Archive for June, 2009
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
A 55-year-old Florida man accused of supplying cocaine and oxycodone pills to mid-level and street-level distributors in Maine has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.
Michael Mayer, who was extradited to Maine following his arrest last year in Costa Rica, entered his plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
The guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute the drugs carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to $4 million.
As part of the proceedings, Mayer agreed to pay a $2.64 money judgment and forfeit real estate, automobiles, watercraft and personal property in Costa Rica and Colombia.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
The Costa Rican Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the country has had a total of 209 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu, with 30 new cases confirmed since the previous report.
Among the 30 newly-added cases, 20 were confirmed on Monday, said Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila.
So far the country has detected 2,904 possible flu cases, with 2,520 dismissed after lab tests and 162 still being tested.
Some 75 percent of the infections involved patients under age 30, while there were no obvious differences between patients of different genders, Avila said.
To date, only two out of the country’s seven provinces, namely Limon and Puntarenas, have not reported any flu cases, said the minister.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
The former first lady of Illinois has lost her chance to be queen of the jungle.
Patti Blagojevich on Tuesday was voted off NBC’s reality series “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” She lasted through 23 days in the Costa Rican jungle as her husband’s replacement.
Earlier in Tuesday’s show, Blagojevich said one of her favorite moments on the series came when she was tossed into a river and made her own way out. She says another was when she spoke to her family over the Internet.
A judge barred ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich from participating in the show. Patti Blagojevich has said she did the show because of her family’s finances.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
The government of Costa Rica may be down 17.5 percent in revenues this year and amid a global recession, but it is moving forward with plans to raise salaries of teachers, janitors and security guards by 4.88 percent.
The finance minister signed the pay raise alongside the leaders of 13 unions on Thursday, increasing salaries for non-professionals” (or those with less than a high school education) by more than ¢8,700 or $15 a month.
For an entry level security guard who makes ¢182,000 ($318 a month), the raise would boost his salary to ¢190,700 ($332) According to numbers provided by ANDE, security guards are typically granted an annual raise of ¢4,000 ($6.99) per month. (more…)
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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
A 26-year-old man from Ashkelon has been murdered in Jaco, Costa Rica, the Foreign Ministry announced Monday.
According to one report, the man, Itai Shechter Elias, was shot to death after a group of robbers broke into the hotel where he was staying with his brother.
Citing an eyewitness account by the brother, Elias’s family in Ashkelon said that the robbers broke into the hotel, and when Itai asked them to return his passport which they had taken, the bandits shot him in the head and fled the scene.
However, according to another report, Elias was killed in a fight with locals.
The two brothers had been traveling in the Central American country after serving as officers in the IDF.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli Embassy in San Jose was making arrangements to fly Elias’s body back to Israel.
The incident marks the second Israeli murdered in Costa Rica this year.
In February, Israeli businessman Arno (Pfeifer) Zayit, who owned a restaurant in the village of Hermosa on the Pacific coast, was shot to death in an apparent gangland hit.
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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
“Our experience in the country has been positive in the quality of service”
Amazon, a leader in Internet sales, expects to expand its operations to Costa Rica at the end of the year hiring 100 more people for customer service.
Patty Smith, Director of Corporate Communications for the company, confirmed the information from the firm’s headquarters in Washington State, United States.
According to Smith, the reason to expand its operations in Costa Rica is due to the good performance of its first customer center in Latin America, which operates in the free zone UltraLAG in Heredia. (more…)
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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
There are many draws for Costa Rica – the tropical rain forest, volcanoes with bright red lava flowing down their sides, white water rafting through unexplored tropical wilderness, and plenty of sport fishing. But one of the biggest draws is the surfing – some of the best in the world.
Jaco (pronounced Ha KO) – known as the surf capital of Costa Rica – provides world-class wave action year-round. The entire town revolves around the waves, and you’ll find tons of shops ready to rent you a board, sign you up for a lesson (or two!), or sell you all the gear you will need to have fun in the waves.
Jaco offers accommodation in every price range – from low-budget to upscale – and there are plenty of apartments for rent for whatever timeline you might be looking for.
The many surf shops in town have standardized prices, so there is very little difference between them. They all offer surfboard rental for $10/day or a 2-hour lesson for $40/person.
