QCOSTARICA – Nine out of ten Costa Rican households purchased Dos Pinos products in 2015, the first choice of consumers in Costa Rica.
The data is from the Brand Footprint 2015 survey conducted by Kanta Worldpanel, of 750 homes in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of San Jose.
According to Alejandra Ortiz, direct of Expert Solutions at Kanta Worldpanel Costa Rica, the households provided proof of the product packaging they purchase every two weeks.
In the world, as in Central America, Coca Cola is the top brand, while in Costa Rica it is third on the top 10 list.
For the “top 10” brand, the study assesses penetration (number of times that the brand was present in a home) and purchase frequency (number of times the brand was purchased during the year) in Costa Rican households.
These are the ten favorite brands of Costa Rican consumers:
Dos Pinos
Maggi
Coca Cola
Pozuelo
Colgate
Numar
Tang
Lizano
Pasta Roma
Coronado
This study seeks to obtain the degree of actual connection between a brand and its final consumers.
Globally, the top 10 consumer brands are: Coca-Cola, Colgate, Lifebuoy, Maggi, Lay’s, Pepsi, Nescafe, Indomie, Knorr and Dove.
QCOSTARICA – There is a saying in Costa Rica, “no hay nada oculto entre cielo y tierra” (there is nothing hidden between heaven and earth); the heroic actions of Gerardo Cruz in reporting the street harassment got him killed.
But he wasn’t killed the uncovering of the actions of a man videoing up a woman’s skirt on the streets of downtown San Jose, but, rather his fame become the perfect alibi for lover scorned.
Photo from OIJ Facebook page
In the early days following the attack on Gerardo on a public street of San Jose, near the John F. Kennedy park, investigators focused on a robbery angle, possibly linked to the street harassment.
After investigators ruled their initial suspicion, they found the “coup de grace”, a mix of jealousy, love and hate, learning of Gerardo’s relationship with a 41 year old woman, who on Monday, along with her 19 year old daughter, was arrested as being the masterminds behind the murder.
Photo from OIJ Facebook page
Investigators believe the woman, identified by her last name Fonseca Fernandez, conspired with her daughter, Valerin Fonseca, to hire hit men for the attack on Gerardo. From wire taps and other evidence, investigators learned the woman was jealous of Gerardo’s relationship with Karolo Zuñiga, who was expecting a child with.
Fonseca apparently had no idea that Gerardo was engaged and soon to be a dad for the second time. He already had a child with another woman.
That was more than she could bear.
The link between the the scorned women, the hitmen and Gerardo. From La Nacion based on OIJ reports.
It’s alleged that Fonseca and her daughter contacted the hired hitmen through a third party, who was responsible for monitoring the events of the attack. Authorities do not know how much was paid, but evidence recovered during the raids on homes in Concepción Abajo de Alajuelita and San Francisco de Dos Ríos reveals they had asked for “hard evidence” of the attack.
That is why the hitmen took his bag and sweater during the attack. This fact misled police into believing it as a common assault, just another street robbery.
Investigators have also learned that the plan for the crime had been made two weeks prior to the attack. But the perfect opportunity (of cover) came with Gerardo’s fame by denouncing the street harassment.
The cover story was perfect. The suspect (the man caught videotaping), an employee of the Ministry of Finance, would be blamed, police thinking he acted in spite for being publicly shamed. And they did, albeit for a short period.
The “viejo verde” (sexual pervert) as he was being called, went public, denying any link to the attack on the young man and publicly apologizing for his behaviour. All the while Gerardo was lying in a hospital bed, in a coma.
The attack on Gerardo occurred on the night of October 7, two days after the street harassment event went viral on the social media, while his way from his job at a bakery heading for an interview with a news outlet, arranged by his former lover with whom he still maintained contact. He never made it. The interview had been a ruse, rather he was intercepted by two men who attacked him with a knife and wounding him in the chest near the heart.
They took his belongings and left him for dead on the street.
Although he was taken quickly to the Calderon Guardia hospital and operated on several times, Gerardo could not pull through from his injuries; 40 days later, on November 19, he died in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Today, the two women, along with four others are in custody.
Although Gerardo had broken off his relationship with the suspect, she was out for blood, the young man paying with his life for the woman’s scorn.
Luis Milanés Tamayo (left) on June 20, 2008, being escorted to Costa Rica from El Salvador. Milanes was wanted by Costa Rican authorities for fraud.
In the photo, Luis Milanés Tamayo (left) on June 20, 2008, being escorted to Costa Rica from El Salvador. Today, Milanes is a free man after the Appeals Court overturned a 15 year conviction last December.
QCOSTARICA – Luis Milanes, sentenced in December 2015 to 15 years in prison for fraud, related to the closure of Savings Unlimited, in November 2002 and absconding with millions of dollars of investor’s money, is a free man.
The Cuban businessman was related on Monday following a decision by the Criminal Court of Appeal. This was confirmed lawyer Edward Acuña, who represented some 500 victims in the civil lawsuit against Milanes for the loss of US$46 million dollars.
Hugo Navas, representing Milanes in the trial that ended in the December conviction, said the Appeal Court decision confirms the argument made at trial, that his client had already been sentenced to the same offence in another trial, an abbreviated process and included everything related to the financial fraud.
Acuña, in conjunction with the Prosecutor’s office (Fiscalia), said there may be an appeal before the Supreme Court.
For a number of years Milanés operated Savings Unlimited, a money investment house located on the ninth floor of the Centro Colón, in San José, where investors were promised payment of between 2% and 3% monthly on their cash deposits.
The investment house closed its doors on November 25, 2002, months after a similar investment house known as “The Brothers” shut its doors, leaving investors hanging for close to one billion dollars.
Days after the closing of Savings Unlimited, Milanes disappeared. In June 2008, the Cuban businessman was arrested in the El Salvador airport travelling using a false passport and returned to Costa Rica.
orldwide income residents who live at least 183 days a year in Costa Rica will be charged
Global Income Tax (Rental Mundial) would apply to any person who spends at least 183 days a year in Costa Rica.
QCOSTARICA – Under pressure to raise revenue and reduce deficits, the Government of Costa Rica is preparing to collect income tax not only on earnings by persons or corporations within the country, but also on income generated abroad, a global income tax (renta mundial in Spanish).
Currently, in Costa Rica the taxation is based on the principle of territoriality, meaning that all personal income which has a foreign source is tax exempt.
If the proposal announced on Monday is adopted, the tax law would be amended to include A “tax resident” designation that would apply to any person who spends more than 183 days of a calendar year in Costa Rica.
The designation would equally apply to “perpetual tourists” (persons who live in Costa Rica and leave every 90 days to renew their tourist visa).
That is the word from Deputy Minister of Revenue at the Ministry of Finance, Fernando Rodriguez, speaking to legislators of the Commission of Inquiry on the Panama Papers, during the first hearing of the legislative forum.
