Archive for July 13th, 2010
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
The mid-year school break is a welcome vacation for some 1 million students, but a costly one for some 600 drivers who were fined for various traffic violations during the first week of vacation.
César Quirós, director de Tránsito, explained that between Friday and Saturday the week earlier, eight drivers were found to be drunk behind the wheel of their vehicle – a direct pass to the local jail cell – while another seven were nabbed during the week, for a total of 15 drunk drivers.
Other violations included speeding and driving without a license or vehicle registration, all infractions with fines of up to ¢380.000 colones.
In addition, Tránsito officials have had their eyes on vehicles with children and no restraints (child seats and/or boosters) and the use of seatbelts. Of course talking on a cell phone while driving is always a no-no.
Quirós reported that at least five deaths from traffic accidents were recorded during the first of week of the vacation period.
The Tránsito director said that his officials will be on full alert during this coming week, especially the weekend with the return home from beaches and resorts and that permanent check points will be maintained all week at intersections like Manolos, the Interamericana Sur and Norte, the Zurquí and Orotina, to name a few.
Quirós recommends not to drink and drive, use the seat-belt, obey the posted speed limits and drive defensively.
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Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Police on Friday thwarted another major player in the illegal drug trafficking network, when they seized almost 1,000 pounds of marijuana at Port Bustamante in Kingston.
The drug was found in a container at the port by detectives from the Trans-National Crime and Narcotics Division (TCND).
According to the police, the shipment was en route from Spain to Costa Rica, when the TCND detectives became suspicious after the storage protocol was breached. The shipment was inspected and 36 bales of the narcotics, which weighed 978 pounds, were found.
The detectives, who are continuing their investigations, have theorized that the contraband was placed in the container after it arrived in Jamaica.
Last month, in another major drug bust, the police seized 11,592 pounds of compressed ganja at a factory at 2B Ken Hill Drive, Pembroke Hall, Kingston 20.
The drug was found in a storeroom by TCND detectives during a police operation on June 24, between 9:00 pm and 12:00 am. The police said that the drug was being prepared for export.
Seven males were arrested in connection with the seizure and were last week taken before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court. Five of them were offered bail in the sum of $500,000 each, while the other two were denied bail.
Those offered bail were Oneil Seabourne, Nigel Seabourne, Mark Dobney, Michael Rodney and Errol Tyrell, all of Red Hills addresses in St Andrew.
They are charged for possession of, dealing in, taking steps to export ganja and conspiracy to export ganja.
Leopold Bromley, owner of the premises and Donald Davis were both denied bail. They are facing similar charges in addition to a charge for using the premises for storage of ganja.
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Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
There are water views and then there are water views. But there is nothing else quite like the visions of surf and sand that await guests of Casa Del Mar, the new and expansive residence estate at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo.
A Pacific Coast paradise flowing indoors to out, the “House of the Sea” looks out from a hilltop onto rolling coastal waters through floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors. Whatever the weather or hour of day, views of the Bahia Culebra and Playa Blanca, the Pacific Ocean and Playa Virador, and the Resort itself are stunning in every sense of the word.
Like Casa De La Luna, the Resort’s other estate residence, Casa Del Mar is inspired by the lush coastal province of Guanacaste around it. Interiors bathed in natural light are watched over by artful animal carvings – one species per room – created by local wood craftsman Renan Calvo.
Linger over sea views from the entry foyer before stepping into the Great Room, where Calvo’s monkeys cling to a stone wall. Here the living room, dining room and kitchen conjoin before sliding glass doors, creating a smooth flow from interiors decked out in natural woods, limestone tiles and green accents to exterior living space. Guests will want to leave the doors open throughout their stay.
Exquisite furnishings and features abound in Casa Del Mar. In the dining room, a table of precious Cenizaro wood seats eight for food well-prepared and wine well-chilled with Viking kitchen appliances. Two entertainment centers offer endless possibilities with Bose Home Theater surround systems, 42-inch plasma TVs, and even queen-sized sleeper sofas for anyone whose eyes droop before a movie’s end.
