QNICARAGUA – Nicaragua and Costa Rica are putting on their suits and ties again to go back before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) this week to argue the case against Costa Rica’s border highway that hugs the southern bank of Nicaragua’s San Juan River.
Nicaragua is asking the Court to take provisional measures against Costa Rica to halt construction on the 160-kilometer highway, known as Route 1856. Nicaragua claims the highway has caused serious and irreversible environmental damage to the area.
Nicaragua filed its case––imaginatively titled “Construction of a Road in Costa Rica along the Rio San Juan”––on Oct. 11 as a tit for tat response to Costa Rica’s case against Nicaragua for cutting two new water canals into disputed borderland. That case, titled “Certain Activities carried out by Nicaragua in the Border Area,” was heard by ICJ magistrates last month.
The ICJ then decided to join the two cases and will make its decision on requests for preventive measures after hearing the case against the Costa Rican road project this week. The Court is scheduled to be in session until Friday.
Andrew Saxton with a young whale shark off the coast of Playa Guiones, maybe half a mile out. The whale sharks seem to come through each season, and mostly they are very young, but there are some larger ones as well.
Visitnosara.com – Playa Guiones is a gorgeous, seven kilometer stretch of white sand. Home to most of Nosara’s hotels, restaurants and businesses; Guiones is sometimes the only beach vacationing tourists visit. While it would be a shame to miss out on Nosara’s other beaches, Guiones is a hard place to want to leave.
In addition to its natural beauty, Playa Guiones has a fantastic surf break – popular with both beginner and expert surfers. There are many surf schools on Playa Guiones and it is a great break to learn to surf. Contact us and we will help get you set up with some of the best schools and instructors in town.
At low tide Guiones can be explored by bicycle as well, and with you are able to access and walk the whole bay from north to south. If you head far enough south, you’ll find several large tide pools that make for excellent snorkeling and relaxing. Past those tide pools you will come upon Playa Rosada or Pink Beach, which is an amazing place to spend a few hours before the tide comes back in. It is only accessed during lower tides though as you have to walk across rocks that are covered up during higher tides. So, you must time your journey correctly. Pink Beach is one of the area’s true gems!
Then, at the far North end of Playa Guiones, you will see Punta Pelada. Standing tall, with it’s tall, unique spire sits the old Hotel Nosara. The hotel is now closed for business, but it is makes for a pretty neat place to walk around and explore and the bottom floor is open for visitors to walk through. Just make sure to ask the gardener if he is around and always be respectful. Also, there is a walking path to Playa Pelada that goes right past the hotel grounds. This makes for quick easy access to beautiful Playa Pelada.
By Cesar Blanco Fajardo, Vozdeguanacaste – In October after The Voice of Guanacaste published online the story of Melany Sequeira Vallejos, a girl in Garza whose leg had to be amputated because of bone cancer, the youth is beginning to receive financial aid to buy a prosthetic leg that will improve her quality of life.
The case was brought to light in September when The Voice published an article with the headline “The Real Mission of the Nosara EBAIS,” in which Dr. Juanita Gomez indicated that she detected cancer in the 10-year-old girl, a story that was refuted by her mother, Rosa Vallejos, who stated that she took her daughter to the doctor several times complaining of pain and was told that that they were growing pains.
Months after the first consultation in the Nosara EBAIS, Melany was sent from La Anexion Hospital in Nicoya to the National Children’s Hospital (HNN), where her tumor was diagnosed as osteosarcoma. Since the cancer was advanced, her right leg had to be amputated and currently continues to visit the pediatric medical center for chemotherapy treatment.
Melany is a studious girl who gets good grades in school. She loves soccer and used to play with passion, but this change of circumstances has interrupted her game. Her life changed, but the youth doesn’t lose heart and knows she’ll get through this.
Melany said she would like to have “a prosthesis that looks like a real leg with toes.” This has a cost of about $5000, but her family doesn’t have the money to pay for it. For now, she’ll receive a provisional prosthesis from the Social Security Fund (CCSS).
“This prosthesis is to adapt, to learn to walk. If I have to go and beg for money in the street, sell food or whatever, I’ll do it to get it some day,” said the mother, Rosa Vallejos.
Learning of the situation, the Surfing Nosara Foundation wants to be part of the solution. “The Foundation works with schools. We’ve never done it for an individual case but this will be the exception. We saw the case on the website of The Voice of Guanacaste and we looked for Melany. We are going to work to get donations, whether from area business owners, neighbors and people outside [of the country],” explained Marianela Ramirez, spokesperson for the foundation.
