Archive for March, 2010
Monday, March 29th, 2010
The new Ley de Tránsito has been a hot topic for the past 26 days, as the high fines, new point system and zero tolerance by the Policía de Tránsito has made the headlines and has begun a change in Costa Rica’s social culture.
However, to enterprising Tránsito (traffic) officials decided to take advantage of the new law and accused of trying to fill their pockets with “mordidas” (bribes).
As such, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) responded to charges filed against two Tránsitos who on Thursday were detained in Jacó for allegedly extorting money from a foreigner to avoid a traffic ticket.
The accusation was that the two officials, identified by the last names Jiménez Herrera and Jiménez Chavarría, were “hunting” for “foreigner clients”.
One the them Jiménez Herrera is not stranger to accusations of accepting bribes as he has a history of accusations.
For now the two officials have been suspended from duty for a month waiting a preliminary hearing.
Article 340 of the Código Penal (Penal Code) calls for a prison term of two to eight years for a public official who abuses his or her authority.
The investigation of the two officials had been ongoing for several months, as various drivers had complained of being asked to pay a bribe but never filed an official complaint.
The man who filed the complaint that led to the arrest on Thursday was not identified but said to be a North American who did not want the officials to go without being punished.
The North American filed the complaint Wednesday night, saying that he was intercepted by three traffic officials from Jacó who gave him a breathalyzer test that proved negative.
The tourist, who was travelling with his wife and daughter, said the official demanded us$1.000, the reduced it to $600 when told him he did not have that kind of cash on hand and finally handed over $100 to the official.
The OIJ explained that the man could not say what offence he had committed as he was never told by the officials.
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
Costa Rican police have seized more than a tonne of cocaine transported from Colombia and arrested four Colombians, a Nicaraguan and two Costa Ricans, a minister said.
Two boats laden with 525 kg of cocaine and two vehicles loaded with another 520 kg were seized along with GPS trackers and an AK-47 assault rifle from the men, Security Minister Janina Del Vecchio said Thursday.
Police said the drugs were to be shipped to North America or Europe.
According to official figures, close to eight tonnes of cocaine have been seized in Costa Rica in 2010. Almost 100 tonnes of cocaine and $17.5 million in cash have been confiscated since May 2006.
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
The 257.000 customers who are still connected to the TDMA network will have only a few weeks more of service before the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) permanently discontinues the service.
The state telecom is making an urgent call to all those users to switch over to either the GSM or 3G networks before the TDMA service goes off line.
ICE is expected later today or by the end of the week the exact date when the TDMA service will be over and done with.
Adoldo Arias, director for telephone services at ICE, explained that TDMA customers can move over to the other networks easily and should do so as soon as possible.
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
The Telecom regulator has set a new rate to support the 911 emergency system. Presently the charge is a fixed 79.56 colons per line each month, but will become 1 percent of the total telephone bill.
Presently 79.56 colons is about 4 percent of the fixed-line basic rate of 1,850, and 1.5 percent of the minimum cell phone rate. The rate has been the same since the 911 system became operational in 1996, according to Carolina Mora, communications director for the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones.
The increase is needed to make the 911 system financially self-sustaining, since its budget for 2010 is 5.75 billion colons. At the current rate, the approximately 2.6 million active phone lines produce 2.5 billion colons per year.
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
Costa Rica’s first female President-elect Laura Chinchilla on Thursday announced future ministers for the social sector, completing the 21-member lineup of her cabinet.
According to Chinchilla, this would be the first time in Costa Rica that more than 40 percent of cabinet members are women.
Chinchilla, who will take office on May 8, said that Maria Luisa Avila would retain the post of health minister, while Leonardo Garnier would continue as education minister.
Chinchilla recognized Garnier’s work during the administration of President Oscar Arias, as Garnier reduced the number of student drop-outs.
She appointed Hernando Paris as Justice Minister, Sandra Piszk, who had been Defender of the People, as Labor Minister, and Fernando Marin as Social Welfare Minister.
The Culture Ministry will be headed by Manuel Obregon and the Housing Ministry by Irene Campos.
The Physical Education Ministry, to be created during Chinchilla’s administration, will be under the charge of Guiselle Goyenaga.
The president-elect will also create the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Governments, of which Hojancha Mayor Juan Marin will be in charge.