Four bedrooms are designed for contented living and solid sleep. Custom headboards and handcrafted furniture have been created from exotic woods; full marble baths with deep soaking tubs and indoor and outdoor showers rinse off the day’s pursuits; in-room technologies include i-Home systems; and private gardens and balconies are sanctuaries. The master bedroom is watched over by a carved Great Egret. A second bedroom is home to turtle carvings. And the third and fourth bedrooms, reached through a breezeway, spread out before river alligators and armadillo, respectively.
It’s lavish living, all right – and just as impressive outside. Casa Del Mar lays out 4,000 square feet of exterior living space, with seating on designer Gloster furniture for up to 34 friends and well-wishers and a 2,500 square-foot deck set next to a covered Jacuzzi spa and lap-size infinity pool. Swing languidly in a locally made cage hammock. Fire up the Viking barbecue grill. Or spend time admiring the residence’s beautiful landscaped gardens, with more than 7,000 plants across the grounds.
Though ensconced on a private hillside with views of the north and south peninsulas, Casa Del Mar is nothing if not part of the resort. Estate guests enjoy the many pleasures of Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, with minutes-away convenience to pools, beaches, tennis, restaurants and more.
With space for ten adults and four children as well as a nanny or one staff, Casa Del Mar is a superb setting for family reunions and gatherings of friends. Special kid-sized amenities and the Resort’s exciting Kids For All Seasons adventure program assure every generation will be enraptured by the remarkable beauty and possibility of Costa Rica.
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Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Although little attention has now been given to the deadly virus, the World Health Organization confirms that AIDS still remains the worst epidemic ever having claimed the lives of no less than 27 million people already to date.
While news of swine or bird flu or AH1N1 has attracted the headlines of television and news channels in the recent years, a silent killer remains on the loose with no enough importance being given by the media and governments. Since first discovered in 1982 the world has not yet overcome the threat of HIV AIDS even after an anti-retroviral drug to treat the virus has come out on 1996. On 1996, an estimated 3.5 million people have been diagnosed to have been infected with the virus and two years ago, the figures have plunged down to 2.7 million. Several fort-world countries like Australia have already contained the spread of the virus to a manageable level. But the world’s biggest economy, the superpower United States lags behind its neighbors in the fight against HIV. As a matter of fact, it has the same level of virus prevalence with Somalia and Costa Rica.
Many have thought that AIDS is no longer a threat and that government institutions no longer need to consider the deadly virus a priority issue to address in their respective domestic health concerns. Reality wise, the number of people getting infected and dying of the virus ins precisely dwindling down on the global scale. Yet in some countries, AIDS prevalence in still on the rise and in a number of them HIV AIDS is already reaching explosive levels.
In Southeast Asia, particularly China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, AIDS is infesting an increasing number of individuals. Even in the far-eastern part of the Pacific, the Papua New Guinea, the virus is relatively spreading fast.
In Pakistan as revealed by UN-AIDS, 28 percent of sex workers have no idea about HIV or AIDS and more than 60 percent are not aware of the preventive capacity of condoms. In brief, in so many countries, governments have been too complacent in preventing the surge of AIDS infections and deaths. And this complacency hat put their respective countries under threat not only of AIDS deaths but also of diseases carried by the virus like Tuberculosis. One should remember that TB is as deadly and prevalent than AIDS in so many parts of the world.
With the discovery and development of the anti-retroviral drug which prevents the further spread of the virus in an infected person’s body, more and more people caught with AIDS are living with the virus. As nations panic to prevent AIDS –related deaths, the funds and technical needs to carry out anti-AIDS programs are getting higher. But current AIDS awareness campaigns have but two major source of funds- the Global Fund against AIDS funded by first world countries and huge private donors such as the Gates Foundation. Since 2002, the amount of funds poured into the campaign has already reached 12 billion dollars , quite short still of what is need to carry-out a massive global campaign.
But with the current financial crisis affecting the world richest nations, funds needed for the AIDS campaign is becoming scarcer to find. As governments and non-profit sectors struggle to keep the campaign against AIDS alive, China and Australia are being summoned to take the lead role in the campaign. The World Health Organization hopes that the two countries can provide the necessary diplomatic powers to influence other countries in responding to the worldwide AIDS problem.
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