“It’s not only the prosthesis, although that’s the main thing. Melany needs better amenities, her home does not have a bathroom inside, she needs her space fixed up, a couch where she can rest, a fan, among other things,” Ramirez added.
The foundation’s visit filled the family with hope. They are grateful for the affection and motivation given to Melany. “She was brought materials to make jewelry, necklaces, and there she is very content,” commented Vallejos.
If you want to collaborate, for now there are two ways: you can donate monetarily through PayPal at the link http://www.friendsofnosara.org/OurBoardandContactInformation.html or deposit to Banco Costa Rica (BCR) bank account number 1 5202 0011 4784 5727 in the name of Rosa Cruz Vallejos Gomez.
If you, like many who have some old Costa Rican bills floating around your wallet, don’t worry they are not worthless. No, the Banco Central will exchange the bills for new at face value.
Please note that the exchange can only be made at the Banco Central (Central Bank) office in downtown San José. It’s that low glass building with the statue of the small people (bronze statues representing a group of very short Costa Ricans), overshadowed by the Banco Nacional tower on the north side of the Bulevar (Avenida Central).
The main entrance, however, is on Calle 3 (across from McDonalds). Don’t try to exchange the bills at the Banco Nacional booth at the corner, or any other bank for that matter. No, the old bills are only exchangeable at the Central Bank.
At the entrance will be asked by the security guard to state your business. “Voy a cambiar lo billetes” (I want to change these bills). Past the main doors to the vault, so to speak, you will be asked the same question by the person operating the metal detector machine and scanner.
Easy enough. A piece of cake. Pura Vida. Unless you are carrying (you know have a weapon of some kind). Not a good idea.
Past the metal detector, make a left to the window to the far wall. In front are some 20 chairs to sit out the wait in case there is one. On this day, a Tuesday and at 11:10am, there was no one there. All the chairs were empty. Maybe it was the particular day or time of day. The same at the Correos (the post office) next door.
I asked the clerk jokingly, “do I need to make line?”. No sense of humour. I had forgotten this is a “serious” place.
In many public institutions – the drivers licensing centre, the municipal building, any ICE office, etc, people are asked to play “musical chairs”. Partly because the waits are so long at most of these place, thus I suppose it will be easier on the staff to have a less stressed out customer. And party, it is tradition. In Costa Rica there are many traditions that involved waiting in line.
At the counter you really only have to present your old bills and you are promptly handed the new. But, it is nice to be courteous, smile and say thank you.
That’s it. No paperwork. No Hassle. No questions. No nothing. Just new bills for the old.
PS. the same applies to the coins, you know the “plateados”, the old, heavy metal silver coins, not to be confused by the newer, smaller and lighter silver coins.
Costa Rica’s Finance Minister, Edgar Ayales, said on the Nuestra Voz radio program of the need to explore a decrease in the monetary transfers the government makes each year to the Catholic Church, most of which is used to finance schools.
The minister confirmed that the transfer for 2014 will increase 29%, in real terms from ¢550 million to ¢710 million colones (US$1.1 million to US$1.43 million dollars).
Ayales said that some of the money is used by the Church to finance the Instituto Educativo San Jorge and the educational centres Eulogio López Obando, San Daniel Comboni and San Ambrosio, all in Tilarán, Guanacaste.
The minister explained that the rest of the money is used mainly for the maintenance of church buildings that are considered architectural gems.
Currently the transfers are handled by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP in Spanish). The Finance minister said there is a need to discuss whether the funds should be administered by the Ministry of Culture and not the Catholic Church.
The Miss Universe pageant has a lot to live up to, given its lofty name. But the international contest went above and beyond this weekend at the National Costume Show, a preliminary runway event leading up to the big Miss Universe 2013 show this Saturday.
Held this year in Moscow, the annual National Costume Show is intended to showcase each contestant’s home country through an authentic costume…which is where Miss Costa Rica, Fabiana Granados, garnered praise.
The Guanacasteca wore a silver dress with which she hopes to take her to the crown on Saturday, when making the final presentation of the pageant.
“It’s an ultra modern dress, incredibly futuristic”, stressed national couturier Roborto Lobo.
Allan Alemán, director of the Reinas de Costa Rica organization, agrees with Lobo that Fabiana and the dress were a hit.
But there was also some strangeness.
Erin Brady represented the United State in a plastic “Transformers” costume, while Alexandra Fribourg of Sweden honoured her country’s Viking past in a metallic bustier and a sword. Miss Belgium Noémie Happart looked like she was dressed as the Devil complete a spiky red spear, and Miss Great Britain Amy Willerton wore royal robes so sexy we bet even Prince Philip would have a thing or two to say.
