Archive for July 23rd, 2009
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
More than 80 exhibitors in Web design, graphic arts, industrial products and use of space will be showing their skills at the Hotel Real Intercontinental in Escazú starting today at 10 a.m. The event runs through Saturday.
The exposition is jointly sponsored by the Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud and the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio. The displays will be accompanied by various seminars.
The exposition is an initiative of the culture ministry’s Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo.
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Extension Of School Vacation May Be Announced Today
The latest victim of the AH1N1 in Costa Rica is a 42 yearl old woman, who suffered from asthma, diabetes and obesity. The ministra de Salud, María Luisa Ávila, confirmed the death of the woman is the 13th person to die from infection of the virus.
The death is the first outside the Central Valley.
The woman, according to Ávila, was admitted to the Tony Facio hospital in Limon last Thursday and on Friday was given treatment for the infection, although she was not confirmed of being infected, due to being in the high risk group
Ávila explained that on Wednesday the laboratory tests revealed that the woman was in fact infected.
The ministra de Salud added that two deaths are still under investigation, one with suspicion of having been infected and the other a probable, which could increase the number of deaths to 15. The ministra explained that one of the two women was 63 years of age, while the other 47.
On the subject of preventing infection, ministra Ávila said that the decision to continue the mid year school vacation for yet another week would be made today, Thursday.
Public school children and teachers were to have returned to classes on July 20, ending the two week mid-year vacations.
However, due to the AH1N1 crisis, the vacation was extended to July 27 and now could be for one week more.
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Like a corner animal, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), is pulling out its claws against a possible reduction in electrical rates that is currently under discussion by the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Publicos (Aresep).
The president of ICE, Pablo Quirós, assures that a rate reduction will cause problems with electrical service and could mean a return of blackouts, as the institution will not have the financial resources to maintain operational levels.
The Cámara de Industrias says that ICE will be spending some ¢56 billion colones less this year to produce electrical energy and that the consumer should be compensated.
The state utility had said that for 2009 it would be spending ¢98 billion colones to produce electrical energy, while the Cámara puts the estimate at only ¢42 billion.
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
The Comisión Plena Primera del Congreso (Congressional Committee) last night approved the proposal to impose a heavy fine for making false 911 calls. Under the proprosal, a false call can cost the owner of the telephone line the equivalent of 65% of the base salary of a clerk (oficinista 1).
The high fine was suggested by the proposal of the initiative, Fernando Sánchez, of the Partido Liberacion Nacional (PLN).
Sánchez added that each subsequent false call should cost the caller or owner of the phone line, if different, an additional 5% of each false call.
Currenlty, the fine is ¢65.000 colones and is applied after 10 false calls are received from the same phone line.
The proposal is to eliminate the large number of 911 calls that are not an emergency and tie up resources. The fines, according to Sánchez would go towards improving the emergency service.
The change in the legislation also allows the emergency service to use the revenue from the fines to improve services. Currently, monies collected from fines can only be applied to media educational campaigns or subsidize the cost of units responding to false calls.
The legislator explained that if his proposal becomes law it would financially help out the Cuerpo de Bomberos (firefigthers), the Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (national emergency commission) and the Cruz Roja (Red Cross).
According to figures released by Fernando Sánchez, in the last three months of this year, the 911 emergency service received 10.866 false calls or 90% of all calls received by the system.
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Since December 2007, Costa Rica’s Isla de Coco has been in the running to become one of the new seven wonders of nature that are scheduled to be announced in 2011 by the New7Wonders foundation.
The island made the list of 77 finalists, after over 440 locations around the world were originally nominated and voted upon online. After it became one of the final 77, a “panel of experts,” according to the New7Wonders Web site, narrowed the list down to 28 finalists on Tuesday.
The Isla de Coco did not make the final 28. (more…)
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
·Representatives of Zelaya and de facto government met for a third round of talk.
·A “Declaration of San Jose” was announced by Arias as a solution to on-going crisis.
·The declaration demands Zelaya’s return to Honduras within 24 hours.
Representatives of deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government met again on Wednesday with chief mediator Costa Rican President Oscar Arias for a third round of talk.
A “Declaration of San Jose” was announced by Arias on Wednesday as a solution to Honduras’ on-going crisis.
Costa Rican presidency confirmed to Xinhua that the declaration to be signed by the parties in conflict demands Zelaya’s return to Honduras within 24 hours. (more…)
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