Archive for February 25th, 2009
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
Manuel Antonio National Park, the second-most-visited park in Costa Rica, could have to close its gates this week after wastewater contamination was detected on its beaches, the Health Ministry said Sunday.
The ministry issued the closure order Feb. 12 and gave the Environment and Energy Ministry 10 days to correct the problem, which implies building a wastewater treatment plant.
The park, located on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, is one of the country’s best-known natural areas and the park that produces the most income for the state, given that it is visited each year by thousands of tourists.
The Health Ministry inspection revealed that sewage and wastewater from the house where the park rangers live was being dumped directly into the forest without being treated beforehand, and also that the septic tank for the sanitary services for tourists had broken allowing the sewage to leak out and collect in a lagoon inside the park causing a horrific stench.
Park manager Belfort Cubillo told the La Nacion newspaper that the problem of the wastewater had been identified a year ago, but he said that officials had not allocated enough money to deal with it.
Admission fees to Manuel Antonio National Park last year totaled $1.81 million, but the money went to the Treasury and the park only received $352,000, which it used to pay salaries and provide basic services.
The Environment and Energy Ministry plans to ask the Health Ministry for a postponement of the closure order to prevent the park from being shut. EFE
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
A new United Nations study shows that teenagers in Costa Rica’s two port cities know little about the risks of AIDS and HIV, even as they engage in unsafe sex.
The majority of teens ages 13 through 18 in the Caribbean port town of Limón and the Central Pacific port town of Puntarenas do not know how to put on a condom and do not know how HIV is transmitted.
Levels of awareness are extremely low in Limón, and even lower in Puntarenas, the report concluded. The situation in Puntarenas is dire.
Perhaps most worrisome, 14 percent of teens in Puntarenas and 6 percent in Limón said they have had sexual relations against their will in the past six months.
That’s rape. There is no other way to describe it, said Marco Fournier, who worked on the study.
Nearly 62 percent in Puntarenas and 57 percent in Limón did not know how HIV is transmitted. Some 83 percent in Puntarenas and 72 percent in Limón did not know how to put on a condom.
The study, which used a 400-person sample in each city, is part of a project by the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the Culture and Youth Ministry to promote healthy sexual practices.
The United Nations has donated a total of $156,630 for the project, whose total cost is $425,000. The project’s coordinators are looking for more funding.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
Costa Rica’s economy may slow to a standstill this year as foreign direct investment drops “severely” and demand for the Central American country’s exports wanes, President Oscar Arias said.
“The rate of growth this year is going to be between zero and one percent,” Arias said in an interview in his office in San Jose yesterday. That’s less than half the central bank’s forecast for growth of 2.2 percent in the $30 billion economy.
As part of a recovery plan announced last month, Arias said the government will seek to borrow more from international lenders, raise pensions by 15 percent and build schools and roads to create jobs. The government may also inject more capital into state-owned banks to ease access to credit, he said. (more…)
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
The other night on the NBC prime time world news there was a special about a group of centenarians who live in an area located in Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. Scientists say their longevity is due to a clean environment, exercise, a healthy diet and above all their lifestyle. Furthermore, all Costa Ricans who reach eighty years of age, live longer on the average than any other people in the world.
Most likely another factor that contributes to this statistic is the cradle-to-grave health care provided by the Costa Rican government. Besides having a large number of centenarians the country has a longevity rate on a par with any first world country including the United States.
What does this say about Costa Rica? Basically the country is a very healthy place to live. In fact, most foreigners who move here add years to their life. I do remember when I used to visit my relatives in the States and they would remark how good I looked. They said it must have been from the good life in Costa Rica.
I guess its the fresh fruits and vegetables, less stress and above all lifestyle which also contribute to foreigners and others living longer here. After all it is all about lifestyle. It really is the lifestyle that ultimately draws people here and was the main factor in my move almost 30 years ago. In Costa Rica you can really have more for less and have more fun in the process. There are a wealth of activities from which to choose to keep you busy and happy. It is also very easy to make new friends here. You will have NO excuse for being bored. The days just don’t seem to be long enough to pack in all of the exciting activities.
Living here reminds me of the title of a popular movie with Jack Nicholson, “As Good as it Gets.” One would be hard press to find a place that offers more.
I have a very spiritual acquaintance who said upon arrive in Costa Rica for the first time, “I stepped of the plane and immediately felt a sense of peacefulness in the air.” Perhaps it is this spirit or vibe that makes Costa Rica one of the most magical and healthy places in the world to live.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
A surprise drop in coffee prices late last year has left some Costa Rican coffee millers in the lurch, forcing them to sell the crop below cost and raising fears of shutdowns if prices fall further.
The CoopeSabalito coffee cooperative, close to the border with Panama, paid farmers high prices in advance for coffee cherries harvested at the end of last year, but now it has to sell the processed beans to roasters at a much lower price.
“(Our situation) is quite critical, both in terms of the high cost of production and financing difficulties,” the cooperative’s president Hernan Murillo told Reuters.
The cooperative bought coffee from its more than 200 associated farmers before the financial markets collapsed, pulling down commodities prices.
The March arabica coffee contract KCH9 slipped from a high of $1.60 per pound in July to around $1.12 this month.
The coop paid out more than it is getting back and is now worried about its own survival. (more…)
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