To avoid double tax collection, Rodriguez explained of the possibility that a person does not have to pay the tax to the Costa Rican government if it has proof that they have paid income tax in the country where it was generated.
In addition, the Ministry of Finance is insisting on the need to create a database of shareholders and final beneficiaries of corporations, to improve its fight against tax fraud.
Earlier this year, a presidential decree, required the state bank, the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) to open bank accounts to foreigners, allowing the government to identify and tax all foreigners living – legally or illegally in the country.
In an article by Daniel Woodall (www.usexpatcostarica.com) of June 7, 2016, he writes, “the proposed tax law would snare expats who work virtually from Costa Rica for U.S. companies and may claim the Foreign Earned Income Credit, applied on up to $100,800 annually for 2015. Since this income is exempt from federal income tax in the United States, it would be taxed fully in Costa Rica.”
The global income tax proposal is part of the Government’s tax reform package (Reforma Fiscal in Spanish) it is trying to get through the legislative process.
The end of November is likely to be a good time to buy dollars, specifically if you take into account the value of the currency last October.
The Central Bank maintains a favorable level of reserves allows steep moderate or speculative pressures
QCOSTARICA – After more than two years of virtual immobility, the dollar started a rise (more than 5 colones since Monday) this week, which has been linked to changes in external variables, accompanied by a concentration of credit in the US currency.
Accompanying this depreciation of the local currency is an increase in the benchmark rate for dollars, a new indicator that the Central Bank (Banco Central de Costa Rica) started publishing a few weeks ago.
An editorial in La Nacion,”…The new benchmark rate in foreign currency calculated weekly by the Central Bank has gone up. There has also been a slight rise in quotes of the Colón against the dollar in the foreign exchange market. Could there be a relationship between the two movements? ”
It is reported that the reason for the rate hike is “… in the opinion of those bankers who were surveyed … the rise is due to a shortage , or perhaps less abundance, of dollars circulating in our environment.Closely linked to the lower liquidity is the high concentration of credit granted in that currency. ”
The Central Bank sets the reference rates (in Colones and Dollars) every Thursday.
Costa Rica’s Patrick Pemberton (18) dives but cannot make a save on a shot by United States’ Jermaine Jones (13) during a Copa America Centenario group A soccer match against Costa Rica at Soldier Field, Tuesday, June 7, 2016 in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast The Associated Press
United States’ Geoff Cameron (20) and Costa Rica’s Alvaro Saborio (9) battle during a Copa America Centenario group A soccer match at Soldier Field, Tuesday, June 7, 2016 in Chicago. The United States won 4-0. Photo Charles Rex Arbogast, The Associated Press
QCOSTARICA SPORTS – “Goleada” (trashing) is what happened last night as Costa Rica’s national soccer team lost 4-0 to the U.S. in Copa America play.
In soccer and other sports, goleada refers to a large number of goals a teams gets to another, especially if there is much difference with the amount of goal.
The trashing began early, the U.S. putting in three goals in the first half. Coming off a loss Friday against Colombia, the Americans “could not have been more sizzling at Soldier Field”, said the LA Times.
Before the game Tuesday, speculation was that the U.S., host to the Copa America, were on their way out. A loss to the Ticos would have meant elimination, the best expected was a tie to stay alive.
In dismantling the Costa Rican team, the U.S. picked up three needed points in the Group A standing and with one group-play game remaining, on Saturday against Paraguay, the U.S. could make the quarterfinals.
Costa Rica’s Patrick Pemberton dives but cannot make a save on a shot by United States’ Jermaine Jones during a Copa America Centenario group A soccer match against Costa Rica at Soldier Field, Tuesday, June 7, 2016 in Chicago. Photo Charles Rex Arbogast, The Associated Press
As to the Ticos, they controlled possession for most of the first half, but a limited defense and no Keylor Navas in the net, the U.S. pounded them. The Ticos only had a couple of opportunities against goalie Brad Guzan.
“The U.S. leaves La Sele in a coma: the aura of Brazil is snuffed out,” was the headline at Telenoticias this morning.
The much awaited “vengeance” (for the March 2013 game in the snow) never happened. In bars across the country and we can safely say across homes in Costa Rica, its was eerily quiet.
Analysts are blaming mostly the defense, calling it a “paper defense with no room for praise” and the “Ticos giving up to the unquestionable superiority of the U.S. team”, a team that has been called the worst in recent years and expected to lose against Costa Rica.
One sports commentator this morning also blamed the refereeing, “it didn’t help in any way”, referring to what are being seen as some bad calls.
With last night’s loss, Costa Rica is at the bottom of the Group A standings. Colombia leads with 6 points, the U.S. is second with 3 points and Paraguay with 1 point, like Costa Rica, but fewer goals against.
The Ticos play Colombia on Saturday, June 11, in Houston, Texas.
The document, which was released by the US State of Department, reads that the country maintained a “permissive environment” favoring a number of terrorist groups
The document, which was released by the US State of Department, reads that the country maintained a “permissive environment” favoring a number of terrorist groups
Through a communiqué, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry deplored as defamation against Venezuela the Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 issued by the US Department of State.
The ministry stated Venezuela does not back practices connected with terrorism and added that this is a country without such kind of violence.
The report reads that the South American nation maintained a “permissive environment” that benefited terrorist groups, involving individuals linked to the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), National Liberation Army, Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA), as well as Hezbollah “sympathizers.”
Similarly, the document reports that the local government has not taken stance against top officials allegedly involved in drug trafficking and that it has not cooperated with US antiterrorism efforts.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) delivers a speech during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 1, 2016.
The governing left-wing alliance in Venezuela, known as the Great Patriotic Pole, denounced a “U.S. re-colonization plan” in Latin America on Monday.
“Faced with this growing interference, we will not hand over our resources or our nation. Fascism will never come to Venezuela,” ruling Socialist Party official Blanca Eekhout said at a press conference.
The alliance has been vociferous in its criticisms of Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), for his stance against Venezuela.
Almagro last week called for an urgent meeting of the organization’s permanent council to debate the political situation in Venezuela and suggested the bloc’s Inter-American Democratic Charter be applied to Caracas.
If this is approved in a meeting, which is set to take place on June 10-20, Venezuela could be suspended from the OAS.
Eekhout said the left-wing parties had come together to “prevent” an eventual “intervention” in the South American nation, and referred to the fall of left-wing governments in Argentina and Brazil as an example.
Also on Monday, the Venezuelan government condemned the U.S. State Department for “defamatory statements” made in its 2015 terrorism report.
In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 released on June 2, the U.S. State Department accused Venezuela of having the right environment for terrorist groups to flourish.
The groups listed included the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army, which have waged a guerrilla warfare in Colombia for decades while allegedly operating from bases within Venezuela.
People hold a giant national flag of Venezuela during a demonstration to support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 31, 2016.
