Archive for February 17th, 2010
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Over 60 years ago, Costa Rican educator, poet and leader, Roberto Brenes Mesén, wrote an epic poem called Rasur. In this poem, a master teacher, Rasur, comes to Costa Rica and silently calls the children from the village of Quizur into a mountain. There he teaches them about the great power that is hidden in the heart of every human being. When the children return to their parents, they have become peacemakers. As a result, the parents also become inspired and realize that “before directing the lightning in the sky, we must first harness the storm in our own hearts.” Their village becomes a culture of peace, thriving with creativity and harmony.
The poem Rasur predicted the destiny of Costa Rica as a model for peace. This prophetic poem was written in 1946, two years before Costa Rica abolished its army on December 1, 1948. The prophecy continues to unfold and serves as an inspiration for the Rasur Foundation to help fulfill this vision. Although Costa Rica is a small, developing country, it has become a significant power for peace in the world.
(more…)
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
While still awaiting a Costa Rica court decision on its mine plans near the northern border, the Canadian company Infinito Gold Ltd. is making strides on another gold concession in Nicaragua.
Infinito Gold has signed an agreement with a private individual for further exploration of the Zungano concession near Nicaragua’s Chachagua River in Nueva Segovia, about 25 kilometers northeast of the town of Quilalí, the company said in a recent news release. Part of the 25,000-hectare property lies 10 km from the historic San Albino gold mine.
In a $4.92 million deal, the concession will pass entirely over to Infinito Gold, although the current concession holder will retain a residual royalty of 1.5 percent on gold sales to a maximum of $10 million.
The current land use in the area includes farming on the steep slopes of hills, which are cut by local drainages including the Chachagua River, according to the news release.
Infinito Gold’s mine in northern Costa Rica, in the town of Crucitas, remains a point of contention among environmental groups here and continues to cause tension with neighboring Nicaragua, particularly for fears of contamination to its San Juan River and nearby towns.
In 2005, Costa Rica’s National Technical Secretariat of the Environment Ministry (SETENA) issued an environmental viability permit allowing the company to clear 126 hectares of trees in order to build the Crucitas mine and accompanying facilities. That area was reduced to 50 hectares in February 2008.
Opposing parties argued whether cutting down the trees violated article 50 of the Costa Rican constitution, which ensures a “healthy and ecologically balanced environment” for the nation’s citizens. The Supreme Court halted all activity at the mine in Las Crucitas on Oct. 20, 2008. The high court has still not announced a verdict on whether the mine can start up again.
Story by Tico Times.
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Eco travel is not just about enjoying yourself and thinking only of yourself in the process, it is about advocating eco friendly places that respect their plants, animal and cultural life at the same time supporting the well-being of the locals.
These concepts are primary elements of eco tourism and any traveler can travel with care while enjoying themselves at the same time. Costa Rica and Nicaragua are two of the best countries in Central America for eco tourism and any biology or botany lover will feel right at home there.
No place is better suited for eco friendly tourism than Costa Rica, which ranks number one in the Happy Planet Index as the “greenest” place in the world, while the Environmental Performance Index in 2008 ranked it number five. Its biodiversity is plentiful and all types of forests can be found – rain, dry, cloud and oak forests. The same goes for aquatic habitats which is even professed in the country’s name; Costa Rica is Spanish for “rich coast”.
There are some 13,000 species of plants, 850 species of birds and let’s not even get into the 365,000 insects. Here are some eco friendly parks that are worth a visit in Costa Rica:
1. Corcovado National Park is recognized internationally by ecologists for its amazing biodiversity but what really is of interest here are the big cats like the jaguar and puma. There is also the endangered tapir, and four monkey species including the endangered Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey and the Central American Squirrel Monkey which is only found in Costa Rica and Panama.
2. Tortuguero National Park in English means “full of turtles” and this park is known for the yearly nesting of the endangered green turtle. But other turtles nest here too such as the massive leatherback, hawksbill and loggerheads. Other animals are three species of monkeys, sloths, 320 species of birds and various reptiles.
3. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is excellent for plant lovers as there are 2,000 plant species and hundreds of species of orchids. There are also more than 400 types of birds.
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Telecom operators eyeing Costa Rica for new market possibilities can offer potential customers great deals to attract business, but will have to a abide to a maximum price level for the different services.
The Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) – the telecom regulator – announced on Monday that the current rates by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) will be the maximum rates that can be charged.
Currently ICE provides ADSL internet services for us$19 per month for the basic connection in residential homes to us$206.67 for business customers.
The rate for residential telephone service is ¢4.10 colones a minute during peak hours and ¢2 colones during evenings and weekends, in addition to the ¢1.900 colones base rate.
Meanwhile cellular customers pay ¢30 colones per minute during peak hours and ¢23 during evening and weekends, in addition to the ¢3.500 colones base rate that includes 60 minutes of call time. Text messages are ¢1.5 colones per message.
The Sutel said that those rates are the maximum that can be charged by ICE and competitors when they begin operating in the market, possibly by 2011.
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
The Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos reports a surge in construction in the first month of the year. The Colegio said that the in January 2010 some 631.000 square metres of construction was approved, 220.000 more than in January 2009.
The majority of the construction is for commercial and residential projects.
Olman Vargas sais that his is the third consecutive month of increases in terms of square metres. In 2009, the construction industry decreased by 40%.
The Colegio indicates that Puntarenas is the province with the single largest increase in the first month of this year.
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