Last Friday the Traffic Police (Policia de Transito) started fining drivers in cars with their license plate ending in “1” that did not make the mandatory changeover to the new plates.
The deadline was October 31. On November 1, plates ending in “2” began their required change, that has to be made before January 31.
German Marín, the director of Transito, told the press that a total of 328 drivers were issued fines of ¢20.000 colones (plus costs) for violating the mandatory change of plates.
The Registro Nacional reports that 21.136 license plates ending in “1” have yet to be changed over for the new. However, this number includes plates of vehicles that are no longer in circulation, but still listed in the property registry.
The head of the Russian long-range air force, Anatoli Zhijarev, confirmed today here that Tu- 160 strategic bombers will fly in South America as part of the patrolling plan to remote areas of the Ministry of Defense. Lieutenant General reported that two aircrafts of remote destination Tu- 160 began their mission along the Norwegian coast , flew over the Straits of Iceland and the UK, crossed the Atlantic and landed in Maiquetia Airport in Venezuela.
Speaking at the conclusions of the two-days inspection meeting by the Russian strategic nuclear forces, the officer showed the route continued by the aircrafts in the Western Hemisphere, according to ITAR-TASS .
They also flight over the Caribbean and landed at the airport in Managua, Nicaragua, according to the combative training plan of the Russian Air Force,he stressed.
The pilots rest in Nicaragua and get ready for a series of planned patrol flights over the region, noted the officer.
Zhijarev highlighted that Russia currently modernizes its strategic bombers to increase its output capacity and other tactical and technical data, as well as improve efficiency in the use of the weapon.
The Defense Ministry, meanwhile, clarified in a note delivered to the press that all the Air Force flights are made in strict accordance with international standards for the use of the airspace.
The presence of the Tu-160 in Managua coincided with the arrival to Nicaragua of the Russian secretary of the Security Council; Nikolai Patruchev, who signed a memorandum of cooperation along with the Commander General of the Nicaraguan Air Force, general Julio Cesar Avilés.
Without giving details of the text, Patrushev stated that the leadership of the Nicaraguan Army and Russian Security Council will establish permanent consultations to coordinate positions on the major international issues and increase cooperation.
Intel in Costa Rica announced Monday a cutback of 100 jobs in its manufacturing division. The company says the job cuts are not due to the economy, rather part of is restructuting seeking efficiency of its manufacturing processes, Karla Blanco, director of Intel’s corporate affairs, assured.
Intel has had an important manufacturing and research presence in Costa Rica since 1997, making a dramatic positive impact on the country’s economy, providing more than 2.800 jobs and supporting local industries such as electronics and construction.
While Costa Rica has historically been known for exporting coffee beans and bananas, thanks to Intel’s investment, those traditional exports have been surpassed by circuits and computer chips.
For the most part the total amount of the basic insurance portion of the the annual ciruclation permit or Marchamo is ¢20.856 colones – ¢3.482 or 20% over last year – for passenger vehicles. Charges for light and heavy trucks, a well as special vehicles, vary depending on the type/use of the vehicle. Motorcyclists pay the highest insurance portion.
But, when you add in all the extras, the biggest pill to swallow is the property tax.
The property tax is based on the year, make and model and its “valor fiscal” (tax value) of the vehicle, which has no relation to the market value, the value that is bought or sold.
Thus, the newer and more expensive the vehicle, the higher the final cost of the marchamo.
For one vehicle owner, the cost for the 2014 Marchamo is ¢11.403.291 colones (US$230.000 dollars) on a vehicle with valor fiscal of ¢327.680.000 colones, according to the INS press office. The INS did not give details of the vehicle, only to say it is the only such vehicle in the country.
The Marchamo is payable by December 31.
Starting on January 1, drivers with vehicles circulating without the Marchamo face a ¢47.000 colones fine, plus costs and interest tacked on for when they finally do pay it.
A draft law for immigrants oriented to making it easier for foreign citizens to live in Peru was announced today amid an increasing flow of foreign citizens into the country, with an average of over 130 daily. The proposed law was drafted by the Public Defender and the Andean Commission of Jurists and presented by Andean Parliament member Alberto Adrianzen to the Multisectorial Group of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which oversees that issue.
Adrianzen said that the draft law aims to update the present law, which is obsolete, with disproportionate obstacles and senseless procedures for foreigners who want to live and work in Peru.
He said a modern law is needed that respects the human rights of immigrants and treats them better, just as Peru is demanding that the European Union eliminate its visa requirement for Peruvians.
