock walls that line the route where Autopistas del Sol, the Spanish company contracted to build the road, had to slice through mountains to construct the new toll way. While some steep cliffs have been reinforced with concrete to prevent landslides, others had already begun to crumble. Strong winds that whip around bends just east of Orotina blew jagged rocks, several larger than a softball, onto the freshly asphalted expressway.

The road opens up from two lanes to four near major towns along the way, such as Orotina and La Guácima, and then narrows to three in spots and back down to two before it ends in Caldera. Police, ambulance and tow truck hubs are stationed en route, but the shoulder lanes where emergency vehicles would expectedly travel are the half the width a sedan-size car.

And as is the case with most Costa Rican infrastructure projects, its christening didn't come without controversy.

Close to 100 protesters blocked the entire highway near Santa Ana and Ciudad Col ón, southwest of San José, holding banners, shouting and refusing to let cars pass. They claimed the project did not consider neighboring communities' needs, such as stop lights and pedestrian bridges. The residents also were upset about having to pay a toll to enter the expressway.

Another family near Atenas claimed that the government cut off access to the aquifer that supplied them with clean drinking water and slashed their electricity lines to allow for construction of the road through their family farm. They say they have been without both utilities for 10 months.

But for the majority of those who plan to make use of the new vehicular artery, the completion and inauguration of the San José-Caldera highway comes as long-awaited good news.

“It's beautiful,” said 67-year-old Raúl González of Orotina, as he sat in the shade of his garage and watched from afar Costa Rican President Oscar Arias cut the ribbon. “This will open up great opportunities for Costa Ricans.”

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Young refugees and Costa Ricans join forces to fight intolerance

2010-01-27T06:07:00.000-08:00

Young refugees and Costa Ricans are taking to their airwaves to combat intolerance and xenophobia in the Latin American nation as part of a United Nations-backed initiative.

An armed group threatened to kill her brother eight years ago, prompting Annye"s family to flee Colombia. "If my father did not pay them a specific sum of money, they would kill my brother," said the refugee, now 16, in a recording studio in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose.

Annye, along with 13 other teenagers, both refugees and Costa Ricans, recorded a series of radio stories " a project of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) " targeted at students around the country to give them a better understanding of what it means for a young person to be forced to leave their home country due to violence or persecution.

The participants also had a chance to learn the nuts and bolts of radio production from the Radio Netherlands Training Centre (RNTC).

"With Costa Rican and refugee high school students taking part, we were able to hear two sides of the issue: the perception of young refugees on their life in Costa Rica and the reaction of young local people on the life stories, rights and experiences of refugees," explained Arturo Meo"a RNTC producer.

Some 40 per cent of young refugees in Costa Rica say they have been the victims of intolerance or insults from their classmates or teachers, according to a survey conducted by the agency two years ago.

"For UNHCR, it has become crucial to create a tool to combat xenophobia in schools, to inform children about who the refugees are and why they need our support to integrate into this new community," said Jozef Merkx, the agency"s representative in Costa Rica.

Having children tell their peers about their suffering, it is hoped, will make their stories more relatable and create bonds between young people of different nationalities and backgrounds.

Leidy, 16, talked excitedly about her love of Latin American music, while fellow refugee Karen, 15, complained about unfair stereotypes of refugees. "When somebody gets angry with me, they call me a drug dealer," she said.

The UNHCR scheme has resulted in an interesting mix of stories and reactions. "Some concentrate on the flight from violence and the challenges of local integration," said Maria Andrea Araya, a psychologist. "Others prefer to discuss what young refugees in Costa Rica experience in their daily lives."

Alexander, 15, pointed out that unlike in his native Colombia " where the attitude is "don"t get sick because there is no money to pay for the hospital bill" " education and health care are free in Costa Rica.

The young people"s stories will also be used as part of an education module, currently under development, to counter xenophobia in schools.

They will first be rolled out in April in areas with large migrant and refugee populations, Mr. Merkx said.

Costa Rica currently shelters 12,000 refugees of some 40 nationalities, with more than 80 per cent of them being from Colombia.

The Latin American nation receives approximately 80 asylum-seekers every month, and since 2009, there have been small migratory movements through the country of Africans and Asians trying to reach North America.

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Bandwith Auction Costa RIca

2010-01-26T05:17:00.000-08:00

Latin America’s mobile phone companies will have a rare chance to move into virgin territory in February when Costa Rica breaks a 40-year state monopoly and invites bids for a bandwidth auction.

Aside from Cuba, Costa Rica operates the last remaining state telecommunications monopoly in Latin America and an open telephone market was a condition of joining Cafta, the free trade agreement binding the US with Central America and the Dominican Republic.

The country may only have a population of 4.5m people but living standards are relatively high. Costa Rica and Panama are the only Central American countries within the World Bank’s category of upper middle-income countries. But while Panama has 112 mobile-phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, Costa Rica has 42, the lowest penetration in the region.

Attracted by the potential for growth, the five leading Latin American and Caribbean cellular operators have already begun to hold talks with the Costa Rican regulator, Sutel.

The companies are América Móvil, the market leader controlled by the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim; Spain’s Telefónica; the Luxembourg-based specialist in emerging markets Millicom; and two Caribbean operators: Digicel, the Jamaican operator controlled by the Irish magnate Denis O’Brien, and CWI, the international division of UK-based Cable & Wireless.

América Móvil, trading under the Claro brand, operates in all the other Central American countries. Telefónica, known to its consumers as Movistar, is in all countries except Honduras. Millicom’s Tigo brand is present in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Digicel, a relative newcomer to Central America, has operations in Panama, Honduras and El Salvador. CWI operates mobile services only in Panama, but is dominant there.

All five are described by the International Telecommunications Union as strategic investors. “No other region has such a strong presence of multinational mobile groups,” it said in a recent study. “Collectively, these five strategic investors account for some three out of every four mobile subscriptions in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Other, smaller, competitors could also emerge. Yota, a Russian company, which is building a Wi-Max network in Costa Rica and Huawei of China has installed Costa Rica’s recently launched third-generation network.

George Miley, the Sutel president, has made it clear that there can be only three winners of the auction, one for each of the bandwidths on offer. If all goes well,the results should be known on May 5.

The three newcomers will only be allowed to offer wireless services in Costa Rica – rather than the triple and even quadruple-play services available in other markets. And the winning companies will then have to compete alongside the state monopoly, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE).

That will not necessarily be easy.

One of the main benefits provided by ICE has been price. “It is one of the cheapest cellphone services in the hemisphere,” says Fred Blaser, publisher of Costa Rica’s business daily, La República. “Another advantage is coverage throughout almost the entire country, which is not always the case in the rest of the region,” adds Mr Blaser.

But ICE has been hamstrung by clumsy customer service, a near-non-existent pre-payment option, a patchy service at busy times and not a single modern store offering options to buy phones.

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One third of Costa Rican children live in poverty

2010-01-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

One third of Costa Rican children under age 12, almost 300,000 in all, live in poverty, according to government figures published by the media here.

Statistics from the 'State of the Nation Report for 2009' show that the dire situation among children is more pronounced than among other groups in the country, where about 17 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

One of the report's researchers, Natalia Morales, said in remarks published Sunday in the daily La Nacion that one of the causes of the phenomenon lies in the elevated rates of fertility in poorer homes.

Morales said that the lack of family planning campaigns and opportunities for women who get pregnant at early ages is having negative effects on the country's children.

Between 1990 and 2008, the proportion of homes where the head of the household is a woman increased from 11 percent to 19 percent, and of these, 40 percent of the women are jobless.

The experts said that other factors causing poverty to hit children harder include the fact that unemployment is greater among women and they generally receive lower pay than men, as well as the lack of networks to care for their children while they are working at their paying jobs.

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U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with Costa Rica Fraud Scheme

2010-01-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

Stephen Schultz entered a guilty plea in federal district court in Miami to 12 counts of an indictment pending against him, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today. Schultz pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, and three counts of wire fraud. The actions against Schultz are part of the government's continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.

Schultz was arrested on Dec. 12, 2008, in Costa Rica following his indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 20, 2008. According to the charges against him, Schultz and a co-conspirator, Jeffrey Pearson, purported to sell beverage and greeting card business opportunities, including assistance in establishing, maintaining, and operating such businesses. Following his arrest in Costa Rica, Schultz was extradited to the United States.

Schultz worked for USA Beverages Inc., Twin Peaks Gourmet Coffee Inc. and Cards-R-Us Inc. Beginning in 2005, USA Beverages sold business opportunities to own and operate coffee beverage display racks. USA Beverages rented office space in Las Cruces, N.M., and otherwise made it appear to potential purchasers that USA Beverages' operations were fully within the United States. However, USA Beverages actually operated from Costa Rica.

After USA Beverages, Schultz worked for Twin Peaks, which was a Florida and Colorado corporation. Twin Peaks sold business opportunities to own and operate coffee beverage sale display racks. Twin Peaks rented office space in Fort Collins, Colo., to make it appear to potential purchasers that its operations were fully within the United States. In truth, Twin Peaks also operated from Costa Rica.

Schultz next worked for Cards-R-Us, which was a Nevada corporation that sold business opportunities to own and operate greeting card sale display racks. Cards-R-Us rented office space in Reno, Nev., to make it appear to potential purchasers that Cards-R-Us' operations were fully within the United States. Like USA Beverages and Twin Peaks, Cards-R-Us actually operated out of Costa Rica.

Schultz and his co-conspirators made, and caused others to make, numerous false statements to fraudulently induce the purchase of business opportunities. Potential purchasers were falsely told that the companies were established years earlier, had a significant number of distributors across the country, and had a track record of success. Potential purchasers were referred to references who told false tales of their success as business opportunity owners. Through these and other misrepresentations, purchasers of the business opportunities were led to believe that they would likely earn substantial profits.

"Business opportunity fracud targets Americans who are working hard to start a business and earn an honest living. While these fraud schemes may sometimes operate beyond our borders, they aren't beyond the reach of United States law," said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. "The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who steal through false promises of financial success."

In pleading guilty, Schultz admitted that his role in the conspiracy resulted in between $2.5 million and $7 million in losses to investors and harmed more than 250 victims. Schultz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy count, and 25 years on each of the mail and wire fraud counts. He also faces a possible fine and mandatory restitution.

Assistant Attorney General West commended the investigative efforts of the agencies involved in this matter, the Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Trade Commission, which previously brought a related civil suit and made a criminal referral. The Justice Department's Civil Division is handling the criminal prosecution.

China miffed over plan to name stadium after Dalai Lama

2010-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Chinese government has said a Costa Rican presidential candidate's pledge to name a stadium in San Jose after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama 'is not in line with the common desires of the two countries'.

In a statement to EFE, the Chinese foreign ministry said the stadium 'represents the Chinese people's friendship with Costa Ricans'. China has contributed $83 million to build it.

The ministry was responding to statements by Otton Solis, leader of the centre-left Citizen Action Party, that he would name the stadium after the exiled leader to highlight Costa Rica's lack of economic dependence.

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in Dharamsala in India since a failed Tibetan uprising against the Chinese government in 1959. He acknowledges that Tibet is part of China, but Beijing still considers him a revolutionary.

The 35,000-capacity stadium will have offices for 32 sports federations, giant video screens, a sports museum, a track-and-field course and rooms for table tennis, fencing and chess.

Costa Rican authorities are planning to inaugurate the stadium in February or March of 2011 with sporting activities, a concert by a famous artist and a soccer game between Costa Rican and China.

The stadium is one of the flagship projects stemming from the resumption of diplomatic relations between Costa Rica and China June 1, 2007, which required the severing of ties between the Central American country and Taiwan, regarded by Beijing as a renegade province.

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Turrialba Volcano and Magma?

2010-01-21T06:06:00.000-08:00

Scientists who visited the Turrialba volcano on Tuesday detected a new gas seeping out of the mountain that indicates magmatic activity.

Researchers from the Center for Atomic, Nuclear, and Molecular Science Research (CICANUM), based at the University of Costa Rica, discovered that helium at a concentration of 20 parts per million have begun to ooze out of the land mass. The most helium ever measured at Turrialba was 30 ppm.

Jorge Andrés Díaz, a physicist with CICANUM told the daily La Nación that the gas “only presents itself when there is new magmatic degasification.” Similar samples taken in September 2009 contained no helium.

A report released by the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), based at National University, on Wednesday said the gas' presence supports the possibility of a “magmatic intrusion,” which means molten rock would slowly ascend into the earth's crust beneath the volcano.

OVSICORI volcanologists, however, fell short of predicting lava flows outside of the volcano as a result of the latest revelations.

Díaz was out of the office on Wednesday but an assistant told The Tico Times that he had passed the information regarding the presence of helium to the National Emergency Commission (CNE). Press officials from the commission said Wednesday afternoon they need more time to analyze the new studies before determining if more evacuations will be necessary.

Tuesday's samples also evidenced an increase in sulfur dioxide leaking out of the Turrialba volcano, located about 40 kilometers northeast of San José. Experts were hesitant about discussing health risks the gases pose to nearby communities without knowing more about their quantity and concentration.

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U.S. citizens in Costa Rica lose fight against extradition

2010-01-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

Nearly nine months after arriving at Buen Pastor women's prison in San José, Christine Wenger-Bartee was taken back to the United States in handcuffs earlier this month.

According to the U.S. Embassy, she and her husband Linn Morris Bartee, both of northern California, were arrested and transferred on tax evasion charges.

For the better part of 2009, Christine fought off attempts to return her to her home country, while living on rice and beans in prison and bunking with women convicted of far more serious crimes than her own.

Her lawyer, Arcelio Hernández, successfully blocked three prior extradition attempts while Bartee lobbied for refugee status. Yet this last, successful attempt, on Jan. 9, was allegedly done without due notification and outside of normal business hours.

“It was basically kidnapping,” Hernández wrote in an e-mail to The Tico Times. “(The Osa court) made sure I had no chance to file a habeas corpus … and did not let my clients call me.”

The Bartee's case is being prosecuted by the Eastern District of California Bankruptcy Court, where they are being charged with conspiring to evade the payment of federal income taxes, making false statements in a bankruptcy case and fraudulently concealing property in connection with a bankruptcy case, according to U.S. attorney Philip Ferrari. The maximum sentence the Bartees face is five years.

In May, Bartee, 51, was taken from her home in Tres Ríos de Coronado and separated from her husband and granddaughter. She was wanted on tax evasion charges, the result of a bankruptcy filing gone wrong, she said. During the process of filing for bankruptcy, she said she was “cheated and tricked.”

In her absence, she said, the U.S. government seized her ranch and drained her of her assets. She told The Tico Times in a September interview, “Any debts I left behind were more than paid off with what they took.”

While in Buen Pastor, Bartee said she survived in part because of the company of Ellen Stubenhaus, who was arrested weeks after Bartee on charges of conspiracy against the U.S. government. Stubenhaus, who came to Costa Rica in 2001, remains at Buen Pastor.

According to the U.S. embassy, the number of extradition requests made to Costa Rica varies from year to year, but average from 10 to15 annually.

Jaco has FINALLY cleaned UP

2010-01-19T04:06:00.000-08:00

Jaco Costa Rica is clean and not polluted shows the labs results from AyA which tested the water last month. AyA is the Costa Rican ministry that is responsible for drinking water and water treatment. However, the AyA lab results just release showed that 6 other Costa Rican Beaches are still contaminated.

Before stepping foot in the water, best to be sure that the beach or river is not on the AyA list of the contaminated, following the findings by the water and sewer utility high contaminations of fecal matter in at least six beaches in Costa Rica.

Testing by the Laboratorio Nacional de Aguas de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) shows that the beaches of Los Baños, Portete and Cieneguita, in the province of Limón; the Tárcoles, Giacalillo and Quepos beaches in the province of Puntarenas, have a high level of contamination of fecal coliforms. These AyA lab results indicate that the above beaches are not fit for swimming.

In the meantime, Jaco Beach and Tamarindo passed the lab test after three years of water of very publicized water pollution problems. There was a huge effort by the Jaco community and the Canton of Garabito to clean up the water problems in Jaco. The result is Jaco is no longer on any of the polluted beach lists and continues to pass water tests. The condos Jaco Beach has built brought many residents to the clean up effort, who were concerned about the past water problems. Jaco Beach clean water lab results proves a community effort of engaged residents can make the difference.

The accepted level in Costa Rica of coliform in the water is 240 coliforms per 100.000 milliliters of water.
Some results to highlight where beaches are still polluted are Portete beach which the lab results showed 10.000 coliforms & Los Baños tested at 7.500 coliforms which are very elevated. Other moderate polluted beaches are Cieneguita beach tested at 700 coliforms, Tárcoles 850, Gucalillo 500, and Quepos 400.

One of the problems faced by these communities is the lack of local organizations to work in correcting the problems. The AyA tests the water quality of the beaches around the country as part of their “Bandera Azul Ecológica” program.

San Jose Caldera Highway Scheduled to be open Early

2010-01-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

The new autopista a Caldera will be inaugurated on January 27th, one week before the national elections, Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, announced in Puntarenas on Saturday.

“For the first time I made it here (Puntarenas) in 50 minutes by way of the new highway”, Arias told a crowd during a tour of the Pacific port town.

The section between Santa Ana and Orotina of the new San José – Caldera highway that is not yet open to the public, had been scheduled to be open in March, pushed up from the original June opening date when construction commenced two years ago.

However, advances in the work enable it open early.

President Arias called the new highway a “gift to Puntarenses”, saying that Costa Rica has waited almost 40 years for this highway to become a reality, for the port city to have easy and fast access to San José and vice-versa.

The new road allows travel between La Sabana on the west side of San Jose Caldera, south of Puntarenas, in less than 45 minutes. Currently it takes between 90 and 120 minutes to make the same trip.

The savings in time is because the highway cuts through the mountains, eliminating the steep climbs and drops on the current routes, as well the slowdown in traffic caused by big trucks and buses.

The sections between San José and Santa Ana and Orotina and Caldera have been open since last year, remaining was the middle portion.

The cost of tolls to travel the 77 kilometres of the new highway, from end to end, is about ¢1.500 colones each way for passenger vehicles and motorcycles, more for heavy trucks and buses.

Tico rescue experts leave for Haiti

2010-01-16T04:04:00.000-08:00

A team of 55 Costa Ricans left yesterday about 11 a.m. for Haiti. The group includes 20 police officers who are specialists in conducting rescues in collapsed buildings.