The U.S. report also accused Venezuela of helping sympathizers of the Basque group ETA and the Lebanese Islamic group Hezbollah.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said on Monday that “the United States has no mandate to evaluate sovereign states on any matter, including terrorism.”
“Venezuela condemns all forms of terrorism, including state-sponsored terrorism, and reaffirms that Venezuela is free of this scourge,” said the ministry in a press release.
Most of us have laptops that we use on a daily basis, maybe even for binge watching your favorite TV show. However, in the effort to make laptops small, their cooling systems can often be way underdesigned for heavy use. This causes them to overheat, and maybe even become so hot that it hurts to touch them.
One Japanese twitter user has found a pretty ingenious way to stop your laptop from overheating, stack copper coins on it! The coins essentially act as a radiator for the heat as their thermal conductivity is much greater than the aluminum or plastic which laptops are usually made of
The idea looks a little crazy, and you will need to gather up a lot of copper coins to make it work. Break open that piggy bank and get to stacking, all your computer problems will soon be solved! Roughly translated, the Suzuki Akinori, the user behind the idea, states,
“If anyone is having a problem with their MacBook Pro getting too hot and not cooling down, try using some 10-yen coins you have lying around the house. The copper in the yen is a better conductor of heat than the aluminum of the computer and is good for getting the heat out.”
This coin stacking solution is pretty ingenious, and it works on other computers as well. Since copper is such a good thermal insulator, copper coins can come in handy and make tiny little heat sinks. One twitter user even put the 10-yen coins into the motherboard of his desktop to help radiate the heat!
[Image Source: Suzuki Akinori]
With a little clever engineering, you can cool any electronic device off with just a few copper coins. What do you think of this? Is it more trouble than it’s worth or is it an ingenious solution to a common problem?
Q24N – A new report sheds light on how vulnerable populations subjected to slave-like conditions line the pocketbooks of organized crime networks across Latin America.
The highest number of regional victims are found in Mexico, with 376,800, followed by Colombia with 308,200. The countries with the highest percentage of the population living in slavery are Haiti and the Dominican Republic, at nearly 1 percent.
The report highlights how trafficking networks and other criminal groups profit from exploiting marginal populations, especially women and children. By some estimates, 70 percent of all modern slavery cases in Mexico involve organized crime groups. This includes the kidnapping of mostly girls and women for forced prostitution and mostly boys and men for forced labor. The town of Tenancingo in Tlaxcala state is considered the sex trafficking capital of the world, with traffickers smuggling indigenous girls into the United States and to other parts of Mexico.
Drug cartels are believed to be involved in sex trafficking, the document says, using the same organized crime networks used to move drugs and weapons to smuggle human victims across the border into the United States.
SEE ALSO: Coverage of Human Traffficking
Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence suggests some of Mexico’s disappeared population — which numbers in the tens of thousands — are held in camps where prostitution, forced labor and other criminal acts are authorized by cartels.
The report found domestic and international sex trafficking is also pervasive in the Dominican Republic. Foreign tourists account for roughly 25 percent of all Dominican cases of sexual exploitation. At the international level, Dominican girls have been rescued from neighboring Haiti and found in countries across the globe, from the United States to Europe to Japan.
But sex trafficking in the Americas is most concentrated in the gold mines of Peru and Colombia, according to the report, in part due to the involvement of organized crime groups in the mining industry which operates in remote regions of those countries.
Criminal groups are not the only ones enriching themselves on the backs of slaves. The report noted that in both Mexico and the Dominican Republic authorities at the local, state and federal level are either complicit or suspected of being complicit in the human trafficking operations.
The connections between Latin American organized crime and modern slavery that are laid out in the report mainly focus on human trafficking operations. But there are a myriad of ways the region’s criminal networks coerce vulnerable populations and use them for their own ends.
Children are often viewed by criminal groups as low-cost, low-risk sources of labor, making them an attractive target for recruiters. In Mexico, “sicaritos,” or little assassins, under the employ of drug cartels have been known to carry out vicious acts of violence. Central America’s violent street gangs force children to perform odd, often dangerous jobs, such as serving as lookouts and running messages. In Honduras gangs reportedly recruit children as young as six, and those who refuse to join are at risk of being killed.
Drug gangs operating in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are also known to conscript youths, who are valued because they face shorter prison sentences than their adult counterparts. One Rio resident told Spiegel Online in 2007 that the Third Command (“Terceiro Comando”) drugged him in order to desensitize him to the gang’s initiation process, which involved shooting an informant in the head at point-blank range. He was 11 years old at the time.
It’s not just criminal gangs that recruit minors in Latin America; child soldiers have played an integral role in Colombia’s long-running civil conflict. Fully half of all adult fighters within the ranks of rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) were initiated as minors. According to government officials, close to 12,000 children have been recruited since 1975. Many of the youths are from FARC strongholds in poor, rural areas of the country where the state’s presence is either weak or non-existent.
IMF: Economy will fall 0.5% in Latin America this year
Q24N -The recent numbers released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggest that while the world recovery continues struggling to get strengthened, growth in Latin America and the Caribbean shows again a downtrend and is expected to shrink 0.5% for the second consecutive year in 2016.
However, these figures conceal the fact that most of nations keep growing in a moderate yet secure manner, while a small of economies –half of the region’s economies– are facing a recession caused by internal factors.
In the case of Venezuela, the IMF reported negative figures as of 2014 (-3.9%); 2015 (-5,7%); 2016 (-8,0% expected), and 2017 (-4,5%). In sum, the international body expects that the region’s economic growth picks up by 1.5%.
Arnold Guzmán tiene 14 años, cursa el octavo año en el Liceo San Miguel de Desamparados,
14 year old Arnold Guzmán, in eight grade at the Liceo San Miguel de Desamparados, did not have a computer until Monday morning. He was became one of the first of the 16.000 beneficiaries this year of Hogares Connectados. (Photo Rafael Murillo, La Nacion)
Costa Rica is planning to provide computers and a fixed internet connection for 140,000 household, as part of the “Hogares Conectados” (Connected Homes) program of the National Telecommunications Fund (Fonatel), managed by the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) – Superintendency of Telecommunications.
The program consists of providing a 2 Mbps connection and the promise to deliver computers with Internet access to 140,000 families living in poverty within six years.
According to the results of the latest Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (Enaho) – National Household Survey, published last July, only 19% of the poorest households in the country have a computer.
Hogares Conectados will help 14,000 families this year, with the other 126,000 by 2017. The investment over next two years will be US$128 million.
Beneficiaries partially cover the cost of computers and Internet bills. The monthly fee to be provided for the whole package over three years, will be of ¢3.363, ¢6,725 or ¢10,088, depending on their economiccapacity.
Internet operators across the country, that includes ICE, Tigo, Coopeguanacaste, Cabletica, Telecable, Coopesantos and Cooopelesca, will be responsible for providing the service. For this, the IMAS will supply them with a database of families applying for aid.
