In what seems to a video game, a group called “Patrulla 1856” has been created to recruit Costa Ricans who want to defend the country against an invasion by Nicaragua.
“1856” is the name of the road that runs parallel to the San Juan river, a river that belongs to Nicaragua and its south bank is the division between the two countries.
On their website and Facebook page, the group describes itself as a “paramilitary apolitical group”, showing pictures of people in military fatigues and weapons and ask for help of people to bring expert knowledge in military and cartography, as well as help from experienced hunters.
The group says that their initiative is upheld by Article 12 of the country’s Constitution.
Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 after victory in the civil war in that year and is the only country in the Americas without a military.
Although many would rather not talk about the issue of militarization, the idea of a “national defense” against the attacks by Nicaragua, continues to grow.
The former head of the Fuerza Publica (police), José Fabio Pizarro, says he has received multiple requests for support in the social media over the last several days.
Costa Rica’s constitution has forbidden a standing military since 1949. It does have a public security force, whose role includes law enforcement and internal security. For this reason Costa Rica is the headquarters for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and also the United Nations‘ University for Peace.
Using the internet and social media, “Patrulla 1856” aims to “serve the country, defending sovereignty against the current invasion by Nicaragua”.
The website explains that only those over 25 years of age AND Costa Rican can be part of the group.
The Ministerio de Seguridad (Ministry of Security) “officially” denies that the government is behind the group and making a call to arms.
“This is our home, our country, no one and I repeat no one has the right to sully our sacred soil”, says the group’s video message.
The group is not asking for money, only canned food.
Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, insisted Friday on a dailogue with Costa Rica to overcome the tensions between the two countries while the cases before the International court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) continues.
“I propose to President Laura Chinchilla with the greatest respect that we appoint delegates for to ensure that there is no presence of persons of any kind or execution of works in the area where the Court is still deciding on a ruling,” said Ortega during a meeting with businessmen in Managua.
Two lawsuits are before the ICJ after the alleged invasion of Nicaraguan troops of the wetlands called Isla Calero, in October 2010 and the follow construction by Costa Rica of a parallel road “La Trocha” to the San Juan river.
As of this morning there has been no response from Casa Presidencial.
Former Costa Rican and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias says he is disappointed with U.S. presient Barack Obama, for his intention to attack Syria, as stated in the portal specializing in Vatican news, RomeReports.com
Arias criticized the cynicism of “collateral damage” used in wars.
“In all limited bombing there are deaths of innocent civilians and I find cynical the phrase ‘collateral damage’,” said Arias in the video interview.
In a speech last May, fellow Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama, said that “conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones, and likely to cause more civilian casualties and local outrage”. A few months later, in July, a study conducted by a US military adviser has found that drone strikes in Afghanistan during a year of the protracted conflict caused 10 times more civilian casualties than strikes by manned fighter aircraft.
This week the record for the number of people affected with Dengue hit a new record, surpassing the record on 2005.
THe Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) reports 38.497 cases so far this year, more than the high record of 37.214 cases set in 2005.
María Ethel Trejos, Director of Health Surveillance, said the good news in the nine helath regions in which the country is divided, cases continue to increase only in the Brunca and Chorotega regions, while in the remaining seven regions the number of infected began to drop last week.
Trejos said that Santa Cruz and Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste (in the Chorotega region) and in Golfito and Perez Zeledon (part of the Brunca region) cases continue to increase.
The 16th annual “Icaro” Central American Film and Video Festival opened in El Salvador with the screening of recently released Salvadoran films and videos. Leticia Giron, of the organizing committee, told the Prensa Latina news agency that the main objective of the festival is to gather and promote regional work in film and video.
She said that the festival has become a celebration where national producers, directors and script writers present their works to be analyzed by an international jury and then represent El Salvador at the Guatemala International Festival, the international Icaro.
Among the international jury members at the 16th festival is Cuban actor and director Jorge Molina, who is also a professor at the San Antonio de los Baños International Film and Television School and Higher Institute of Art, and well known in this country for his performance in the Cuban film “Juan de los Muertos”.
At the opening ceremony, Florence Jaugey’s documentary “El engaño”, (The deceit), which tells the stories of women who are victims of human trafficking, and a short animation by Salvadorian director Pilar Colome “Yoselin y el coyote” (Yoselin and the coyote) were screened.
The 16th festival will close on Saturday the 28th, with additional screenings in the cities of Santa Ana and San Miguel.
Basic public infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, electrical generation, potable water systems, sewage disposal, and telecommunications, does lag behind development.
The road system in the Country is strained to handle the volume of traffic. Due to the mountainous nature of the Country, road closures are common in the rainy season, due to slides and washouts.
Electricity and telephone service is available in the majority of the Country, and Municipal and National Water Commission (AyA) water in urbanized areas, and private wells in rural areas. These utilities are billed monthly. The agencies charged with the provision of these services are very efficient at cutting-off the service for non-payment.
Sewage disposal is still predominantly by individual septic systems, with larger condo-style developments, being required to have on-site treatment.
Some high density developments on the Pacific Coast, in Manuel Antonio, Jaco and Tamarindo, are having particular trouble with the issue of sewage disposal.
To contact Attorney Rick Philps about hiring him as your Costa Rican Attorney, please use the following information: Lic. Rick Philps – Attorney at Law, Petersen & Philps, San Jose, Costa Rica Tel: 506-2288-4381, Ext. 102; Email: rphilps@plawcr.com Website: www.plawcr.com
In the aftermath of the terrible earthquake in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a new island has emerged off the coast of Gwadar, leaving the people of Costa Rica to ponder about two things: 1 – The geotectonic birth of our country in the Jurassic period, and 2 – How long before President Daniel Ortega claims the new island as part of Nicaragua (insert rimshot sound effect here.)