For more information about surfing in Jaco, contact one of the following shops:
Jass Surf Shop: 2643-3850/ jasssurf@racsa.co.cr
Walter’s Surf Shop: 2643-1056
El Pana Surf Shop: 2643-2125
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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
The Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) began a series of inspections Friday afternoon in San José to ensure the safety of the city’s potable water.
Friday’s sweep, the first of many to come, took place Mercado Central, a popular market in downtown San José that sells anything from kitchenware to medicinal plants to hefty portions of freshly cooked rice and beans.
Members of the national water laboratory, AyA and Health Ministry officials examined the water systems of more than 80 merchants in the market.
Officials from the national water laboratory took samples from several businesses in the marketplace, which will be analyzed to determine if the water used by the Mercado Central for drinking, cooking and cleaning is safe.
Officials from AyA also examined damage to the pipe system, where the institute has already noticed several leaks, according to an AyA press release. The institute will provide recommendations for the repair of leaks and the use of hydrometers to detect them, the press release said.
This effort will bring us closer to our clients and because people know the work the institution does, it will help the city achieve quality potable water, said AyA’s executive president, Ricardo Sancho, in a statement.
The institute will continue its sweeps in neighborhoods and other city sites in the upcoming weeks.
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Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Costa Rica is now part of the Mérida Initiative giving the country access to us$4.3 million dollars in anti-drug trafficking funding.
In his last public act as ambassador to Costa Rica, Peter Cianchette, signed the agreement Wednesday at Casa Presidencial, who will be heading home with his family to the US come Monday.
The Mérida Initiative is a security cooperation between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational crime and money laundering. The assistance includes training, equipment and intelligence.
The money is expected to be used to purchase better equipment and the modernization of the Costa Rican coast guard, to fight the war on drugs. The participation in the initiative also allows the exchange of fingerprint information.
Cianchette declined to give an interview on his depature. Appointed in May 2008 by former US president, George W. Bush, Cianchette was instrumental in the implementation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) or Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC), as it is known in Costa Rica, and in providing aid to the recovery effort of the Cinchona earthquake of January 8 this year.
In the coming months, representatives of the US government will meet with Costa Rican officials to review the progress of the project and provide assistance in implementing monitoring of drug traffickers.
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Monday, June 22nd, 2009
The actor quit the reality TV after insects “impregnated” him.
Actor and reality TV star, Stephen Baldwin, quit NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!” because insects reportedly laid their eggs under his skin. The season seemed to be favoring Baldwin and it was even thought he could win the whole thing on the season finale this week, but he left the jungles of Costa Rica unexpectedly, Saturday-with no explanation.
Reports are now indicating that the actor reveals he was bitten over 125 times by “flying critters.” He was told by a doctor that the insects had implanted larvae under his skin.
Baldwin told radio airwaves, “I suffered in the first eight days of production, while in the jungle, over 125 insect bites on my body. . . . I had about thirty on my left leg . . . 20 or 30 on each arm, kind of all over and two of them, much to my surprise became quite lumpy initially.”
Reportedly Baldwin was so fathomed by the process, that he video-recorded the medic team removing the larvae from his skin, which he described as “the creepiest thing that you could think of.”
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Monday, June 22nd, 2009
ALL I CAN SAY IS YOU GOT TO BE JOKING…
The Sala Secunda supreme court for labor cases has found an employer responsible for the wellbeing of a worker up until the individual enters his home.
The case involved a guard at a site in Heredia who left work at midnight and was the victim of a robbery at his very own front door some three hours later. The man suffered a bullet wound to the foot.
The court ordered the employer, Seguridad Elmo S.A., and the Instituto Nacional de Seguros to pay the man 506,587.50 colons for being incapacitated and 89.303 colons for each of five years for a small amount of permanent disability. At the current exchange rate that is about $886 for being incapacitated and about $156 in each of five years.
The man, Victorino Orozco Orozco, suffered the injury Dec. 3, 2001, at his la Carpio home. He had just arrived home in a taxi about 3 a.m., according to court records.
Among other factors, the court magistrates noted the probability of criminal actions in the dark early morning hours.
In making the ruling the magistrates appeared to expand the meaning of two sections of the labor code that protect workers when they are carrying out functions of their jobs.