Other volunteers include 15 firemen, eight Cruz Roja employees, three specialists from the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social and five employees of the national emergency commission, the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias.

The group is getting a lot of backup. TACA, the airline company, is providing a free flight, and the Instituto Nacional de Seguros has provided a complimentary insurance policy for each volunteer, said the emergency commission. The team is expected to spend 10 days in Haiti. They are bringing their own food, water and equipment.

The unit of rescue specialists from the security ministry had been in operation since 2005. One of the 20 volunteers is a woman. The unit is called the Brigada de Rescate en Estructuras Colapsadas.
Casa Presidencial announced Wednesday that the country would send a team of experts.

The team will need all their skills in Haiti where collapsed buildings seem to be everywhere in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Television footage shows residents trying to extricate friends, neighbors and family members from massive mounds of rubble.

The country is short on heavy machinery and a working rescue force. The death toll from Tuesday's magnitude 7 earthquake still is being calculated, but estimates run from 50,000 to 500,000.

Banco Nacional said its 164 branches are open to receive donations in special Cruz Roja accounts. The bank's mobile branch will be in Sabana Oeste today from noon until 8 p.m. to accept donations. The van will be in front of the channel 7 television offices, the bank said.

Costa Rica to HELP Haiti

2010-01-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday afternoon has prompted aid responses from Costa Rican institutions and aid groups that have offices in Costa Rica.

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) announced that it will send a relief team of 55 experts to Haiti. This commission will aid in rescue and relief efforts. Press officials said the team will include engineers, doctors and health care and disaster relief specialists.

The Haitian Red Cross estimates that between 45,000-50,000 people may have died in the quake.

The CNE is working out an agreement with global courier DHL to transport the relief team and their equipment to the Caribbean island. The CNE and DHL collaborated on a 4.8 ton d elivery of supplies to El Salvador after heavy rains provoked by Hurricane Ida in November of last year left at least 157 dead and hundreds homeless in the Central American country.

The Costa Rican Red Cross announced late Wednesday that it will send rescue personnel and equipment to the battered nation. The Red Cross opened its bank accounts at Banco Nacional and Banco de Costa Rica for donations for victims of the earthquake.

Red Cross Haiti on Wednesday afternoon reported that its teams in the country were “completely overwhelmed.” The Doctors Without Borders organization said none of its three hospitals in Haiti are operable.

Costa Rica's National Police will send 20 officers who specialized in search and rescue missions.

Costa Rica to SEAL deal with Singapore

2010-01-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica is nearing a final handshake on the first free trade agreement of the decade, as delegates from Singapore have been in town this week to discuss the final workings of an accord between the two countries.

In the fourth and expected final meeting, at the Double Tree Cariari Hotel in Heredia, north of San José, negotiators are in the process of deciding upon the sanitary, shipment and rules-of-origin regulations that will be imposed on products traded between the two countries.

Costa Rica and Singapore also are making final decisions on which products will be traded free of international tariffs. As of Wednesday, it appeared that both countries were leaning towards lifting tariffs across all product markets.

“At this time, we believe that in this agreement, there will not be one product excluded,” said Fernando Ocampo, Costa Rica's chief negotiator in a statement released by the Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX). “The idea is that, if we have a consensus in the theme of rules of origin, the free trade agreement will have a 100 percent coverage of products.”

Discussions this week generally have centered on rules-of-origin regulations, which are put in place to ensure that a product purchased from Singapore was not originally manufactured in a different country. This ensures that products included in the free trade agreement originate only in Costa Rican and Singapore. As of Wednesday, Singapore had accepted 95 percent of the regulations that ensure products exported to Costa Rica are not made of raw materials from other countries.

According to COMEX, Singapore has expressed particular interest in agricultural products such as coffee, fruits, vegetables and prepared foods. Costa Rica has expressed interest in trading types of plastic and metal products.

Singapore, a series of islands south of Malaysia and north of Indonesia, is a central port and distribution center for much of Asia. In 2007, Costa Rica's exports to Singapore totaled $31.5 million, while imports totaled $26.4 million. Costa Rica also established an embassy in Singapore in October 2007. The population of Singapore is around 4.6 million, slightly more than Costa Rica's estimated 4.5 million.

The free trade agreement between Costa Rica and Singapore is expected to be approved on Friday.

Hard rains persist in Costa Rica's Caribbean

2010-01-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) maintained a yellow alert for the province of Limón, the Northern Zone and Sarapiquí de Heredia on Tuesday as a cold front that has caused strong winds and heavy rainfall continued to slam parts of the country.

On Monday, a total of 136 millimeters of rain fell in Limón and winds in the Central Valley reached 74 kilometers per hour, according to the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).

As of Tuesday afternoon, the CNE counted a total of 483 evacuees in shelters in Matina and Sarapiquí, all of whom were flooded out of their homes. Shelters have been set up in El Tigre, La Guaria and Caño San José for Heredia province for evacuees and in Goshen, Santa Marta and Bataán for those fleeing from Limón.

CNE did not report any more wind damage on Tuesday. As of Monday, 39 homes had lost their roofs and power lines had snapped in Sarapiquí and Limón. Reported power outages continued on Tuesday.

The IMN did not have Tuesday rainfall totals before press time, but meteorologists said that Monday's forecast of between 100-150 millimeters of rain along the Caribbean coast for Tuesday and Wednesday is still accurate.

Conditions could begin to improve late Wednesday, meteorologists said, adding that Thursday and Friday could bring drier weather.

What happened to the weather- it's COLD

2010-01-12T05:22:00.000-08:00

Heavy rainfall and intense winds in Costa Rica's Central Valley and along the Caribbean coast have slashed power lines and forced hundreds of evacuations since Sunday morning. Conditions will remain strong for at least the next two days, meteorologists said, and parts of the country will stay on yellow alert, the middle of the country's three alert levels.

From Sunday through noon Monday, 110 millimeters of rain fell along the Caribbean, causing rivers to swell and some to spill over their banks, according to the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) reported that the rivers rose and flooded mainly in the Matina canton in the province of Limón, and in Sarapiquí canton in Heredia. The entire province of Limón is under yellow alert, as well as Sarapiquí de Heredia and Costa Rica's Northern Zone.

Floods forced 180 people to abandon their homes in Sarapiquí de Heredia. The CNE evacuated families by boat on Sunday and Monday and took them to shelters in Caño San José and La Guaria.

CNE also evacuated 85 people from B-Line, 24 Millas and Estrada in Matina. Those who do not have family in the area will stay in a shelter in the Catholic Church in B-Line.

Roughly 65 mm of rain fell on Monday afternoon in the Caribbean zone and the IMN is forecasting 100-150 more on Tuesday and Wednesday. Juan Diego Naranjo, a meteorologist, said the heaviest rains will come at night and in the morning, but he said residents can expect rainfall all day long through Thursday.

In the Central Valley, winds were clocked at up to 70 kilometers per hour, Naranjo said, a velocity that will persist through the early hours of Thursday. The gusts have ripped the roofs off 39 homes in Alajuela and Heredia and lacerated power lines throughout the Central Valley and the Caribbean region.

In Limón, residents have reported blackouts in Cahuita and Puerto Viejo.

Naranjo said the cold front will make its way out of the country on Thursday and rains and winds will slow throughout the weekend.

Man is slain in Costa Rica

2010-01-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

The last time Jonathan Scibeck saw his father was on Dec. 27, when he dropped him off at a hotel near Logan Airport so he could catch a flight to Costa Rica.

John Joseph Scibeck told his son he should not expect to talk to him again until March. The 67-year-old retired car salesman planned to be reachable only by e-mail while he stayed at a little villa in Playa Potrero, where he would be spending the winter months.

Less than a week later, on New Year’s Day, Scibeck learned that his father was dead. A neighbor and friend discovered his body, face up on the side of a desolate road, less than a mile from the beaches of Playa Potrero, a small resort town on the western side of the country.

He had been asphyxiated, but it was not clear how. Police in Costa Rica said they are investigating the death as a homicide.

Now, John Scibeck’s two sons, who live in Stoughton, are trying to find out what happened to their father more than 2,000 miles away.

“It boggles me,’’ said Jonathan Scibeck, 31. “Did someone cover his mouth? Did he put up a fight? Did he have any blows to the head? This is stuff I can’t find out.’’

None of Scibeck’s belongings, including his wallet, were stolen, according to his son. When police arrived at the scene, they said, they found no obvious signs of violence, leading them to conclude initially that his death might have been natural.

But closer inspection of the body revealed that someone had killed Scibeck, said Xinia Zamora, spokeswoman for the national police in Costa Rica, the department that investigates serious crimes.

“Officially I can say that it’s presumed to be a homicide and that it is being investigated,’’ she said.

Playa Potrero is a small community of Costa Ricans and expatriates from Canada and the United States. Violent crime is rare, though local police have struggled with drug dealing in the area, said Jose Cruz, regional subdirector of the police in the Guanacaste Province, in western Costa Rica. Victims of violence are usually associated with drugs.

“It’s surprising that an elderly person, a person who most likely doesn’t lead that kind of life, would be found like this,’’ Cruz said.

Scibeck’s friend and neighbor, Kurt Dommers, said his wife found the body about 11 a.m. as she was driving along the street. It could only have been there about an hour because it had not been there when she drove by at about 10 a.m., he said.

Dommers, who owns El Castillo, a bar that Scibeck liked to frequent, said he last saw his friend on New Year’s Eve, contentedly typing away on his laptop computer and dining on a fruit plate at the bar.

“He seemed perfect,’’ Dommers said.

Scibeck left about 5 p.m., presumably to go home, Dommers said. He told the bar owner that he planned to go to another bar later to celebrate the new year. Scibeck, who liked to spend his time in Costa Rica golfing with friends, was rarely alone. He did not have a car or bicycle and usually traveled by foot, Dommers said.

Scibeck had gone to Costa Rica at least once before to spend the winter, Jonathan Scibeck said. He lived in Florida, where he had retired more than a decade ago after raising his children in Stoughton. He had returned to Stoughton to spend Thankgsiving and Christmas with his sons. He wanted to spend winter in Costa Rica, a country he loved for its beauty and warm, friendly people, Jonathan Scibeck said.

“He felt safe,’’ Scibeck said. “He loved everyone down there. Everyone was so nice.’’

Now, Jonathan Scibeck and his brother Joseph are planning their father’s funeral. A wake will be held tonight at Farley Funeral Home in Stoughton and a funeral Mass will be said tomorrow in Immaculate Conception Church.

“I want to celebrate his life and then my secondary thing would be . . . find out what happened,’’ Jonathan Scibeck said. “I want the autopsy report, any DNA evidence they collected. . . . I will find out what happened if it takes 10 years.’’

Scibeck said he wanted his father remembered for his outsize personality, his ability to make people laugh, his love for Frank Sinatra, and his strong singing voice, Scibeck said.

“He sounded better than Frank Sinatra,’’ he said.

Scibeck said he takes solace in the final moments he had with his father. “The last thing I did was kiss him on the cheek and told him I loved him,’’ he said. “A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do that.’’

Electric Cars Vie for Niche in Costa Rica

2010-01-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Amidst the endless swarm of bright red taxis and grunting motorcycles zipping through the streets of San José, automobiles rarely stand out in the blur of city traffic. But, in the last few months, the smallest car on the road is beginning to attract attention.

The Reva, pint-sized even by mini-car standards, is the first all-electric car to hit the streets throughout Central America. Since its debut on the Tico automotive market in March 2009, the appearance of the Reva on San José streets has generated the interest of environmentally conscious drivers. Last year, 20 Revas were sold in Costa Rica and, as their mini-profile becomes more prevalent, the little cars are attracting more attention.

“If there is a country in the world where electric cars should be able to work, it is Costa Rica because the electricity is produced so cleanly,” said Kate Cruse, sustainable operations officer at the British Embassy in Costa Rica. “We (the British Embassy) are in the throes of buying an electric car from Reva. When we do get it, it is something we are going to be very proud of. We want to show people that we don't need to have something big and luxurious to do some of the things that are needed as far as getting around.”

The Reva was introduced by the Zero Emission Electrical Vehicles Company of Central America, S.A., a private company based in San José. Founded in 2008, the company began a search for an automobile that would minimize environmental impact and would not require consumption of fossil fuels. What they found was the Reva, produced by the REVA Electric Car Company (RECC) of Bangalore, India. According to the company's promotion materials, “reva” means “a new beginning” and also “one that moves,” in Sanskrit.

As Revas make their way into the world automotive market, they have garnered some national and international attention. Here's where you might have seen them:

* Presidential frontrunner Laura Chinchilla, of the National Liberation Party, is a Reva driver. In October, Chinchilla said that, if elected president, she will remove import taxes for drivers of electric cars. René Castro, campaign manager for Chinchilla, said that throughout the presidential race, Chinchilla will drive different types of Revas to further the nation's awareness and push for carbon neutrality.

* The 2007 movie, "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets," featured a scene in which a Reva is smashed by a speeding truck. Despite the unfortunate fate of the Reva in the film, its appearance on the big screen generated significant interest in the brand. After the release of the movie, sales of the Reva in Europe jumped considerably.

* According to Car and Driver Magazine, there will be 10 different models of electric cars in the worldwide automotive market by 2012.

“When we created the relationship with REVA, they were interested in Costa Rica because of the country's commitment to the environment and our measures to decrease the amount of pollution in methods of transportation,” said Emilio Mora, president of the local company. “We wanted to bring in a car that could be used in the city and that would not require gasoline. The Reva is exactly that.”

The Reva is powered by an electric motor that uses a power pack consisting of eight six-volt EV-type lead acid batteries, or an optional lithium ion battery pack that provides greater range. To charge the batteries, the Reva must be plugged into a 110 or 220-volt electrical outlet. To fully charge the car, the Reva must be plugged in for eight hours. With a full charge, the Reva can travel 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) on the standard batteries, and up to 120 kilometers with the optional lithium ones. The car can reach speeds of 80 km/hour.

Though the car will not travel great distanc es, and it cannot carry more than two adults, the Reva is designed for urban driving and areas of high traffic, such as San José and the Central Valley. The car is equipped with “smart” technology. For example, in stop-and-go traffic, electricity is used only when accelerating. That means that when the Reva is not moving, no charge is expended. If a Monday-through-Friday round-trip commute is around 10 kilometers, an eight-hour charge on Sunday night would provide sufficient energy for the entire week.

“Studies have shown that over 95 percent of all vehicles in the world drive less than 80 kilometers each day, all fueled by fossil fuels,” said Luis Echeverri, manager of the Reva offices in Costa Rica. “If someone who drives to work in a gasoline-fueled car every day were to switch to an electric car, that person would save several thousands of dollars on gas expenses each year.”

According to Echeverri, an eight-hour charge of the Reva costs less than $1 in electricity fees. Echeverri joked that one night at a party in Escazú, west of San José, he plugged his Reva into an outlet in a friend's garage for a few hours to generate enough charge for the return trip home. Before he left, he gave the friend ¢ 100 (about $0.19) to cover the cost of the electricity used.

“That was my transportation cost for the day,” Echeverri said.

Turrialba Volcano Surprise

2010-01-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, Mother Nature set an ominous precedent by ringing in the New Year with a jolt.

Last year's surprise was the Jan. 8, 2009, Cinchona earthquake. And 2010 kicked off with volcanic tremors Tuesday inside Costa Rica's 3,340-meter-high Turrialba Volcano, about 40 kilometers northeast of San José, triggering an ash eruption the likes of which have not been seen in more than 140 years.

Disaster response teams had evacuated a total of 36 people by press time on Thursday. Twenty-four of them took refuge early in the week in a community center in Santa Cruz, approximately seven kilometers from the volcano's crater, while others stayed with their families in nearby towns, according to National Emergency Commission (CNE). Some of the evacuees had begun to return to their homes on Thursday.

There were no reports of illness or injury due to the volcano, Ministry of Health authorities said.

On the afternoon of the eruption, the wind blew southwestward, causing most of the ash to settle within 12 km of the crater, although some ash flew as far as the east side of San José, said Raúl Mora, geologist and volcanologist with the National Seismological Network (RSN). He's been visiting the mountain to monitor its activity with fellow scientists from the network, which is run by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and the University of Costa Rica.

The authorities identified a six-km radius around the crater that they say should be evacuated.

In the tiny village of La Central, where dairy and potato farmers have braved life on the slope of the volcano during the last few years of increasing volcanic gases, the air grew thicker this week and reeked of sulfur, while the ground turned gray with a muddy mixture of rain, earth and ash. The farmers have left.

“Last night (Wednesday) when we entered the affected area getting people out of their homes, it still smelled a lot,” said the Red Cross' chief of rescue operations, Carlos Gutiérrez.

But only 20 km south and east of the volcano, residents and businesses say they hardly noticed a thing.

“In Cervantes, this whole area, including downtown Turrialba, hasn't been affected at all,” said José Mena, owner of Restaurante Bocadito del Cielo.

The Turrialba Volcano remained active for several days but the volcanic tremors and ash showed signs of subsiding by Thursday.

After an analysis of the ash and volcanic activity, Mora said the mountain might continue its unusual activity, but he said lava flow is unlikely.

“In order for there to be magma close to the surface there must be deformations in the walls (of the volcano), changes in the chemistry of the gases, many tremors that force the magma upward and, at this time, the tremors are of another sort – not (caused by) rising magma,” said the RSN volcano expert.

Mora added that the ash particles were, at most, two millimeters in diameter, so the volcano had not shown signs of launching rocks, as some media reports had implied.

By Thursday, CNE said the volcano's activity had begun to die down but ash clouds continued to shoot up 100 meters from the crater.

The Water

After examining local water sources, the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) said drinking water was in the clear, allaying fears that volcanic material could contaminate Turrialba's water supply.

“The water for human consumption coming from rural aqueducts poses no threat to the population,” Ricardo Sancho, AyA executive president, said in a statement. “The pH found in the ash doesn't represent contamination for the water sources.”

The institute contacted 24 local Administrative Associations of Rural Aqueducts (ASADAS), which serve a total of 42,000 people. Each of them reported clean drinking water.

Cost Unknown

Agricultural officials were to tour the region early today to continue taking stock of any damage to farms near the volcano.

Many residents who live closest to the crater count on dairy farming for their livelihood, and many were concerned about the animals' wellbeing. A total of 143 farms are located in the affected area and are home to 4,415 animals, according to the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry (MAG). The volcano's ash threatens 800 of the animals, MAG said.