All jokes aside, the collective hearts of the people of Costa Rica go out to the victims in Pakistan. Recent reports from the Associated Press indicate that Pakistan’s violent earthquake has caused an enormous loss of life for the most unfortunate. The following is from the Denver Post:
Survivors built shelters with sticks and bed sheets Wednesday, a day after their mud houses were flattened in an earthquake that killed 285 people in southwestern Pakistan and pushed a new island up out of the Arabian Sea.
While waiting for help to reach remote villages, hungry people dug through the rubble to find food. And the country’s poorest province struggled with a dearth of medical supplies, hospitals and other aid.
The 7.7-magnitude quake flattened wide swathes of Awaran district, where it was centered, leaving much of the population homeless.
Costa Rica maintains bilateral diplomatic relations with Pakistan. The Pakistani Honorary Consul’s office is located in Barrio Tournon in San Jose, and Ambassador Muhammad Masood is stationed in Mexico City. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica has not yet made an announcement on the matter, but the Costa Rica Star urges those who wish to support disaster relief efforts to do so through the Western Union Foundation and Save the Children:
The Western Union Foundation today announced support for disaster relief efforts that will help the families and communities affected by the devastating earthquake in Pakistan.
[…] consumers worldwide-can give online by using the “Donate Now” button at WesternUnionFoundation.org, and selecting the “Pakistan Earthquake Relief” option.
At this point, donating through Western Union might be easier than doing so through the Pakistan Red Crescent Society due to international bank wire transfer fees -although these may be waived in the near future.
Dangerous Island
The new island in the Arabian Sea is emitting flammable gases, but that has not stopped security forces and geologists in Pakistan from visiting this new tectonic formation. Illyas Khan of the BBC News desk in Islamabad filed a fascinating story complete with many pictures of the young island:
Barely half an hour after they were jolted by a major earthquake on Tuesday, people of the Pakistani coastal town of Gwadar had another shock when they saw a new island emerge in the sea, just over a kilometre from the shore.
“It’s an oval shaped island which is about 250ft to 300ft (76-91m) in length, and about 60 to 70ft above the water,”
“There were dead fish on the surface. And on one side we could hear the hissing sound of the escaping gas,”
Although they couldn’t smell gas, they did put a match to the fissures from where it was oozing, and set it on fire.
“We put the fire out in the end, but it was quite a hassle. Not even the water could kill it, unless one poured buckets over it.”
The Geological Origin of Costa Rica
Pakistan and Costa Rica are both countries where people must deal with the ever-present risk of seismic and volcanic activity. In fact, it was about 200 million years ago that an underwater volcanic and orogenic process began.
When the major African, American and European tectonic plates through a process of convection, the Atlantic Ocean was formed. Deep under the surface of this ancient ocean, volcanic activity pushed up mountain ridges that emerged as the outer arc of an island that would result in the topography of the two major peninsulas of Costa Rica: Nicoya and Osa. Readers in Playa Herradura take note: You are in a very ancient region of Costa Rica, and the hills therein are vestiges of formerly imposing mountains.
Costa Rica was once a series of islands that were buried under a process of heavy volcanic activity, sedimentation and erosion. The Talamanca Mountain Range did not begin to emerge until about 1.8 million years ago, in the Miocene period. It only took Costa Rica about 8 to 10 million years to become the beautiful country she is today, and it is important to note that she still has some growing up to do, hence the constant seismic and volcanic activity that wakes you up at night and prompts adventuresome tourists to visit us.
With continuous geotectonic activity in Costa Rica, the Cocos Mountain Range (which is currently underwater), could one day be added to our Central, Guanacaste and Talamanca ranges. This is something that the Costa Rica Star explained last year:
Underwater Mountain Ridge Advances Towards Our Pacific Shores
An underwater colossus the size of our Miravalles volcano is moving towards our Central Pacific coast and is causing earthquakes as it gets closer to the shores of Costa Rica.
The underwater mountain ridge is known as the Quepos Plateau, and it is located on the Cocos tectonic plate. It is currently located 75 kilometers southwest of the port city of Quepos, and it moves at a rate of about 9 centimeters a year.
The Cocos Mountain Range is nothing to worry about for the time being; but, like the Pakistan earthquake has shown, Nature is not ready to take a break yet.
The Arms Trade Treaty is part of a larger global effort begun in 1997 by Costa Rican President and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias
New York: Costa Rican Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo announced Wednesday afternoon that 107 nations have signed the Arms Trade Treaty, an initiative of Costa Rica that was approved by the United Nations last April.
However only six countries (Costa Rica, Guyana, Nigeria, Iceland, Antigua and Barbados) have ratified the pact. In all, some 50 countries have to ratify the treaty (by vote of each nation’s parliaments or congresses) for it to become binding.
This process can take years. The ATT tightens restrictions on sale and purchase of conventional weapons. Many arms producing countries in Europe as well as Russia and the United States are not expected to sign the pact nor will there be ratification of their elected representatives.
Right now, unless some momentous sea change occurs, too much is at stake in the multi-billion dollar business of arms manufacturing to allow countries to take the economic and political hit involved with voluntarily lowering income and employment.
Still, in making his announcement at a press conference, Castillo was flanked by Austrailian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and Finland, showing great respect for what Costa Rica’s UN delegation is attempting to do.
The only countries to openly oppose ATT have been (so far) North Korea, Syria and Iran. President Chinchilla personally deposited a signed copy of the treaty with the UN Secretary General Wednesday before participating in a forum on ATT in the afternoon.
Australian Foreign Minister Bishop made a point of mentioning in the press conference the absence of Kenya’s president due to the terrorist attack in his country — carried out with conventional weapons against men, women and children and leaving more than 70 dead.