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
What do you want from your Spring Break? Some of the typical answers from American and Canadian college students include things like:
Sunshine Good nightlife A beach scene A chilled atmosphere Spring Break Parties Inexpensive food and drink Surfing and water sports
For all these and many more, Costa Rica checks all the boxes. It has only very recently become popular as a Spring Break destination, and it offers a slightly different experience than is typically associated with the usual Spring Break zones like Florida and Cancun. Because it’s not first and foremost a Spring Break destination (as is the case with the others), it’s not so densely and highly built up with hotels and resorts. While it can be hard to move at the height of Spring Break in many of the typical resort areas, Costa Rica’s crowd tends to be smaller and less intense.
That’s not to say that there’s no party atmosphere, however! In fact, just the opposite. The less densely-packed beaches and bars provide many more opportunities for meeting and getting to know other groups and new people, and going to a beach bar party in Costa Rica is often likened to going to a house party back home – intimate, fun, and friendly. The same goes for Costa Rica’s nightclubs, live music venues, and smaller reggae clubs, each with their own unique identity, but all with that laid back Costa Rican charm and atmosphere.
Costa Rica’s beaches are world famous, and once you’re there it’s easy to see why. It’s very often described as a tropical paradise, and you’ll understand this description when you’re laying on a sun-drenched beach, iced drink in hand, taking in the fun-filled beach scene around you! There’s always lots going on, from action-packed water sports (including some of the best surfing and kayaking found anywhere!) to wildlife-rich hiking trails and quaint towns to explore. Whether you want a Spring Break spent lazing on the beach, or the opportunity to try out some new activities with new friends, Costa Rica Spring Break will be sure to satisfy your expectations.
Eating out is inexpensive in Costa Rica – another good reason for making it your Spring Break destination of choice rather than the places that have more of a reputation as tourist traps, where you’ll find it much more difficult to enjoy good food on a budget. Restaurants and bars here serve everything from traditional Costa Rican cuisine (rice and beans with chicken, meat or fish), to seafood, to popular North American fare, and whether you’re a meat lover or a vegetarian, you’ll be able to find tasty and filling food without hurting your bank balance.
Accommodation is clean and cheap, and there are a number of excellent party hostels where it’s possible to spend your entire Spring Break without even noticing that you haven’t left the hostel grounds! Check out what this alternative Spring Break destination has to offer, and join those who already know that a spring break vacation in Costa Rica is a fun-filled and unforgettable experience!
Costa Rica is a great option for adventure seekers that want something different for Spring Break. Options include rappelling, horseback riding, zip-lining, and whitewater rafting. Hike to the Arenal Volcano and see the lava flow. You can choose among a variety of extreme spring break adventure activities to fill your days. Why not try surfing or paddle through an estuary tour on a kayak. If you want something a little less strenuous go on a snorkeling adventure to see all that the gorgeous Pacific Ocean has to offer.
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Friday, March 26th, 2010
Some of the most popular beaches in Costa Rica are close to the small yet bustling town of Jaco. Two hours away from San Jose, and easily reached by car or comfortable, cheap, ubiquitous buses, Jaco is located on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast in the northern part of Puntarenas province. This is a party town.
About a two hour drive from San Jose, this bustling town sits on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. For many years, it has been one the most popular beaches in Costa Rica, in large part because of its nightlife. Its reputation as a fantastic “party beach” is now well known.
Over the years, many tourists have made this a favorite location for their visits, citing its casual, relaxed, laid back, friendly, party atmosphere. There are lots of great beaches nearby, some of which are very tranquil, all of which are gorgeous. Jaco has boomed over the last half dozen years or so. Where there was once a quiet little road (except at night) road through town, today there are towering high rises and resorts, and lots and lots of bars, restaurants, and shops.
The costs of vacationing in Jaco match any budget. Today, you’ll find accommodations catering to the most well-heeled all the way down to those economy budgets (think hostels with cold water—but cheap)! And, of course, there is no lack of choice for eating, partying, or sleeping. You’ll also find those ubiquitous tourist traps where you can shop for that special gift for your (jealous) friends and family who couldn’t make the trip.
Jaco Beach sits directly in front of Jaco and is very, very popular but , in my opinion, nearby beaches just a couple of miles or kilometers away, are much better. There are fewer people and the waters are some of the purest on earth. The best beaches are awarded Blue Flag ecological certifications for cleanliness. When you vacation in Jaco, I strongly recommend going to spectacular Hermosa Beach, a couple of miles south of Jaco. Though it is not good for safe swimming due to its currents, it is pristine and pure with some of the best surfing on the planet. How good is the surfing? Think world class. Indeed, this July professional surfers from more than 35 countries are descending upon Hermosa to participate in a week of world surfing championships. Watch them during the days or party with them at night in Jaco.