Gutiérrez, the Red Cross chief, said three trucks carried 30 cows each away from the affected area and to safety. He added that at least nine families refused to be evacuated, reluctant to leave their land.

Turrialba Volcano STILL busy but Lava Unlikely

2010-01-07T04:05:00.000-08:00

Here, ash rests on the slopes of Turrialba.

Costa Rica's Turrialba volcano remained active Wednesday but showed no signs of flowing lava, scientists said after monitoring the area.

“In order for there to be magma close to the surface there must be deformations in the walls (of the volcano), changes in the chemistry of the gases, many tremors that force the magma upward, and at this time, the tremors are of another sort; not raising magma,” said Raúl Mora, geologist and volcanologist at the University of Costa Rica's National Seismological Network.

Disaster response teams evacuated residents and livestock from the area around Turrialba, after the 3,340-meter volcano began spewing ash Tuesday – an eruption not seen for more than 140 years. By Wednesday, 37 people had left their homes.

Turrialba is about 40 kilometers northeast of San José. Residents reported seeing flurries of ash as far as neighborhoods on the capital city's edge like Curridabat, according to Mora, who added that light amounts of ash are not harmful. The highest concentration of ash fell within 12 km of the volcano, he added.

Emergency officials warned that contact with ash can be harmful particularly if inhaled by elderly, young children or people with respiratory disease.

Sigifredo Pérez, chief of operations at the National Emergency Commission (CNE), said 11 tourists had been staying at the Volcán Turrialba Lodge at the time of the eruption but all have evacuated. Pérez said these were the only known tourists in the area. Officials have closed the Turrialba Volcano National Park indefinitely.

CNE raised the alert Wednesday from green to yellow in the cantons of Turrialba, Alvarado and Oreamuno. Yellow is the second of three warning levels meaning “take precaution,” said Pérez, who added that an unidentified number of families chose to remain in their homes despite the warnings.

For months farmers have complained about Turrialba's volcanic activity, with gas emissions that kill off vegetation and harm their crops and livestock, but some have continued living on the volcano's slope nevertheless.

Mora, who took part in the visit to Turrialba Wednesday, said the volcano may continue to act up until it has fully relieved long built-up tension.

“There's a lot of fear among the population of lava because you always think of volcanoes like in Hawaii as you see them on television, and at this time we're very far from that kind of scenario,” said Mora.

Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano ERUPTS

2010-01-06T04:52:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica's Turrialba volcano, last active in the 19th century, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash and steam, seen here in mellower times.
Costa Rica's Turrialba volcano, last active in the 19th century, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash and steam and prompting authorities to evacuate a small number of people from its slopes.

The 11,000-foot (3,340-meter) volcano is situated east of the capital San Jose in the remote, lushly forested central highlands of the Central American country.

It had shown increased activity since the weekend, Vanessa Rosales, president of Costa Rica's disaster response commission, told Reuters.

"The area around the volcano is not very populated," Rosales said, while adding that ash from the volcano could reach San Jose if activity were to became more severe.

Authorities evacuated 20 people from its slopes. Thirty more people near Turrialba will be evacuated on Wednesday, Rosales said.

The volcano is not near any major coffee production areas.

Turrialba has been dormant since a 22-year active period that began in 1864, according to Juan Segura, the director of the Costa Rican Volcanology and Seismology Observatory.

Ash from Turrialba's last major eruption in February 1866 fell hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Nicaragua, according to the observatory.

Vehicle import scam targets gringos

2010-01-05T04:47:00.000-08:00

Five people have filed complaints against a man posing as an agent for the United States Embassy in Costa Rica who has allegedly cheated them out of a collective $28,000.

The man, a 55-year-old Costa Rican named Carlos Arroyo, reportedly hangs out at bars in Escazú and Santa Ana, looking to pick up potential clients. He claims he has diplomatic credentials, allowing him to avoid high automobile import tariffs – which can be more than 50 percent the value of the car.

But six months after Michael Plachy contracted him to import a 2006 Toyota 4Runner, Plachy has yet to get the car or an explanation of the whereabouts of the $3,000 he had invested.

“He told us what we wanted to hear and I went with it,” said the 60-year-old from the U.S. city of Dallas, Texas. “But, when I followed up with it, I just hear excuse after excuse.”

Plachy is not alone.

New York native Jim Adams invested $17,000 in vehicles he needed for an airboat business he's establishing in Limón, a port city on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. He lives in the same condominium complex as Arroyo and, after a few neighbor-to-neighbor conversations, he learned of the opportunity Arroyo was offering to import cars at a discounted rate.

Yet, a month after contracting with Arroyo, he has yet to get his vehicles. And, after doing some further investigation, he learned that Arroyo's credentials don't check out. Arroyo does not work for the U.S. Embassy and he is not affiliated with the Pops chain of ice cream stores. (He had told Adams and Plachy that his uncle was a founder.)

“The Embassy can confirm that Mr. Carlos Arroyo was taken into custody by Costa Rican authorities and does not have any affiliation with the U.S. Embassy,” read a statement the embassy released on Monday.

At least five of the people who have fallen victim to the scam filed a complaint with the judicial police. Arroyo was detained for a day and then released, according to Adams.

Asked whether he thinks he can get his money back, Adams shook his head.

“Not likely,” he said. “But we want to make sure this doesn't happen to other people.”

Latin American's farmers Abandoning Organic Coffee?

2010-01-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

From Mexico to Costa Rica, at least 10 percent of growers have defected in the past three years, estimates the Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education in Costa Rica (CATIE). Researchers say that each year, about 75 percent of the world’s organic coffee comes from Latin America.

Farmers have returned to the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that increase production, albeit at a cost to the environment. Although organic still pays a premium of as much as 25 percent over conventional coffee, it’s not enough to cover the added cost of production and make up for the smaller yields. For consumers, the defections threaten to make the coffee harder to find.

“This is a critical point for organic coffee. It was starting to make the conversion to the mainstream,” says Jeremy Haggar, who oversees the research for CATIE. If farmers continue to abandon organic coffee, “prices will definitely go up and it will return to being a niche product.”

Under specialty “green” labels at places like Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, organic beans and brews have become cheaper and more widely available recently. Last year, North American sales reached a record $1.3 billion, a 13 percent increase from 2007.

Major retailers already struggle to fill demand. Seattle-based Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffeehouse company, said just 3 percent of its coffee purchases, about 10 million pounds, were organic last year.

“Our purchases of certified organic coffee are limited due to the limited quantities available worldwide and the constraints of the organic certification system for farmers,” the company said in a statement issued in response to questions.

The expense of organic certifications, composts, and the losses incurred by pests and other factors mean growing organic costs about 15 percent more than growing conventional crops, Mr. Haggar says. More notably, by using chemical fertilizers a farmer can coax about 485 pounds of coffee out of one acre, versus 285 pounds per acre on an organic farm, according to CATIE.

With coffee prices rebounding from the historic lows of a decade ago, there’s little financial reason for growers to continue raising organic beans.

“I can sell [nonorganic coffee] to a coyote [middle man] for around the same price [as organic], a little less, and I can use whatever I want on the coffee plants – fertilizers I can buy, pesticides,” says Jose Perez, who stopped growing organic coffee on his three-acre farm in Guatemala last year. “I can grow a lot more this way.”

Mr. Perez is an example of what World Bank coffee researcher Daniele Giovannucci says was an empty promise made to growers. “Many farmers ... were promised economic benefits by those that wanted them to convert, which was a very bad idea,” he writes in an e-mail, “and [this trend] is bearing the fruit in their dissatisfaction.”

A decade ago, with coffee prices bottoming out and at the urging of some development organizations, tens of thousands of Latin American farmers began to convert their fields to producers of certified organic products. To do so, farmers followed strict rules set by a handful of agencies, including the US Department of Agriculture, that require soil be free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers for three years.

After making the conversion, they would be supplying a growing market that paid as much as 40 percent more. They would also be preserving their land. Conventional farms apply as much as 250 pounds of chemical fertilizers on every acre. “And they use tons of pesticides that are harmful to human health and affect biodiversity,” Haggar says. Organic farms, rich with flora, trap more carbon than their conventional counterparts, an important benefit for a crop threatened by climate change.

However, the farmers don’t receive the financial benefits of organic coffee until they are certified, meaning they were expected to absorb extra costs for three years. Many went into debt. Now, they are quitting organic farming.

“When you’re a small organization like ours, it’s already difficult to survive against the big growers. So when you lose members, it hurts you a lot,” says Marvin Lopez, manager of APODIP, a Coban, Guatemala-based cooperative of organic growers that lost half of its members, about 380, last year.

“I get calls every day from buyers in the US who are asking me if I have any organic [coffee] available. But then I tell them the price, $2 per pound,” De Leon says, pointing to an e-mail with an offer to pay $1.50 per pound. “So, the coffee just sits there.”

Colombian wins Vuelta de Costa Rica Bike Race

2010-01-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

On the last day of the Vuelta de Costa Rica bicycle race Monday, Costa Rica won the battle but lost the war.

Tico Juan Carlos Rojas won the race's last stage, which covered 135 kilometers between San Isidro del General in Costa Rica's southern zone and San José in 3 hours, 52 minutes and 30 seconds. The morning's ride included a climb to an altitude of over 3,300 meters.

However, the Columbian Janier Acevedo won the overall race, covering 1,308 kilometers throughout the country in a time of 34 hours, 36 minutes and 13 seconds, which was 4 minutes and 2 seconds fasters than the second-place finisher, Costa Rican Gregory Brenes, who was the winner of last year's edition. The race took place over a period of ten days.

Demonstrating his overall dominance, Acevedo finished the last stage of the race only three seconds behind Rojas.

Acevedo's overall victory marked the first time since the victory of Colombian Israel Ochoa in 2005 that a Costa Rican has not won the race.

U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Approved by Senate

2009-12-29T06:14:00.000-08:00

The United States Senate last Thursday confirmed the nomination of Anne Slaughter Andrew to serve as Ambassador to Costa Rica shortly before adjourning for the Christmas holidays.

According to an official biography released by the White House, Andrew is a lawyer specializing in corporate environmental and energy issues.

Andrew also was co-founder, owner and Director of the Anson Group LLC, a medical bio-tech consulting company, and has also been active in support of environmental and conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, The Sierra Club, and the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, the White House said.

According to her official biography, Andrew graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received her law degree from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Indiana Law Review.

The diplomatic affairs blog Diplopundit (www.diplopundit.blogspot.com) noted that Andrew's husband, Joe Andrew, is a prominent Indiana Democrat and supporter of Barack Obama, and was a former National Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He also served as Chair of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. According to the blog, the Andrews have two school-age children, Meredith and Will.

The U.S. Embassy in San José was unable to confirm when the new Ambassador will arrive in Costa Rica to assume her post.

Costa Rican wins 11th stage of Costa Rica Tour

2009-12-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

Costa Rican cyclist Jose Adrian Bonilla of Citibank-Economy Rent a Car-Blue team won the 11th stage of the Costa Rican International Tour on Sunday.

Bonilla finished the 30.3 kilometers stage in Perez Zeledon community in 40 minutes and 22 seconds. He was followed by Costa Rican Gregory Brenes of BCR-Pizza Hut-KHS team with eight seconds behind.

Colombia's tour leader Janier Acevedo of Greatwall-Indeportes Antioquia was 13 seconds behind Bonilla, but still kept a wide advantage over other competitors on the general standings.

Acevedo leads the standings with a total of 30 hours, 43 minutes and 53 seconds, followed by Brenes and Julian Rodas.

The last stage of the Tour will start at Perez Zeledon community and finish at San Jose on Monday.

Buying Real Estate in Costa Rica

2009-12-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

While purchasing real estate in Costa Rica is a similar process to the US, it is important for foreign buyers to understand purchase requirements, property owners rights and the best strategies for avoiding fees and other problems before investing. Making sure a potential property has the proper "folio real" (tracking number), forming a Costa Rican LLC to handle property transactions and registering property deeds promptly are among some of the important steps an investor should take to ensure a successful purchase.

Costa Rica earns its reputation as the easiest country to buy property in Central America. The political stability and volume of expats help keep surprises to a minimum, while there are ample bi-lingual resources.

The actual process is fairly similar to the United States, with a certified escritura (title) and plano (survey) required for most transactions. Title insurance is available. Agents don’t have to be licensed, but the Costa Rica Chamber of Real Estate Brokers and other groups are helping to bring standards and the NAR’s ethical code to the industry.

It’s fairly common for buyers to form a Costa Rican limited liability corporation, a Sociedad Anónima, to handle property deals. Although not always appropriate, the corporate structure can help smooth the process and avoid fee. Once a deal is done, property taxes are relatively low—usually not more than 1 percent of the property value—and, best of all, there is no capital gains tax.

The only area where transactions get more complex is directly along the waterfront, the “maritime zone,” where construction and ownership is tightly controlled. There are no private beaches in the zone. Property within 150 meters of the waterfront is known as “concession land,” and there are restrictions on foreign ownership. Typically it’s only possible to buy the right to use concession land and any developments requires strict local review.

IPJ Tips:

* Homeowner associations are governed by the Ley de Condominio, which covers condominium properties officially registered as condominiums with the Costa Rica National Registry. Homeowner associations on properties not registered as condominiums don’t have the same legal standing and could easily lead to complexities.

* In most transactions, buyers and sellers split closing cost, but this can also be a topic for negotiation.

* Costa Rica is, arguably, one of the eco-development leaders in Central America. Developments are often subject to complicated environmental reviews.

* There are no hurricanes on the Pacific Coast, but earthquakes are a huge issue. All construction must meet rigid earthquake safety standards.

* Only two people are needed to form a corporation in Costa Rica (plus a board of directors). But once a corporation is formed it’s easy to transfer assets to others members.

* Costa Rica courts recognize a “first in time, first in right” policy, giving legal rights to whoever stakes the first claim. It is essential to register deeds immediately upon transfer of the property.

* There is a 3 percent property transfer tax added to sales. The tax is based on the value of the property registered on the transfer deed.

* Every property is assigned a “folio real,” a tracking number used for all transaction. A missing folio real is a huge red flag.

* Retirees with verifiable pension or investment income can apply for pensionados status, which offers an array of benefits.

Free Trade Zone Reform Gets Nod

2009-12-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

In an end-of-the-year agreement, Costa Rican lawmakers approved a new free trade zone reform that offers tax incentives for businesses electing to set up operations in regions outside the Central Valley, among a host of other reforms.

Currently, most of the 247 companies in Costa Rica's international free trade zones – known as zonas francas in Spanish – are in the San José area and in Heredia and Alajuela, north and northwest of the capital city, respectively.

In a free trade zone, businesses normally can import and export goods without barriers such as quotas or tariffs. Countries use them to attract foreign investment, which economists say is critical for developing countries like Costa Rica.

“The approved reform establishes a series of attractive fiscal benefits that keep Costa Rica competitive as an investment destination, versus countries that fight among themselves to attract foreign direct investment,” said Vanessa Gibson, director of the Costa Rican Investment Board (CINDE).

The reform was a topic of contention among lawmakers, particularly for members of the left-leaning Citizen Action Party (PAC) who had lobbied for alterations to the previous law for at least eight months.

At the top of a series of fiscal benefits, businesses that choose to operate in free zones in the Caribbean province of Limón, near the central Pacific port of Puntarenas and the northern Pacific province of Guanacaste will pay less in income taxes during their first six years of operations. The percentage of income taxes paid will be determined by the degree of investment made by the company or the number of people employed at the locations.

Companies with operations in San José and the greater metropolitan area will pay an income tax of 6 percent in the first six years and 15 percent the following four years. Businesses in the grea ter metropolitan area can also receive an income tax break if they meet minimum requirements for investment and employees.

“In the end, all sides were pleased with the outcome of the reform,” said Sergio Alfaro, a PAC legislator, “Companies will benefit from the improved tax measures, and foreign investment will be enticed to locate in areas other than San José.”

Much of the urgency to reform the law originated from pressure applied by foreign manufacturing companies operating in Costa Rica and the Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX), as well as potential investors.

Their push to alter the law stemmed from the looming termination of a Word Trade Organization (WTO) provision that allowed developing countries to exempt manufacturing companies that exported 75 percent or more of their production from the payment of income tax.

The WTO has announced that at the end of 2015, this allowance will be pulled from Costa Rica. Given that understanding, all parties involved in free trade zones, including potential investors, were vying for a hurried reform that would allow free-trade operators to capitalize on the standing tax break before it is lifted in 2016.

“To adapt the free trade zone region to the requirements of the WTO was necessary, not only to maintain investment, but also to promote local investment and attract new capital,” said Jorge Brenes, president of the Costa Rican Association of Free Zone Businesses (AZOFRAS). “The reform of this law is a great boost to the development of Costa Rica.”

The reform, which will be presented to the WTO for approval in early 2010, includes some crafty attempts at maneuvering to salvage some of the existing tax breaks.

Members of COMEX and trade organizations will create a board that serves to assign free trade businesses to a particular sector. Because the lifting of the tax break will only apply to the manufacturing sector, the assembled board will determine whether a company is deemed be either a manufacturing or a service business.

Given the board will be looking out for the best interests of Costa Rica, it seems likely they may attempt to tag more companies as “service” industries in order to retain the tax break.

Though it will be the WTO that ultimately determines the exact terms of the reformed free trade zone law in early 2010, the parties that have pushed for the reforms can rest easy over the holidays with the knowledge that the Legislative Assembly's approval has ended the long-running debate.

At its conclusion, the reform includes something for everyone: some tax breaks may be salvaged in years to come, the law has been refined to appeal to foreign investors and rewards have been put in place for companies that invest in underdeveloped zones.

As Alfaro said, “In the end, almost everyone was satisfied with the reforms.”

According to the Foreign Trade Ministry, businesses in the free trade zones employ more than 53,000 workers and 10,000 indirect workers.

The 247 companies operating in free trad e zones accounted for $4.98 billion in exports in 2008, which is more than 54 percent of total exports earned in Costa Rica.

Chinchilla is Favorite in Costa Rica

2009-12-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

Laura Chinchilla could become the next president of Costa Rica, according to the latest poll by CID-Gallup, with 45 per cent of respondents would vote for the former vice-president and member of the governing Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) in the 2010 election.

Otto Guevara of the Movimiento Libertatio (ML) is coming up fast, but still remains a distant second with 19 per cent, followed by former economy minister Ottón Solís of the Partio Acción Ciudadana (PAC) with 13 per cent.

Support is lower for Luis Fishman of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUCS) Rolando Araya of Alianza Patriotica (AP), and Óscar López of the PASE.