Comment: There is a time limit on the signing and ratification of the treaty if it is to go into effect. Undoubtedly many more small countries will sign the treaty and a lesser number of chief executives will manage to push through ratification, although it may not be enough.
Certainly Costa Rica’s UN ambassador, Educardo Ulibarri, a former journalist, is enough of a realist to know that the ATT is a gesture and a symbol. Still, he is also enough of a visionary to realize that Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the UN to give more than lip service to world peace and it has to begin somewhere.
In early September, Costa Rica’s Security Minister Mario Zamora announced a multi-agency strategy involving security forces, the Public Ministry and the Judicial Investigation Organization. But he wasn’t targeting drug trafficking or violence; he was striking out at cattle theft.
The announcement came two weeks after a Nicaraguan farmer with connections to Costa Rica was murdered alongside his son near the Costa Rican border in an apparent act of revenge for cattle rustling. So far this year, Costa Rican authorities have reported dismantling four gangs dedicated to cattle theft; a crime they say has escalated in recent months.
But Costa Rican authorities are not the only ones concerned about the practice, which afflicts rural communities from northern Mexico to southern Argentina. In July, Nicaraguan National Police Commissioner Aminta Granera declared the crime was growing year on year, as she announced more than 100 cattle rustling gangs had been dismantled in the first six months of 2013.
In the absence of a comprehensive regional study on the phenomenon, it is hard to place a value on cattle rustling. In one department of Bolivia alone, $2 million of cattle is reportedly stolen each year. In Colombia, in the first half of 2013 almost 1,300 head of cattle were stolen — worth approximately $1 million, based on figures from previous years.
Meanwhile, the past year has seen reports of a growth in rustling in rural zones throughout the region, including in Colombia, Chile and Mexico.
In June, an investigation by Mexican newspaper El Universal highlighted the problem not only of rustling, but also of cattle trafficking. With beef prices almost doubling between Guatemala and Mexico, the newspaper reported an annual influx of up to $30 million of illegally trafficked cattle into the latter country.
Cattle rustling has a long history in Latin America and in the 19th century was even employed as a form of rural protest against social inequality. Today in Colombia it is still used by rural insurgents, with left-wing guerrillas stealing cattle to menace landowners, as well as to feed troops and raise funds.
However, in most regions it is carried out by small gangs, which sell the cattle locally for quick illegal slaughter, or traffic them to neighboring countries where prices are higher. For that reason, rustling is often felt hardest where cattle pastures are found in borderlands, such as between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and Uruguay and Brazil.
As shown in the El Universal investigation, cattle theft and trafficking can also occur on a much larger scale and involve major transnational drug smuggling groups. It can even be an early step on the path towards transnational organized crime — as local knowledge and influence over officials is critical to any kind of contraband smuggling, the transportation of one product can easily lead to another. Perhaps the most infamous example of this is Nelson and Javier Rivera — two former car thieves and cattle rustlers that went on to be key members of one of Honduras’ most powerful trafficking networks, the Cachiros.
According to El Universal, in Mexico the worlds of cattle rustling and drug trafficking have to some extent begun to merge. El Universal reported that drug-filled condoms had been anally inserted into cattle to smuggle product northwards. At the time of publication, InSight Crime had not received a requested copy of the report this claim was based upon. However, should it be true, with 1.5 million head of Mexican cattle entering the United States each year, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), this poses the question of whether such methods could be, or have been, used to transport drugs into the United States.
While cattle rustling is a growing problem in many places in the region, there have also been some success stories in attempts to fight the practice. Uruguay has reported year on year reductions in the crime since 2005. In part this is due to the presence of “Bepras” — brigades dedicated to combating rustling — which carry handsets to read chips implanted in the ears of all cattle at birth as part of a national registration system in place since 2003.
In Chile too, positive signs have been reported, with a “frontal war” on rustling reported to be yielding results following the introduction in June of a new national system of oversight for cattle transportation.
However, Uruguay and Chile are two of the countries least afflicted by corruption in the region. Elsewhere registration systems exist, but have been subverted by corrupt officials. In a case in Nicaragua late last year, two deputy mayors from neighboring municipalities were arrested for providing false documentation for stolen cattle. In Mexico, a similar problem exists, with El Universal noting the ease criminals have in acquiring the necessary paperwork to transport cattle northwards from the Guatemalan border region. If cattle rustling is to be truly tackled, then addressing this corruption rather than implementing expensive monitoring systems may be the key.
Christopher Howard posted on his Facebook page this beautiful photo of Costa Rica’s white-sand beach made of crushed sea shells, Playa Conchal in Guanacaste.
All for a good cause, women in Costa Rica will have the opportunity to walk the streets of San José in their brassieres.
Anasovi, ChepeCletas and the Fundación Vida Nueva have grouped together to organize a walk/run/bike through San José in a bra to promote the fight against breast cancer.
The activity is set for Saturday, October 5, starting at 9:30am in the Parque Nacional (across from the Legislative Assembly building in downtown San José).
On Sunday, October 6, the Anna Ross Foundation is holding its 10km walk and run, the largest against breast cancer in Latin America. The Ross Foundation was created in 2003 and had become an annual tradition in Costa Rica since.
The Anna Ross event includes 2 kilometre walk that is free and open to all and a 5 and 10 kilometre run that costs ¢8.000 colones, will all proceeds going towards the fight against breast cancer. The Ross Walk and Run starts at 8am at the Parque La Merced in downtown San José.
The walk/run/bike in bra and Anna Ross event is just one of the many events around the country, though most are concentrated in the Central Valley and San José, where the majority of the country’s population live.
This is the second walk/run/bike in bra event in the country. Last year some 300 women came out in their bras. The walk/run/bike in bra event is open to all ages and sexes.