QSPORTS – The last time these two teams met it was snowing. The U.S. beat Costa Rica amid a heavy snowfall. That was in March 2013.
The climate in Chicago for tonight’s game is totally different; the weather forecast is for cloudy skies, winds of 13 mph, 0% of precipitation and a cool 57 Farenheit.
But, the U.S. has to be feeling the heat, beaten by Colombia in the opening game. And the Ticos who may be out for revenge.
Costa Rica, second place in the standings, plays tonight without Keylor Navas, who will be undergoing surgery to repair a left Achilles injury. A win for Costa Rica tonight puts them on top, with four points.
For the Americans its do or die. A tie would keep their hopes of advancing alive; a loss would eliminate them.
“There’s pressure, No. 1, whenever you wear the shirt, and No. 2, when you step on the field,” starting goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. “We know it’s a big game. There’s no denying that. We know it’s an important game, and as professionals these are the games you want to be a part of.”
Game Location: Soldier Field Chicago
Game time: 6:00pm Costa Rica time (7:00pm Chicago time)
OIJ agents in action in several raids in Goicoechea and Alajuelita that netted five persons arrested, including mother and daugther suspected of contracting hired killers.
QCOSTARICA – Five persons arrested, including two women, are the result of several raids by Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) agents in Carmen de Goicoechea and Concepción Abajo de Alajuelita, suspects in the death of Gerardo Cruz, the young man who denounced a sexual harasser on the streets of San Jose.
Days following the social media upload of the video of a man videoing up a woman’s skirt, on October 7, 2015, Gerardo, on his way from work, was attacked by two men.
The young man spent 42 days at the Calderon Guardia hospital after he was stabbed in an apparent robbery, losing his battle on November 19 .
Gerardo Cruz
The women arrested Monday, suspected to have contracted the hired killers, have been identified as mother and daughter – Fernandez and Valerin, 41 years of age and daughter 19 years of age, respectively.
Among the evidence obtained during the raids are cellular phone messages linking the accused, that could be the key in determining their guilt.
For now, investigators are treating the crime as a robbery, but do not rule out other motives for the attack.
Traffic chaos is a daily thing in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of San Jose.
Traffic chaos is a daily thing in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of San Jose. Volume of vehicles, crashes and a collapsed road infrastructure are contributing factors. And now the rains.
QCOSTARICA – There is no question about it, traffic chaos is part of everyday life in Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of San Jose. And with the arrival of the rains, the large volume of vehicles, crashes and a collapsed in the road infrastructure the chaos is made worse.
This past week has been a clear example, drivers spending hours in their cars stuck in traffic.
According to the Policia de Transito (Traffic Police) last Thursday they responded to 106 accidents in a six-hour period.
Felipe Vargas, deputy director of Operations (DDO) at the Polica de Transito, says “we must not forget that the rains causes traffic to go slower and then there’s the added problems of flooding.”
In La Uruca alone – the area of la rotonda and one of the busiest intersection in the GAM – flooded on several occasions last week. Under the Pablo II bridge was virtually a shallow lake. Two blocks north of the Pozuelo factory, residents had to seek shelter from the amount of water and quantity of mud in their community.
But, before we resign into believing there is nothing that can be done, drivers can play an important role in reducing the caos. Here are some tips:
Avoid being a “miron” (rubbernecking) to catch a glimpse of an accident. Don’t slow down or reduce speed, keep moving.
Heed to the plate restrictions. Remember Mondays is 1&2, Tuesdays 3&4, Wednesdays 5&6, Thursdays 7&8 and Fridays 9&0.
Use turn signals. And pedestrians always have the right away.
At busy intersections make a single file. Cars piling up to cram into one lane makes things worse.
Make use of technology, like Waze and other digital media, to know where the congestion is and avoid it.
Don’t block intersections.
Getting mad accomplishes nothing. Stay calm. Avoid maneuvers made in anger that can endanger you life and that of others.
Always carry the printed accident reconciliation form to quickly move the vehicles out of the way without the need for a traffic official to arrive at the scene. Of course you are not driving to get into an accident, but in that same frame of though why carry a spare tire?
Time shift. If your work allows it, leave earlier or later to work or from work. Take note of busy times in your area, go out for errands at off-peak times.
Don’t drive if you can take public transit. Learn the bus schedules. You will be surprised at the frequency and modern buses. And at low cost. For example, a bus ride from Cuidad Colon (through Santa Ana, Escazu and La Sabana) to La Coca Cola area costs less than ¢500 colones.
Use the comments section below or post to our Facebook page your recommendations to help reduce the chaos.
QCOSTARICA – There’s Mother’s Day and then there’s Father’s Day. In Costa Rica Mother’s Day is a legal holiday. It has its own day, August 15. Meanwhile Father’s Day, celebrated the third Sunday of June like in most other parts of the world, is not.
But that may soon change.
Rolando González, legislator for the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), is proposing making June the a national holiday to honour fathers.
The legislator says the proposal would be in line “with the prevail of equality between men and women in all areas.
Costa Rica society treats equally the duties and rights of both women and men, however, women are honoured with a legal holiday, while men are not, explains the legislator.
Gonzalez said he will seek the support of his colleagues for the initiative is approved in a short period.
TODAY NICARAGUA – During the sixth Congreso Sandinista Nacional “Comandante Tomás Borge Martínez”, Daniel Ortega was proclaimed as candidate for the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSLN)to the general elections of November 6.
The congress, composed of 1910 FSLN recognized the leadership of Ortega and proposed and appointed him as candidate of the FSLN.
The participants expressed their conviction that the struggle against poverty continues in better conditions than ever to “reach victory of love, hope, peace and family prosperity” of this Central American nation.
Those present also approved another document in which Ortega is given the power to select and appoint his ticket companion to “walk the streets with the support of Nicaraguan families to the purpose and commitment of peace, justice, dignity and prosperity we all want.”
A third text invests President Ortega with the power to continue the policy of alliance that “guarantees a model of reconciliation, unity, common wellbeing and prosperity”, confirming the Alianza Unida, Nicaragua Triunfa, which will participate in general elections.
In another the Secretary General is authorized to make up the list of candidates to represent the Front at national, department levels as well as members and substitutes to the National Assembly and the Central American Parliament.
A survey of M&R Consultants published in recent weeks reflects the FSLN heads vote intention with 63.7% for the November elections.
President Ortega’s approval is at 77.6%, while the coordinator of the Council of Communication and Citizenry, Rosario Murillo (Ortega’s wife) has a 71.9% positive image.
On November 6, over three million Nicaraguans are summoned to vote to elect the president and vice president, 90 legislators to the National Assembly and 20 to the Central American parliament.