In 2012, 40,359 foreigners arrived in Peru to live from Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, Bolivia, Brazil, the United States and Venezuela, Adrianzen said.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Computer Science, from January to August of this year, the country had 31,636 immigrants, for a 11.3 percent increase compared to the same period of 2012.
Adrianzen explained the new draft law eliminates the requirement for foreigners to enter the country as tourists, and for those who want to stay, to leave the country and reenter as immigrants.
The draft law would also give foreigners who marry Peruvians the same rights as nationals, and foreigners who arrive as victims of the crime of human trafficking would not be excluded.
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla meets with representatives of Syngenta who is interested in giving added value to Costa Rican coffee exports. Photo: Casa Presidencial
In France, Presidenta Laura Chinchilla’s European tour started off on a religious note Sunday as she attended a mass to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the completion of historic Notre Dame Cathedral. Afterward, it was all business as she met with the international agricultural giant Syngenta.
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla meets with representatives of Syngenta who is interested in giving added value to Costa Rican coffee exports. Photo: Casa Presidencial
The subject of the talks with that firm, at the behest of Costa Rican coffee cooperatives, was a possible help for coffee farmers in this country. Although the country has reached unparalelled heights of fame for its chief agricultural export’s quality, the crop is plagued by declining production and disease.
La Nacion reported that the firm had been previously contacted but needed an official government stamp of approval, that Chinchilla’s personal touch can provide. The President’s previous personal interventions in gaining foreign investment have been successful — she is a persuasive sales representive.
During Chinchilla’s time in France, scheduled to end Nov. 7, she will meet with French President Francois Hollande. She will also visit the prestigious University of Poitiers as well a meet with the Organization for Economic and Development Cooperation, the so-called rich nations’ club which Costa Rica hopes to join.
She is also scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican. She is accompanied by her Minister of Communication Carlos Roverssi (a seasoned diplomat, himself), Foreign Trade Minister Anabel Gonzalez, and Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo as well as a protocol team.
During my fifteen plus years of living in Costa Rica, I have always wondered why the Electric Company (Fuerza y Luz) regularly schedules general maintenance of electric cables, transformers, poles, etc., where entire neighbourhoods are left without electric power for periods of eight hours, or more (It is useful that notice of such power outages is published in a newspaper beforehand).
In Canada, I don’t recall anything similar happening for reasons of performing general routine maintenance. Yes, possibly a few minutes of electric power interruption, but nothing like eight hours.
In fact, our office messenger, who is Nicaraguan, has a brother who works for the Nicaraguan Electric Company equivalent of Fureza y Luz and apparently, they do not follow the same procedure for general routine maintenance as does Costa Rica. Except for very brief periods, the electricity flows to the customers while the maintenance is being performed.
Logically, I understand that it is a very safe procedure for the Electric Company workers to do the maintenance without live electric power running through the apparatus that you are maintaining. Apparently other jurisdictions have a plan worked-out where this work can be done safely with electric power being supplied simultaneously to the customers.
I consider this interruption in electric service to be an unnecessary problem to support, which to support in a home is bad enough, but the effect on a business can be economically devastating.
In an effort to reduce train accidents at train crossing, both of pedestrians an vehicles, the state railway, INCOFER, announced it will be installing flashing lights at various points where accidents happen frequently, between Pavas and Heredia.
Most train crossings today have only rusted, corroded and washed out signs, in only a few intersections are there real working train crossing signs, where drivers and vehicles have to rely only on the sound of the oncoming train.
In the first stage, before the end of this year, the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), is expected to install flashing lights at key intersections.
The next stage, by the INCOFER, is to install level crossing barriers.
Most of the accidents involving the train are due to the imprudence of drivers and pedestrians, one for the lack of culture when dealing with a train and the other, the train does not run constantly – mainly during morning and afternoon on weekdays.
The fine for not respecting a train crossing is ¢180.000 colones. aa
Following reports by residents of Las Asturias de Pococí about flyovers by a helicopter, the Ministerio de Segurida Pública on Sunday discovered a heliport, fuel, cash and guns presumed belonging to a drug trafficking organization.
Las Asturias de Pococí is located in the Province of Limón, and the heliport was located near the Irazú volcano, some 80 kilometres east of San José.
The Drug Control Police – Policía de Control de Drogas (PCD) an the Fuerza Pública (police) report finding US$50.000 in cash, five AK-47 assault rifles, several handguns, 31 “pichingas” (25 litres (5 gallon) containers) of fuel, a GPS device, clothing, mattresses and food.