Despite the efforts of a Transit Police, the radial connecting La Sabana Alajuelita is collapsed daily due to large number of vehicles chocked off with the closure of the Circunvalacion (ring road). | Photo creit: JORGE NAVARRO, La Nacion
Despite the efforts of a Transit Police, the radial connecting La Sabana Alajuelita is collapsed daily due to large number of vehicles chocked off with the closure of the Circunvalacion (ring road). | Photo creit: JORGE NAVARRO, La Nacion
The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) announced that the Interlinea – intersectoral buses of San José – will start opertaring on Wednesday, October 2.
The announcement came late Thurday night after a long session breaking before 11pm, where the Consejo de Transporte Público (CTP) approved the plans for the bus routes. Required still is the endorsement of bus operators.
Silvia Bolaños, viceministra de Transportes (Deputy Minister of Transport), simply said the buses on the new routes will run every 15 to 20 minutes, with an average of 30 stops on each route. More details are expected in the coming days.
Most of the original signs erected in 2008 on the Interlinea routes still stand.
The extra long session at the CTP came after Thursday morning’s publishing in “La Gaceta” of the “executive order” that called for the Interlinea to be up and running within three working days.
The Intelinea bus routes are three: Escazú – La Uruca; Moravia – La Uruca; and Guadalupe – Desamparados. The routes will operate on a trial basis for six months.
The objective of the three routes is move passengers without the need to travel to and from downtown San José.
For example, today, a passenger travelling to and from Escazú and La Uruca will have to take two buses: one bus to and from Escazú and downtown San José and another to and from downtown San José and La Uruca. Other than the obvious of having to pay only one bus fare instead of two, passengers of the interlinea can travel to and fro other sectors like Pavas, Rohormoser and La Sabana, again, without having to travel to downtown San José and back.
The single fare of each of the three interlinea routes is ¢350 colones.
According to Maritza Hernández, president of Cámara de Transportistas (Carriers Chamber), the new routes will not replace the existing.
“Passengers have the option to choose”, said Hernández.
The idea of the Interlinea began back in 2008 by the Arias administration (2006-2010). The routes were mapped out, the concession contracts signed and the buses purchased. Legal roadblocks put the brakes on the plan, with an administrative tribunal killing the plan on the eve of the July 7, 2008 start.
The current administration (2010-2014) tried to revive the Interlinea within the first year of its mandate. But failed.
The current “emergency” with the temporary closure of the Circunvalación pushed the Chinchilla administration into a corner. Having to provide a solution to the chaotic traffic congestion caused by the closure, it did so in a matter of a couple of weeks what it could not do in the last three.
Driving on the Ruta 27 (San José – Caldera) will be more expensive starting Tuesday, October 1, when a quarterly rate adjustment takes place.
The Autopistas del Sol informs that the tolls will increase ¢10 colones (for passenger vehicles) at San Rafael, Pozón (Orotina) and Siquiares.
The toll at San Rafael will be ¢460, while at Pozón and Siquiares, each ¢360 (for passenger vehicles).
Toll rates are reviewed every three months and adjusted based on the exchange rate, as per the concession contract between the Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes (MOPT) and Autopistas.
After running for president in three unsuccessful attempts (almost winning one), former presidential candidate for the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), Ottón Solís, head back to the Legislative function in the 2014 elections.
Solis is the founder, president and three time presidential candidate of the Citizens’ Action Party (Partido Accion Ciudadana), graduating from the University of Costa Rica in 1976 and gained a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Manchester in 1978. He is currently an Eminent Scholar at the University of Florida.
In the 2002 Costa Rican presidential elections, Solís broke the prevailing bipartisan political model to occupy a strong third place in the Presidential race. A virtual tie between former President Óscar Arias and Solís forced a recount in the 2006 presidential election. Ultimately, Arias won, though by only a few thousand votes over the 40 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff.
Epsy Campbell, who aspired to take the leadership of the PAC after Solís stepped down, will also run again for a legislative seat.
Otton and Epsy are two of the seven candidates nominated y PAC presidential candidate, Luis Guillermo Solís (no relation to Otton), at a press conference Thursday.
The former PAC leader and legislator will represent San José, the other five nominees will represent Cartago, Puntarenas, Heredia and Alajuela.
The appointment of the seven is expected to be ratified this weekend at PAC’s national assembly session, when the rest of appointments will be named.
The 2014 elections are to be held on Sunday, February 2.
Thursday is a heavy discussion day with my clients. It last up to six hours and the topics are “open”. What is on most people’s mind is, “What to do about Nicaragua who first took on the Isla Calero and has recently been dredging new canals on Costa Rica land cutting to the Caribbean?”
I keep humming, “What do we do with a girl like Maria?” from the Sound of Music.
The point being, what do we do about Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Ortega who keep occupying more and more of our land, little pieces at a time, but it is ours none the less. Not to mention, allegedly taking some of our water rights in the Caribbean to drill for oil? (Black gold that is!)
I wonder what took so long for our crack police to discover that Eden Pastora has been dredging away for months? How hard is it to climb down from the only observation tower and do what police are supposed to do: patrol?
Today’s discussions ran the gamut and most wanted the United States to step in as it did during the Sandinista-Somoza revolution and protect our border with fighter jets.
However, if my memory serves me right, Costa Rica’s assembly made a huge fuss over U.S. Coast Guard ships (a) dropping off tons of cocaine along with the alleged perpetrators and then, (b) made some kind of big deal when the U.S. hospital ship asked to dock in Limon, and finally (c) Oscar Arias has jumped all over the U.S. for arms, for war, for just about everything except the Bronx hot dog.
Maybe China can come to the rescue with its wonderful, tasty food that we love so much.
What Lady Laura seems to want is for another country to cross swords and shed blood with Nicaragua before do Ticos?
