Archive for June, 2009
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Father’s Day is a day honoring fathers, celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 52 of the world’s countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother’s Day, the celebration honoring mothers.
History
Father’s Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother’s Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Father’s Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving, special dinners to fathers, and family-oriented activities. (more…)
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Thursday, June 18th, 2009
The Mexican navy smelled something fishy and their intuition paid off. They found nearly a ton of cocaine hidden inside a shipment of frozen sharks.
Navy inspectors at the southeastern port of Progreso, in Yucatan state, on Tuesday detected an anomaly in two shipping containers during a routine X-ray, according to a navy news release.
The inspectors zeroed in on a shipment of sharks. Upon slitting one of the frozen fish open, they found black bags containing rectangular packets filled with cocaine.
In all, authorities recovered 870 packages of cocaine, weighing 894 kilograms (about 1,967 pounds), the navy reported Wednesday.
In recent years, Mexico and the United States have stepped up drug enforcement efforts, pushing more of the drug trade to sea routes and forcing drug smugglers to find more creative ways to hide their contraband.
The cargo was aboard the freight ship Dover Strait and had been loaded in Costa Rica, the navy said.
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Thursday, June 18th, 2009
The Chinese and Costa Rican commercial delegations said here Wednesday that they were satisfied with the progress made through the third round of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
The negotiations, held in San Jose from June 15 to 17, cleared some issues for the fourth round to be held in Beijing from Sept. 15 to 18.
Chinese chief negotiator Zhu Hong said that “the Costa Rican side has promised us that the offer will be better in the coming round,” Zhu said in a press conference in San Jose.
“We had a good discussion on almost all the issues like services, commercial defense, controversies solutions, commercial values and other issues of cooperation,” Zhu said.
Costa Rican chief negotiator Fernando Ocampo told the press on Wednesday that during the round there was a large range of agreement on issues like the national treatment and sanitary measures.
“So, we can foresee a definite agreement on these issues for the coming round in Beijing,” Ocampo said.
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Thursday, June 18th, 2009
When you are planning your vacation it is good to know a little about the area so you can choose what suits your fancy. The locals refer to themselves as Ticos and they are warm and welcoming wherever you visit in Costa Rica. My friend and I plan to visit all areas of Costa Rica but you may have to consider what to put in your itinerary if you have only 7 days. The following is a list of the various regions and what they might offer in the way of entertainment. Pick and choose whatever combination you like. (more…)
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Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
Peter Cianchette, the US’s top diplomat in Costa Rica, is packing his backs and will heading out in the coming days, as his mission in Costa Rica comes to an end.
Costa Rica’s Foreign minister, Bruno Stagno, yesterday highlighted the diplomatic work carried out Cianchette during a ceremony held in the Salón Dorado of the Cancillería (Foreign ministry offices), where diplomats from different embassies and missions took part.
Stagno highlighted the commitment of amabassador Cianchette to bring the two countries and strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation.
The Foreign minister also showed appreciation for the solidarity and dedication demonstrated by US ambassador and embassy staff in the emergency of the Cinchona earthquake and the committment of human personnel, material and financial resources.
Peter Cianchette is the 56th United States Ambassador to Costa Rica. He was sworn in on May 8, 2008, after being confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on April 29, 2008.
US president Barack Obama has yet to announce a replacement for Cianchette.
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Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
This week has been a traffic nightmare throughout the Costa Rican capital city of San Jose after the Ministry of Transportation (MOPT) was forced to cut their vehicle restriction initiative that limited the transit of certain cars according to their license plate number during rush hour traffic. The restriction was put into affect at the end of 2008 along with the Costa Rican government’s latest set of traffic laws, which have been under public scrutiny ever since.
Without the restriction on cars, which affected all drivers wishing to enter the metropolitan area one day each week, this week’s traffic has increased an estimated 20 to 30 percent, or around 40,000 extra vehicles each day. This caused congestion and traffic delays, and affected travel times proportionally.
The decision was made due to a Supreme Court ruling that declared the vehicle restriction unconstitutional and a violation of freedom of transit rights. Many people argued that the public bus system was not a safe alternative means of transportation, while many drivers live miles from the nearest bus stop, further complicating their travels. (more…)
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Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
Paramount Pictures has bought a yet-to-be titled pitch from Rounders screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Leonardo DiCaprio is attached to star, and produce with Appian Way. So what is the project about? We don’t know much other than that it takes place in the world of Costa Rica-based online casinos.
Usually I don’t write news stories about developing projects with little to no information. But I loved, Loved, LOVED Rounders and I’m very interested to see what Koppelman and Levien will be able to do in the world of online casinos. Koppelman and Levien were ahead of the curve on the whole poker craze, and are well versing in the world of card sharks and casinos, but I’m curious to see their angle on the world of online casinos.
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Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Eight people, among them three policemen, have been arrested for allegedly belonging to a gang that in March stole 320 kilograms of cocaine from the warehouse belonging to the prosecutor’s office in Golfito, in southern Costa Rica, the press reported Sunday.