Costa Rica is one of the smallest countries in the world but it is world-famous for its many places to go and things to do. When you vacation at Jaco, you’ll be close to innumerable activities. Head over to one of the fabulous volcanoes. Go windsurfing at Lake Arenal. Learn to surf. Visit fabulous Corcovado National Park, described by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on earth. Take your life in your hands and bungee jump into a deep gorge just outside Jaco. Zipline through tropical forests, whitewater raft, go sea kayaking. Or just lay back and enjoy the beach and romantic sunsets.
Consider chartering a boat for a trip to Costa Rica’s world-famous fishing grounds. Huge marlin that can swim 70 miles an hour and leap 10 feet from the water await. Sometimes the schools of tuna or sailfish are thick. Whales travel from Antarctica to breed in the warm waters—as do their cousins from the Arctic. Think you came a long way? Imagine swimming thousands of miles!
First discovered by Christopher Columbus, today Costa Rica is discovered anew by folks from every place on the planet. Though it is only the size of West Virginia, one of every five species of plant and animal is found here. Travel Costa Rica when you visit Jaco. Bring a camera and your sense of adventure.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Semana Santa is a special time for many, when families get together to enjoy the season’s special dishes. But, it is also a time for supermarkets to take advantage.
A study by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio (MEIC) reveals that prices on edible products can vary more than 300% for food products special to Semana Santa consumers.
The MEIC reveals that prices of similar products varied 311%, while prices of identical products varied 100%. In some cases, the variance was found between stores of the same chain.
In general the MEIC reports that prices for Semana Santa have been increased an average of 8.67%.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Deforestation slowed in the past decade, in the first sign that global conservation efforts are bearing fruit, but an area the size of Costa Rica is still being destroyed each year, the United Nations said on Thursday. A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found that about 32 million acres of forest a year were converted to other uses or lost through natural causes in the past decade, down from more than 39 million a year in the previous 10 years. The net loss of forest area slowed to about 13 million acres a year from 2000 to 2010, down from more than 20 million a year in the 1990s thanks largely to ambitious tree-planting programs in Asia. Efforts by major offenders like Indonesia and Brazil to reduce deforestation also helped reverse the trend.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
With the health care industry on its toes, many are looking at Costa Rica as a model of perfection. Sure people in the country have to pay for their own health care, but the system may be working much simpler than the US is. After all, Costa Rica may have something to do with the fact that Costa Rica is an excellent place for medical tourism. They offer low-cost medical procedures to foreigners where it costs much less for the foreigner to seek medical treatment there, than pay the hefty fees in their own country. “People travel to Costa Rica (and) receive the same quality of medical services for a fraction of the cost,” said Jorge Cortés, president of the Council for International Promotion of Costa Rica Medicine and medical director of Hospital. Cortés has a point. With a system that works, it’s hard to debate any other problems.
Costa Rica is the country that was brought up by Republican talk show host Rush Limbaugh recently. He is decrying the current US health care initiative saying that if it is passed he will ‘move to Costa Rica’. Interestingly enough the conservative would them be surrounded by many other issues to deal with. Not only is health care vastly different, but so is the casino industry. In fact, in Coast Rica it is a major hot spot for online gambling, and some even consider it to be the online gambling capital of the world. Costa Rica seems like a strange choice for a country that Rush Limbaugh would like to live in. The main reason is that Costa Rica has a government-run health-care system where all residents pay the government for their health-care needs. Costa Rica offers low cost medical procedures and legal online gambling, while the US continues to struggle with health-care and online gambling. Many would argue that the US is still in the middle of its growing pains and that makes it a time for learning and growth but a lot of Americans, Limbaugh included apparently, are growing impatient with progress. They want change sooner than later and are looking at countries like Costa Rica where things seem to be sorted out much better.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
The cost of electricity is going up 10% with the approval of the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) following an increase in rates by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
ICE had requested a 30% increase.
What 10% means to an average family is an increase of ¢1.800 on their monthly bill for an average consumption of 250 KWh.
The state utility said it needed the increase to finance investment, expansion of works that includes construction of hydroelectric plants.
The Aresep did not approve the increase requested by ICE, saying that ICE has sufficient funds to carry out the works.
In addition, ICE claimed costs in repairing the Cariblanco generating plant damaged last year by the Cinchona earthquake. However, the Aresep pointed out that ICE will be receiving ¢10 billion colones from the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) – state insurer – on the insurance policy carried by ICE.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
The exchange rate posted by the Banco Central (Central Bank) this Thursday morning is ¢518.51 colones for each US dollar for the buy and ¢528.78 for the sell, a drop of ¢12.36 and ¢12.52, respectively, from Monday’s opening.
This from a high of ¢585.90 (buy) and ¢595.37 (sell) of September 17, 2009.