On approaching the camp, authorities were met by gunfire which led to a confrontation. Despite the police action, the suspects manage to flee.
Security minister Mario Zamora, did not venture to say the suspects which organized group or cartel were linked to, only would say that officials found several Mexican and Honduran passports.
In a statement to the press, Minister Zamora, assures that the area is under strict police surveillance and did not rule out arrests before the end of the day today.
In France, Costa Rica’s Presidenta Laura Chinchilla signed an extradition agreement during a meeting in Paris with her counterpart, François Hollande.
According to Communications minister, Carlos Roverssi, who is accompanying the Presidenta on her Eurpean tour, the two leaders also signed cooperation agreements to strengthen maritime security and legal assistance in criminal matters.
Also inked was an agreement to increase the number of scholarships awarded by France to Costa Rican students.
Roverssi added that Chinchilla and Hollande discussed the struggle for the abolition of the death penaly, nuclear disaramanet and climate change.
Costa Rica does not have a death penalty.
The meeting also serve to discuss France’s interest investing in Costa Rica public transport works, mainly in a mass transit train system and hydroelectric plants.
In Europe, Chinchilla is expected to meet with Pope Franics, at the Vatican, on Friday.
Before that she will be attending the 37th UNESCO General Conference that opens on Tuesday in Paris.
(Reuters) – Costa Rica expects to sell 16 million tonnes of carbon credits over eight years on its new carbon exchange – BANCO2, Latin America’s first, a venue that allows polluters to offset their emissions with permits they can buy.
Launched last month, the exchange provides a forum for tradable certificates that confer the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide.
The approach attaches a cost to pollutants and seeks to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
“It will be a common base to fight climate change and help the country reach its goal of carbon neutrality,” Environment and Energy Minister Rene Castro told Reuters.
The Central American country aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2021.
The new BANCO2 market verifies and regulates the sale of Costa Rican Carbon Units, or UCCs, but the exchange faces the challenge of saturated international carbon markets and low prices for the credits.
Besides the UCCs, traders can also purchase the so-called Certified Emissions Reductions issued by the U.N.’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the original carbon market created by the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM allows developed nations to purchase carbon offsets by investing in pollution-reducing projects in poorer countries.
Earlier this month, Costa Rica’s Forest Financing Fund issued the first 1.2 million tonnes worth of carbon offsets at $5 per tonne.
By 2021, the fund aims to generate 16 million tonnes worth of credits from a range of pollution-reducing projects that can be sold to buyers seeking too offset their emissions, according to the environment and energy ministry.
Prices for carbon credits reached an all-time high in July 2008 at 36.43 euros ($50.17) per tonne under the European Union’s carbon market, the world’s biggest.
But when Europe’s industrial production stalled after the 2009 financial crisis, supply quickly dwarfed demand, driving the credits to their lowest level of 2.75 euros ($3.79) per tonne in April, according to data from Point Carbon.
The new carbon market will also work with Costa Rica’s central bank to offer reduced interest rates on energy-efficient cars and home improvements in exchange for signing over the carbon emission offsets to BANCO2.
But global supply of carbon credits exceeds demand for the offsets.
“In the current economic situation, all of the carbon markets are more or less over supplied,” said Stig Schjolset, head of EU Carbon Analysis for Thomson Reuters Point Carbon.
Still, Costa Rican subsidiaries of Bridgestone Corp and Toyota Motor Corp have expressed interest in mitigating their carbon footprint with the assistance of BANCO2.
Denmark is also considering buying credits on the nascent exchange, according to a statement from Castro’s office.
Still, Schjolset said it could take years before Costa Rica’s market takes off.
“Much more ambitious (pollution) targets will have to be put into place post-2020 to create a real demand for reductions both internally and through international offsets,” he said.
The enduring ability to inspire wonder and awe, and to weather the rigors of time, Mother Nature and human politics – these are the qualities that elevate an engineering feat to landmark status. These attributes have drawn millions to the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China and the Eiffel Tower over the centuries. In 2014, admiring eyes will surely turn to Central America, as the year marks the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal.
Pacific entrance to the canal.
As engineering feats go, the canal is likely to amaze travelers for centuries to come. The 48-mile-long man-made waterway connects the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean at the narrowest point on the Central American isthmus.
First conceived as a way to help ships avoid the dangerous passage around Cape Horn at the southern-most tip of South America, the canal opened for business in 1914. The Panama Canal cut in half ships’ travel time from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans. Nearly a million ships have traversed the canal in the past 100 years, including cruise ships bearing travelers who come to experience the one-of-a-kind passage. Touring the Panama Canal and Central America allows travelers to not only see this modern engineering wonder, it provides access to beautiful landscapes, amazing wildlife and centuries-old cultures.