I asked why the first drop of blood should not be of Costa Rica? The general answers were the usual dogma: “We are a country of peace, we have no standing military, we are poor, we rather go to a Tyler Smith concert.
Besides, after the shame, deep shame of la Trocha what’s left to steal as the national anthem plays on?
Ultimately, in a fight among kids, one gets a bloody nose then the others join in. True in baseball as well. What Chinchilla wants is only foreign blood to be spilled to protect our northern boarders.
With close to 15,000 police people, I am tired of this pacifist dogma that makes no sense. As the Floridians say, “When up to you’re ass in alligators, it is no time to think about draining the swamp.
But, It is time to be un-pacifist and deploy our fighting resources, to show the world Ticos are not afraid to shed blood for the “patria” and then we can call upon Colombia, even the U.S. who has its collective hands full, to guard and repel the invasion of Costa Rica by Nicaragua.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla Miranda said that there is no corruption in her government and there is free speech, without any kind of censorship to any dissident group, political party, etc.
The interview was made after Chinchilla delivered her speech to the United Nations earlier this week.
The publication was quick to point out that Chinchilla has only seven months left in her mandate and is leaving office with a very low popularity – and still dropping – since taking office in May 2010 and that the tiff with Nicaragua is the saving grace of a government full of scandlals, and the disappointment of the population who believe her government is corrupt and she has not been effective in her mandate.
Asked what does she expect from a strong UN complaint against Nicaragua, the Chinchilla made it clear that Costa Rica’s raised voice before the UN is not rhetoric, rather in defence of international rights.
Chinchilla defends her work as befallen by times of uncertainty, especially with the international crisis that has also affected a small country like Costa Rica and the threats of the drug traffickers and organize crime.
Chinchilla was quick to point out that the achievements of her government include a reduction in the homicide rate and economic growth that has achieved exceptional goals.
Faced with what the surveys that say she being the worst president in the hemisphere, Chinchilla said that a president is not measured by what the polls say, rather how it leaves the country and the end of the term. In the case of Costa Rica it being in better shape than the rest of the countries in the region.
“As for the popularity ratings compared among Latin American leaders, that’s like comparing apples and oragnes. Costa Rica has an active and intense regime of free speech. There is absolutely no sensorship for any dissident group, political or media, something that does not exist in other Latin countries”, said Chinchilla.
Asked about the main complain of most Costa Ricans being a high degree of corruption in government, Chinchilla defended herself saying that it has been the government to uncover corruption and it (corruption) does not exist in her government, rather in the “administration”.
“We have adopted a very different style of government than in the past and it has cost us”, said Chinchilla.
San José, Costa Rica’s capital city, is the fourth city in the world most vulnerable to natural disasters, according to a report by Swiss re-insurer, Schweizer Rück (Swiss Re).
Swiss Re, is a leading wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms of risk transfer. The report reads:
“In some conurbations, a natural disaster can have a devastating effect on the economy of the entire country.
This is the case in larger cities such as Lima, but also in smaller cities such as San Jose in Costa Rica.
Although potential economic losses in these cities are relatively modest, their importance as national centres of production places them among the top ten riskiest cities when measured by the expected fallout for their home countries.”
According to the study, the greatest risk facing Costa Rica is an earthquake. While in urban areas of Tokyo- Yokohama in Japan, an earthquake of great magnitude would affect 29 million people in the Greater Metropolitan Area ( GAM ) of Costa Rica it would be 2.2 million.
Our country would suffer a greater impact on the national economy, says the analysis, because it lacks most urban areas, in contrast to Japan.
The study analyzed the impact that would cause earthquakes, high winds, floods, storms and tsunamis in 616 urban areas in the world.
In San José , only communities like Hatillo, Desamparados and Alajuelita that would be severely affected , in contrast to the impact faced by other Central American cities, to disasters.
Protti said there is a greater risk in the other capitals of Central America and in Ankara , Turkey , but do not appear in the document.
The FIFA World Cup™ solid gold trophy will arrive in Costa Rica tomorrow, Friday, as it travels the world to return to Brazil for the start of the World Cup games from June 12 to July 13, 2014.
The first time the Original FIFA World Cup™ Trophy made an unprecedented tour was in 2006. This is the third time that the world’s most coveted symbol of football is going on tour around the world. The 2013/14 Trophy Tour will visit 88 countries during its 267-day duration.
The cup will be in Costa Rica for only 48 hours, on display at the Eventos Pedregal, Belén, on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29.
According to Dianne Medrano, marketing manager for Coca Cola in Central America, some 30.000 people are expected to visit the trophy in Costa Rica, for a total of more than 1 million visits around the world.
The Trophy, which is 36.8 cm tall, weighs 6,175 g and is made of 18 carat solid gold. The name of the country whose national team wins each tournament is engraved in the bottom side of the trophy, and therefore is not visible when the trophy is standing upright. The text states the year in figures and the name of the winning nation in its national language. As of 2010, ten winners have been engraved on the base.
In fact there are two trophies. FIFA’s regulations now state that the trophy, unlike its predecessor, cannot be won outright: the winners of the tournament receive a replica which is gold plated rather than solid gold.
The Ticos
Despite missing out on South Africa 2010, Costa Rica have established themselves as the most consistent third team in the CONCACAF pecking order, ranking in behind Mexico and the United States.
The Ticos reached their first FIFA World Cup™ back in 1990 after attempting to qualify on and off since 1938. They then missed out on the 1994 and 1998 editions before returning to the global fold with distinction in 2002.
They went as far as the inter-continental play-off last year, but were beaten barely by eventual semi-finalists Uruguay over two legs and missed out on booking their third consecutive appearance at the biggest football show on earth.
The Interlinea – intersectoral bus routes of San José – got closer to reality today with the publishing in La Gaceta of the government decree reviving the plan that stalled in 2008.
