Archive for September 1st, 2010
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Without fanfare the Alajuelita overpass opened Monday morning, eliminating the rotonda for east/west traffic through the rotonda rancho Guanacaste, with the objective of reducing traffic congestion through the Hatillos.
However, in typical Costa Rican style, traffic congestion was worse than ever in the first hours of the morning and continued throughout the day.
César Quirós, director of the Policía de Tránsito, explained that the reason for the congestion was the curiosity of many drivers to see the new structure.
To ease congestion Quirós sent a group of his officers to direct traffic through the intersections west/north of the bridge in the Hatillos 4 and 6.
However, the reverse occurred in the afternoon, when traffic congestion became a nightmare for drivers east of the bridge at the Paso Ancho rotonda.
The director said that some 30 officers will be on duty the coming days to regulate traffic movement through the area.
And in typical Costa Rican fashion, though the bridge is opened, a lot of work on the intersection is still not completed, primarily on the rotonda below the bridge.
Still to complete are barriers, systems to channel water during rain and work on the on and off ramps to the bridge.
Work on the reconstruction of the rotonda began in July 2009 with a cost of ¢5.6 billion colones.
The Circunvalación – the ring road on the south side of San José that runs from La Uruca to San Pedro – is used by an average of 65.000 vehicles daily.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Costa Rica finally on Tuesday announced the terms of a tender that will open the last frontier of the free market in cellular service in Latin America.
The tender will invite bids for three bandwidths to compete with the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, which currently controls the state monopoly on mobile phones.
The likely competitors already include leaders in markets in the region: Mexico’s América Móvil, controlled by Carlos Slim; Spain’s Telefónica; Luxembourg-based Millicom; Britain’s Cable & Wireless; and the Irish reggae boyz from Digicel, based in Jamaica but controlled by Dennis O’Brien.
Costa Rica was obliged to abolish state monopolies in cellphone service and insurance as a condition of joining Cafta, the free trade accord between the United States and Central America.
Cafta was approved by Costa Ricans in a referendum by only a very narrow margin some three years ago. Since then, however, foot-dragging bureaucrats and legal wrangling by one’s learned friends have delayed the opening of the mobile market.
Now the potential contenders are being given six weeks to place their bids.
With a stable – if in some cases rather stuck- economy, Costa Rica has a relatively wealthy population in regional terms, yet mobile penetration is scarcely over 50 per cent. Panama, which has similar levels of prosperity, has more cellphone lines than people.
That leaves the potential bidders for the Costa Rican concessions to do the math.
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Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
North American Breweries Creates App That Locates Imperial® Cerveza Across The Country
A new iPhone application helps fans of Imperial® Cerveza locate their favorite beer in their town and around the country. The application, called “Pura Vida,” is available free at the iTunes on-line store. Click here to download: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pura-vida/id386959721?mt=8.
Once the application is downloaded, iPhone users can search the map for places to purchase Imperial® including grocery and convenience stores, bars and restaurants, gas stations, bowling alleys and more. The name, address and phone number are provided, along with a list of other North American Breweries products available in that location. Additional products in the NAB portfolio include Labatt, Honey Brown, Genesee, Dundee, and Seagram’s Escapes. The search feature also allows users to explore other cities for their favorite brews – a great tool when planning vacations. Click here to view a demo: http://tinyurl.com/PuraVida-App-Preview.
“Imperial® is the first beer brand in the U.S. to have this sort of application,” said James Pendegraft, vice president of sales for North American Breweries. “Now people can download the free app and find our products in stores, bars and restaurants around the country. Our hope is that it will drive consumers to our many partners throughout the United States carrying their favorite beer and malt beverages.”
You must be 21 years old to download the Pura Vida App.
About Imperial®
Imperial® is considered a national symbol and also the No. 1 selling beer in Costa Rica with nearly 60% market share. Imperial® uses the finest ingredients and natural spring water to create a tropical beer with a flavor profile in-between Pilsner and Dortmunder styles of beer. Made with a combination of malts, cereals, and hops, the beer has a slightly bitter to medium taste. Imperial® is imported by The Genesee Brewery from Costa Rica. They currently hold US distribution rights in AL, DE, FL, GA, IL, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, and TX. For more information on Imperial, follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Imperial_US or become a fan at http://www.facebook.com/ImperialBeer.
Please drink responsibly.
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