Archive for March 11th, 2009
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
An earthquake estimated at a 5.7 magnitude rattled the Golfito area about 11:24 a.m.
The movement was felt all over the country.
The epicenter was reported to be 15 kilometers (10 miles) west southwest of the community of Golfito. That would put the location in the western side of the Gulfo Dulce not far from the Osa Peninsula. No damage was reported by the Fuerza Pública or the Cruz Roja in Costa Rica. Police did say that schoolchildren were sent home as a precaution.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the depth of the quake at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It said the epicenter was about 175 kilometers (110 miles) south of San José.
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Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
The four beaches at Manuel Antonio National Park have regained their Ecological Blue Flag status, the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET) has announced.
The Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) last month revoked the Blue Flags, which recognize cleanliness and eco-friendliness in the country’s beaches, citing the risk of sewage contamination. But the move was predominately a precautionary measure, as AyA officials said at the time that beaches in the park remained in good condition.
Health Minister María Luisa Avila gave MINAET an extension through the end of June to implement the plan, after threatening to close down the park because of the poor sanitary conditions.
The Blue Flags were returned to the park’s beaches after MINAET proposed a plan to rectify the sanitary conditions at the park itself, according to MINAET Vice Minister Jorge Rodríguez. The ministry will install portable bathrooms for tourists while construction begins on new, permanent bathrooms and a sewage treatment facility for the park.
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Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
I was watching the evening news and was saddened to see so many people who have been affected by the collapse of the world economy. In Sacramento, California people are living in tents just like during the Great Depression. The same thing is happening in Seattle and other cities. I saw a piece on Japan and they are also in terrible shape.
I really consider myself to be lucky to be living in Costa Rica Rica. We don’t have people living in tents nor have we been hit like the States and the rest of he world. There have been layoffs and a trickle down effect which have affected tourism and other sectors. However, we don’t have large manufacturing like the U.S. auto industry so we haven’t been affected that much.
As I mentioned in a previous article we are used to being self-sufficient here. We can grow almost everything we eat and the people have been living off the land here for hundreds of years. Costa Ricans are used to living with a lot less which is good. Most people who retire here adopt the frugal style of the locals and learn to spend less money. Fortunately, consumerism isn’t as big as in the U.S. so there are less things to waste money on.
Costa Rica seems to be out of the mainstream of the world news . You never hear anything negative mentioned in the U.S. media about Costa Rica. The country has a low profile when it comes to world events. No news is good news for us. However, there was a great story on the evening news recently about the area of Nicoya, Costa Rica that has a huge number of centenarians due the healthy lifestyle of the people who live there.
I really feel blessed to have discover this beautiful little country where life is so good.
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