Archive for October 22nd, 2009
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
The dockworkers strike that began Tuesday in Costa Rica has shut down the port of Limón, preventing cruise ships from visiting the country.
At least one cruiseliner, the Zuiderdam operated by Holland America Line, with 1.900 passengers has been turned away.
More cruisliners will be affected by the strike of the workers of the Junta de Administración Portuaria y
Desarrollo Económica de la Vertiente Atlántica (JAPDEVA) strike for better wages.
According to JAPDEVA’s union, the strike is by a small group of workers and not sanctioned by the union.
This all at a time when the Arias government is trying to attract private investment of us$900 million dollars to modernize the Atlantic port and bring life back to an area that has been abandoned by prior administrations.
The government’s plan is to attract more investment to Limón, making it a major port and a tourist-friendly destination.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
With tears in her eyes on Monday, legislator and vice-president of the Congress, Mauren Ballestero, apologized for her indiscretions in using an airplane of the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública (MSP) for her own personal use the weekend before last to travel from San José to Liberia and back.
However, that was not the first and only time that Ballestero used tax dollars, as MSP records show that she has taken a total of 287 flights, the majority to Liberia, between February 2007 and October 2009.
An investigative team from Telenoticias, local channel 7 news channel, reports that according to information provided by the Departamento de Operaciones de Vigilancia Aérea, the Partido Liberación nacional (PLN) flew at least 28 times on airplanes provided by the MSP, many travelling alone.
Ballestero last week said publicly that she would be asking the Contraloría General de la República for a cost report of her indiscretion on October 11 (see story) so that she could reimburse the government.
However, it has not been confirmed if the legislator has actually asked for the bill.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
The lack of rainfall this rainy season will cost us all as the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) is readying to request an increase in electrical rates as it faces higher expenditures in the generation of electricity to keep the lights on in Costa Rica.
The lack of rainfall in the Central Valley, Pacific and Northern zone also has farmed and ranchers worried, as they are finding it more difficult every day to feed their livestock and sowing their crops.
For ICE, it has had to spend during the last 18 days in excess of ¢3.3 billion colones on fuel purchases used to generate electricity at its thermal plants, while the hydro plants drop in production due to low flow rates and reservoir levels drop to dangerous lows.
Salvador López, del Centro de Control de Energía del ICE assures that there won’t be any blackouts or rationing this year as in 2007, but that will come at high price and as such ICE will soon be asking the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) for an increase to offset the higher costs this year.
The ARESEP is the same regulating body that sanctioned ICE this week ¢1.5 billion colones for overcharging with its 900 telephone service
“There is a serious shortage of rainfall due to El Niño, in fact in the month of October there was a deficit of 12% in the Central Valley,” said meteorologist Max Mena.
The meteriologist added that the effect of El Niño could affect Costa Rica until next March.
Salvador López of ICE said that the state power utility will need greater budgetary requirements and for that it will need to seek a rate increase to offset the increased costs.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Following a drop of almost ¢15 colones in the past week, the dollar gained a few colones yesterday, as the Banco Central de Costa Rica (BCCR) – Central Bank – stopped the decline in the exchange rate.
The buy rate this morning is ¢570.03, up from the low of ¢567.01 on Tuesday, and the sell rate of ¢579.43, up from the low Tuesday of ¢576.74.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Costa Rican authorities say they have granted refugee status to a former Venezuelan state governor who broke with President Hugo Chavez and faces what he describes as politically motivated corruption charges in his home country.
Immigration service spokesman Allen Ulloa says refugee status has been given to Eduardo Manuitt, but he is giving no details because such cases are confidential.
Manuitt is a former ally of Chavez. Several Venezuelan political figures have faced charges after breaking with the leftist leader.
Prosecutors accuse him of pocketing government funds a decade ago during his tenure as governor of central Guarico state.
Ulloa said Wednesday the status had been granted as of Oct. 13.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
An unorganized area of low pressure in the Southwestern Caribbean Sea is producing heavy rains over Costa Rica. According to the National Hurricane Center the chance of this system developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours is less than thirty percent. This is still an area of concern however, because water temperatures are warm in this region and if the disturbance becomes more organized the warm water could serve as fuel for intensification. There are currently no indications of a low level circulation, but if this system does develop it will have a great deal of energy to work with. The CBS4 Storm Team will continue to monitor the disturbance for the next couple of days.
Whether the system develops or not, torrential rains will continue over Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Heavy flooding and mudslides are possible.
The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season which runs through November 30th has been relatively quiet. So far this year we’ve had 8 named storms, two of which developed into hurricanes. This is a far contrast from 2008 when we had 16 named storms which produced 8 hurricanes.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Dr. Orlando Morales is something of a celebrity at Costa Rica’s University of Medical Science, sauntering through the halls in his white lab coat. On a recent walk, students and faculty greeted him with “Feliz cumpleanos, doctor.” He just turned 68.
With the excitement of a young doctor fresh out of medical school, Morales’ eyes light up when he observes the petri dishes that harvest “celulas madre,” or stem cells, from mice.
“It’s practically science fiction,” Morales said of what he considers the medicine’s new miracle worker. Morales is one of the firmest believers around in the power of stem cell treatments.
“After a heart attack, they can begin to make new tissue. In a gland, which for example has to make insulin, the cells begin to create insulin. Nervous tissue, they regenerate it … It’s a panacea,” he said.
An increasing number of foreigners are undergoing stem cell treatment in Costa Rica for ailments from bone fractures to multiple sclerosis. Costa Rican doctors say they are providing these medical tourists with groundbreaking treatments. But stem cell scientists in the U.S. accuse Costa Rica of offering false hope by pushing techniques that have not been scientifically proven. (more…)
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
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