June 5, 2016 Cuba’s President Raul Castro (Front) takes part in the 7th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in Havana
(Prensa Latina) Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz called today in this capital to find new and feasible solutions as for all the territories of the Caribbean could face regional challenges, such as the problems of air lines and maritime connections.
In the beginning of the meeting for Heads of State and Government in the frame of the 7th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) President Raul Castro stated that the development of tourism, market diversification and the increase of tourism services are prioritized areas.
President Raul Castro also pointed out that in face of problems like climatic change, the increasing level of the sea, hurricanes, severe rains and coast erosion, it is indispensable to increase cooperation, to reduce the risk of natural disasters and of their destructive effects.
Also Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Havana Saturday to take part in the 7th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) for Heads of State and Government.
At his arrival in Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport the Venezuelan President sent a greeting to the Cuban people, for which he said he felt a lot of love and admiration, and with which Venezuela shares a whole history of struggles.
Maduro assured he is very motivated to participate in this VII Caribbean summit, in which he will contact the rest of the Heads of State and Government, to keep on strenghtening the path for unity in the region.
The meeting for the Heads of State and Government of the ACS member countries will be today.
In Cuba, President Luis Guillermo Solis addressing the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Photo Presidencia
In Cuba, President Luis Guillermo Solis addressing the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Photo Presidencia
QCOSTARICA – In Cuba, Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solis said joint work and integration will be essential to carry on with the objectives of development proposed for the coming years by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in order to achieve prosperity and sustainability in the countries of the area.
The need was highlighted while addressing participants in the highest level segment of the Seventh Summit of the ACS, held at the iconic Palacio de la Revolucion with the assistance of the Heads of State and Government and delegations of the territories grouped in that forum.
“Missing is more awareness and solidarity on the issue of migration flows,” voiced the president, of his experience while seeking from his Latin American neighbours to treat humanely the migrants seeking to cross the region to reach the United States.
Solis urged the ACS to show solidarity to fight the (human and drug) trafficking networks which, he said, “play with human lives and destroy them as one of the manifestations of organized crime”.
During the past seven months, Costa Rica has had to deal with crises caused by mass migration of Cubans traveling from South America to the United States by land.
Currently, Costa Rica faces the massive influx of undocumented seeking to cross the Central American isthmus on their way to North America.
Cuban and African migrants are encounter southern Nicaragua border closed, forcing Costa Rica to give humanitarian assistance to these groups.
In addition, during his sixth trip abroad this year, Solis emphasized, among ACS plans, the achievement of air and maritime connectivity, which has conspired against unity in the region, employment generation; increase the degree of technological innovation and exchange of best practices and higher levels of education. The President acknowledged the relevance of promoting multi-destination as a tourist product, a key aspect in Caribbean economies.
Joel Campbell and Costa Rica could not find a way past Paraguay on Saturday. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
Joel Campbell and Costa Rica could not find a way past Paraguay on Saturday. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
QSPORTS – Costa Rica and Paraguay opened their Copa America campaigns with a testy goalless draw that saw more cards than scoring chances.
In hot conditions in Orlando, the mood was set inside the first 20 seconds when Costa Rica’s Yeltsin Tejeda was booked for a foul on Celso Ortiz.
Tempers threatened to spill over after a number of early fouls, with Paraguay’s Jorge Benitez also picking up a booking early in the 13th minute.
The game’s best period of play came immediately afterwards as Benitez was played through into the box but scuffed his shot wide, and Paulo Da Silva’s glancing header missed inches wide following a corner.
Costa Rica then had a chance in the 17th minute when Bryan Ruiz sent a powerful header straight at Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar.
As the second half began, Ronald Matarrita was fortunate to stay on the pitch after a hard foul on Derlis Gonzalez.
Paraguay’s best chance after half-time came when Bruno Valdez’s shot following a corner was saved.
The teams nearly came to blows after Costa Rica’s Kendall Waston fouled Dario Lezcano in the 77th minute.
Costa Rica almost stole the game in the 88th minute when Cristian Bolanos was given plenty of space outside the box, but Villar did well to push his shot aside.
There was more late drama as Costa Rica’s Waston was sent off in the final minute of stoppage time for a challenge from behind on Nelson Valdez, meaning he will miss the next game against the United States.
Colombia lead Group A with three points following their win on Friday, ahead of Costa Rica and Paraguay with a point apiece and the U.S. at the bottom.
Costa Rica will face the United States on Tuesday night at Soldier Field in Chicago.
QCOSTARICA – The Internet is literally full of stories and personal relationship with Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest sports figure ever and a man, strong, tall man who had many insights into life itself.
I’m not going into the history of Muhammad Ali and anecdotes with journalists, just my own time memory of his presence.
Some years ago, in the 90s my wife Magaly and I were on business in Washington, D.C., staying in the same hotel as Ali.
From the balcony we saw him and I told my wife, ‘I just have to go and shake his hand.’
After a quick elevator ride down to the main floor, Ali was with two advisors and I walked up and simply said, “Muhammed you might be the greatest sports figure of all time, but I admire you for discovering, before me, that Vietnam was a white man’s war fought by black men and killing people of color.”
Ali smile, shook my hand asked if we would have breakfast with him.
His passing, not unexpected, still touches the strings of my heart.
RIP. Muhammad Ali. I will miss you even if was for that brief encounter. And, I will remember that breakfast in awe and in great detail as you spoke about “life”.
An employee irons at a textile mill in the Industrial Park in the Free Zone in Managua. Getty Images
TODAY NICARAGUA – A Peruvian spinning mill is to invest $15 million in Las Mercedes Industrial Park, and soon three other companies from the call center and textile sectors will be setting up there too.
Dean Garcia, executive director of the Nicaraguan Association of Textile and Apparel (Anitec), told Elnuevodiario.com.ni that “… the Peruvian company Hialpesa, will be investing $15 million in its operation in the country and will supply other free zone factories that produce shirts. Garcia said … they are currently installing machinery, but did not say when they will start operations. ”
Regarding other investments in the free zone, Garcia explained that three companies in the textile and call center sectors are preparing to set up in the country soon. These companies, according to Garcia, are of Central American and Mexican origin.
“… The textile and clothing sector is trying to attract companies to come there to produce the raw materials they need, such as buttons, fabric, zippers, labels, among other things, ‘in order to have, to some extent, the entire supply chain within the country’. ”
Visitors to Havana should visit areas beyond the tourist zones and meet Cuba’s victims of communism. (LinkedIn)
TODAY CUBA (Panampost.com) Havana’s roads received a new layer of asphalt along the beautiful Prado Boulevard and the colorful buildings in Old Havana were shining brighter than ever prior to Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba. The decay and poverty in the city, however, is too prevalent and pervasive to be hidden by a quick make-over in honor of the first visit by a US president in 88 years.
Cuba offers exotic beaches, magnificently colored American vintage cars from the 1950’s, joyous salsa rhythms and iconic cigars. But this is largely a façade, behind which lies a very different reality. During a private trip to Cuba that coincided with Obama’s visit to the island, my wife and I got a small peek into real life under the communist Cuban regime.