The PLN’s Óscar Arias won the February 2006 presidential election with 40.92 per cent of all cast ballots. Solís finished in second place with 39.80 per cent. Arias had headed the government from 1986 to 1990, and was able to run again after the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly opted to bring back presidential re-election in 2003. He was sworn in for the second time in May 2006.

In a campaign ads, Guevara plays on the concerns of Costa Ricans about insecurity and corruption, pegging Chinchilla as being part of the problem, an extension of the Arias government, whiel Solís accuses the Arias administration of incompetence, saying, "there are sufficient resources to decrease poverty, but they are poorly managed. There are many institutions that are doing the same thing and are doing it poorly - all because politicians don’t know how to administrate."

The next presidential election in Costa Rica is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2010.

The CID-Gallup poll takes in the results of interviews with 1,224 Costa Rican adults, conducted from Dec. 4 to Dec. 10, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

In Costa Rica, Intel remains King of Exports

2009-12-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

At a time when Costa Rica's trade deficit has grown to its largest size in more than a decade, the country's smallest export continues to be its biggest moneymaker. That product is the Intel Pentium processor, or the microchip, which continues to be the flagship export for Costa Rica, even in a year of overall economic decline.

In the third quarter of the year, July through September, sales at Intel Costa Rica reached more than $595 million, an 18 percent increase over the same period in 2008. It was the second consecutive quarter that sales increased at Intel, which has 3,000 employees at its plant in Heredia, northwest of San José.

Through the first nine months of 2009, Intel had exported 75 million microprocessors and chipsets, accounting for $1.64 billion in sales, and Intel expects to exceed $2 billion in sales for the third consecutive year.

But the rest of the Costa Rican export market has not been so fortunate.

As a result of the worldwide economic crisis, the export market in Costa Rica has suffered from lessened demand abroad.

In 2008, the trade deficit, which compares the cost of imports to sales generated by exports, was $5.8 billion, as Costa Rica imported over $15.3 billion worth of goods and services and exported around $9.5 billion, $2 billion of which were Intel products.

Ac cording to the Foreign Trade Pro–motion Office (PROCOMER), a narrowing of the trade deficit in 2009 is unlikely, as export sales have fallen $886 million, a 12 percent decrease in the first nine months of the year compared to the same time frame during 2008.

As figures for the third quarter were released, Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz explained that the “dampening in the export market is in response to the fact that the country has received less foreign direct investment, particularly in the demand for exported products and markets.” Ruiz cited the worldwide economic crisis as the reason for diminished foreign investment.

Yet, even as the rest of the export market sputters, sales of the mighty microchip carry on.

According to Intel, the average annual sales of over $2 billion account for around 20 percent of the total sales earned in the export market. The large profit margin also accounts for between 3 to 4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). To put that in perspective, according to export statistics released by PROCOMER, throughout the first nine months of the year Intel's sales have brought in more revenue than all agricultural exports, including more than three times the revenue generated by banana exports and seven times the exports of coffee, Costa Rica's leading agricutltural export products.

“Intel is the gem of the Costa Rican high-tech export market,” said Andrea Centeno, communications manager at the Costa Rican Investment Board (CINDE). “Sales at Intel drive the export market and make Costa Rica one of the top technology and computer software exporters in the world.”

According to a study in October, CINDE claimed that Costa Rica was, percentage-wise, the fourth largest exporter of high-tech and computer software products in the world. Using information from a World Bank study of development indicators, CINDE found that, of all the products and services exported by Costa Rica, 46 percent are high-tech products.

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Since its arrival in 1997, Intel has changed the face of exports in Costa Rica. Previously known for agricultural exports – such as bananas, coffee and pineapples – the export of Intel microchips and chipsets has altered the way foreign investors perceive the country.

Much of the reason for Intel's success is rooted in the meticulous construction process of the microchip and chipset, components that undertake separate but vital functions of a computer.

“The chip, or processor, is the brain of the computer and the chipset is the nervous system,” said Raquel Golcher, manager of external communications at Intel Costa Rica. “The chipset is responsible for controlling the flow of information through the computer's diverse components.”

Golcher said that construction of the chips and chipsets requires 250 separate steps. The chip-making process begins in plants in the United States, Ireland and Israel, where a silicon core is created. They are then shipped to plants in Costa Rica, Malaysia, China and Vietnam, where they are assembled and tested in extreme conditions to assure the processors are adequate. Upon completion, the chips are exported to countries worldwide.

In 2010, Intel plans to release a new microchip, known as the 32-nanometer chip, with this being the distance between each of the transistors on the processors. Golcher said the new chips will carry a larger number of transistors, and this will allow for more efficient processing, better performance and less energy consumption.

With continued advances to a product already experiencing surging demand, Intel Costa Rica appears positioned to remain the country's leading exporter for the foreseeable future.

Costa Rica Latest Stop For Mexican Drug Gangs

2009-12-17T04:33:00.000-08:00

Mexican drug gangs are increasingly using Costa Rica as a pick-up point for South American cocaine headed north and the problem is likely to get worse, President Oscar Arias said.

Costa Rican police have seized close to 93 tonnes of cocaine between 2006 and 2009, nearly twice the amount the Central American country captured in the previous decade, according to Interior Ministry data.

"We are punished by our geography," Arias said, citing the growing trafficking activity as a major public security issue.

"I believe the United States has to make a much bigger effort to spend more in cutting down on (cocaine) consumption," he told a news conference.

Costa Rica sits halfway between the cocaine-producing Andes and Mexico, whose powerful cartels earn some $40 billion a year smuggling the drug to the United States and other developed countries.

Traffickers traditionally moved cocaine through Central America by plane or boat. They now are well implanted in Guatemala and also are using storage bases in Costa Rica, a nation long known as a haven of stability in a region blighted by street gangs and poverty.

"They're storing it here," said Public Security Minister Janina del Vecchio. "Now, they don't even have intermediaries but instead have Colombians here who leave the drug and the Mexican (cartels) pick it up."

Mexico is in the grip of a brutal escalation in drug gang violence that has killed more than 16,000 people since President Felipe Calderon launched an army-led drug war at the end of 2006.

The crackdown is one of the reasons driving traffickers into Central America as they haul in cocaine from Colombia and rival producers such as Peru and Bolivia.

Costa Rica's economy depends heavily on tourism dollars from visitors drawn to its virgin forests and surfing beaches.

Costa Rica crime rate stabilizes after spike, drug trade on increase

2009-12-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Public Security Ministry's budget has nearly doubled since 2006. And after an eight-year upsurge, the ministry appears to have curtailed a swelling homicide rate – at least during 2009.

According to a yearly wrap-up communiqué, the Security Ministry's budget has increased from ₡ 62 billion (more than $110.5 million) in 2006 to an anticipated ₡ 123 billion (more than $219.3 million) in 2010.

The money has been used for a 25 percent ministry-wide base salary increase and improvements to police training classes.

The ministry reports that homicides declined by 21 percent from October through December 2009 when compared to the same time period in 2008.

Between January and November 2009 the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) recorded 162 murders, about a 10 percent drop from the 180 homicides recorded from January through November of 2008.

Since 2000, homicides per 100,000 people had jumped from six to a record high of 11 in 2008. Security experts believe 10 homicides per 100,000 citizens per year to be a glass ceiling that should never be broken, and some have criticized the Security Ministry for allowing murders to reach that point. The global average of homicides per 100,000 people is nine, according to the United Nations Development Program.

The government also reported that home and vehicle robberies and assaults also fell compared to last year.

However, officials have expressed concern over a recent spike in drug trafficking through Costa Rica. As the Mexican government boosts its efforts to expel drug cartels from Mexico, trafficking has ballooned throughout Central America as gangs increasingly compete for control throughout the isthmus.

Costa Rica has been used as a shipping and storage point for drugs that hail largely from Colombia and are en route to the United States.

From the onset of 2006 until November 2009, officials confiscated close to 93,000 kilograms of cocaine, nearly 700,000 doses of crack and 13,075 kg of marijuana, according to the news release. They discovered and seized more than 6 million marijuana plants growing on national territory.

All told, the government took possession of more than ₡ 561 billion ($1 billion) worth of drugs.

‘Street Santas' bring food, joy to Costa Rica's poor‘Street Santas' bring food, joy to Costa Rica's poor

2009-12-15T04:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early for hundreds of homeless in San José as an international brigade of Santas distributed parcels of food and clothing this weekend throughout the city's poorest areas.

Forty-five self-proclaimed “Santa en las calles,” or “Street Santa,” traveling in the back of 12 pick-ups and one truck, handed out more than 200 bowls of spaghetti, 500 cartons of juice and hundreds of parcels containing clothing and blankets to those living on the capital's streets.

Eighteen cities, including London, Miami and Madrid also participate in the Christmas hand-out.

“It went extremely well. We started the convoy at 6 p.m. on Sunday and finished at 1 a.m. on Monday morning,” said organizer Jesús Palacios, a 22-year-old Venezuelan who lives and works in San José.

“We gave away all of the food, all of the blankets and all of the men's clothing. We were still left with a few parcels of children's clothing, which we will donate to orphanages this week,” Palacios said.

It is the second year that San José has taken part in the charitable event.

The idea originated in Venezuela in 2006 when a group of friends decided to bring a little festive cheer to the less fortunate. Since then companies and individuals have donated food, clothing and money to the cause.

The 45 volunteers started the operation at 7 a.m. on Saturday from the main playground of Colegio Don Bosco de Altamira, where they organized and packaged the food and clothing donations, before setting out in the back of the trucks wearing Santa hats

The convoy's route encompassed the south side of the city, the Coca-Cola district and Barrio La California, stopping traffic and bringing cheers and smiles not only from the homeless, but also drivers and pedestrians impressed by the kind-hearted gesture of the Street Santas.

Volunteer Jorge Solano, a 17-year-old student at Colegio Don Bosco de Altamira, said, “I read about the project in a Sunday paper and decided I wanted to help. I've worked in an orphanage before and enjoy volunteering. It's a great cause.”

As word spread among the homeless community, scores of homeless men and women emerged from their cardboard shelters and chased the fleet of trucks as it snaked through the busy streets of the capital, desperate to get their hands on a clothing parcel and food container.

The clothing packages included two pairs of trousers, a jacket and two shirts and were split into three categories to cater to men, women and children.

Volunteer Ester Porras, a San José accountant, said, “It makes you want to cry seeing the smile on these people's face when they receive their gifts. It's nice to give something back.”

Festival of Lights in San Jose Costa Rica

2009-12-14T04:47:00.000-08:00

Toddlers sat on parents' shoulders and crowds crushed in, all in the hopes of getting a better view of Saturday night's Festival of Lights in the Costa Rican capital of San José.

The crowds were thick, and for latecomers, the only option was to balance on tiptoes or climb fences or trees to get a glimpse of the passing floats.

Perhaps San José's most popular event, this year did not disappoint.

The evening opened with a panorama of fireworks and a live performance from runner-up Latin American Idol Eduardo Aguirre – a Costa Rican who fell to second place in the competition behind the Dominican Martha Heredia just two days prior.

Moments later, the country's top marching bands, dance crews, cheerleaders and acrobats took to the streets with energy and lively music to back them up. They were interspersed with ornately costumed rollerbladers, richly lit floats and a crew of ATVers riding on their back wheels.

The floats represented mainly leading private companies, banks, universities and government bodies, each competing for the most dazzling display. In the end, colorful floats by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and the National Tourism Board won first and second place respectively.

Highlights also included a brightly lit trailer bed carrying the under-20 national soccer team (who made it to the World Cup quarterfinals) and several Disney-themed displays.

Adiós Presidente

2009-12-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

This week, Costa Rica bid farewell to its 40th president with a three-day period of mourning, flags at half-mast and a crowded service at the Metropolitan Cathedral in San José.

Eighty-two year old Rodrigo Carazo died at 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9 of heart failure. On Nov. 26, he was admitted to the public Hospital México where he underwent a quadruple bypass surgery, but he never made it home.

“He was a man who will be remembered for his determination and strong commitment to public service,” said President Oscar Arias in his remembrance remarks. “Nobody can deny that Rodrigo Carazo loved Costa Rica and worked tirelessly for her.”

Carazo served as president between 1978 and 1982, a period characterized by sharp economic decline and social unrest. But during his tenure, Carazo established the University for Peace (UPEACE), helped topple a dictatorship in neighboring Nicaragua and introduced important environmental legislation.

“He was a good Costa Rican, and he wanted much for his country,” said Constantino Urcuyo, a political analyst and director of the University of Costa Rica's political science department during Carazo's presidency. “Yes, he was wrong in some things, but he didn't have the intention of doing wrong.”

Carazo was not only the father of four, a grandfather, a great-grandfather and the husband of Estrella Zeledón (they spent 67 years together), he had also been a president of the country. And though his term was marked by a period of economic turmoil in which many citizens lost their life savings with the devaluation of the colón, he was admired for his work in conservation and diplomacy.

“I believe he didn't make the best economic decisions, but at the same time he was limited in making good decisions because of a profound worldwide crisis,” said Urcuyo. “At the end of the day, I think the positives of his administration outweighed the negatives.”

Carazo was born in Cartago, two days after Christmas 1926, the son of Mario Carazo and Julieta Odio.

The economist entered politics as a young man, serving as head of the National Institute for Housing and Urban Development (INVU), as a member of the National Liberation Party (PLN), and later as a legislator.

He also served as director of the Central Bank and as the general manager of RECOPE, the country's oil refinery.

But political disagreements led Carazo to clash with three-time president José Figueres Ferrer, father of the PLN, and he soon joined the ranks of the Democratic Renovation Party. In the 1970s, he aligned himself with the PLN opposition and ran for president on the Unity ticket.

As president, he promoted public works and the creation of national parks. He inaugurated the massive hydroelectric project at Lake Arenal and boosted the tuna industry.

To stop the planned construction of a hotel and casino, he made Isla del Coco a national park.

“He created consensus about the need to preserve our natural resources,” Urcuyo said.

He also got his fingers dirty in the conflict in neighboring Nicaragua, looking to protect the democratic integrity of Costa Rica. He backed the growing Sandinista movement as a way to dispose of the Somoza dynasty.

During his first years in office, the conflict often spilled onto Costa Rican soil as insurgents battled Nicaragua's armed forces. The revolution ended in 1979 when the Sandinistas took control of the Nicaraguan government.

A strong advocate of diplomacy and conflict resolution, Carazo brought the idea of a University for Peace to the floor of the United Nations, where it was promoted by U.N. advisor Robert Muller, longtime assistant to the secretary general.

Carazo offered land on which to build the university in the hills of Ciudad Colón, west of San José. At the time, there was no electricity or running water on the grounds. The idea met with some resistance from other members of the U.N.

“In those days, Central America was in pretty deep trouble, and the idea of a peace university (here) was not in great favor by some major governments. If you started talking about peace in Central America, people thought that this was kind of left-wing thinking,” said UPEACE rector Martin Lees (TT, Oct. 2004).

But it was precisely those conflicts that led Carazo to propose the idea.

Though Carazo and Muller are often credited with founding the university, Carazo was known to say “…when there are ideas like this, nobody can say, ‘I am the father, or I am the mother.' It was born out of the collectivity and culture of Costa Rica.”

Continuing on his mission of peace, Carazo aided President Arias, then in his first term, in building consensus for a peace agreement for a conflicted Central America.

“Of all the former presidents consulted (during the Central America peace talks in the 1980s), he was the first to give support to the peace plan with the firmness and integrity that characterized him,” Arias said. “He was a man true to his ideas, and that is his greatest legacy.”

Yet, the image of Carazo that is burned into the memories of many Costa Ricans is during his lowest moments.

In an effort to protect the country from an economic crisis that was gripping the world, Carazo ordered the Central Bank to borrow heavily to maintain the value of the local currency. He refused to accept help from the International Monetary Fund because he considered it dangerous to the country's sovereignty.

But the colón plummeted against the dollar, falling from an exchange rate of less than nine colones to the dollar until eventually stabilizing at a rate of more than ₡ 44 colones to $1. The devaluation left many Costa Ricans with depleted savings and it financially ruined others.

On a Facebook.com page of the daily La Nación, some people ripped into the former president following his death, mainly for the economic losses many experienced during his tenure.

“The worst president of Costa Rica,” one man said. “Many families' businesses were destroyed because of his administration, including mine.” Another man said, “I remember my father was without work during this time because construction was paralyzed. Our electricity was cut because we couldn't pay it and we had to line up … to get food. I don't know how people can defend him…”

Others were kinder: “I remember him as the last dignified president this country has had, one who maintained his convictions to hold onto a sovereign country.” And another, “He was courageous and consistent with his ideas, and I admire that he defended Costa Rica.”

Gas demand, price going up in Costa Rica

2009-12-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

The price and demand for gasoline are both on the rise in Costa Rica.

The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) announced on Friday that the price of gas will increase this month. The price of super will be raised ₡ 24 per liter, the price of regular plus will be raised ₡ 26 per liter and the price of Diesel will be up ₡ 23 per liter.

The adjustment in prices is calculated using a scale that charts the international prices of gasoline between Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, as well as the price of the colón with respect to the dollar on Nov. 12.

The slight hike in price could have an affect on the consumption of gasoline, which was 13 percent higher in November 2009 than November 2008, according to the National Oil Refinery (RECOPE). In November 2008, Costa Rica used around 1.28 billion barrels of gasoline, while in November of this year, that amount reached a consumption of nearly 1.46 billion barrels.

The increased consumption possibly stemmed from the decrease in gas prices for the month. According to the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC), transportation costs, which include gasoline, dropped 0.11 percent in November. Through the first 11 months of 2009, transportation costs have risen only 0.91 percent. Through the first 11 months of 2008, transportation costs rose 16.96 percent.

Costa Rica calls for swift action in Copenhagen

2009-12-09T03:01:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on world leaders to take serious action against climate change at the United Nations negotiations in Copenhagen this week and next. Inaction, the foreign relations officials claimed, could have negative consequences for small coastal countries like this one.

In a statement released via e-mail, the ministry said “the potential risks of unmitigated climate change are enormous” and that the phenomenon will have the “most severe impact on countries with scant natural resources and limited capacity to adapt to climate challenges.”

According to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, small nations contribute the least to global warming but suffer the most consequences from a warmer planet – rises in sea levels could shrink coastal land and stronger storms wipe out vital national agriculture sectors, the convention states.

The foreign relations authorities said they consider “a successful agreement of vital importance.”

