Archive for December 21st, 2009
Monday, December 21st, 2009
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) had announced that it would start selling its data-cards and net-books beginning today, Monday, December 21, that takes advantage of the wide band internet capabilities of the 3G cellular network. However, don’t be disappointed if that does not happen.
ICE officials said over the weekend that there may be a delay in marketing the technology, a first in Costa Rica.
Jaime Palermo, the director of the División de Clientes, said that all ICE agencies have already been getting the equipment, but there is the slight problem of certification, which could delay the program.
The service will allow users to connect to the internet with the portable computers or net-books purchased from ICE, over the 3G cellular network, with speeds from 512Kb to 1.5Mb.
For a perspective, a typical dial up connection over a fixed line is 56Kb at best, and over the GSM network at 128Kb, down to 64Kb is the phone is being used simultaneously in a call.
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Monday, December 21st, 2009
In an effort to keep the bloodshed on the nation’s highways and bi-ways to a minimum, the Policía de Tránsito (Traffic Police) will be out in full force and with a zero tolerance policy during the holidays.
Germán Marín, director of the police force, assured that the entire police force is on full operation, 24 hours a day, since Friday night when the holiday vacation period began. The intensive police operation will continue until January 4.
This year, at least 800 Tráficos will be working the streets on three shifts around the clock, now that the police force has grown with the addition of 400 new police officers.
Marín said the focus will be on drinking and driving, the major cause of most of the fatal traffic accidents.
Different this year, said Marín, is the daytime spot checks.
Costa Ricans are accustomed to not seeing a police presence, other than regular patrols, along the country’s highways during the day and certainly not a spot check.
Some of the hot spots that Tráficos will be keeping a vigil eye are especially the General Cañas, the major route to Guanacaste and the Pacific beaches and resorts.
Areas like the Cambronero, San Ramón, the area surrounding the international airport will be of importance, said Marín.
In addition to the patrol cars and motorcycles, the Policía de Tránsito, will have its tow trucks on hand to two vehicles of drunk drivers and be assisted by the Fuerza Pública (police) to haul away the drivers to jail.
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Monday, December 21st, 2009
In an unprecedented action, police were called in to the Mélico Salazar theatre in San José to ask the musicians of the Orquesta Filarmónica (Philharmonic Orchestra) to hand over their instruments for an inspection.
The Orquesta Filarmónica is a private group and the Ministerio de Cultura suspects that the musicians were using instruments belonging to the state, which is a crime.
A ministerio official was on hand at the end of the performance Friday night and in the company of six officials of the Fuerza Pública (police) asked each and every musician to hand over their instruments for an inspection. The official said the action was to discard that the group was using state owned instruments.
The egg on the face, however, was that of the Cultura minister when no state instruments were found in the possession of the musicians, nor in the theatre.
The official, identified only by his last name, Goñi, refused to answer questions of the press that had been called by the Orquesta Filarmónica to witness the uncalled for public display.
Marvin Araya, director of the Orquesta Filarmónica and his musicians vowed to take the case to the end.
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Monday, December 21st, 2009
With a choice like that it is not too hard for the traveler who has not been to either country to make. Panama is usually second choice for travelers to Central America in the first place because of the years of eco-marketing Costa Rica is famous for. From my experience in hospitality, most people traveling to Panama on vacation have already experienced Costa Rica.
I just returned from a two day trip to Costa Rica and had the experience of traveling through their international airport on my way home. It was clean, tidy and efficient and looked very tourist friendly with photos of nature all around. There was an abundance of gift shops, coffee shops and restaurants and even free internet. What I found unattractive was the line to get the dreaded exit stamp which required a payment of $26. A big sign was on the back wall showing a breakdown of the various institutes getting their share of the income. I listened as a number of people grumbled about this fee to leave the county. It really felt like a stick up!
Of course on top of that fee you have the various airlines fees such as fuel surcharges, baggage fees, airport taxes and other sundry fees. When you add it all up it amounts to a great deal above the cost of your actual ticket. I have posted recently about Panama eliminating the $5 tourist card and upping their fees of departure to $40 a person. If Costa Rica charges only $26 to get out of the country how can Panama compete charging $40 especially when adding it to the price of the airfare before the tourist arrives? This will make traveling to Panama much more expensive than it already is. For a family traveling on holiday this adds significantly to the cost of a vacation. I know many will say, what’s the big deal, but for most traveling in these more difficult economic times the decision on where to go on holiday will come to “chump change” like this. At least Costa Rica is smart enough to hit you up on the way out where you have no choice and have not experienced the sticker shock of high airfare. And by the way, Costa Rica is really feeling the ravages of this recession. I saw first hand how the tourism industry is way down from previous years. (more…)
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Monday, December 21st, 2009
The Costa Rican Health Ministry announced here on Friday that A/H1N1 flu death toll in the country had reached 47, while the number of the flu infected patients rose to about 1,500.
Costa Rican Health Minister Luisa Avila, in an interview with Xinhua, also said that the Costa Rican government has established a special commission to review the records of the dead who had the symptoms of the disease.
Avila said 69 death cases have been analyzed, nine deaths were ruled out by lab tests, 13 were associated with other conditions, while 47 were confirmed positive for A/H1N1 flu, six more than the last report.
The minister also said as no more cases pending for review, the death toll of A/H1N1 flu will stand at 47 by the end of 2009.
He said the health authorities expect the second wave of the pandemic will hit the country between next January and February, but with weakened impact compared with the first one.
Costa Rica has requested for a total of 1.8 million vaccines, 200,000 of which will arrive during the first week of January and 400,000 in the following week.
Avila said pregnant women and people with diabetes, hypertension and asthma will be given priority in vaccination, adding that the vaccines will be available only at the public health centers.
Costa Rica is capable of tackling the A/H1N1 flu like a developed country. “We have good hospitals, specialists and our citizens are educated,” he said.
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