My wife and I both speak Spanish, which provided us with ample opportunity to engage with the local Cubans. We gained an insight into the lives of the vast majority of Cubans who do not see as much as one peso of the billions that are now flowing into the country.
Even so, tourism is essential for Cuba. Without it, the country would probably be on the verge of famine. But while the tourism industry has raised the living standards of thousands of Cubans, it does not change the fact that most ordinary citizens still live a life of poverty with very few opportunities to change their fate and improve their general circumstances.
Going Beyond the Tourist Façade
One late afternoon, walking along the Malecón waterfront, my wife and I started a conversation with two Cuban brothers in their 30s. We were so fascinated with their story and their openness that we spent the rest of the evening and the following afternoon with them.
Both brothers were engineering graduates. One earned the equivalent of $16 US dollars a month, the other $22-25 dollars a month. That is less than half of the World Bank’s international poverty line of $1.90 USD a day, and the meager state-funded food rations hardly alleviate the hardship. An average Cuban public servant earns about $20-25 USD a month.
In contrast, the owners of “Casas Particulares” (private bed & breakfasts that rent rooms to tourists) make $25-30 dollars per rented room per night. This obviously creates an unsustainable situation in which the incentive to get an education disappears and where hard-working, well-educated Cubans see the prices of reasonable quality goods increase at such a pace that only those engaged in the tourism sector — or with the right connections to the communist regime — can afford to live a decent life.
The two brothers whom we had befriended invited us into their “home,” which consisted of a 10-12 square meter room on two floors, which they shared with three other family members. There were no shower facilities and the toilet was in a corner of a room only shielded with a sheet to be drawn when Mother Nature called.
The family could not afford to buy bottled water, which in the cheapest stores cost $0.7 USD for 1.5 liters. They only had access to tap water which is unfit for drinking purposes, often causing illness and diarrhea. There, between the shabby mattresses and dubious sanitary conditions, the superficial make-over of Old Havana seemed rather pointless.
Elsewhere, we experienced how an elderly lady with tears in her eyes showered a tourist with a myriad of thanks, hugs, and kisses just because he gave her a small package containing a bit of soap and deodorant. It was heartbreaking and, unfortunately, just another example of the scarcity of resources that is so detrimental to the welfare of the Cuban people.
Unfortunately, extreme poverty is just one of many problems in Cuba. Another issue that pervades Cuban society is the unscrupulous breach of basic human rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press.
During our trip I got the chance through some contacts to conduct an interview with graffiti artist and human rights activist Danilo “El Sexto” Maldonado. After several unsuccessful calls, I unfortunately had to give up on getting a hold of him. Due to the limited internet access in Cuba. It was not until I was safely back in Denmark that I learned why I hadn’t been able to reach him: El Sexto had been detained and subsequently jailed by the police. He was arrested without official justification and without any opportunity to contact people outside to let them know how he was or where he was being held. This meant, among other things, that he was reported missing on Twitter by several of his followers.
Human Rights Abuses under the Castro Regime
On March 31, Human Rights Foundation (HRF) issued a press release condemning the Cuban regime’s continued harassment and indiscriminate arrests of El Sexto and other human rights activists. HRF has, due to the serious situation in the country, placed a special focus upon Cuba. For years, it has condemned attacks on Cuban journalists and limitations on doctors’ freedom of movement. The organization has also helped to bring attention to the death of a prominent human rights activist. Another human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, has also criticized the continued repression of human rights in Cuba as detailed in its World Report 2016.
The same report criticizes slave-like conditions in prisons, as well as restrictions on travel both outside of and within Cuba, where dissidents from other parts of the country are often refused entry into Havana. Hence, it is no surprise that Freedom House, in its annual Freedom in the World report, ranks Cuba as the least free country in Latin America with a score of 6.5 out of 7 (with 7 being the least possible freedom). Cuba, in fact, is ranked between South Sudan and Ethiopia on a global scale. This is shameful for a country that fulfills all geographical and cultural prerequisites for being a thriving democracy.
But what about Cuba’s good doctors and its free health care and education systems, the benefits which the Castro regime supposedly offers its subjects? It is true that Cuba has free education for all who have the right skills. Nevertheless, if the end result is that you complete a five-year university degree in order to receive a monthly salary which can easily be quadrupled in a single day if you work in tourism, then such an education is basically worthless. If the first two steps in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (physiological needs and safety) are far from assured, then free education offers little consolation.
And yes, there are many doctors in Cuba, and one should certainly not ignore the fact that everyone has access to free medical care, that the infant mortality rate is low, and that the average life expectancy is on a par with most Western countries. However, this is not the whole story; conditions in several Cuban hospitals leave much to be desired since the buildings are dilapidated, hygiene is terrible, waiting times are exorbitant and all equipment outdated (the latter can to some extent be attributed to the continued embargo against the country).
The fact is that, unless the pay and general conditions of Cuban doctors improve, there is an imminent risk that many of them will leave the country as the relationship with the outside world, and thus the possibility of settling elsewhere, improves.
What can be done?
It’s no easy task to redress the Cuban situation, and it is largely up to Cubans to address these concerns themselves. Many issues need to be dealt with, but I will discuss the three areas that I consider most important.
The first step is to improve the human rights situation. By releasing political prisoners and stopping indiscriminate arrests, allowing freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, and hopefully establishing democracy, the Cuban people will finally enjoy the rights that all people deserve. If the Cuban government permits civil and political liberties, it will also remove the most important reason for the continued US embargo against the country.
The second step is to make it (much) easier to start private businesses, whether large or small. The rise of private enterprise in a free market as the U.S. embargo is lifted will create a wave of investment in Cuba. This, in turn, will create unprecedented opportunities for the locals. With the growing opportunities (and wages) in the private sector, the poorly paid public sector will also be lifted up to a level that will ultimately entail better living conditions for all.
The third area to be addressed is the complete opening and liberalization of the internet. Internet access has improved slightly over the last few years. Now you can find a few Wi-Fi hotspots in Cuban cities that are controlled and managed by the Cuban authorities. Users must pay a cost of $2 USD per hour. Since this sum exceeds two days’ wages for the average Cuban, one can only conclude that the internet is not freely available to all.
Without internet freedom, knowledge cannot be freely shared, so that Cuba’s economic development is greatly hindered. As President Obama himself declared to the Cuban people, the internet is one of the greatest engines of growth in human history.
President Obama has started to think about his legacy and, with few significant foreign policy victories under his belt, he has sought to improve the United States’ relation. This creates a unique window of opportunity for Cuba. The Cuban leadership needs to seize this moment as there is no telling what the situation will be in less than nine months once there is a new president at the White House.