The statement cited reliance on renewable energy sources and a 2021 carbon neutrality goal as evidence of Costa Rica's commitment to slow emissions. Dependence on imported oil for to generate energy has increased in recent years, however, and the possibility of reaching zero net emissions in just over a decade has drawn doubts as of late.

The climate change negotiations in northern Europe are not expected to yield a binding legal treaty, but officials hope that delegates will reach general consensus on capping global emissions and providing financial aid to developing countries, such as Costa Rica, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Foreign ministries from Cape Verde, Iceland, Singapore, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates, all small coastal nations, released similar statements on Tuesday.

Arias says Costa Rica is SAFE and police get raises

2009-12-08T04:15:00.000-08:00

Members of Costa Rica's four police forces will be getting a raise in their salaries in the coming year following an agreement signed by Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias and leaders of the various unions representing the country's police forces.

The agreement, that is being called historic, will raise police salaries an average of 15%.

Present at the signing ceremony at Casa Presidencial was the ministra de Seguridad Pública, Jannina Del Vecchio, the director of Migración (immigration), Mario Zamora, the viceministro de la Presidenica, Roberto Thompson and for the unions, Albino Vargas of the ANEP and Xiomara Rojas of the Siteco.

On hand were also the top brass of the police forces: Fuerza Pública (police), Policía Penitenciaria (penitentiary police), Policía de Tránsito (traffic police) and Policía Migratoria (immigration police).

The agreement calls for increases in salary based on tenure and position and varies from police force to police force.

For example, officers of the Fuerza Pública penitentiary officials will receive a 25% hike retroactive to October 2009, while Tránsito officials will see a hike between 8% and 50% taking effect on December 11. Immigration police officials will get a ¢32.000 colones a month increase in their base salary.

In a speech after the signing ceremony, president Arias took the podium for more than a half hour to praise the national police forces and criticized anyone who says Costa Rica is an unsafe country.

"Everything is relative", said Arias.

Arias added "if compared to Brazil that has a militarize police force and very few criminals, we can conclude that the country has a lot of crime. But, if we make the comparison to El Salvador where they have some 4.000 murders a year - on average 10 a day - we are doing ok".

Arias blamed the media for giving the perception that Costa Rica is unsafe, talking about crimes and murders constantly.

Costa Rica sees deflation in November

2009-12-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

Consumer prices in Costa Rica fell by 0.16 percent during the month of November, marking the second time in 2009 that the country has experienced deflation. For the year, the inflation rate was at 2.57 percent, the lowest annual consumer price increase since 1972. At this point in time last year, the rate of inflation stood at 16.30 percent.

The largest decrease in consumer prices was felt at the gas pump, as the cost of gasoline fell more than 0.11 percent for the month. The price of gasoline is traditionally the driving force for fluctuation in the inflation rate, as the high inflation rate of 2008 stemmed largely from the high price of fuel. The overall cost of transportation has risen only 0.91 percent in 2009.

Average consumer prices also fell for car purchases, chicken, papayas and cable television. Increases in prices were seen in bus costs, sweet peppers, casados (a staple lunchtime dish featuring meat and rice and beans), home rentals and tourist packages.

In September, the Central Bank of Costa Rica predicted the inflation rate for the year would reach between 4 and 6 percent. Barring a huge leap in consumer prices, those figures will not be met. The highest increase rate in 2009 was seen in July, when the consumer price index rose 0.92 percent.

Costa Rica hopes high season will rejuvenate low year

2009-12-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

The official first day of tourism high season began Tuesday, as Dec. 1 normally marks the day that many hotels across the country hike rates in expectation of an increased amount of tourists during the four-month stretch from December through April.

But this year might be a little different.

Harry Bodaan, the owner of La Mansion Inn in the central Pacific town of Quepos, says he will delay the seasonal price hike almost through the end of the month, hoping to attract more guests during the first weeks of December. Judging by the state of tourism, other tourism businesses may follow suit.

Due to the worldwide economic crisis, the past three months have been particularly difficult for Costa Rican tourism businesses. In September and October, tourism numbers were the lowest in years, including a drop of over 12,000 tourists in October 2009 versus October 2008. With the atypical fluctuations in the numbers of tourists, businesses plan to alter strategies for the upcoming months, as economic instability has left them unsure of what to expect.

"Everybody was doing well for the year until about August. The last 90 days the bottom dropped out," said Harry Bodaan, owner of La Mansion Inn in the central Pacific town of Quepos, a member of the Chamber of Commerce in Manuel Antonio. "It's showed us that we can't rest on our laurels and expect tourism to stay up. It's time to roll up our sleeves and work hard to promote our region (Manuel Antonio) to markets that have not been exploited."

Bodaan said the area business associations are promoting the region at international events, such as at a boat show in Fort Lauderdale, in the U.S. state of Florida, last week.

"The U.S. economy is hurting and people are hanging on to their money tighter than usual," Bodaan said. "We've learned it's important to be marketing at all times, as we've seen others who stood by idly expecting tourists to come have been hit pretty hard by the recession."

According to the Costa Rican Tourism Board, just over 1.59 million tourists visited the country from January through October 2009. Though the final two months of the year have yet to be tallied, it is widely understood that overall tourism figures will see a decrease from the banner year of 2008, when nearly 2.1 million tourists came to Costa Rica.

Costa Rican Candidates Sharpen Their Messages

2009-12-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

Sandwiched between commercials for floor-washing detergent and stereo equipment, political advertisements have found their home – at least for the next two months.

With lively messages aimed at pulling in more votes, the candidates are competing for the undecided vote in the February 2010 elections.

Yet, whether the 20-foot-high billboards, full-page advertisements or half-minute commercials will have the desired impact is another question.

“It's tough to say if one or the other candidate is more effective (in their publicity measures),” said Gina Sibaja, a specialist in political communications. “Each candidate has a plan on how to position himself or herself, and there is still some time to see how it will play out.”

Media expert Francisco Correa said many of the answers relating to the success of a particular publicity campaign won't be known until the week before the election on Feb. 7.

“There is a strong tradition here of waiting until the last minute to decide,” he said, referring to a study from prior elections that showed between 7 and 8 percent of the population put off the decision on who would get their vote until the final moment. “That is a significant percentage.”

However, Libertarian Movement candidate Otto Guevara already is seeing some return on his campaign strategy. A recent poll by Unimer, published in the daily La Nación, showed Guevara with the support of 30 percent of the voters. Prior polls had allotted him a mere 12 to 15 percent.

Political Propaganda

Hammering media outlets with 30-second clips, Guevara's slogan, Hagamos el cambio y a! (Make the Change Now!), rin gs as a constant chorus – like the lyrics of a song stuck on repeat in one's head – on the campaign trail.

Guevara is using a unique blend of humor, fear and frustration to capture a growing voter base. And he's not afraid to dip his fingers in negative advertising.

“What has been the party with the greatest links to drug trafficking?” one commercial asks, showing a green-and-white banner of his chief rival, the National Liberation Party, and following it with his slogan about change now.

“Negative campaign advertising is nothing new to Costa Rica,” said Correa, president of MediaGuru, a communications firm with offices in four countries in Central America. “Its effect is determined by how the candidates respond to the threats. But, yes, negative advertising is used.”

Ottón Solís, who narrowly lost to the National Liberation Party (PLN) in the 2006 elections, also is exploiting what he says are shortcomings of past administrations. Contrasting a past, portrayed in black and white, and future filled with color, Solís lists poverty statistics to insinuate that current President Oscar Arias (and his hand-picked, would-be successor Laura Chinchilla) has failed, and how he can make a difference.

“The direction of the Ariases (Oscar and his brother Rodrigo, who serves as minister of the presidency) and that of their candidate will only add to poverty,” Solís says in a four-minute video. “There are sufficient resources to decrease poverty, but they are poorly managed. There are many institutions that are doing the same thing and are doing it poorly … all because politicians don't know how to administrate.”

The slew of attacks has seemingly been brushed off by PLN frontrunner Chinchilla, who – according to Correa and many other political analysts – represents a continuation of the Arias administration. Her strategy has been to focus on the road ahead.

In a campaign commercial featuring representatives of different sectors of Costa Rican society – a farmer, an English teacher, a union dockworker, an innovator – Chinchilla empathizes with the dreams and desires of the people.

“Laura Chinchilla has been listening to the hopes and desires of our people,” the advertisement says.

Spotlight on Security

The recurring theme laced through the political propaganda of all of the candidates this election season is the issue of citizen safety.

The word “seguridad” (security) is splashed on every blue-backed billboard promoting to Social Christian Unity Party candidate Luis Fishman, and it's woven thoroughly into his public image, as his campaign emphasizes his resume in security issues.

In one of his videos, Fishman highlights a common technique used by criminals who smash the windows of cars stuck in traffic and take off with purses, briefcases or other valuables. He enters the frame to say, “We need to identify the 2,500 criminals who threaten the security of our country. We will take them off the streets. When we have the opportunity, we will clean Costa Rica of crime.”

While Solís and Chinchilla mention security, they haven't made it an intense focus of their campaigns, as have Fishman and Guevara.

Instead of relying only on fear to reach voters, Guevara has complemented the security issue with a touch of humor.

Some of his commercials show a man walking through public parks and by bus stops in nothing but a washed-out pair of green boxers to avoid being mugged. “It's why I walk chingo (naked),” he tells bystanders, “so I'm not assaulted.”

Publicity Spending

According to Correa, candidates are spending more of their resources on television ads and less on radio spots. Spending on television ads increased from 64 to 70 percent of candidate's advertising budgets, whereas spending on radio ads dropped 14 percent.

It's an interesting shift, Correa said, because radio has the potential to reach sectors that television can't reach.

“Radio has a large audience: young people, those who listen to music, those who listen to news,” Correo said. “And it has the advantage of reaching people during the day while they are working; television does not do that.”

The amount of money spent on newspaper advertisements remains steady at 8 percent, compared to last year's 9 percent, but Internet and social networking are new mediums that are grabbing an increasing percentage of campaign funds.

“Every candidate has a Twitter, Hi5 and Facebook account,” he said, listing off popular social networking sites. “They are trying to build on the success of the Internet from recent elections in the U.S.”

Yet, no matter how much money is spent on advertising now or what medium is used, the only measure of success will be the turnout in the polls, Correa said.

“We won't know for sure the success of publicity until election day,” he said.

Fighting the exploitation of children in Costa Rica

2009-12-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica's two chief tourism boards are increasing efforts to deter the sexual exploitation of minors, tourism officials said Wednesday.

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) announced that members of the tourism sector have signed a Code of Conduct that ensures that hotels, tour operators, rent-a-cars and taxi services will monitor tourists and report potential sexual exploitation of minors and adolescents.

“The agreement to fight against the business of the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents will ensure that the implementation of the Code of Conduct extends beyond the companies that make up the tourism industry,” said Juan Carlos Ramos, the president of CANATUR. “It is something that is relevant to the entire nation.”

Currently, 202 tourist companies have signed the Code of Conduct and more than 6,000 workers in the tourism sector have been versed on the increased efforts to keep an eye out for perceived exploitation of minors.

A Directive Council will be created to provide continual monitoring of the fight against sexual exploitation. The council will include representatives from CANATUR, ICT, the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals, the Costa Rican Hotel Association, the Tour Operators Association and the Car Rental Association.

The council will also push to increase the minimum penalty for the soliciting or exploiting minors for financial purposes to 50 years in prison. According to the law against the commercial sexual exploitation of minors, which was passed in 1999, it is the obligation of the state and all of its citizens to guarantee the protection of the rights of boys, girls and adolescents.

Jail Overcrowding A Serious Problem in Costa Rica

2009-12-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica is facing a serious problem of insecurity, of that there is no question. And now, worrying judicial authorities more is the serious problem of overcrowding of jails, such that, in some cases, some older or less offensive criminals have been let go free to allow room for newer criminals.

The problem is so severe that many recently apprehended criminals are spending up to a week or more in the "calabozos" (dungeons) of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) that to is to be used to hold prisoners for up to 24 hours, as established by law.

The OIJ holding cells are called the dungeons for they lack proper sanitary facilities, no fresh air, garbage and food in the hallways and have been the scene of acts of mutiny and suicide.

The problem is so serious that some judges have been forced to let go criminals who should be behind bars under preventive detention measures or sentenced to minor crimes, as the Adaptación Social (jail officials) is not able to properly handle the increased volume.

The courts, as well as the director of the OIJ, Jorge Rojas, have come to the conclusion that the treatment of these prisoners is a violation of human rights. But, there is not much they can do.

A solution to the problems seems far away.

Currently, according to officials reports, there are cases where the prison and jail cells are so overcrowded that up to 43 people are being held in a cell that is designed for 20. In the case of the temporary holding cells, it is not uncommon to have 30 people in a cell designed for 10.

Thus, the practice of letting some criminals go to make room for others has become a common as the judicial system struggles and buckles under the pressure of increased crime.

Hernando París Rodríguez, ministro de Justicia y Paz, says the problem has increased due to the government's aggressive position on combating crime, the exaggerated use of the preventive detention measures of the justices, the creation of the "tribunales penales de flagrancia" (a speedy trial court that can try and sentence a criminal in hours) and the changes to the Ley de Tránsito (traffic laws), but no one anticipated the consequences wich is an unusual and rapid growth of prisoners that need to be handled by the Sistema de Adaptación Social.

The system allows for a maximum of 8.478 prisoners. Currently there are 9.256 people housed in the country's jails and prisons.

Conservative estimates show that the overcrowding of the prisons will grow from the current 778 to 1.331 by next March, but in reality it could be worse, as overcrowding could reach as high as double of the conservative estimate.

The solution is to build more jails. But that takes time.

So, in the meantime, prison officials will be looking for some more creative solutions to the problem, like letting go those prisoners who behind bars for being behind in the child support. That decision alone would free up 160 beds at the La Reforma prison in Alajuela and save the state ¢290 million colones. At the San Sebastián holding jail in San José, the move would free up another 30 spaces.

Minister París recently told the justices of the Corte Plena that plans to build some 20 prefabricated structures of "low containment", prefabricated structures that can hold up to 30 prisoners adequately, with proper sanitary conditions.

The minister said the prefabricated structures can be ready in 90 days, much less time than building a prison and that the plan is undergoing floor plan design and should go for approval by the Contraloría in a matter of days.

If the budget for the plan is approved, minister París, said that the first 600 units, spread across the country, could be ready for occupancy within 120 days.

Costa Rica airport to increase security

2009-12-01T05:35:00.000-08:00

The Public Security Ministry announced Monday that it plans to increase security at Juan Santamaría International Airport, Costa Rica's biggest airport, located northwest of the capital in Alajuela.

In addition to adding 61 recently-graduated police officers, the ministry will deploy several undercover agents to the airport, although officials did not say how many.

The new protection, the ministry said, is to maintain the green star that the airport received from the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The ministry claims they earned the rating for Juan Santamaría's safe security practices such as x-ray scanners and strict customs personnel.

In the past three weeks, officials have confiscated nine marijuana joints, two marijuana roaches and a 9-mm pistol with 15 bullets, according to the Public Security Officials. Airport officials have also inspected 382 vehicles and detained eight. The Transit Police have issued 96 citations in since Nov. 9 at Juan Santamaría.

Proposed plastic surgery tax in U.S. could enhance medical tourism

2009-11-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

There's at least one sector celebrating a proposed tax on plastic surgery in the United States, and that's the people who cater to medical tourism.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of North Americans look offshore for tummy tucks, facelifts and breast enhancements, knowing they can pay a fraction of the costs they would have to fork over in the United States.

Costa Rica, a three-hour flight from the U.S., has absorbed a large percentage of patients and, with the addition of the proposed tax, medical experts expect a greater influx.

The 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic procedures was proposed as part of the 2,074-page health reform bill presented by the U.S. Democratic Party this month. The tax is expected to generate $5.8 billion to help fund the $849 billion health system overhaul.

But plastic surgeons in the United States have launched a campaign to prevent the tax, arguing that its effects would result in discrimination against women, who represent 86 percent of cosmetic surgery patients there.

“This tax is effectively a ‘soccer mom' tax that will adversely impact mainstream American wives and mothers, who are the majority of plastic surgery patients,” said Dr. Renato Saltz, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). “As doctors, we understand and appreciate the need for health care reform, but taxing physicians and cosmetic surgery procedures to pay for the reform is not realistic or beneficial.”

ASPS noted that only 10 percent of the respondents on a recent survey reported a household income of over $90,000, “which clearly refutes the suggestion that elective surgery taxes are ‘luxury or ‘sin' taxes affecting a privileged few,” according to a statement released earlier this month.

The bill was given a nod by the Senate on Saturday, Nov. 21 and is currently awaiting further debate.

Costa Rica to restore ties with Honduras

2009-11-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica promised to restore ties with Honduras after it elects a new president on Sunday, joining other nations in rejecting ousted President Manuel Zelaya's insistence that recognizing the vote would legitimize a June coup.

The front-runner in the elections, Porfirio Lobo, welcomed the decision by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, saying Friday that he expected other Latin American countries to gradually follow suit.

``Some who are saying today they won't recognize the vote have told me they will recognize the elections,'' he said.

Lobo also promised, if he wins, to include Zelaya in national reconciliation talks that might permit the ousted leader to leave his refuge inside the Brazilian Embassy without fear of arrest. Zelaya has been holed up there since September.

``They have to get him out. If not, how?'' Lobo said.

``If we want peace for Honduras, we have to bring him into the dialogue,'' he added.

Arias' decision to acknowledge the next administration is a new setback for Zelaya, who is urging the international community not to recognize the vote.

Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, mediated unsuccessful negotiations to restore Zelaya to power. He now says the world should not punish Honduras' next government for the coup.

``Why should we punish them with a second Hurricane Mitch by not recognizing the next government, isolating it, denying it cooperation?'' Arias said on CNN en Espanol.

The 1998 hurricane killed thousands in Honduras.

Western Hemisphere countries, once united in condemning the June 28 coup, are divided on recognizing the results of the elections, which were scheduled long before Zelaya's ouster.

Left-led countries, including Brazil and Argentina, argue recognizing the vote is tantamount to whitewashing the coup.

But the United States, the chief source of foreign investment and development aid in Honduras, says it will support the election.

Costa Rica to invest $18 million to A/H1N1 flu

2009-11-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica announced an investment of 18 million U.S. dollars on Thursday in an effort to fight the second wave of A/H1N1 flu expected to hit the nation in January 2010.