History of the Panama Canal
From 1819, Panama was part of the federation and country of Colombia but when Colombia rejected United States plans to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, the U.S. supported a revolution that led to the independence of Panama in 1903. The new Panamanian government authorized French businessman Philippe Bunau-Varilla, to negotiate a treaty with the United States. The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty allowed the U.S. to build the Panama Canal and provided for perpetual control of a zone five-miles wide on either side of the canal. Although the French had attempted construction of a canal in the 1880s, the Panama Canal was successfully built from 1904 to 1914. Once the canal was complete the U.S. held a swath of land running the approximately 50 miles across the isthmus of Panama. The division of the country of Panama into two parts by the U.S. territory of the Canal Zone caused tension throughout the twentieth century. Additionally, the self-contained Canal Zone (the official name for the U.S. territory in Panama) contributed little to the Panamanian economy. The residents of the Canal Zone were primarily U.S. citizens and West Indians who worked in the Zone and on the canal. Anger flared in the 1960s and led to anti-American riots. The U.S. and Panamanian governments began to work together to solve the territorial issue. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty which agreed to return 60% of the Canal Zone to Panama in 1979. The canal and remaining territory, known as the Canal Area, was returned to Panama at noon (local Panama time) on December 31, 1999. Additionally, from 1979 to 1999, a bi-national transitional Panama Canal Commission ran the canal, with an American leader for the first decade and a Panamanian administrator for the second. The transition at the end of 1999 was very smooth, for over 90% of the canal employees were Panamanian by 1996. The 1977 treaty established the canal as a neutral international waterway and even in times of war any vessel is guaranteed safe passage. After the 1999 hand-over, the U.S. and Panama jointly shared duties in defending the canal. Sources: About.com, Wikipedia, PanamaCanal.com, Eandt.theiet.org/
In a decision sounding very much like something the world soccer organization (FIFA) would come up with, the maximum body of Costa Rican soccer, the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (Fedefutbol) , has decreed that First Division fans can lose their team its place in the First Division through shouting racial slurs at opposing players.
The question came up (La Nacion Tackles Racism Head on) early this year but raised an ugly head again last Sunday when Cartago fans revived the odious practice against Waylon Francis of Heredia. Fedefutbol president Eduardo Li and general secretary Rafael Vargas had enough, and the board imposed five possible sanctions.
The penalty starts with a ¢500.000 colones (US$1.000) fine, then continues with the club having to play is next home match to a closed stadium (thereby losing gate receipts.) A club can also lose six points in its standing in the national championship.
For really severe or repeated infractions a club may be passed on to what baseball would call the “bush leagues,” the lower division, the winners of such ascend to the First Division. Finally, the offending club can be expelled completely from all formal competition, which would mean disbanding it entirely.
Fedefutbol explained that a club can be exonerated “if the only time the club has been sanctioned, it shows exercise of immediate measures to stop the infractions. The insults hurled by Saprissa fans against Puntarenas goalie Victor Bolivar raised the red fag to Fedfutbol earlier but those hurled at Francis were the last straw.
Comment: Notifying the offending fans may be a problem. Although notification of the new Fedefutbol rules appear in all Spanish language newspapers, we are not sure that many of the brain dead who would yell racial insults in this country can read.
Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson has spent months in exile at sea since a Red Notice was issued by Interpol on behalf of Costa Rica and Japan. Watson fled Germany in order to avoid extradition. He recently told ’60 Minutes of his temporary ocean home, “Well it’s a pretty nice prison. It’s you know– I don’t mind being on the ocean. It’s a beautiful place and certainly the citizens out here tend to be more peaceful.”
Photo: Synthian Sharp / Sea Shepherd
But now, Watson is finally back on land and in the United States. Sea Shepherd Australia posted a photo to their Facebook page just hours ago showing Watson with a group of excited-looking Sea Shepherds, as well as supporter Robert Kennedy, Jr. who wanted to be there to welcome the captain back.
Director of Sea Shepherd Australia, Jeff Hansen writes, “Dear Sea Shepherd family, I can confirm that after many months at sea and a life in exile, Captain Paul Watson is now safely back on land in the states…I am sure we can all raise a glass to Paul in saying, welcome back mate. We hope we can see you in Australia one day soon, as the greater whale loving people of Australia, New Zealand and the world have missed you.”