The Consejo de Transporte Público (CTP) now has three working days to put the plan into action, with the objective of providing relief to the traffic congestion cause by the temporary closure of the Circunvalacion.
Silvia Bolaños, deputy minister of Transport, this morning confirmed meetings will be held all day today between Transport officials and bus operators to determine the number of buses required on each one fo the routes.
Later today we will also learn the day the buses will begin to roll.
The Interlinea project is temporary, to run for the next three months and cost ¢350 colones each way on the following routes: Desamparados-Moravia; Guadalupe-Uruca and Uruca-Escazú.
A significant drop in sports fishing tourism and the global financial crisis are to blame for causing investors to shy away from marina projects in Costa Rica. According to a recent report by business journalist Ana Cristina Camacho Sandoval of El Financiero, out of 21 marina projects that filed for permits in 2007, only nine remain -and they are all stalled.
Sixteen years ago, investors could have pointed their covetous fingers to the bureaucracy and inefficiency at ICT, Costa Rica’s government agency charged with oversight of the tourism industry. ICT gives the final green light to marina projects dedicated to luxury yacht docking and sports fishing, and in the past the agency was notorious for its strict adherence to “Tico time” and excessive bureaucracy. That changed with the passing of Public Law 7774, which deals with marinas and other docking installations that cater to tourism.
Public Law 7774 recognized the importance of providing boating and sports fishing enthusiasts who travel to Costa Rica adequate installations to partake in their hobby. To this end, the law directed ICT to streamline their marina approval process. This law was passed in the late 20th century, and it was prescient insofar as predicting the dot-com and housing market bubbles of the United States and the ensuing influx of cash into Costa Rica. Unfortunately, the tourism industry of Costa Rica could not predict the sheer downturn caused by the global financial crisis circa 2008.
The Plunge of Sports Fishing Tourism
A recent survey taken by ICT among travelers arriving at the two major international airports of Costa Rica, SJO in Alajuela and LIR in Liberia, a respectable 7.3 percent of tourists came to our country for the purpose of deep sea fishing. These are mostly tourists from Canada and the United States. In 2009, that percentage had dropped to 6.2 percent, and last year it was down to 4.8 percent. To put these percentages into perspective, it helps to know that more than 70,000 visitors to Costa Rica engaged in sports fishing in 2012.
The report on El Financiero indicates that the three major marinas in Costa Rica have felt the effects of the global financial crisis; however, the fact that no other marinas are rising up as competitors gives them certain peace of mind. We are talking about the ritzy Marina Los Suenos in Playa Herradura and near Jaco Beach, Marina Papagayo in Guanacaste and Marina Pez Vela in Quepos. Despite several issues related to squatters and agrarian law on nearby land, Los Suenos is the crown jewel of all marinas in Costa Rica, a tourism magnet that is 90 percent booked during the green (rainy) season and 100 percent the rest of the time.
Environmental and Investor Concerns
The sheer success of Los Suenos put dollar signs in the eyes of many would-be marina entrepreneurs and investors eager to emulate a similar level of monetary achievement. Out of the 21 marina projects that had their permits expedited by ICT, only four look like they are (barely) moving forward: Las Gaviotas, Bahia Banano and Bahia Cocodrilo in Golfito, as well as El Coco in Guanacaste. The rest of the projects have either withdrawn or are stalled due to lack of investors and environmental concerns.
ICT and environmental regulatory agencies in Costa Rica have grown stricter over the years. Even as marina developers strive to meet environmental standards, watchdog groups remain vigilant -thereby making investors nervous. Such is the case of Marina Moin and Resort in the Caribbean province of Limon, which at one point was intended to be developed into one of the world’s largest marinas; however, multiple red flags were raised by the Technical Secretary of National Environmental Affairs (Spanish acronym: SETENA) and the project was shelved.
The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has a very rich diversity of wildlife and some of the best fishing in the world. Although this would make Moin a promising spot for a luxury marina and resort complex, there are numerous protected sea turtle nesting areas, wetlands and mangroves that force developers to think twice about their plans.
Most marina would-be developers in Costa Rica have been foreigners seeking foreign investors, which has lead some industry observers to speculate whether they know what they are getting into or if they are just making up quixotic plans to swindle initial investors -similar to the Nicaragua Canal that will ostensibly rival the Panama Canal.
At a recent lingerie fashion show in Costa Rica, a Colombian model who also performed as a singer onstage was asked by daily tabloid Diario Extra: “So what did you think of the show?” to which she responded “Awesome, you know? I love the people of Puerto Rico!” You can cue the trombones at this point, but the fact is that Costa Rica gets confused with Puerto Rico more often than you think.
The example above is just one of the many instances in which someone gets the Republic of Costa Rica mixed up with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Granted, there is a couple of similarities between Costa Rica and Puerto Rico: There’s the Spanish language and Latin American cultural background, and both places are known for their natural beauty and great rums. They both share two-word names -along with others such as Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Cape Verde, etc.
We all know the major differences between both places:
Puerto Rico is a Caribbean archipelago; Costa Rica is part of the Central American Isthmus.
Politically speaking, Costa Rica is a sovereign and independent nation; Puerto Rico is a country in the cultural sense, but the island is an unincorporated territory of the United States and a commonwealth thereof.
The countries are separated by a distance of 2,204 kilometers as the crow flies.
We can drill down the differences by looking at interesting tidbits found in the engrossing site IfItWereMyHome.com:
The per capita consumption of oil in Costa Rica is 78.61 percent less than in Puerto Rico.
Ticos use 67.8 percent electricity than Boricuas.
The unemployment rate in Puerto Rico is higher than in Costa Rica, although it is climbing for the latter and recovering in the former.
Ticos are 42.92 percent more likely to have babies than Boricuas.