To combat the flu, the country's social security system (CCSS) would purchase 30 X-ray machines, 97 fans, and 18,000 Tamiflu (oseltamivir) treatment dosages for patients who need it.

It would also buy 70 refrigerators to store 300,000 vaccines expected to arrive in the country in the next few days.

CCSS President Eduardo Doryan also said that some 227 new jobs would be created as the country was to strengthen patient supervision and improve patient care for the flu pandemic.

So far this year, Costa Rica has reported 40 deaths due to the A/H1N1 influenza.

Costa Rica to sign free trade deal with Turkey

2009-11-26T05:22:00.000-08:00

'Arias met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin at the parliament on Wednesday.'

Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias, who is on a formal visit to Turkey, met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin at the parliament on Wednesday.

Sahin told the meeting that Turkey and Costa Rica were two countries far away from each other but they could develop constructive cooperation in international problems. Recalling that Turkey and Costa Rica were both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, Sahin said the two countries were exerting efforts for global peace.

Sahin also said that Arias' visit to Turkey was a milestone for improving bilateral relations and added that he believed Costa Rica would continue to support Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative of Turkey and Spain launched under the auspices of United Nations.

On his part, Arias reminded Turkey's mediation role in Israel conflicts with Arab world, and thanked Turkish officials for their efforts for peace.

Stating that Turkey should assume a unifier role between the Muslim world and the West, Arias said that such a bridge would be essential for the West to understand Muslim world and that Turkey's EU membership could be a basic point to achieve that goal.

Recalling peace accords that were signed by five countries to end Guetamala's civil war, Arias said that he would share his experiences with Israel and Palestine.

On relations with Turkey, Arias said his country would sign free trade agreements with Turkey to improve commercial ties.

Costa Rica's Arias awarded honorary doctorate in Turkey

2009-11-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

A Turkish university honored Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias with an honorary doctorate on Friday.

Istanbul's Bahcesehir University decorated Arias with honorary doctorate for his contributions to peace.

The Costa Rican president received the title at a ceremony during his formal visit to Turkey at the invitation of Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

Arias told the ceremony that nearly 1.5 trillion USD was paid globally for armament every year instead of education and health, adding that his country abolished its army and allocated military funds for education and health services.

He also urged people to elect leaders who could see real needs of their countries.

Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his contributions to lasting peace in Central America. He has received honorary doctorate titles from almost 50 universities including Harvard and Princeton.

Manuel Antonio police get Donation from US

2009-11-24T04:46:00.000-08:00

Costa Rican police officers in Costa Rica's central Pacific region unwrap equipment donated by the U.S. Embassy on Monday.
Christmas arrived early in the central Pacific town of Quepos this year as municipal police unwrapped $14,000 worth of uniforms, global positioning systems, binoculars and other professional equipment donated by the United States Embassy.

The gift represents the embassy's first direct donation to a municipal police department, as the embassy tends to focus its efforts on developing national programs.

Yet, it's assistance that Robert Andrew wants to continue. “We hope to build on our success here,” said Andrew, narcotics affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy. "We don't have anything planned, but it's something we want to grow."

The canton of Aguirre, which is most famous for being home to the beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park and the port town of Quepos, hasn't been immune to the security problems that have trickled through the rest of the country. In fact, the canton's location on the Pacific coast and easy access to Costa Rica's principal highways have made it a destination for drug traffickers, said Mayor Oscar Monge in his remarks on Monday.

"This equipment will improve our efficiency and effectiveness as a police force," Monge said. "Just like chefs can't do anything without knives, bowls and pans, it was hard for our police forces to do their job without the proper equipment."

For Andrew, Manuel Antonio and Quepos seemed like a logical place to start.

"Dozens of Americans live here and many more visit every year," he said. "Anything that improves the security of this area, helps improve the security of all Americans."

Andrew said the civically active private sector, among whose leaders is hotel owner Harry Bodaan, helped spur the embassy's decision to begin with Aguirre.

The donation is separate from the $5.3 million in assistance for Costa Rica through the larger Merida Initiative, an anti-drug trafficking plan unrolled for Mexico and Central America unveiled in June of 2008.

Costa Rica and Climate Change

2009-11-23T02:41:00.000-08:00

The tiny country of Costa Rica has giant plans to help change the world for the better, but for that to happen, serious issues need to be looked at closely. Next month, the world will converge in Copenhagen for the United Nation Climate Change Conference and Costa Rica is proposing a similar carbon capture program to the one that was originally brought up in Kyoto 12 years ago.

"Costa Rica was the first country to propose a mechanism to capture CO2 produced in developed nations through forests and national parks," said Costa Rican Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce Eduardo Sibaja.

The mechanism proposed was not only to exchange CO2 emissions for cleaner air produced by trees in other countries, but also a way to measure those chemicals versus clean air either filtered or produced by mother nature.

"The only countries who understood this plan were Nordic countries," he told The Korea Herald.

Basically, the idea is similar to a carbon trading system.

"This works for Costa Rica because we don't produce much and it helps the industrialized countries who produce a lot," Sibaja pointed out.

While the media is talking about the already-failed Copenhagen summit, Sibaja believes there are great opportunities to be had there.

First of all, 12 years is a long time. When the Kyoto Protocol was agreed upon, the challenges of climate change were a distant problem only examined by science fiction or doomsday movies.

Today the problem is real.

"I expect the conference will have better results because now people are scared," he said. "But I don't think we will find a way to get everyone on the same boat, but at least, people are coming to Copenhagen with a different mood and knowing what is going on in the environment."

Sibaja mentioned that countries that share their borders with any of the world's oceans are worried that they might lose territory because of the rising sea levels. There is also the increase of violent storms like hurricanes.

"It's not only the disasters by themselves that have increased; the production cycles of food are changing dramatically with the change of weather," he said. "This will affect the way we feed our population. There might be not enough food in the world."

For Costa Rica, those challenges can become opportunities, especially in the fast growing green growth sector.

Another area Costa Rica is hoping to change the world is by changing the current classification of countries' incomes.

Sibaja said that middle-income countries have been "punished" because of this classification.

"The developed countries put their resources in Africa to stop hunger and diseases, but by doing so have punished middle-income countries like Costa Rica because of our successes," he said.

"That was not good because we were doing important things to enhance our capability," Sibaja said. "So the rich countries, who are the ones who produce a lot of CO2, are the bad guys."

Sibaja is not telling the developed world to stop helping low-income countries; instead he would like to see a change in the parameters used to classify countries.

"Let's take for example the middle-income countries, if some of them don't have armies, then that means cooperation will never go to purchase arms so that would be one category," he said.

Costa Rica abolished their military 50 years ago and uses that money towards social development programs such as education and health services.

Another classification would be how a country treats the environment.

"We are not emitting CO2, instead we are absorbing CO2 for others, so instead of penalizing us we should have benefits for that," he said.

Sibaja is looking to change the typical economic measures to add other parameters like peace and environmental protection.

Under Sibaja's plan, the middle-income countries like Costa Rica, Uruguay and Panama, which has also abolished their army recently, can receive benefits from international aid.

The problems in Africa Sibaja said is that the money given by the developed nations under programs such as the Millennium Plan only harm those countries.

"Most of the money that goes to Africa goes to purchase arms for the internal movements and people are still starving there," he said. "This idea is not an easy sell because the big countries are the ones selling the arms and arms sales is big business, if you stop that you are hurting the weapons industry and they have a strong lobby in Congress."

As for Korea, both countries have recently signed an interesting cooperation agreement.

The Costa Rican National Institute for Biodiversity now receives money from Korea to help expand their research in exchange for research conducted by Korean scientists for the purpose of developing new pharmaceutical medication and materials.

The Institute uses the jungles and forests of Costa Rica as a giant lab.

"We are conducting research to find new drugs for the future, new fuels for the future and also learning the way the animals in the forest have survived, so learning from nature is an opportunity."

Wind energy is also another area where both countries can work together, he said.

In exchange for Costa Rica's experience in the wind energy sector, they hope that the Korean government will support their plans to change the parameters that classify countries by income.

"Everybody agrees it's a good idea, but still no one is working on the details," he said.

Costa Rican creates Plasma Rocket

2009-11-21T06:37:00.000-08:00

LIBERIA, Costa Rica — Franklin Chang Diaz has great aspirations for his rocket: a mail-carrier for outer space, a garbage truck for orbital debris and, the ultimate goal, a shuttle to Mars.

The Costa Rica-born physicist speaks nonchalantly about the day humankind will have moved entirely to outer space, while our precious Earth becomes “a protected park.”

“Our great grandchildren will always be able to come back [to Earth] from wherever they happen to live and see where their ancestors and culture came from,” said the former NASA astronaut who is now president and CEO of the Ad Astra Rocket Company.

To many, it might sound a bit too Wall-E-esque to chew. But Chang Diaz is already polishing off his space helmet. And if he has his druthers, in this lifetime humans will start using his company’s revolutionary rocket to scoot around the galaxy.

In the meantime, he says there are plenty of other practical uses for his plasma rocket.

The rocket, called the VASIMR for "variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket," uses a high-power technology initially studied by NASA. Propelled by an exhaust gas at temperatures close to that of the sun, the VASIMR would dramatically reduce the time it takes to travel from Earth to Mars, from about eight months to just 39 days.

The rocket could also cut the cost of space travel by more than half, transforming the aerospace business and clearing the way to exploration for more countries, such as his native Costa Rica.

In September, the rocket hit a milestone on Earth. During a test, the engine cranked at just over 200 kilowatts, becoming the world's most powerful electric rocket.

This plasma-propelled VX-200 (at left) is set to evolve into a rocket that could be used on the International Space Station.

Following testing on Earth, Ad Astra is working with NASA on a space test date for a VASIMR aboard the International Space Station in 2013. Chang Diaz said his technology could eventually be used to help keep the space station in orbit. The company plans to launch for commercial use in 2014.

It sounds stranger than science fiction, but the aerospace field has taken note of this Costa Rican-American’s work. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics recently named VASIMR among the top 10 emerging aerospace technologies of 2009.

Before launching speedier Mars missions, Chang Diaz proposes some practical uses of the rocket closer to Earth. It could, for example, act like a DHL in outer space, in which plasma-thrust crafts would transport packages, mainly fuel, to satellites or spaceships on the cheap — well, cheaper. Shipments that today run to the tune of a billion dollars, according to the CEO, would cost half a billion on Ad Astra spacecrafts.

He mentioned another use that flies closer to the heart of his eco-friendly homeland. These ships could start to clean up the clutter left by disused satellites.

“The Earth has become virtually a beehive,” Chang Diaz said. “The number of satellites orbiting the Earth, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of these objects. Some of them are just junk that’s floating there simply because these satellites have run out of fuel and they just remain in orbit dead.”

Dead space objects are crashing into each other, and our planet. “You think you’re seeing these beautiful shooting stars, but they’re just a piece of orbital debris that comes to Earth and burns up in the atmosphere,” he said.

“Our goal is to be able to have a garbage truck that will be picking up all of these objects at various orbits, obviously for a price,” he said. Ad Astra could toss the debris into an “orbital graveyard,” he added, “or we could actually launch them to the sun and drive them to the sun, which is kind of the ultimate, cosmic dump.”

Unlike conventional chemical rockets, this one turns argon into plasma, the fourth state of matter, found in such everyday occurrences as lightning, extremely hot flames, nebulas, the sun and other stars. Naturally, it’s too hot to handle — almost.

“For those temperatures there are no known materials that can withstand those temperatures. So we don’t use materials,” the former astronaut explained. “We use very exotic forces, which are created with very advanced magnetic generators, and create these invisible tubes, or ducts, in which we can put plasmas at those temperatures.”

The man behind the machine

The name Franklin Chang Diaz may not ring a bell to most Americans, but back home, in Costa Rica, it carries star power. No other Tico has visited space.

After joining NASA in 1980, Chang Diaz flew on a space shuttle seven times. He also served as director of NASA’s Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory before launching Ad Astra in 2005.

His success didn’t come easily. Immigrating at 18, in 1968, Chang Diaz arrived in the United States at the height of a failing war in Vietnam and bitter race battles at home. Although his part-Chinese ancestry provoked occasional teasing as a child in Costa Rica, he says it didn’t prepare him for the discrimination he witnessed later in the U.S.

But he also encountered a great American paradox.

“While there was so much unrest, discrimination and social struggle in the United States, I also saw a country that had an innate ability to heal its own wounds, which is something that I don’t see in other countries in Latin America,” he said. Chang Diaz said some of his opportunities for success came about thanks to the gains made by the civil rights movement.

After completing high school in Hartford, Conn., he earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Connecticut and went to graduate school at MIT. He received his Ph.D. in applied plasma physics in 1977 and become an American citizen that same year.

He travels back and forth between Ad Astra’s labs in Texas and Costa Rica, but has a particular soft spot for the facility he set up in his home country. “It’s a coming home; it’s a sense of having returned from a very long journey,” he said of being able to build a rocket in the woods of Guanacaste.

With the help of his team of Tico scientists and engineers, the native son intends to put Costa Rica on the intergalactic map. Costa Rica is poised to petition to become a member of the International Space Station, which is currently the province of wealthy nations.

Asked if his country will get the honor of hoisting the first developing country’s flag in space, Chang Diaz said yes. “Part of the reason we have a chance is because we’re developing a piece of technology that is going to be attached to the International Space Station, and it is going to be homegrown, here.”
A clip of plasma diagnostics glowing red hot after measuring the plasma exhaust from the VX-200 operating at full power inside of a vacuum chamber:

Sustainability KEY in World Coffee Market

2009-11-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

GUANACASTE – Byron Pérez and Dimas Rojas walk visitors through the Coopepilangosta coffee farm in Guanacaste, explaining each step in the production and distribution of coffee beans as they go.

Pérez explains how the seed is planted and cultivated free of chemicals, how each row of coffee plants is grown beneath the shadow of overhanging trees and the careful manner in which each bean is picked.

At the end the tour, Pérez points to two large, moss-covered lagoons that, he says, are loaded with beans that didn't make the cut for consumption. After lime is added to the lagoons, the beans ferment and are then distributed as compost and organic fertilizer to other Guanacaste area farmers.

What Pérez has just explained is the process of sustainability.

“There are many different types of environmental practices that determine whether or not a coffee producer is sustainable,” said Ronald Peters, executive director of the Costa Rica Coffee Institute (ICafé). “Some of the key sustainable requirements are the percentage of shade they use, for example, in how they grow the plants. The treatment of wastes, both liquids and solids, is important as to how they are managed and reused. Farms also have to make sure they are not contaminating the water supply or rivers and, if they use chemicals, that they are applied properly and that they affect no other elements of the ecosystem.”

There is also a social and human element to sustainable practices.

“Labor practices also determine sustainability,” Peters said. “Employees have to be safe, practice safe picking and production methods. They must be provided with adequate training and a fair – at least minimum-wage – salary.”

At Coopepilangosta, all of these practices are evident – from the care given to the environment to the care offered to the employees. The farm has been considered sustainable for 10 years and is certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO) under standards 9000 and 14000, which assure quality management and environmental practices, respectively.

Coopepilangosta, begun in 1962, was long-since ahead of the curve in its practices, as the push for the “sustainable” certification has only lately become a popular trend in Costa Rican and international coffee markets.

The Certifying Organizations

At the Sintercafé conference in Guancaste last weekend, some of the biggest names, producers and buyers in the world of coffee met to discuss the nature of their industry at the Paradisus Playa Conchal resort on the Pacific coast. Of the many presentations over the course of weekend, almost every speaker alluded to, or emphasized, the continued development of sustainable coffee producing practices, and the benefits of obtaining official “sustainable” certification.

Whenever the topic of certification was mentioned, three names typically followed: Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade and UTZ. These three organizations are the primary certification bodies in the coffee world and, once a farm or producer receives their stamp of approval, the business often receives a boost in both business and reputation.

“We have seen that consumers in the North and South American markets are more conscious of their purchases and demand more information regarding the origin of their products,” said Arnoldo Leiva, president of Sintercafé. “They want to know that their product was produced in a way that respects the environment as well as social aspects. The certification provides the opportunity for producers to guarantee the(origin) of the products. This is a niche that is growing quickly all over the world, and not only in coffee, but in many products.”

The Rainforest Alliance, with an office in San José since 1989, U.S.-based Fair Trade and UTZ, headquartered in Guatemala and Holland, have established extensive requisites that must be met before certification is granted. Once certified, each producer is then monitored on an annual basis to ensure that they have complied with the organization's sustainability standards.

In the coffee industry, the certification of a producer by one of these organizations is a point of pride that demonstrates concern for environment, communities and employees, as well as a valuable business accreditation.

Certification by the Rainforest Alliance, for example, shows that the producer is environmentally and socially conscious, and the market has tended to show an increase in demand for it. And as demand increases, price usually follows, meaning the companies that have committed themselves to sustainable practices are being rewarded for their efforts.

“One of the reasons businesses look for (our) certification is for price,” said Rosella Valladares, a customer service coordinator at the Rainforest Alliance's office in San José. “The market tends to pay more for those who are certified. And, the other is that, at Rainforest, we don't set a fixed price, as some other organizations do. We try to establish a direct relationship between the producer and the consumer.”

Fair Trade, the U.S. organization that certifies sustainable practices and standards, annually sets a minimum price that must be paid to the producers of the products it certifies. Café Britt, one of the biggest coffee distributors and exporters in Costa Rica, is certified by Fair Trade. Also, according to Pablo Vargas, general manager of Café Britt, 90 percent of all producers that supply coffee to Café Britt have been certified as sustainable.

Sustainable Production Trend on the Rise

As more companies learn of the business advantages that accompany designation and certification of their products as sustainable, more producers are improving practices to earn the distinction.

According to Rainforest Alliance, more than 2,000 companies are seeking certification from the organization, including producers of coffee and various other products.

“It is the growing trend in the world coffee market,” said Peters of Icafé. “It is an encouraging trend because it demonstrates that producers and concerned with environmentally safe practices and that they are improving the entire production process. And when they do, they are recognized for doing so.”

An end to banana wars in sight

2009-11-19T04:03:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica's Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruíz confirmed rumors Wednesday that the European Union and the Central American countries are approaching an agreement relating to banana tariffs, but he said negotiations aren't as close as has been reported.

“I think (others) have been a little optimistic,” he said in a phone interview with The Tico Times. “Not only do banana tariffs have to be negotiated, but there are other issues that need to be discussed.”

