Archive for September, 2010
Monday, September 27th, 2010
Police in Costa Rica said Saturday they are investigating the deaths of an American couple found in their upscale apartment in a coastal town popular among foreigners.
Police said the couple are Cuban-Americans in their 70s who lived in Jaco, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast
Jaco police chief Franklin Cardenas said the bodies were found by a neighbor with their hands tied and plastic bags wrapped around their heads on Friday.
Police are investigating whether a robbery or some sort of dispute may have been involved.
U.S. Embassy officials were not immediately available to confirm the couple’s names, hometown or nationality.
Firefighters also reported an Iranian tourist died after receiving a shock from a power cable left dangling by a road accident Friday. There was no immediate confirmation of the man’s nationality.
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Monday, September 27th, 2010
Bus companies in Costa Rica are privately owned, operating under a license or route concession that is regulated by the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT). However, it is the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) regulates the fares and services on those routes.
As such the Aresep began an intensive review of fares and services following a series of customer complaints, which led the regulator to the conclusion that many of the 37 bus operators under inspection, did not comply with a schedule, route and fares.
The Aresep also found that some bus operators use the buses assigned to a particular route for other services, like operating as transport for students and workers of large companies.
The study also took into account the quality of service being offered and the state of the units (buses), like the condition of the seats, the distance between them, if the units had the Riteve inspection and had installed handicap ramps, among other items.
Although the regulator reports finding problems with many of the operators, it did not say if the companies are under “admistrative procedure” which would determine fines and other sanctions.
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Monday, September 27th, 2010
Nearly 1,000 cruising yachts and sport anglers spend the summer in Costa Rica, because it is located in Central America — safely south of “Hurricane Alley.” But summer also brings the rainy season, complete with its own set of conditions.
Heavy downpours began in July. Dry creek beds turned into swollen rivers, forming waterfalls that spouted like teapots along the Pacific jungle coastline. This runoff carries large tree branches and debris out into the ocean, where they can float almost submerged and invisible in the tide line — and can snag props.
In northern Costa Rica, Playa del Coco is the main population center in the Bahia Culebra cruising grounds. Boaters arriving from the north usually check in here with the port captain and national officials, and the small town of Playa del Coco has the only grocery stores for many miles.
Bahia del Coco is the 1-mile-wide bay off the town of Playa del Coco, and although it has a dangerous shore break in winter, the bay provides a well-sheltered anchorage in summer.
Unfortunately, Playa del Coco has no pier and no launch ramp. Boaters must land their dinghies on the wide black-sand beach, usually getting at least wetted in the shore break. Many dinghies have overturned in Playa del Coco’s surf zone.
Boaters hoping to launch and retrieve their vessels here must do so over the beach. During the winter dry season, the sand of northern Costa Rica’s beaches is normally hard-packed. But during rainy season, Costa Rica’s beaches can get surprisingly soft.
That’s what the owner of the sportfisher in the adjacent photo discovered firsthand.
Although the boat’s owner had no problems using a local pickup truck and trailer to launch his vessel several days earlier, when it came time to retrieve the boat, the rain-soaked sands at Playa del Coco swallowed up the trailer and almost took the pickup, as well.
The boat was freed from the trailer, and the pickup was dug out at the next low tide. But the trailer may still be buried.
Fortunately for trailerboaters, Marina Papagayo — located just 5 miles away, across Bahia Culebra — has a wide concrete launch ramp and a dinghy landing.
Also at Playa del Coco, the popular boaters’ bar and restaurant La Vida Loca (meaning “the crazy life”) is located just behind the beach berm of the southern half of Playa del Coco. La Vida Loca serves icy cold Imperial beer, the unofficial national beverage of Costa Rica, and it’s the best place in town for an inexpensive but tasty lunch of fresh-caught fish.
During winter, boaters can stroll the whole beach from the main part of town with no problem. But during summer, they must use a rickety footbridge to ford the rain-swollen creek that cuts Playa del Coco in two.
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Monday, September 27th, 2010
The newest floating fuel dock for yachts has just opened at Marina Pez Vela in central Costa Rica, at the port of Quepos. The new fuel dock is 200 feet long, inside the shelter of a huge breakwater.
For boats with limited fuel range, this breaks up the long dry stretch between Los Sueños Marina in Bahia Herradura (35 nautical miles to the north) and Banana Bay Marina in Golfito (110 miles to the south).
Marina Pez Vela opened earlier this year with the first 100 of its eventual 300 full-service slips. A boatyard with 75-ton and 200-ton Travelifts is scheduled to open in 2011. The marina’s GPS location is 9 degrees, 25.35 minutes north latitude; 84 degrees, 10.22 minutes west longitude.