The suspects, all of whom are Costa Rican, were arrested, and police seized $306,000 in cash, 18,500 euros and 2.6 million colones (about $4,500), OIJ investigations agency director Jorge Rojas said.
The arrests were made on Saturday in Ciudad Neily, a city in the southern province of Puntarenas, near the border with Panama, and in the town of Golfito, where the drug shipment was stolen during the early morning hours of March 26. (more…)
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Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Most people would be hard put to find Costa Rica on the map. Football fans know that it is a country which challenges for one of the places accorded Central America and the Caribbean for the Word Cup. Costa Rica extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Caribbean in the east. Its population of 4.5 million are overwhelmingly of European descent. It has the distinction of being the first state in modern times to abolish officially its military.Why is the country suddenly important? It has decided to abandon its recognition of Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. Its place has been taken by the People’s Republic. Why should a democratic government which has been critical of communism and especially Cuba in the past suddenly change course? Only the naive would be surprised to hear that money was the key factor. Beijing is to buy $300 million of Costa Rican bonds and extend a loan of $130 million. Scholarships will be provided for students to study in China. An oil refinery is planned to give the country more energy independence.
China has made clear to all countries that diplomatic recognition depends on accepting its ‘One China’ policy. This means breaking with Taiwan. (more…)
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Monday, June 15th, 2009
Association ANAI is a small non-profit organisation that was formed in 1978 to pursue what has since become known as sustainable development in Costa Rica’s Talamanca region. The staff include agronomists, foresters, biologists, economists and educators. With the exception of the three founders, the staff and the Board of Directors are all Costa Ricans. Before the phrase “sustainable development” came into fashion, ANAI was successfully pioneering strategies to help the people in Talamanca become more economically self-reliant, while preserving the area’s extraordinary rain forests and other natural wonders. ANAI and the Talamanca Initiative have been proud recipients of the United Nations Equator Prize which recognizes “extraordinary accomplishments in reducing poverty in the tropics through conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity”. Volunteers must be of age 18 or above with minimum education of high school. This placement does not need any volunteers in the month of jan,sep,oct,nov and dec. (more…)
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Monday, June 15th, 2009
Costa Rican Health Ministry reported on Friday six new cases of influenza A/H1N1, raising the infection toll in the country to 118.
The authorities have registered 2,197 suspected cases, out of which 1,937 were discarded and 129 were waiting to be analyzed, Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila said.
There were 13 cases were considered as “highly possible,” the minister said.
All the patients were from the central part of the country and Guanacaste province, while Puntarenas and Limon have not registered any case.
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Friday, June 12th, 2009
Earlier this week Apple introduced the new iPhone 3G S, some calling it the mother of all phones, but it won’t be in Costa Rica any time soon. At least not until competition in telecommunications comes to Costa Rica.
This week the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) – the state telecom – assured it is still in talks with Apple to distribute the iPhone in Costa Rica, something that Apple has been able to negotiate with most other operators.
ICE officials say that a “positive” response is expected in the coming months, following a year of negotiations with Apple.
Costa Rica is the only country in Central America and one of the few in Latin America where the iPhone is not sold officially.
All iPhones in the country have been purchased outside of Costa Rica and have been “unlocked” to work in Costa Rica. Even the authorized Apple store is not authorized to sell the iPhone, although several retailers offer it for sale at about twice or more the price in the US and for $100 will unlock any iPhone.
ICE recently began offering to business customers the Blackberry line of telephones are negotiating a deal with Canada’s RIM Technologies.
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Friday, June 12th, 2009
As the number of Influenza A(H1N1) flu cases crept past 100 in Costa Rica, the World Health Organization declared the worldwide situation a pandemic.
Based on the virus’ international reach, the ease of spread and the inability to predict its path, the organization raised its health alert to a Level 6 on Thursday.
The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another, said Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countriesOn the basis of available evidencethe scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met.
Since it was first detected in the neighbourhoods of Mexico City in mid-March, the virus has made its way to nearly every continent and caused 144 deaths.
In Costa Rica, of the more than 2,000 people examined, there are currently 104 confirmed cases, one death, and 10 likely cases awaiting testing.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Health officials recommend contacting medical personal if you are experiencing symptoms and/or have been in contact with known cases.
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Thursday, June 11th, 2009
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Thursday, June 11th, 2009
A group of environmentalists and concerned citizens gathered in front of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) in San José Wednesday to protest the Crucitas open pit gold mine near the Nicaraguan border.
Armed with a petition to stop the project and a green macaw-costumed mascot, the group cited environmental and social concerns as reasons not to continue the project.
The green macaw is a symbol of conservation for this country, and if the Sala IV wants to keep that image they shouldn’t approve this mine, said Luis Diego Marín, coordinator for Preserve Planet and of the protest.
Construction of the mine involves clearing forests in northern Costa Rica. Marín said most of the trees that must be cut for the project are government-protected almond trees, a species on which the endangered green macaws depend on heavily for food. (more…)
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