Ruíz, who has played a central role in the negotiations as the trade minister for the third leading banana exporter in the world, said bananas aren't the only product being negotiated.

“Because we are negotiating this as a group of countries, we have to wait until other countries are in agreement,” he said. “There are some countries that want a better (tariff) … for (products) like rum … and flowers.”

On Wednesday, Europe's trade commissioner Catherine Ashton told Reuters news service that they are approaching “the closing stages of what could be the end of this long dispute” and that an agreement could be reached in the coming week.

Ruíz responded, “I don't want to sound negative,” adding, “The discussion has really advanced … But we haven't finished.”

An agreement over banana tariffs would mark the end of a 16-year dispute between Europe and exporters in Latin America, who pay higher taxes than their African counterparts, and would also open doors for an association agreement with the European Union.

Ruíz expects consensus to be reached before the end of the year.

Costa Rica, Spain agree to cooperate on fishing, aquiculture

2009-11-18T05:11:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica and Spain have signed two cooperation agreements to promote the development of their fishing and aquiculture sectors, a senior Costa Rican government official said on Tuesday.

Costa Rican Agriculture and Livestock Minister Javier Flores said the pacts were aimed at enhancing food security, fighting poverty, and promoting technology exchanges.

Flores also said both countries were interested in cooperation on research, promotion of production, the sustainable management of the environment and fishing.

According to the agreements, Spain will provide technical and legal assistance to establish a Network of Marine Reserves along the Costa Rican coasts.

"We have worked a lot with Spain and we are sure that our commercial ties will be boosted," Flores added.

The agreement was signed on Monday by Costa Rican Fishing Vice Minister Roman Solera and Spain's Environment, Agriculture and Marine Minister Elena Espinosa, Flores said.

Costa Rica must Win to Qualitfy for World Cup

2009-11-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

The long road to qualifying for next year's World Cup will finally come to an end tomorrow when Uruguay and Costa Rica compete for the 32nd and last spot in South Africa. The second-leg match between the fifth-placed South American team and fourth-placed Concacaf side will mark the end of a qualifying phase that has lasted over two years.

For the winners, the long journey will have been worth it, but for the losers, it will be another four years for their next chance. It is a situation Uruguay are used to. The former two-times champions were also involved in the final playoffs for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

"We're used to suffering, to winning in the final minutes, so once again we're going to have to go to the stadium with the same obstinacy," the Uruguay midfielder Diego Pérez said.

Uruguay have enjoyed mixed fortunes in their last two playoffs, both against Australia. They made it through to the 2002 World Cup but lost a penalty shootout four years later.

However, having beaten Costa Rica 1-0 in San José in Saturday's opening leg, captain Diego Lugano scoring the only goal, they have a fine chance of progressing.

"It's been more than two years of a very hard elimination series, there are two days and 90 minutes to go," Lugano said on Monday. "We can't let this opportunity escape us. We have to give the Uruguayan people happiness."

Uruguay have home advantage and the Centenario stadium in Montevideo remains a great source of inspiration: it was there that they won the first World Cup and the first of their two titles in 1930.

"The Centenario is a stadium with a lot of history, which always pushes you forward and we hope Wednesday will be a day of glory for Uruguayans," said Lugano.

Costa Rica, who must win in Montevideo to have any chance of reaching their fourth World Cup and third in succession, will be no pushovers, though, showing good one-touch passing and ball control in the home leg.

They have, however, encountered an internal problem in the build-up with the forward Froylán Ledezma walking out of the team's headquarters before they flew to Montevideo on Sunday. He did not play on Saturday.

"Ledezma's decision has been treated as an act of indiscipline, so as from this moment the case is being handed to the disciplinary committee," the Costa Rican federation's general secretary Joseph Ramírez said.

Costa Rica's Uruguayan physical trainer Marcelo Tulbovich, who replaced the suspended coach Renê Simões on the bench in San José, said the team had overcome the disappointment of their home defeat and were confident for the return.

"It's not written that we can't win: we've already started to lift the lads' morale. We'll recover and get to the match in good shape. It's the world final for us."

Costa Rican president hopes to strengthen ties with China

2009-11-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has said his country and China are enjoying a "warm and friendly" relationship and he hopes bilateral ties will further strengthen.

Arias made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua after giving a speech at Mexico Business Summit held in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon on Nov. 8-10.

The president spoke highly of bilateral ties, saying they were of mutual benefit in nature.

He also expressed his gratitude to China's favorable loans and donations.

He said his country hoped to further enhance ties with China, which is Central America's second largest trade partner, and aimed to ink a free trade agreement during the first quarter of 2010.

Arias also spoke of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, saying China surprised the world with fantastic sporting facilities like the Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium) and the Water Cube (National Aquatics Center).

Search for British journalist in Tamarindo goes on

2009-11-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

The search continued Monday for a missing British journalist at Playa Tamarindo, in Costa Rica's northwestern province of Guanacaste.

Michael Dixon, 33, checked into the Villas Macondo on Oct. 18. Hotel officials reported him missing on Oct. 21. Employees said they saw Dixon leaving the hotel on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 19, with a towel.

That sighting has been questioned, however, and family members are investigating Dixon's whereabouts on the preceding Sunday.

Police reports confirmed that Dixon's room at the hotel appeared undisturbed. Authorities found his credit cards, identification and money inside the room.

The missing journalist's brother, David Dixon, flew to Costa Rica Oct. 30 to aid search efforts. He is looking for information about Michael's disappearance.

“I am staying as long as it takes to find out Michael's whereabouts – I can't go home without information,” Dixon told the AFP, a French news agency.

The missing 33-year-old was born in Salford, England and grew up in France. He was based in Brussels, Belgium. Dixon is 1.7 meters (5 feet 8 inches) tall and weighs about 65 kilograms (145 pounds). He has short black hair and a slender build.

Those who might have information about the missing Briton's location are urged to contact the Judicial Investigation Police at (+506) 8865-7629 or Scott Simpson at (+506) 8896-4129. Friends have also set up a group on the social network Web site Facebook to share thoughts and information.

Costa Rica bananas in Middle East FINALLY

2009-11-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

Corbana, the National Association of Banana Producers of Costa Rica, is in Dubai for the first time to explore business opportunities in the Middle East on behalf of Costa Rican producers. Representatives from Corbana will take part in the Eurofruit Congress Middle East, the leading fresh produce event in the region, taking place over the next three days.

Costa Rican producers are looking to diversify their markets and now are targeting the Middle East because of its huge potential. This region is already the fifth largest banana importing market in the world. Annual banana imports have almost tripled over the last decade, growing by around 16% a year between 2001 and 2007, from 257,000 tonnes to 737,000 tonnes.

According to Jorge Sauma, CEO of Corbana, "There has been impressive growth in the Middle East market to date, and banana consumption per capita in this region still remains well below the average in mature markets such as Europe and the US. This suggests significant potential for further growth in the Middle East market over the next decade."

While Costa Rica is the third largest banana-exporting country in the world, banana production uses less than 1% of the country´s territory. Costa Rica has had the world's highest yield per hectare in banana production for 19 years, reaching a new record for global exports worth $674.2m in 2008.

Costa Rica bananas are produced to the highest standards by methods that respect the environment and provide sustainable social conditions for banana workers. 99% of all Costa Rican banana plantations are GlobalGap certified, for good agricultural production practices, ISO 14001 certified for respecting the environment and SA 8000 certified for compliance with social, work place and human rights standards.

Via Corbana's support, Costa Rica is now looking to remain one step ahead of the industry by becoming the first carbon neutral banana producer by 2014. Corbana is also contributing to an international research partnership aimed at reducing the use of pesticides in banana farming by 50% in 10 years.

Costa Rica's Immigration Unveils New Digital Entry System

2009-11-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Based on a rise in organized criminal activity by foreigners and entry of "undesirables", the Dirección General de Migración y Extanjería (Costa Rican immigration service) has been busy to install a new electronic or digital system of entry to Costa Rica.

The new system that recently went into place at the Juan Santamaría (San José) international airport uses a digital system to detect undesirables attempting to enter the country and a digital imprint in the passport, replacing the traditional rubber stamp.

The new system will be able to tell the immigration officer on the front line if the person is barred from entering the country and if he or she is wanted on an international warrant.

The system attempt those intent on evading entry controls and those individuals using fraudulent entry stamps in their passport to bypass immigration checks.

The director of Migración, Mario Zamora, said that the digital signature in the passport avoid the problems of the past.

The imprint includes the date and time of entry, as well as a digital code that used by immigration officials to detect falsification. In the past a rubber stamp and the official's initials were the only details entered in the passport.

Immigration officials say that there are between 250.000 and 300.000 foreigners with "irregular status".

Hacker attacks Costa Rican president's website

2009-11-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

A hacker attacked the Costa Rican president's official website, slightly altering the site's content and forcing officials to take it down, the office of the president said.

The hacker launched the attack around 9.30 a.m. Wednesday, 'taking advantage of a weakness in the system, partially altering the website's content', the office said in a statement.

The hacker placed a Nicaraguan flag and text that said, 'a Nica came through here', the La Nacion newspaper reported in its online edition Thursday.

Authorities, however, did not provide details on what the hacker did.

The government said the attack on the website occurred while it was being upgraded and linked to social networking sites in an effort to 'improve citizens' communications tools'.

The website was taken down until information technology experts can secure it and try to determine where the hacker attack originated, the authorities said.

Missing Brit's brother to search Costa Rica 'as long as it takes'

2009-11-05T06:02:00.001-08:00

The brother of a British journalist missing in Costa Rica for more than two weeks said on Thursday he will stay "as long as it takes" in the central American country to find him.

Michael Dixon, 33, was last spotted leaving the Villas Macondo hotel in the popular surfers' resort of Playa Tamarindo on the morning of October 19, having traveled there on his own.

His brother, David, left England for Costa Rica last week -- and told Thursday of sleepless days searching the streets and the caves around the resort, but still to no avail.

"The most worrying thing is we haven't the slightest lead -- not me, not the police and not the British embassy," Dixon said. "I didn't think it could be this frustrating.

"I don't know who he would have met -- he was just traveling himself, backpacking... everybody's baffled.

"If somebody had even seen him on the beach, we could say maybe he had an accident in the sea -- but there weren't even any lifeguards on duty that day.

"I've been sleeping about three hours a night since I got here, getting up at 5am, checking with people in the street, distributing flyers, hiring boats to search the coast and the caves and staying in touch with the authorities.

Dixon and an American-based cousin say they are remaining positive -- despite a power outage in Tamarindo on Wednesday which left him with no Internet access.

The family is using a Facebook group to help their search.

"I'm planning to stay as long as it takes to find out Michael's whereabouts -- I can't go home with no information," Dixon added.

"It's difficult to stay positive but I'm keeping my hopes up -- if we can't, no one will be able to at home.

"There are obviously many different scenarios running through my head just now, but I just want to concentrate on trying to find Michael."

Described as 1.7 metres tall (almost five foot seven inches) and weighing 65 kilos (10 stone three pounds), Dixon was wearing shorts and a T-shirt when last seen.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact findmichaeldixon@gmail.com.

Costa Rica's State of the Nation

2009-11-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

The independent Estado de la Nación (State of the Nation) program released its 15th annual report Tuesday morning with the hopes of painting an objective picture of Costa Rica.

The 400-plus-page report discusses the country's political, social, economic and environmental issues. Its authors and editors anchored this year's edition to the global crisis, which it states “hit Costa Rica with force at the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008.”

Miguel Gutiérrez, director of the program, acknowledged that many of the effects of the crisis had yet to be endured and calculated, but that the 2008 State of the Nation attempts to “offer a real and pragmatic perspective of the impact it has had on Costa Rica and the country's ability to respond to difficult times.”

In several areas, the country seemed to stumble through 2008 and the first half of 2009.

The government spent more than it made from January to May of 2009. Homicides per capita jumped to their highest number in the small nation's recorded history.

Also, new calculations indicate that Costa Rica is leaving a larger ecological footprint on the earth than the country has the capacity to erase.

Poverty and unemployment are up and the gap is widening between Costa Rica's social classes.

But not all is bad in the Switzerland of Central America.

More citizens are receiving public health coverage than ever before and the number of students who drop out of high school is falling.

The study determined that 2008 was a calm political year with few tensions, following a year in which strain and hostility over the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States dominated the political scene and tore apart familiar alliances.

And in the face of a myriad of problems coupled with the several successes that the report highlights, Gutiérrez said he hopes the answer to the crisis comes from careful decision making.

“We are facing a crisis unlike the one we saw in the '80s and our society and our government made large mistakes during that crisis,” he said. “The primary goal of Estado de la Nación is to produce a quality report about the reality of our society. If decision makers are to take anything away from this report, it is that they must continue to invest in the country's people and its infrastructure.”

Costa Rica property tax cut could cause PROBLEMS

2009-11-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

Municipal leaders are protesting a proposal in the Legislative Assembly that would reduce property taxes for farmers.

The reduction, they say, could cause local governments to bankrupt, as property taxes represent as much as 40 percent of municipal budgets.

Speaking before legislators in San José at a meeting Thursday, the executive president of the Institute for Municipal Development (IFAM) Erika Linares said, “Approving this reform to the Property Tax Law would differentiate one economic activity from another, opening the door for other sectors – for example, real estate, residential tourism or commercial entities – to ask for the same. We cannot privatize profits and socialize losses at the expense of the rest of Costa Ricans.”

Because local education boards receive 10 percent of these funds, (rural) schools across the country would not have money to buy adequate teaching materials and to maintain their infrastructure, Linares said.

According to Luis Fernando Mackeld, IFAM vice president, if farmers get a tax break under this reform, there's a fear that subsequent owners of that property would also have the advantage of paying less in taxes, even if they use the property for a hotel or a housing development.

The proposal, which would reduce property taxes from 0.5 percent to 0.1 percent, was only recently introduced into the Legislative Assembly.

Luis Barrantes, legislator with the Libertarian Movement, proposed the bill with the argument that reducing property taxes would actually bring more money for cities and towns.

Barrantes pointed to Estonia's low-rate flat tax as an example that helped spur that Eastern European country's economic growth. He's hoping the same would occur here.

“This bill will bring an increase in income to municipalities,” Barrantes said. “The Finance Ministry says more than 90 percent of property is valued at less than ₡ 10 million, which is less than $20,000 – that's absurd!”

Barrantes argues that by lowering property taxes, it will be easier to compel landowners to come forward with the prices that are closer to the real value of their property.

British Journalist Missing In Costa Rica

2009-11-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

A British journalist has been missing in Costa Rica for more than 10 days.

Missing Michael Dixon pictured on the Facebook site set up to help find him
Michael Dixon was last seen at a hotel in Playa Tamarindo on the morning of Monday, October 19.

The 33-year-old told staff at the Villas Macondo he was intending to stay for one night, or maybe more, after spending a week with friends in New York.

On Sunday, his brother David told users of a Facebook group set up to help find Mr Dixon: "We have searched in the air, we have searched by foot and we have searched by boat."

"Still no sign of Michael. The search continues."

The 33-year-old British citizen was working in Brussels for RISI, a US business-to-business company in the forestry industry.

He was travelling alone in Costa Rica when he went missing and his family and friends first became concerned when he failed to report for work for the first time in seven years on Monday.

The Foreign Office confirmed that Mr Dixon was reported as missing in Tamarindo Beach, Guanacaste, on October 21. "We are providing consular assistance to the family," said a spokeswoman.

Mr Dixon is 5ft 7ins (1.7m), 10st 3lb (65kg) and was wearing shorts and a T-shirt when last seen.

:: Anyone with information is urged to email findmichaeldixon@gmail.com

Costa Rica Women and Nicaraguan Men

2009-10-31T08:44:00.001-07:00

The figures by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) reveals that more Nicaraguan men are more likely to marry Costa Rican women than Nicaraguan women to marry Costa Rican men when the arrive in Costa Rica, with a total of 12.515 Nicaraguan men marrying "ticas", while only 934 Nicaraguan women married "ticos" between 1950 and 2009.

A Nicaraguan sociologist Juan Carlos Chavarría, writing for the El Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua's leading print newspaper, explained that Nicaraguan men arrive in Costa Rica single and without commitment, while the women leave behind children and a significant other which to stay faithful to.

Costa Rican sociologist, José Carlos Chinchilla, of the Universidad Nacional (UNA), however, says that the reason is that more Nicaraguan men come to Costa Rican than Nicaraguan women, explaining the difference in the numbers.

"The man is looking to settle here, is more irresponsible and not attached to their children back in Nicaragua. The woman are transitory, leaving children and partner behind with an eye to returning",s aid the Chinchilla.

The Costa Rican daily Al Día took a sample response from a number of Nicaraguans on the subject, who told reporter Franklin Arroyo González, they marry for increased sexual potency, protection from immigration and to have a Costa Rican child, as some of the reasons.

One man said Costa Riacn women are pretty, while other say they don't like Costa Rican woman because they are "too liberal", "like to go out a lot" and "are bossy".

michael alan here. Sorry about this article. It was a slow news day.....

Costa Rica road officials were warned in 2006 bridge would collapse

2009-10-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

TURRUBARES, Costa Rica – The collapse of a bridge last week that resulted in the death of five people could have been avoided had the government taken heed of an engineer's report carried out in 2006, the report's commissioner has claimed.

The report, complete with photographs, highlighted a series of structural problems and warned of a possible collapse of the bridge over the Río Tárcoles, on the way to the central Pacific town of Orotina.

The morning of Oct. 22, the report's predictions became frighteningly real. One of the cables of the bridge snapped under the weight of a full school bus, which fell six meters into the water.

Guillermo Saborio, chairman of Turu Ba Ri Nature and Adventure Park, in conjunction with the Turrubares Municipality, commissioned IMM & Asociados Ltda. to carry out the study after suspecting maintenance of the old bridge was long overdue.

“It was obvious the bridge was in need of attention, it was more than 80 years old,” Saborio said.

“Many of our visitors used to cross that bridge to get to the park, so we, in conjunction with the municipality, paid for an engineer to carry out a survey, which we sent to (the road authorities) CONAVI, but nothing was done about it.”

Despite those warnings in September 2006, the only work carried out on the bridge in the three years until its collapse was the replacement of 200 wooden planks lining the bridge floor, repairs to a left hand support pillar and a reduction in vehicle weight allowance, from nine tones to four.

Annotated pictures of the support cables connected to concrete blocks at either end of the bridge explained how “years of strain caused by heavy vehicles could have caused severe interior damage and could lead to a collapse of the entire structure,” the report contended.