On average, Boricuas earn about $7,000 more than Ticos.
A baby born in Puerto Rico is more likely to survive infancy than in Costa Rica; the odds are about 0.92 percent better.
The Hollywood film industry is unintentionally adding to the confusion. Two recent film productions featuring Costa Rica as background for their plots were filmed in Puerto Rico: Act of Valor and Runner, Runner. Film production studios have an important financial motivation for choosing Puerto Rico as a stand-in for Costa Rica, which is something that the Costa Rica Star has extensively written about in the past.
Confusion about Costa Rica is not limited to getting her mixed up with the Island of Enchantment. We can find plenty of examples of people who think Costa Rica is also a territory of the United States, and not just because of the alarming number of McDonald’s and Hooters restaurants. Popular online question and answer sites are sadly filled with such examples, and the answers tend to include hilarious commentary directed at the curious person asking the question. There is even a very funny video about this.
Another infamous example of a geographically challenged person getting Costa Rica mixed up is Alexis Bellino of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Orange County. In a 2012 story arc of the popular reality television franchise, Ms. Bellino thought Costa Rica was part of Mexico.
Marcela Pulgarin is the name of the geographically disoriented model mentioned earlier, but she is better known as Chelo. She was in Costa Rica last week to perform at the Chamela lingerie fashion show along with two other models from Colombia.
Chamela is a lingerie brand that is well-known in Costa Rica and Latin America for its catalog that is specially designed to compliment the curvy figures of Latinas. Seven well-known Costa Rican figure models also sashayed down the runway showing off their gorgeous looks and lingerie. Known as pasarelas in Costa Rica, these shows in tend to attract an audience that is predominantly male.
Just a few years ago, I never considered to regress to the past, or “Back to the Future”. However, I do now and it hurts, especially living in Costa Rica.
While we have promoted ourselves as the land of nature, the flip side is that we are the land of “what’s happening now”. Such a dangerous world the infrastructure cannot support modernization much more than what was “in” ten – twenty years ago.
I see, even my own family, texting rather than picking up the telephone to speak with each other. Never, to have a coffee and talk or in home visits. As one former friend said, the Ticos all say, “…we must have lunch together.” But never reveal the address where they live.”
This is not just Costa Rica, but I think the world at large. We detest person to person communication and see it as a weakness.
Whatever happened to the Costa Rica that always bade “adios”, “Buenos dias”, “como estas” with a sense of sincerity and well being? Now we pass each other on the street while making sure our cell phones, wallets and purses are well protected from others going in the opposite direction.
How sad this all is!
Years ago, I recall a small lecture by a Tico student who pointed out, “See that little man walking on the street? That is our President and do you see any body guards, sirens, cars with flashing lights?”
Admittedly and with some sense of shame I replied, “No.”
That was Pepe Figures and let me tell you that Nicaragua, at that time was still breathing down our necks.
Terrorism is nothing new: It has only advanced technically.
In fact during the FSLN – Somoza revolution of the late 70’s Ticos took sides: Either officially or just as people demanding freedom in Nicaragua. The difference between then and now was competence and targets.
Ticos never intended to injure fellow Ticos nor expats; just scare the hell out of them.
Ergo, a young couple with explosives blew up the kitchen of Kentucky Fried Chicken while the international news media carried stories around the globe of body parts strewn across Los Yoses when In fact the body parts on my car where uncooked chicken wings.
Now, the body parts are real people as in Kenya and all over the United States, Pakistan, Israel, etc. This list is almost endless from the Orient to Europe.
So, where did peace go? When did it lose its popularity?
As I write this little piece, I can purchase any one of four AK-47s in San Jose. In the U.S. maybe some bombs to go with my rifle and in Europe explosives to level an entire building.
The end result is “no” result. Just more killing of women, children and the innocence.
So why should Costa Rica be any different or be exempt? Why are we special from the rest of the globe?
The fatal accident Wednesday morning when a bus could not avoid a cyclist on the autopista General Cañas, at the intersection east of the airport, renewed calls by Transport authorities that bicycles have no place on the highways of the Central Valley.
It was shortly after 7am Wednesday when a cyclist, crossing the fast moving lanes of the autopista, was struck by a Puntarenas bus headed for the Pacific coast.
The driver of the bus told authorities and evidenced by the video captured by Telenoticias, he could not avoid the accident, clipping the bicycle that resulted in the death of the man whose identity was not made public.
This is the 17th death this year of cyclists losing the staredown with vehicles.
The autopista General Cañas, with maximum speeds of 80/90 Kp/h, though vehicles zoom at 100 kp/h plus, does not have a shoulder. The white line is practically in the “cunetas” (gullies) that is the side of the roadway between the Juan Santamaría (San José) airport and La Sabana.
The Circunvalación (the ring road around San José), the Bernardo Soto and the Ruta 27 (San José – Caldera) do not permit cyclists, however, that is no deterrent for many.
Johan Fallas, followed by Fanny Cordero and Juan Carlos Martinez, form part of the new police team, accompanied for the day by two officers who are just starting with the public force. Photo by Juan Carlos Sibaja Carmiol
Officers Cover Neighborhoods in Nicoya, Nosara, Mansion and Samara
Johan Fallas, followed by Fanny Cordero and Juan Carlos Martinez, form part of the new police team, accompanied for the day by two officers who are just starting with the public force. Photo by Juan Carlos Sibaja Carmiol
By Johan Fallas, Vozdeguanacaste – followed by Fanny Cordero and Juan Carlos Martinez, form part of the new police team, accompanied for the day by two officers who are just starting with the public force. Photo by Juan Carlos Sibaja Carmiol
With determination, the group of five police officers line up next to their patrol vehicle for a photograph, following the order of their captain, Omar Chavarria, who introduces me and explains my job.