While Costa Rica’s Interpol Red Notice has been lifted, Watson and Sea Shepherd are set to defend themselves in court against charges brought by Japan. “Captain Paul was not arrested upon entry in the the United States and is there to testify in defence of his name in the contempt of court proceedings against himself from the illegal whale poachers from Japan. (Former Australian Greens leader) Bob Brown and myself will also be testifying as well in Seattle, early on next week,” says Hansen.
Watson added on his Facebook page, “I have returned to the United States. The Interpol Red Notice from Costa Rica has been dropped. I will challenge the Japan notice in the U.S. if required. Heading to Seattle to defend Sea Shepherd and myself from the SLAPP civil suit launched by the Japanese whalers. We carry on with our efforts to save the oceans, undeterred and undaunted.”
Sea Shepherd has called last year’s Antarctic anti-whaling campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance, their most dangerous but most successful campaign to date, saying their crew were able to save 932 whales. The organization plans to return to the Southern Ocean in December in this year’s Operation Relentless.
The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – national weather service – is forecasting that the transition to the dry season will start by mi-November, with the rainy season completely behind us by the first week in December.
The change of season will vary from region to region, with Guanacaste being the first shed the rainy season, followed by the Central Valley and Central Pacific and the Pacific south by the the second weed in December.
The New Yorker who allegedly helped set up and run Liberty Reserve, an operation in Costa Rica which handled huge amounts of money outside the control of governments, Vladimir Kats, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan court on Thursday.
Kats was accused of being a “global banker to criminals” is charged with running the US$6 billion dollar money laundering racket between 2006 and 2013.
Kats, a US citizen, was arrested in May of this year and originally pleaded not guilty, but on Thursday reversed his plea before US District Judge Denise Cote.
Six other people who worked at Liberty Reserve are also been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara told AFP he welcomed the plea.
“With his guilty plea today, we take a significant step toward punishing those responsible for creating and running this international den of cybercrime,” he said.
Five of the seven were arrested in May in Costa Rica, Spain and New York, sealing the fate of a company that had been one of the most successful in the popular but increasingly scrutinized world of unofficial banking and virtual currencies.
The other two suspects remain at large.
The probe involved law enforcement in 17 countries and “is believed to be the largest money laundering prosecution in history,” prosecutors have said.
Authorities say that when Liberty Reserve realized it was under investigation, it made a show of shutting down, yet continued to operate behind an array of shell companies in Australia, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Morocco, Russia and Spain.
The foto by CRHoy.com shows the work progress on the Circunvalación that has been closed between Hatillo 8 an Pavas since September.
The road, with temporary Baily bridges is expected to re-open within a couple of weeks – November 17 is the target date, when the permanent repair work will commence.
Only 30% of family businesses make it through to the second generation
A study by the Chamber of Industries of Costa Rica – Cámara de Industrias de Costa Rica (CICR), reports that 90 out of 100 companies in the country are family businesses.
These companies, a total of 57.687, of which 8.282 are industrial in nature, represent 60% of the GDP and generate 70% of all private sector employment.
Martha Castillo, Chamber VP, explained that only 30 out of 100 family businesses pass on to the second generation, 15% to the third and only 4% reach the foruth generation.
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being.
In some countries, many of the largest publicly listed firms are family-owned. A firm is said to be family-owned if a person is the controlling shareholder; that is, a person (rather than a state, corporation, management trust, or mutual fund) can garner enough shares to assure at least 20% of the voting rights and the highest percentage of voting rights in comparison to other shareholders.
Some of the world’s largest family-run-businesses are Walmart (United States), Samsung Group (Korea), Tata Group (India) and Foxconn (Taiwan). Family owned businesses account for over 30% of companies with sales over $1 billion.
In Costa Rica, some of the prominent family businesses include Grupo Servica, founded in 1974 by Enrique Chavarría (now deceased); Grupo Constela founded in 1932 by Manuel Constenla Meijide, as a distributor of food, wine and liquor and today a mass consumer distributor.
Family businesses has some ineherent problems to deal with, like if the interests of a family member is not be aligned with the interest of the business. For example, if a family member wants to be president but is not as competent as a non-family member, the personal interest of the family member and the well being of the business may be in conflict.
Or, the interests of the entire family may not be balanced with the interests of their business. For example, if a family needs its business to distribute funds for living expenses and retirement but the business requires those to stay competitive, the interests of the entire family and the business are not aligned.
Finally, the interest of one family member may not be aligned with another family member. For example, a family member who is an owner may want to sell the business to maximize their return, but a family member who is an owner and also a manager may want to keep the company because it represents their career and they want their children to have the opportunity to work in the company.