It concluded: “Considering the level of use and nature of the vehicles that cross the bridge have changed considerably in the last few years, we consider necessary the building of a new, two-lane concrete and steel bridge with side barriers and space for pedestrians.”

Following the bridge's collapse, the Public Works and Transport Ministry called on a Japanese technical expert who will supervise the repair of 10 Costa Rican bridges, earmarked as “priority,” throughout the country.

The expert, experienced in the design of steel and concrete bridges, will be working with engineers starting next year.

Costa Rica Focusing On Eco-Tourism

2009-10-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

By Juergen T. Steinmetz, eTN |

An interview with Costa Rica's ministro de Turismo (Tourism Minister), Carlos Ricardo Benavides, who says that tourism in Costa Rica, like the rest of the world, has dropped a little bit and still focusing on the US market.

eTN: How is the current situation when it comes to tourism in Costa Rica?

Carlos Ricardo Benavides: Like the rest of the world, it has decreased a little bit, because our main market is the United States, and North America itself is almost 62 percent of our market, so when North America comes down, our tourism also goes down a lot. But we have maintained also a very high-class tourism, the one that goes for example to the Hyatt or to the Four Seasons, that still comes, it doesn’t matter what the crisis is at this point. We have been in a small recuperation in August and September, and we hope to maintain our progress, and probably help us a little bit with vacationers coming for December so we can have maybe a negative loss for the whole 2009 around -6 or -7 percent; that is what we are forecasting right now.

eTN: The air links from the United States, they decreased or they stayed the same?

Benavides: Well, some of them decreased, but not because of lack of people flying, but for example, in the case of Delta, it was because of the power of the fleet, and it was not very fuel efficient itself, so long trips, for example the ones from New York to San Jose, over a 5-hour trip, were very positive for them with all planes. Other airlines have decreased the size of the planes, trying to bring full planes and not at all require planes from different parts. But all of them are still flying. We have not lost any kind of carrier. As a matter of fact, we added two new carriers from the United States. We added JetBlue that initiated flights from Orlando direct to San Jose, and we added Spirit Airlines who also initiated flights from Ft. Lauderdale in the United States, and last year we initiated Frontier Airlines from Denver.

eTN: You mentioned 5-star tourism to Costa Rica is a big issue. Did you see the prices coming down for hotels?

Benavides: No, not much, not much. We have a philosophy – when you make your product very cheap, and people get accustomed to paying $1 for something that you know that is worth a hundred dollars, when you got back to charge them the $100, they will turn to you and say, but that was worth $1, and you will tell them, no there was a crisis, I’m sorry. If you will charge $1, it is probably because it was worth $1 not $100.

eTN: I love this philosophy, but is it realistic that the hotels follow your philosophy?

Benavides: They didn’t go so low as to make the destination extremely cheap. They went down a little bit, but what we made was another thing – we made special packages. For example, if you stay 3 nights, we will give you 2 nights free; if you stay 5 nights, we will give you a complimentary night or a complimentary free meal at the spa, and a complimentary tour. In other words, what we wanted to add was not a cheaper product, but add more product to what you are paying. In that way, your product will always have a normal price, but people will feel that they are getting more for what they are paying.

eTN: Besides North America, United States, Canada, what other targets are there for you?

Benavides: Our main targets are Spain, Germany, France, England, and then regional tourism from Central America, and United States, Canada, and Mexico. I would say from the big pie that would be like 75 percent of the graphics.

eTN: A lot of destinations have told me they see an enormous difference in the number of stays between Europe and North America. Have you experienced the same thing?

Benavides: Yes, because in all across the chart, the expenditure has always come down, so that means that the income from tourism will also come down – it’s inevitable. But I think we will recuperate that next year. I think we are seeing that – the numbers coming up.

eTN: What are your air links currently from Germany? Are there charter flights or is it based on commercial flights?

Benavides: We have Condor. Condor is making two weekly flights, and we were trying to make Lufthansa maybe try one flight directly to San Jose, because most of the people have to go to Madrid and get by way of Iberia or go to the United States by way of Continental and then come down. But the market is there. We are very aggressive in Germany; a lot of marketing going on in Germany, a lot of cooperative campaigns especially for tour operators like Tui, and we are very, very, very strong in Germany. It’s a good market for us.

eTN: Besides the classical idea, is there any niche market people should know about in Costa Rica?

Benavides: Especially, what we have promoted always eco-tourism – beaches, volcanoes, nature – that is our main goals. And I always tell people, we are not perfect in eco-tourism, but at least we give the fight. So to keep eco-tourism as our main market, we have 25 percent of our country protected. We have 4.5 percent of all the bio-diversity in the world are present in Costa Rica. So we are protecting that part that is nature. So, if you want to see nature, if you want to see hotels contracted with nature in mind, with a maximum high level, you go to Costa Rica.

eTN: When you compare the GDP to tourism, how important is tourism to Costa Rica?

Benavides: Excluding inter-continental, because there is no way to measure inter-continental, tourism is number one.

eTN: What does the government do? Yesterday, we heard Geoffrey Lipman talking about the Road of Recovery. Are these all interesting developments for you to cooperate?

Benavides: Yes, but, what we have done especially is to promote local tourism; try to keep the tourism that we already have.

eTN: Our readers are travel industry professionals – these are travel agent, tour operators, PR agencies, journalists. Is there anything you want them to know about Costa Rica?

Benavides: When you get in Costa Rica, you are getting a way of doing tourism, and in the end you are betting for the future – for your future and the future of your sons and granddaughters and grandsons, because we are trying to keep the message that you can do tourism by respecting nature, and in the future, if we don’t do that, then nothing else will matter than what we have done with nature. We know that in the future, as many have said, the big fight will be for water and for food, so when you get to come to our country, we believe in this form of doing things - that everything can be on a balance with nature and with progress and with tourism.

Costa Rican minister resigns over accident

2009-10-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Costa Rica's Public Works and Transportation Minister Karla Gonzalez resigned on Monday after being criticized for failing to assume responsibility for last week's accident in which five people were killed.

A bus fell into the Tarcoles River, some 60 km east of the capital, last Thursday after a bridge over the river collapsed, causing the deaths of five passengers and the injuries of 32 others.

The bridge, built during 1920-1924, has not been repaired for years despite its shaky condition.

Gonzalez said that she recognized the state responsibility for guaranteeing the security of its citizens and hoped that her resignation would mitigate the outrage of the public over the accident.

Gonzalez added that all parties involved must take their responsibilities in this painful drama and draw a lesson from it.

Costa Rica's Economy Doing Better, But...

2009-10-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Banco Central de Costa Rica (BCCR) - Central Bank - says the Costa Rican economy is recuperating from the economic crisis of the past year, however, unemployment continues to be a stickler.

The bank's Índice Mensual de Actividad Económica (IMAE) - monthly economic activity index - shows a marked improvement in the economy, though it is still lower than levels recorded last year.

The worrying point is the high rate of unemployment, especially in areas of construction, hotel industry and agriculture, which are still showing levels of activity lower than August last year.

The report predicts the inflation rate to close this year at 5% and drop of the Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) - Gross National Product - by at least 1.3%.

According to the Central Bank, the challenge next year is to keep inflation low, reduce unemployment and invest in infrastructure.

Costa Rica Dockworkers Strike

2009-10-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

'Happier Days for the Cruise Industry.'
While Costa Rica tries to pitch its Caribbean port of Limón as a modern operation with enormous potential, it faces forces that continue tugging it into the past.

Fifty-three unhappy workers paralyzed the city this week, causing an estimated $7 million in losses, spoiling shipments of fruit and sending a 1,896-passenger cruise ship to calmer waters.

The strike, which lasted two days, was conceived by the Union of Caribbean Port Workers (SINTRAJAP), who are looking to collect on an unpaid salary increase promised to them over two years ago by the Atlantic Port Authority (Japdeva).

“Because 53 people decided they wanted more money, exporters have lost an immeasurable amount of money,” said Marco Fidel, vice-president of the Chamber of Exporters (CADEXCO). “Most fruit shipments spoil if they are not moved within a strict time frame. For others, missing a shipment by even a day means a sale not made and a contract lost."

“And then there is the added cost of unused containers. For exporters, this seems ridiculous.”

Police forces, who took over port operations at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, have been able to get some shipments through. But, there is an additional delay for dry goods and non-perishables. According to Japdeva, the Labor Ministry is in contact with union members to negotiate a resolution.

A Limón Rerun

The strike has not just drained profits from exporters and tour operators; it also is draining the patience of some Limoneses.

“We are tired of this,” said lifelong resident Abraham Goldgewicht, who owns a coffee shop in the city. “This has been going on a long time … There are a lot of independent contractors who can't work because of what's going on here … People are upset.”

Since President Oscar Arias announced plans to privatize the port in 2006, tensions have risen between his administration and local workers, who fear irreplaceable job loses under new management.

After the Pacific port of Caldera was privatized in 2006, workers reported nearly 900 job losses. Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias explained that 700 of those workers found jobs elsewhere.

One of the most damaging strikes since privatization was announced occurred in Sept. 2006. Protesting workers backed up trucks full of deteriorating fruit, turned away a 3,000-passenger cruise ship and caused an estimated $10 million in losses (TT, Oct. 2006).

“The harmful practices not only affect businesses by delaying exports … but they also put the labor security of thousands of Costa Ricans who work in the private sector at risk,” UCCAEP President Rafael Carrillo told The Tico Times at the time (TT, Sept. 2006).

According to the daily La Nación, the ports are closed an average of 10.5 days a year due to protests and strikes. Port operations have also been affected by a slow-down method of protest called tortuguismo, in which workers reduce their productivity by 25 or 50 percent.

Israel Oconitrillo, spokesman for Japdeva, stressed that the strike this week was small, as only 53 of 1,400 workers chose to demonstrate.

But it was large enough to turn away a cruise ship with more than 1,800 passengers, each of whom spends, on average, more than $100 a day when in port.

One passenger aboard the Zuiderdam was allowed to disembark in Limón due to a heart condition.

“It's already a difficult time for Costa Rican tourism,” said Gonzalo Vargas, president of the National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR), lamenting the lost business. “This not only creates large losses for the tourism industry, but it also leaves a bad impression for Costa Rica as a tourist destination …”

Despite being turned away at the port, the cruise operator – Holland America Line – expects to return.

“We certainly realize that all parties want to resolve the issues, and we are hopeful this will be done for future visits,” said Erik Elvejord, spokesman for the Seattle-based company.

Threat to Funding

Marco Vargas, minister of inter-institutional coordination in the Arias administration, said not all companies have the patience of Holland America. Not only does Costa Rica risk losing business to other countries, he said, but it also puts the country behind in soliciting investments from foreign companies.

With a $72.5 million loan from the World Bank and close to $8 million of its own money, Costa Rica is undertaking a full-scale renovation of the Caribbean city, which includes adding new roads to divert container traffic, revitalizing cultural centers and improving drainage and sewage systems.

But the investment Costa Rica is making needs $900 million in private investment in order to fulfill the full scope of the project. Yet, fundraising efforts are only stymied by negative headlines such as these, Vargas told reporters.

“With these actions our ports will be categorized, once again, among some of the most inefficient in the world,” he said.

In Costa Rica 5 brands of beer DOMINATE

2009-10-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

If you've pulled up a stool at a bar or looked over a drink menu at a restaurant in Costa Rica, you've probably noticed that while there are more than 35 different types of beer available in the country, five brands dominate the Costa Rican market: Imperial, Pilsen, Bavaria, Rock Ice and Heineken.

The reason for the prominence of these five beers is that they all are produced domestically by Florida Ice & Farm Co. (FIFCO), the brewing giant that has controlled the country's flow of beer for 100 years. In that time, FIFCO has become the country's largest publicly-traded company and, according to the Inter-American Development Bank, it is the most valuable private company in Costa Rica.

“We were founded in 1908, and in 1912 we began to produce our first beer, which was Pilsen,” said Erick Alfaro, supervisor of production at the FIFCO production plant and brewery in Heredia, northwest of San José. “We currently produce 14 types of beer, as well as other alcoholic drinks, Tropical fruit drinks, Cristal water, Pepsi, and even some spices and food complements.”

So, to say that FIFCO is the dominant source of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Costa Rica would be a considerable understatement. The company reports that it produces around 40 million gallons of beer per year. The second largest producer of domestic beer in Costa Rica is a microbrewery, K&S Cervecería, in Cartago, which produces an average of 1,000 liters per month, or around 3,000 gallons per year.

Brewing beer is an intricate science. For a plant that produces around 40 million gallons of popular beer with worldwide distribution, the preparation of the product is an exact science. The process involves thousands of employees in a variety of roles – from the person who adjusts the temperature of a several-thousand-gallon tank of Imperial, to the person who loads the crates of bottled beer onto a truck headed for Puntarenas. At FIFCO, mixing of the ingredients to create the beer, to the bottling and distribution, is a continuous process accomplished with pride and precision.

“Many of our employees have been here for 15 to 20 years,” Alfaro said. “A lot of them have family members who have worked here before them and they have been around FIFCO for as many as 30 years. With people like that working here, there is a lot of pride that goes into making sure the process is done correctly.”

The process begins in the towering white tanks that flank the far side of the plant grounds. There, the ingredients, which come from Costa Rican farmers and producers, are brewed with the appropriate mix of water, sugar and other necessary ingredients, such as rice, corn, malt, barley, hops, sorghum and wheat. The ingredients are altered in the process in order to create a unique flavor for a particular brand.

From there, the beer is transferred to mammoth, aluminum tanks for fermentation at precise tempera tures. Throughout the process, brewing production supervisor Luis Fernández sits in a third-story office that oversees the peaks of the tanks. From there, Fernández adjusts the settings for each individual beer.

“The temperature of the tanks determines the amount of alcohol content,” Fernández said. “A light beer has a lower alcohol content, so it is brewed at a lower temperature. Beers with higher alcohol contents are brewed at higher temperatures. We adjust the temperatures of the tanks to assure the beers are brewed with the correct alcohol content.”

After the beer has fermented for the appropriate amount of time, it is routed to the bottling plant. This plant intertwines every step in the beer bottle cycle – from a bottle's entry into the plant via a recycling system, to its cleaning, to the proper indentation on the bottle, to the labeling, to the appropriate beer being put in the bottle, to the capping and, finally, to its exit in a large crate with 19 other identical bottles. The continuous process is monitored by several employees stationed at various spots along the way.

“Each step in the process is aimed at distributing a fresh, quality beer to the Costa Rican market,” said Gisela Sánchez, director of corporate relations at FIFCO. “Our employees are committed to an excellent product every step of the way.”

Imperial, which is the most popular beer in Costa Rica, leaves the plant in Heredia and is exported to the United States, Australia and China. The Dutch beer Heineken is produced under license for the Central American market at FIFCO.

Can Other Beers Compete?

Although FIFCO produces the primary brands offered in Costa Rica, many different ones are available at bars, restaurants and grocery stores.

Grupo Pampa, based in Pavas, west of San José, is the local distributor for wine and Mexican beers. Distribuidora Isleña, based in Heredia, northwest of San José, distributes Belgian beers, and K&S Cervecería produces four microbrews that are sold in certain locations in the Central Valley and in the central Pacific beach towns of Jacó and Manuel Antonio. Though these less prominent beers do sell, none come close to being serious competition for the FIFCO-produced labels.

“FIFCO is absolutely dominant in the market,” said Pablo Carnevale, vice president of Grupo Pampa. “I think that the potential for other brands to compete does exist and, over time, other brands could be developed in Costa Rica. There are some niches in the market where other beers can enter. It's difficult, but possible.”

Although the beer market is open to competition, the FIFCO market share is so lopsided and distribution throughout the country so comprehensive that there is not much room for other distributors to capture much revenue or garner significant attraction to their brands. Still, the market is open and Coors Light is the first U.S.-based beer to attempt to break into the Tico market. Coors Light began distribution in Costa Rica in September.

“The local beer producers are very smart people,” said Paul Mendieta, Molson Coors managing director for Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. “Not only do they have a nice portfolio of brands, but they also have licensing deals with some of the (international) brands like Corona and Smirnoff Ice. But that's something we saw when deciding to enter the market. If there is that nice set portfolio of brands, it means that there is an opportunity for other brands besides those that have traditionally been available for many years in Costa Rica."

“Our goal is to attain as much distribution as we can, but this is not a 100-meter race; this is a marathon. We are there for the long-term. The local brewer obviously has great brands and great products, but we believe there is a place for Coors Light in Costa Rica as well.”

The entrance of new beer brands into the Costa Rican market is familiar territory for FIFCO, which has seen many competitors come and go over the course of its 100-year reign. The promoters of Coors Light, however, hope that it can be the brand with the clout to shake the foundations of the FIFCO empire.

According to Mendieta, Coors Light has shown 15 consecutive quarters of growth in the U.S. market, owns 42 to 45 percent of the market share in Puerto Rico and, in the two years since entering the beer market in Panama, has captured 1 percent of market share without committing significant resources to the brand, and while competing against two major breweries.

But while Coors Light and other brands claw to obtain small slices of the Costa Rican beer market, FIFCO will doubtless keep chugging along.

Costa Rica gives ex Venezuela gov. refugee status

2009-10-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Costa Rican authorities say they have granted refugee status to a former Venezuelan state governor who broke with President Hugo Chavez and faces what he describes as politically motivated corruption charges in his home country.

Immigration service spokesman Allen Ulloa says refugee status has been given to Eduardo Manuitt, but he is giving no details because such cases are confidential.

Manuitt is a former ally of Chavez. Several Venezuelan political figures have faced charges after breaking with the leftist leader.

Prosecutors accuse him of pocketing government funds a decade ago during his tenure as governor of central Guarico state.

Ulloa said Wednesday the status had been granted as of Oct. 13.

Neenah Paper to help Costa Rican property

2009-10-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Neenah Paper (NP) announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Friends of the Osa and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin to help reforest a conservation property in Costa Rica's Osa peninsula.

The project will help remove carbon from the atmosphere, protect and restore plant and animal habitats, create a new habitat for endangered species, and restore land degraded by deforestation.

The conservation property totals 1,500 acres in the southeastern portion of the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve and is located in the Osa peninsula. It harbors the last remaining old growth rainforest on the western flank of Central America and is believed to be one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world.

The Osa Project is the migratory home of 54 native Wisconsin species of birds, 18 of which are state conservation priorities and three of which are listed as threatened.