In a country where political and economic changes take place very slowly, the proposed reforms will be hard to digest for the country’s relatively small power base. The changes will inherently mean less power in the hands of a spoiled communist elite. Well-executed reforms, however, will improve the living conditions dramatically for the vast majority of Cuba’s 11 million citizens. The country has a well-educated population, low crime rates, a favorable geographical location, and a boom in foreign investment. There are no limits to what a democratic Cuba with free and open markets can achieve.
The Challenges Ahead
If we put the dream scenarios aside, and again turn our attention to the current situation in Cuba, one cannot ignore the fact that the country still faces several challenges. It is precisely because of these challenges that I would encourage everyone who chooses to visit the country to meet with the locals outside the colorful tourist areas. Here you will have the possibility to influence the situation by placing some of your tourist money directly in the hands of those who really need it.
Hopefully, the spread of freedom will gradually increase support for the growing number of dissidents and thus help speed up the transition to a genuine, free, and popular revival of Cuban democracy.
Tourists will in turn experience a heartwarming population who, despite poverty, hardship and repression, try to get the best out of life. You will meet a people who sincerely care about you and who can give you an insight into what it really means to live under a communist regime.
So travel to Cuba and enjoy the country. But also make sure to look beyond the façade. Visit the places where clean drinking water is in short supply and soap is a luxury item, where people have never been on the internet, and where the dream of the socialist revolution has turned into the regular nightmare of a planned economy.
Behind its democratic facade, Maduro’s regime in Venezuela controls the population with authoritarian measures. (La Patilla)
TODAY VENEZUELA (PANAMPOST) Some analysts have predicted a popular uprising in Venezuela that could eventually topple the corrupt regime of strongman Nicolás Maduro.
Around the country, people desperate for food and medicine have protested against the government in the face of ever-worsening shortages. Naturally, most pundits believe this situation is untenable.
If the Chavista regime does not provide a solution to the food and medicine shortages, many analysts believe people will eventually rise up. What these pundits fail to understand is that Venezuela’s problems are not caused by a collapse in the price of oil and a resulting lack of funds to provide basic necessities for the population.
At current oil prices, Venezuela has revenues larger than those of Perú, a country with an almost identical population.
These analysts have not come to terms with the fact that, hiding behind an electoral façade, Maduro is the head of a military regime with totalitarian control over the populace.
If at any time a group of people gather or protest, they will almost immediately be violently attacked by Chavista “colectivos”— the local euphemism for Brownshirts — with full support from the para-military Bolivarian National Guard. The main streets of every major barrio in the country are controlled by these modern-day, nazi-style Brownshirts.
Control over basic food staples and medicines are now in the hands of “Local Committees for Supply and Distribution” known by their Spanish acronym, CLAPS. Private supermarkets have now been limited to offering non-essential supplies.
These are local soviets, designed to control the population into submission. If your teenage son throws a rock at a National Guardsman, you do not get milk for your one-year-old.
Under these conditions, it’s almost impossible for the population to organize, rise up and topple a government that has already shown its willingness to shoot at its own citizens.
When will regional and international leaders, including the Obama administration, realize that in Venezuela’s case, doing nothing only results in more death?
Eventually, the attitude held by Venezuela’s neighbors will catch up to them. The worsening humanitarian crisis in the country of Simón Bolívar will destabilize the entire region, beginning with Colombia.
A good chunk of the problems will land on US shores. New York is closer to Caracas than Denver.
(Q24N) The increase will be staggered: 5% from June 1, 2016, 5% from June 1 2017, and 5% from June 1 2018.
From a statement issued by the ANEP:
The private sector represented in the National Minimum Wage Council, agreed to accept the request from workers to increase the monthly basic salary in the sectors of industry, maquila and the various agricultural sectors by 15%.
This increase will be implemented gradually in three stages:
5% from June 1, 2016, 5% from June 1 2017, and 5% from June 1 2018.
The only exception is the trade and services sector where the increase will be 4.5% per year, with the same date of entry into force, taking into consideration the weak situation of small businesses and the risk of an increase in informality being quite high.
Colombia began their Copa America campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory over the USA in California.
An early goal from center-half Cristian Zapata and a penalty from captain James Rodriguez just before the break was enough to see the South Americans take all three points in the opening game of the centenary competition.
The win puts Colombia in a commanding position in Group A with the top two teams advancing to the quarter finals of the world’s oldest football competition.
Copa America 2016: Colombia vs USA preview
Colombia took control of the game early on when AC Milan defender Cristian Zapata hammered home a thunderous volley from an Edwin Cardona corner in the eight minute to score his first international goal.
Colombia’s talisman James Rodriguez obliged from the spot to score his 15th international goal sending his team into the half-time break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Seattle Sounders star Clint Dempsey led the US charge to get back into the game in the after the break with a header cleared from the line by Atletico Nacional’s Sebastian Perez early in the half.
Goalkeeper David Ospina frustrated the midfielder further in the 63rd minute with a wonderful save from a free kick destined for the top corner.
That was as close as the US came to scoring with the Colombians in control for large passages of the play in the second half.
Carlos Bacca almost added some gloss to the score line with 14 minutes remaining but the AC Milan striker rattled the crossbar, not that it impacted the result as USA was left victoryless from its last six Copa America appearances, dating back to 1995.
Copa America: Colombia eliminated after losing to Argentina in penalty shootout
While Jose Pekerman will be satisfied a win in the opening game, the Colombian camp will be concerned about the retirement of Real Madrid star James Rodriguez in the 71st minute with a shoulder injury.
Colombia will hope that their captain recovers in time to lead them into upcoming matches against last year’s third place finishers Paraguay on June 7 and 2014 World Cup quarter-finalists Costa Rica on June 11.
Chinese businesses may cause unemployment, but those jobs will be shifted into new sectors over time. (Los Andes)
TODAY COLOMBIA (Panampost.com) In the last two weeks, Chinese store owners in the San Victorino neighborhood of Bogotá have been victims of threats and intimidation from local shop owners. The atmosphere became quite heated during recent demonstrations that took place against the presence of Asians, some of whom have decided to close their shops for fear of being attacked.
Many Colombians claim Chinese people have snatched up a large share of the market, which has led them to bankruptcy.
“They have colonized stores in many cities,” said Juan Martín Duque, one of the leaders of the protest. “They arrive with lots of money, and pay the premiums to stay here with the locals. If this isn’t regulated it’s going to become a big problem.”
Chinese-owned stores tend to sell products at lower prices than Colombian ones. Shop owners admit this openly, and argue that it makes it difficult for them to compete.
The Chinese have explained that their better prices are a result of having contacts in their country, which allows them to get cheaper products. Also, Chinese couples sometimes have their stores open 365 days out of the year, taking turns managing it, because the business comes first.