“We have also opened the marine store,” said sales manager Glen Mumford. General boating supplies and specialized sport-fishing needs are available in the new marine chandlery.
For more information about fueling at Marina Pez Vela or reserving a slip, their toll-free U.S. number is (866) 739-8352. Or visit marinapezvela.com.
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Sunday, September 26th, 2010
The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) decided to waive all payments of fines for appealed traffic tickets until judges can make a ruling on the constitutionality of the new Traffic Law.
A judicial branch spokeswoman said judges could take from one month to two years to submit the decision. Meanwhile, appealed tickets before the Roadway Safety Council (COSEVI) will be exempted from payment.
The Sala IV made the announcement Wednesday in response to a case filed by Yuribeth Méndez, a representative of a leading car service and transport drivers’ organization.
Méndez said the new Traffic Law, which went into effect in March with fines that many call excessive, eliminates the opportunity for alleged traffic violators to argue their case before a judge.
“All Costa Ricans should have the right to argue their case before a judge,” she said. “Yet (COSEVI) has been issuing decisions without giving Costa Ricans the opportunity to defend themselves or present their case.
“This goes against due process and against Article 41 of the Constitution, which says that we have the right to a quick and complete judicial process, to be resolved before a judge.”
The daily La Nación reported that COSEVI has received appeals on 25,000 traffic tickets with an estimated value in fines of $27 million.
Appeals must be submitted within 10 days of an alleged infraction to the closest COSEVI office, along with contact information, a letter explaining the reasons for appeal and a copy of the ticket.
Story by TT
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
Its been four decades since New York’s friendliest street began teaching kids across the country their ABC’s and 1-2-3′s. Check out the big name guest stars who’ve paid a visit to the famed ‘Sesame Street.’
Katy Perry can’t seem to keep her parts private. The 24-year-old’s ‘Sesame Street’ promo video has now been yanked for being too racy. After several complaints, the show’s producers have opted not to air the segment that features the singer singing a duet with Elmo while dressed in a low-cut yellow-green heart-shaped dress, a sheer piece of material covering her ample cleavage.
‘In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on You Tube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers,’ the show’s producers said in a statement. ‘Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on You Tube.’ In the video, which earned over 1 million views on YouTube Monday, Perry is seen bouncing after Elmo while singing a version of “Hot N Cold” that focuses on the puppet waffling over their play date instead of an up-and-down relationship.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/galleries/celebs_on_sesame_street/celebs_on_sesame_street.html#ixzz10Scpkyay
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
Thursday, the Comision Nacional de Emergencias (NCE) – National Emergency Commission – issued a “yellow” alert for the entire Pacific coast.
The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – national weather service – confirmed that Tropical Depression 15 became Tropical Storm Matthew Thursday afternoon, with sustained winds of 65 km/h.
Matthew is currently located 700 km east of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua and moving west at 25 km/h.
Matthews is the 13th tropical storm this hurricane season and parts of Nicaragua and Honduras have all issued warnings and a hurricane watch.
In Quepos a number of homes were flooded. The Central Pacific coast town is prone to flooding every rainy season due to heavy rain as rivers run off into the ocean and high tides.
On Thursday a group of local residents chocked off traffic on the Costanera leading to Quepos demanding the CNE to fulfill its promises to build a dyke to avoid flooding for the nearby rivers.
Residents says that the CNE has done nothing for them. “They come, the meet behind closed doors with some, but never say or do anything”, one resident spoke out in front of the Telenoticias news cameras later Thursday afternoon.
Other than Quepos, the coastal towns of Parrita, Nosara, Dominical and Nicoya Peninsula are at risk of flooding. As well, the CNE is asking residents of Guanacaste, the Central Pacific and South Pacific to be on the alert.
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
The dollar exchange has been rising the last couple of days before falling below the ¢500 colones floor of the exchange band, you can expect another dip this coming week as we get closer to the end of the month.
This year the dollar exchange has at times dipped drastically, in the middle and end of the month, then rising again sometimes in between.
These falls seem to coincide with pay days in Costa Rica, which are on the 15th and 30th of each month for the majority of salaried employees.
As of yesterday (Thursday) the dollar exchange rose almost ¢7 colones from the previous week.
However, expect another drop in the coming week as the “quincena” (twice monthly pay) coincides with payment of income tax and municipal taxes.
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
Starting this December Air Canada will be making a weekly run between Montreal and Liberia, Guanacaste.
Air Canada offers tourism packages to 90 destinations, including Costa Rica.
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
Digital map provider NAVTEQ has announced this week the expansion of its coverage in Latin America and Caribbean Islands. The Chicago based company has unveiled its navigable map of Colombia as well as “Intermediate Map sets” for Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Panama.