The magistrates expanded that section to include employees when they are coming from or going to their homes as long as they have not made a deviation for personal purposes. (REMEMBER THIS GUY TOOK 3 HOURS TO GET HOME)
The national insurance company was involved because the security firm carries riesgo de trabajo or workplace insurance
Magistrates were not swayed by the argument by the guard firm’s lawyers that the man took three hours to arrive home. Neither was the court swayed by the allegation that the man took his firearm from his job site without permission and that he has a continuing dispute with a neighbor. (UNBELIEVABLE)
Orozco brought the case to two lower courts without success.
By extension, the Sala Secunda decision covers all employees coming and going to work and makes the employer responsible for their safety and well being. (this should open a can of worms)
ANOTHER GREAT STORY FROM MY GOOD FRIENDS AT AM COSTA RICA
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Friday, June 19th, 2009
Leonardo DiCaprio has set his sights on uncovering the world of illegal online gambling in sunny Costa Rica in his next unnamed Paramount Pictures flick, which is currently stirring up lots of media coverage and questions of “why?”. With screenplay writers Brian Koppelmann and David Levien of Rounders and Oceans Thirteen fame on his team and DiCaprio’s knack at landing blockbuster roles, fans can expect lots of drama and insight into this modern-day multi-billion dollar mafia-style industry.
Already deemed an ‘action-thriller’, it is still not clear what plot line the movie will adopt, but the options within the genre are indeed endless. From online bingo to million dollar bets on the day’s sporting events, money flows like virtual water as gamblers in the states and worldwide are given direct access to a world of addiction, greed, jackpots and crime right from their living rooms.
The U.S. government has been on a crusade in recent years to crack down on the industry that began its offshore shift in the mid 90s to avoid increasing restrictions. Industry pioneers began to set up shop in Costa Rica, favoring limited regulation, modern infrastructure and an educated English-speaking work force. (more…)
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Friday, June 19th, 2009
U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Peter Cianchette and Minister of Public Security Janina del Vecchio signed on June 17, the first letter of agreement between the United States and the Government of Costa Rica implementing the Mérida Initiative, a multi-year regional effort to combat organized crime, gangs, and the trafficking of narcotics and firearms. Also signing for Costa Rica were Foreign Minister Stagno, Justice Minister Martin, and Supreme Court President Mora, with President Arias signing as a “distinguished witness.” The June 17 signing provides an initial $1,142,000 in FY2008 funding for the first year of the Mérida Initiative.
Under this agreement, the Costa Rican Government will participate in the following projects fully funded by the U.S. Government: Central American Fingerprint Exchange, $200,000; improved policing and police equipment, $742,000; and improved prison management, $200,000. The Government of Costa Rica will also be receiving a range of Mérida Initiative assistance in the areas of maritime interdiction support, border assessment assistance and inspection equipment, access to the Mérida Initiative’s Regional Firearms Advisor in San Salvador, and participation in a number of regional professional development and training programs.
Representatives of the Government of the United States and the Government of Costa Rica will meet quarterly to review qualitative and quantitative progress towards achievement of the project goals and objectives. These evaluations are in addition to the ongoing monitoring of the programs and activities conducted by each government.
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Friday, June 19th, 2009
Costa Rican Health Ministry reported on Thursday 28 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza, totaling 177 cases in the country.
The ministry said in a communique that 77 percent of the patients infected with A/H1N1 flu were less than 30 years old.
Five of the seven provinces in the country have reported A/H1N1flu patients, and the provinces of Puntarenas and Limon are the only ones without case.
The ministry said that to the moment 2,493 patients went to hospitals with flu symptoms, but 2,156 were discarded and 157 are pending to be tested.
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Friday, June 19th, 2009
I have been driving for nearly 24 years… I would think I should have noticed the little secret on my dashboard that was staring me in the face the whole time…I didn’t…and I bet you didn’t either…
Have you ever rented or borrowed a car and when arriving at the gas station wondered……mmm, which side is the gas filler cap?
My normal solution was to stick my head out the window, strain my neck and look, try to see in the side mirrors or even get out of the car! Well ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to share with you my little secret so you will no longer look like Ace Ventura on your way to the gas station or put your neck at risk of discomfort or injury.
If you look at your gas gauge, you will see a small icon of a gas pump?
The handle of the gas pump will extend out on either the left or right side of the gas pump?
If your tank is on the left, the handle will be on the left.
If your tank is on the right, the handle will be on the right
(see photo). It is that simple!
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