Archive for August 7th, 2008
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
The Central Bank’s new estimate for inflation for the year 2008 is now 14 percent, much higher than the 7 percent to 9 percent which it had announced in January. The Bank also lowered the expected growth of production from 5.3 percent to 3.6 percent. On the other hand, it increased the current account deficit –the difference between the purchases and sales of goods and services abroad– from 6.3 percent to 8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The increases in the prices of oil and food are blamed for the steep increase in inflation. According to the Bank, as an example, the prices of food –to which households dedicate the largest chunk of their income– increased by 24 percent from June 2007 through June 2008.
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Thursday, August 7th, 2008
Costa Rican authorities defined as a miracle the fact that fishermen Anthony Natan (32) and Keron Walters (22) survived after drifting for 44 days in an open 15.5.feet boat. Initially, there were four fishermen aboard when their outboard quit while going back from the fish market to their homes in the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. After 29 days adrift, the captain and another crewman tried to reach land by floating on plastic drums, but Natan and Walters decided to take their chances on the boat, drinking the little rainwater and raw fish they could lay their hands on. Then, after drifting for some 2,300 kilometers –close to 1,438 miles— their boat was spotted by two fishermen out of Limon, who rescued them. Even though severely dehydrated, they are recovering at the Limon hospital.
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Thursday, August 7th, 2008
Costa Rica has become one of the world’s leading icons for peace, stability, and environmental friendliness. In 1948 they were the first country in the world to abolish their army and today over 20% of the country is protected by nature reserves and national parks. Costa Rica ranks fifth in the world in the Environmental Performance Index and was recently named the world’s “Most Ethical Destination” according to Ethical Travel. That is extremely high praise for this small Central American country and many Costa Ricans are understandably very proud of that worldwide recognition. However all is not as perfect as it seems in this tropical paradise, and perhaps with a little more investigating the Environmental Performance Index and Ethical Travel might not be so quick to heap all this praise upon Costa Rica. (more…)
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