International News from QPanama – On Sunday Nvember 3 and Monday November 4, parades across the Panamanian Isthmus will mark the 110th anniversary of Panama as an independent republic.
The principal routes in Panama City will be Via Espana and Calle 50, with thousands of marchers and bands from schools, and institutions, including Bomberos and police. The groups that march on each route, reverse routes on the second day, so you will have the opportunity to see all the participants and join in the celebrations.
The City Mayor’s Office has issued a list of rules for the parades.
The the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the routes will be banned.
Cooking implements by food vendors must be 20 meters from the center of the street so as to not interfere with the marchers.
Inspectors and police officers will be on duty to ensure the rules are followed, the office said.
International News from QVenezuela – Venezuela ratified today its claim to the American company Twitter after thousands of accounts belonging to ministers and pro-government media and supporters were simultaneously suspended Wednesday.
The Minister of Communication and Information, Dercy Rodriguez, reported that it was a massive political attack and made a formal complaint to Twitter, still unanswered.
In addition to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Rodriguez, at least two other ministers, state media, journalists and personalities were attacked.
According to reports, the account of Venezuelan President lost 6,500 followers.
The government says the accounts of a pro-government newspapers and some media, and Venezuela’s immigration authority were also suspended, along with the accounts of other officials and government agencies.
Canadian mining company Infinito Gold announced its intentions to sue the government of Costa Rica for US$1 billion dollars over the Las Crucitas open-pit gold mining concession in Costa Rica’s northern zone.
The legal battle between the Chinchilla administration and the Canadian miner began when the government cancelled the La Crucitas project in Cutris de San Carlos, in the province of Alajuela, following calls by environmentalists and local residents over environment and health concerns, resulting in a court cancelling the permit.
In 2008 Industrias Infinito, the Costa Rican subsidiary of the Calgary (Canada) based Infinito Gold, obtained a mining concession (by the Arias administration) for the 261-hectare project. The company says it has invested US$92 million in the project that it expected to have a profit potential of US$1 billion.
Costa Rica’s Environment Minister has yet to comment on the Infinito announcement.
Earlier this year, the International Centre for Settlement Dispute dismissed Infinito’s $1 billion claim against another Latin American government. Venezuelan officials confiscated the company’s Las Cristinas mine in 2001, sparking a 10-year battle between the government and the Canadian company.
In a flashy effort to illustrate just how much detail is packed into its 4K TVs, Sony has released a new commercial that features 8 million petals erupting from Costa Rica’s Irazú volcano.
The waves of red, pink, yellow, and purple engulf a nearby village, and the cinematography here immediately evokes memories of the famous bouncing ball ad Sony produced for its Bravia TV line.
It’s a gorgeous production, but there’s also some significance to the visuals: the 8 million petals represent each individual pixel contained in Sony’s 4K sets — four times the detail of 1080p.
We’re not sure it’s going to sell hardware (especially at current prices), but Sony’s latest commercial proves that the company has one of the most creative and ambitious ad teams in the industry.
Below you’ll find the final commercial and a behind-the-scenes video chronicling its production.
– Arms and drugs seized were headed for Mexico
– Investigation began on a tip from the DEA
Two undercover agents of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) were able to infiltrate an organized crime unit with ties to Colombia’s Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), operating in Costa Rica.
Francisco Segura, head of the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ)
Between the late hours of Thursday night and early Friday morning, agents raided three homes and were able to arrest five Colombian nationals and a Nicaraguan, confiscate 492 kilos of illegal drugs presumed headed for Mexico, 27 rifles and 7 handguns.
The raids were on homes in Sabana Sur, Barrio Escalante and Curridabat.
Francisco Segura, head of the OIJ, said that one of the Colombians was the owner of a gun shop located in Barrio Escalante, where weapons were brought in legally, the modified and sold illegally.
Segura said at a press conference Friday afternoon that Costa Rican authorities will be working with their counterparts in Colombia to verify the identify of the Colombians.
Segura explained that the OIJ began its investigation several weeks back after receiving information from the DEA in the United States about arms movements, linked to the FARC in Colombia.
The OIJ chief said that an undercover agent was able to get close enough to arrange for the purchase of the illegal (modified) weapons. Learning that there were illegal drugs involved, a second agent was brought in to infiltrate the gang.
Last night, the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) said it conducted a series of raids on three houses in Sabana Sur, Cipreses de Curridabat and Barrio Escalante – all post neighbourhoods in San José.
The OIJ says it seized 400 kgs of drugs and several guns. The four men are in custody in the OIJ jail cells awaiting their appearance before a judge.
More details are expected by OIJ officials later this morning.