It’s clear, then, that Chinese businesses are competitive enough and are hurting their Colombian competitors. But is that so bad? Should the state intervene and protect local vendors? Implementing barriers to the entry of Chinese goods damages the economy and undermines competition. New businesses with better prices not only benefits the customer, but also makes everyone else strive to lower their own prices and find new ways of marketing their own products.
When this topic gets discussed in relation to the free market, it always comes back to the harm done to producers and traders. But what often gets ignored is the thousands of consumers who benefit from the importation of cheap goods. The sale of Chinese products in Colombia helps, above all, the humble, middle-class family that now has a way to buy food, clothes, shoes, among other things, at a lower price.
When the business owners of San Victorino claim that they will be put out of work at the fault of the Chinese, it’s easy for everybody to feel compassion for the situation. But it’s important that an economic evaluation of this kind does not become personal, that we look at the bigger picture.
Let’s not focus on the losses, and instead turn our attention to the benefits, of which there are so many. Those arguing against free trade seem to forget that protectionist measures in the face of competition prevents a country from progressing. We cannot lock ourselves up by protecting domestic products when doing so would deprive us of the advantages of eating and living better as a result of foreign exchange.
It’s clear that all these changes create a dent in the employment rate, but it can’t be avoided when society has to advance — and even more when unemployment is only a temporary effect, as those jobs are not lost so much as shifted into different sectors. What should concern us is not whether these people have to change jobs, but if the necessary conditions will allow them to change jobs quickly. The shorter a person stays out of the workforce, the better.
Colombians have to learn to see that the benefits of foreign commerce improves society as a whole, and that even poor families, who might feel the blunt of this at first, will be helped more than they are hurt in the long run.
We can’t play Cain and Abel. The solution is not rooted in killing the virtuous, or harder working. The correct response is to improve yourself and try to compete, even if it will become harder and harder to do so as more foreign business arrives to Colombia.
The Chinese aren’t taking anything from anyone. On the contrary, they have increasingly begun to give back to the country. It’s not right to discriminate against them, especially since they have done so much good for Colombia’s economy. Instead of protesting for them to get out, we should be saying stay, Chinese, stay!
Avianca offers multiple daily flights to and from the San Jose, Costa Rica airport to more than 100 destinations in 26 countries
Avianca offers multiple daily flights to and from the San Jose, Costa Rica airport to more than 100 destinations in 26 countries
QCOSTARICA – United and Delta are evaluating the possible purchase of Avianca, as the Latin American airline explores strategic options for a full or partial sale.
According to Bloomberg, Avianca, Colombia’s largest airline, said in May it would cut aircraft deliveries from Airbus by US$1.4 billion during the next 30 months as part of an effort to reduce indebtedness.
The Wall Street Journal says advisers to Avianca have distributed a document to potential bidders seeking a US$500 million capital injection. The process is in early stages and there may be no deal at all.
Avianca (acronym in Spanish for “Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A.”) has been the national airline and flag carrier of Colombia since December 1919 and now the world’s second oldest airline after KLM. It is the oldest airline in the Western Hemisphere.
In 2009, Avianca would merge with TACA, creating AviancaTaca, which instantly became one of the region’s largest airlines. TACA and all other AviancaTaca airlines, wich included LACSA (Spanish: Lineas Aéreas Costarricenses) Costa Rica’s national airline that in 1999 becoming a subsidiary of Grupo TACA, changed their brand to Avianca on 28 May 2013.
Avianca, the second largest airline in Latin America, serves more than 100 destinations in 26 countries, with 176 airplanes operating 5,400 weekly departures, with hubs in Bogotá(Colombia), San Salvador (El Salvador), and Lima(Peru).
QCOSTARICA – Filling your tank this morning costs more, with the latest hike in gasoline prices that took effect at the 12:01am Saturday.
Although gasoline prices continue to drop around the world, not in Costa Rica.
The price at the pumps this morning are:
Super gasoline ¢518 per litre (an increase of ¢16 )
Regualr gasoline (plus 91) ¢498 per litre (an increase of ¢15 )
Diesel ¢380 (an increase of ¢32)
The increase was in line with the price approval by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) – the regulator of public prices and services – ealier this week and published in the official government newsletter, La Gaceta, on Friday.
The price hike is based on the Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (Recope) request with figures of oil prices of April.
The request, typically responsed to by the Aresep almost immediately, sat in consideration for some 18 days.
President Luis Guillemo Solis, accompanied by his wife attended the inauguration of the clinic this week. The Solón Núñez clinic will benefit thousands of women in Hatillo and Alajuelita.
QCOSTARICA – At 62, doña Virgina will become the first insured on Monday to receive a mammogram at the Clínica Solón Núñez, in Hatillo.
The clinic, inaugurated this week, but opens to the public on Monday, will benefit some 27.000 women between 45 and 70 years of age and women under 45 who have risk factors, residents of Hatillo and Alajuelita.
A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. It can be used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. It can also be used if you have a lump or other sign of breast cancer.
Mammograms play a key role in early breast cancer detection and help decrease breast cancer deaths. During a mammogram, your breasts are compressed between two firm surfaces to spread out the breast tissue.
A screening mammogram is used to look for signs of breast cancer when you do not have any breast symptoms or problems. A mammogram can often detect cancer in its early stages, even before a lump can be felt, when treatment can be most successful.
Who invented the mammogram machine? Albert Solomon uses a conventional X-ray machine to produce images of 3,000 gross anatomic mastectomy specimens, observing black spots at the centers of breast carcinomas. Mammography, the resulting imaging, has been used since 1927 as a diagnostic tool in the early detection of breast cancer.
Tranvía, circulando por la Avenida Central (Av. Rogelio Fernández Güell). San José. 1920.
Fuente: Archivo Nacional de Costa Rica.
Colección CIHAC.
The Tranvía on Avenida Central (Av. Rogelio Fernández Güell) today known as the Bulevar (Boulevard) San José c.1920. Source: Archivo Nacional de Costa Rica. Colección CIHAC.
QBLOGS – The video by Costa Rica Antigua E Inedita gives a glimpse of simpler time in San Jose, in 1910, when “Josefinos” could walk the streets and took the “tranvía” (street car).
The remnant of the tranvía are still buried below the asphalt that covers Paseo Colon and many other streets of downtown San Jose. I saw the uncovered rails some years back during the repaving of Paseo Colon.
So why are the politicians today, more than 100 years later, having a hard time bringing back the street car as a solution to the current downtown traffic chaos?
More photos of Costa Rica past can be found at the Universidad de Costa Rica CIHAC portal.
From a post on Genial.guru, here are 155 English/Spanish phrases for everyday life in Costa Rica (and Latin America).
Both languages have many idiomatic expressions that are sometimes difficult to understand, but essential to know. I won’t say they will get you speaking fluent in either language, but they will help you get by.
The following table is a gathering of the most popular expressions.
QCOSTARICA – Nine out of ten Costa Rican households purchased Dos Pinos products in 2015, the first choice of consumers in Costa Rica.
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