The coverage of this initial map of Colombia represents 70 percent of the country’s road network and over 230 municipalities. Approximately 15,000 Points of Interest (POIs) are available in the map database.
NAVTEQ has mapped approximately 320,000 kilometers of roads across Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Panama and the database offers 67,000 Points of Interest. However, these maps do not offer the full range of attributes found in usual NAVTEQ maps and used in turn-by-turn navigation applications. These maps are more suitable for location-based services (LBS) and basic routing applications.
Besides that, NAVTEQ already provides approximately 2 million kilometers of roads and over 2.5 million POIs through its fully navigable maps for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, French Guiana and Venezuela.
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
Now that police are prohibited by the Constitutional Court from holding indiscriminate roadblocks, car thieves had a field day this past weekend in the Gran Área Metropolitana (San José) in only three days.
Raúl Rivera, regional chief of the Fuerza Pública (police) said that the between Saturday and Monday a total of 22 vehicles where stolen.
According to figures by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) – investigative police – there had been a slow down of incidents of stolen vehicles between January and July, with only 108 cases reported in San José or an average of 15 vehicles a month.
Rivera was very cautious as to say why there was a increase in car thefts this past weekend, only saying that the vehicles were stolen in various points of the city and mostly in front of the homes of their owners or their families in “barriadas” (slums).
The police chief added that in many cases car thieves take the opportunity of neglect by the owner either to leave the car open or unattended, if only for a minute or two.
Another favourite ploy of car thieves is to scour the internet for vehicles for sale. The potential buyer (thief) is given the address and an opportunity to take control of the vehicle, which ultimately results in theft.
The area with the highest incidents of car thefts is the heavily populated suburb of Desamparados on the south side of San José, the OIJ reports.
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
APM Terminals was the only company to bid for the construction and operation concession for the new container terminal at the Costa Rican port of Moín.
The National Concessions Council will now analyse both the technical and financial aspects of the bid before making an award, a process that is expected to be completed by the end of October.
In all, 65 companies originally acquired tender documents, although the lack of final bids is thought to have been influenced by the prevailing world economic crisis.
The new facility, which will be 10 kilometres from the existing port of Limón, will accommodate panamax vessels when operations commence in 2016.
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda said here Wednesday that the Latin American country is on the “right track” to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and “even exceed them,” but stressed that more needs to be done.
“Due to our historic commitment to collective welfare and our determination of reaching the Millennium Development Goals, Costa Rica is on the right track to achieve them and even exceed them by 2015,” Miranda said at the UN high-level meeting on the MDGs, which entered its third day here Wednesday.
The MDGs, endorsed by world leaders in September 2000, set out eight targets which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015.
“This is not enough,” and the Costa Rican efforts are also directed to the “constant expansion of opportunities, to the reduction of social and regional disparities,” she said.
“For us, rhetoric is useless; results are imperative,” Miranda said.
As the first woman president in Costa Rica, Miranda said she is “particularly proud” of the third MDG goal on the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women.
“Today, nearly 40 percent of the members of Congress, and almost 30 percent of the members of the Supreme Court of Justice, are women,” Miranda said.
Source: Xinhua
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Honduran club Marathon defeated Saprissa of Costa Rica 2-1 on Thursday in Group C of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Mario Berrios gave Marathon a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute with a long range shot that beat goalkeeper Fausto Gonzalez. Marathon stretched the lead to 2-0 after Saprissa defender Esteban Sirias conceded an own-goal in the 63rd. Jairo Arrieta scored for Saprissa a minute later.
Marathon improved to six points from four games, the same as Saprissa. Both clubs are fighting for second place and the right to play in the quarterfinals of the regional championship. Monterrey leads the group with 12 points after a 3-2 win over Seattle earlier Wednesday.
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Costa Rica’s economy is expected to post solid growth of 4.5 percent this year and 5 percent in 2011 as it continues to invest in infrastructure and open up the telecommunications industry, the country’s president said on Tuesday.
“We are efforting this push into Asian markets to increase the rate of growth. We have a very ambitious program,” said Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The economy of this small Central American country, known for its eco-tourism and coffee production, will boost growth by improving infrastructure such as ports, and by opening and promoting markets such as electricity and telecommunications.
Costa Rica has trade agreements with China, Singapore and the European Union bringing the amount of free trade agreements to 42 and increasing trade to 92 percent of total exports. It is also starting negotiations with South Korea.
Chinchilla, the first woman president and just four months in government after succeeding Nobel laureate winner Oscar Arias, is set to increase competitiveness by continuing to educate and train its population of more than 4.6 million.
Costa Ricans take pride in the fact that they are the only country in the Americas without an army, and that since their independence about 50 years ago have established free education — a competitive advantage difficult to emulate in a short period of time. (more…)
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