According to the experts, the obligation to pay taxes by entrepreneurs floods the local banks with dollars so it gets cheaper.
What this means in real terms is that for those earning in dollars, their purchase power has dropped. Also, savings in dollars have lost their value against the colon.
For many foreigners living off their pension from their home country and paid in dollars, us$1.500 translated into an income of ¢878.000 colones in September, but only ¢777.765 colones today, a difference of ¢100.000 colones, as the income needs to be converted into colones to make purchases of good, rent (unless paid in dollars) and other consumable goods.
Landlords who collect rent in dollars and businesses, like travel and tourism companies, whose main income is in dollars are also affected by the extreme variance in the exchange rate.
A look at the exchange rates posted by the different banks shows Citibank with the lowest buy rate at ¢516 and Banco General with the lowest sell at ¢525. All the other banks are within the range.
At other non-bank financial institutions, like the Casa de Cambio Global Exchange, is buying dollars at ¢462.74 colones.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
The state hospital, the Calderón Guardia, has had to turn away surgeries and interning patients since Monday due to problems in its Emergency services unit, that has been oversaturated with more than double the number of patients as usual.
On Monday the emergency room at the hospital was flooded with at least 150 people, a unit with a capacity of only 70, according to Luis Paulino Hernández, director of the hospital.
The director explained that surgeries for hernias, tonsils and other similar surgeries had to be suspended, though cancer and emergency surgeries took place.
Hernández added that at least 20 people with emergencies had to be sent to the Hospital México
The director assured that the situation at the hospital should be back to normal by today.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Long known as a gorgeous and exciting travel destination, a surprising fact is that Costa Rica plastic surgery, and other medical procedures performed here, are the draw for 14% of all visitors. Over 90% of these visitors are from North America, due to its proximity and the ease of traveling to Costa Rica.
So the obvious question:
Why is Costa Rica plastic surgery is drawing so many people?
The most obvious answer would be cost. Costa Rica plastic surgery costs as much 50-70% less than it would in the United States, Canada, or Western Europe. This is the case because Costa Rica is still a third world country in the sense of per-capita GDP, despite being much more developed than its neighboring countries. What this means is that wages are lower for doctors, nurses, and other health care practitioners, and the cost of living is much lower here. Moreover, government subsidized health-care helps keep the cost of private health-care low.
Perhaps most relevant to Americans is the relative lack of malpractice suits. As a result of being the most litigious country on the planet, health-care costs have skyrocketed in the US to compensate for malpractice insurance. Malpractice suits in Costa Rica are rare, and those that succeed usually just cover medical expenses.
The idea of not having recourse in the event of malpractice is something that scares many people who have thought about having cosmetic surgery in Costa Rice. However, if you are looking at standards of safety in the top ranked private institutions of Costa Rica you would see that their success records are on par with, if not better than, the majority of hospitals in the US.
If quality is your concern, take heart: there are numerous well-qualified and internationally certified surgeons and doctors in the Costa Rica plastic surgery industry. At the best hospitals and clinics you will find many surgeons who have been trained in the US, Canada, and Europe. The top-flight CIMA Hospital is associated with the prestigious Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. The Clinica Biblica hospital is accredited by the JCI, the international branch of the United States’ most highly regarded and stringent health-care accreditation agency. With the quality of health-care here, and the success rate of procedures, your risk is minimal and no greater than in the US, all at a fraction of the price.
What kind of procedures does Costa Rica plastic surgery offer?
Pretty much anything you can get done in the States, you can have done in Costa Rica. Facelifts, eyelid surgery, liposuction, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, tummy tucks, butt implants, and more are all possible. You can even get LAPBAND surgery. As an example of the prices, you can have breast augmentation for around $2,800-3,500. Breast augmentation in the States would cost between $7,000-8,000 on average. The savings really add up if you have multiple procedures, as is common among many patients.
What’s more, there are medical tourism agencies that offer package deals for patients’ procedures with transportation to and from the airport as well as accommodations included. A unique spawn of the Costa Rica cosmetic surgery industry is the Recovery Retreat, a type of luxury accommodation that offers on-site nursing care for those recovering from their procedures.
With airfare between $300-600, Costa Rica plastic surgery is an excellent way to combine a vacation with affordable, high-quality cosmetic surgery. A great idea is to go to Costa Rica for a week of touring and having fun, then having your procedure and spending a week at a private, luxurious recovery resort. If you ever considered plastic surgery, Costa Rica offers an exceptional alternative to having it done in your home country and offers you an opportunity to participate in the growing phenomenon of medical tourism.
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