Four men and one woman made up the team that would go out on the afternoon of Friday, August 16, as part of the operations being performed by a new division of the Nicoya Public Force that was formed in July.
The group focuses on crime prevention in the most problematic neighborhoods of the canton, among them Las Latas in San Martin, San Joaquin in Mansion, Hollywood in Nosara and Matapalo in Samara. Seven police officers in total make up this unit, which is divided into two teams, one of four officers and one of three. They rotate every six days since, for security reasons, most of them are from places outside of the canton.
My task was to accompany the team of mobile unit 1533, supervised by officer Johan Fallas during their shift, which started in the San Martin neighborhood. The patrol vehicle began the journey through the streets of Manuel Ajoy. The first stop was relatively quick: a group of juveniles consuming alcohol on the sidewalk. The treatment between them and the officers was casual, at times even lighthearted. The juveniles were cooperative the entire time, even though some alcohol and a marijuana joint were seized. What bothered the young guys more was the presence of a photographer—me—something that became very common throughout that day.
The second stop on the tour was half a block after the first. The scene was repeated with young people sitting on the sidewalk and good dialogue with the officers. This time they seized marijuana, cocaine and crack.
This is the second such group operating in the fifth region, corresponding to Guanacaste. The other is in Liberia, has 20-25 supporting troops and lends support to preventive aspect in other cantons of Guanacaste. Officer Fallas commented that years ago, they tried to create a similar group, but lack of resources and staff eventually led to its elimination. In addition, he affirmed that at first, the group he is part of also had it rough because they didn’t have a vehicle to get around and had to patrol on foot.
We arrive in Las Latas, considered by police and civilians as the most dangerous sector of Nicoya. There, two men and a woman smoking crack confront the police. Relevant seizures are made. Everything precedes the same, the same friendly treatment between those involved and the surprise at seeing a camera. As one of the officers observed, that night there were so many police cars in the operation that he affirmed, “Today, we do seem like an army,” apparently stunned by the unusual number of vehicles and personnel on duty.
There were a couple of pickups, another couple of kennel units and a patrol sedan, six units in total. As officer Fallas would tell me later, the large amount of resources used in the operation was the result of an order from the deputy chief of the delegation, Adriana Cordoba, with the intention of creating what she calls police impact, which is intended to make people perceive a safe environment.
On Saturday, I accompanied the officers for almost their entire twelve-hour shift. The beginning was unexpectedly far away, in the town of Santa Ana, where they went to lend support to a domestic violence case, the most common type of crime in the county, followed by the sale and consumption of drugs.
In addition to preventive work, this operational group also provides backup for other police officers or other public entities such as INCOPESCA and MINAE.
The officers mentioned that they are aware of places where people meet to use drugs or alcohol in public areas, and they have also identified several people who are repeat offenders in these crimes.
Upon arriving in the Calderon Fournier neighborhood, also in San Martin, the neighbors were surprised to see the police activity, confiscating items from a large group of young people sitting in the street.
Vladimir Rios lives in the area and affirmed that this occasion was an exception because the police rarely visit that neighborhood at night, which is why people watched police work with anticipation. Rios agrees that he’s satisfied with the work of the Public Force on at this time, but he noted that if there isn’t consistency in the operations, assaults and drugs will remain the order of the day.
The officers move into the plaza of the colonial church of Nicoya, where they subdivide to approach four different groups of people in the park. The first was three guys who have, from whom an unlit marijuana cigarette is confiscated. The second group was more numerous, at least six young men and women, who were searched but nothing was found.
The third group was the one that gave the most trouble, since the fourth group was only three guys with nothing incriminating. When they wanted to take away two containers of alcohol, one of which was closed (in the end it was returned), the two men and two women, who had been overindulging in drinking, got into a somewhat heated argument with the police. The situation set off one of the men who let into the officers, who in turn threw him to the ground to restrain him and then handcuff him and take him to the police station. According to Fallas, the man who was detained was a former police officer, which contributed to the altercation. He assured that scenes like this one are rare.
Back at the police station, Fallas indicated that in their work, they have to always be alert to any threat, but most altercations happen because people don’t want to understand or accept that they are doing something illegal, and it is the police’s job to take action.
According to data provided by Fallas, before the formation of the new operational team, the average number of police reports for the delegation hovered between 60 and 110 a month. Now, with the new team working hard, last month’s tally reached 270.
To Fallas, this shows the effectiveness of the operations as the preventive work has managed to maintain a certain frequency in patrolling and operations, thereby achieving more constant surveillance. But during my tour with the squad, despite the gratitude displayed, the general perception of people is that consistency is still lacking.
The Ministerio de Educación (MEP) – Ministry of Education – tops the list of the 10 top public institutions spending the most on wages, followed by the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) – Social Security in Enlgish.
According to the report by El Financiero, the MEP spends ¢991.7 billion colones annually on wages, while the CCSS ¢976.1 billion. See chart below.
Following the list (in order) are the Poder Judicial (Judiciary) with ¢255.2 billion; the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) – Costa Rica’s main university with ¢132.7 billion; the Ministerio de Seguridad (nation’s security), with ¢123.6 billion; the Banco Nacional (BN) at ¢111.9 billion; the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), ¢93.4 billion; the Banco Popular, ¢95.9 billion; the Ministerio de Justicia*, ¢62.5 billion; and the Fuerza y Luz (power and light company), ¢59.3 billion.
However, if ordered by public institution with its percentage of the annual budget consumed by salaries, the Poder Judicial tops the list with 88%, the MEP with 63% and CCSS with 40% of its spending on salaries.
The Banco Nacional, Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Popular are the country’s three of four State owned banks and have a combined salary spending of ¢268 billion.
* In Costa Rica the Ministerio de Justicia is responsible, among others, for the country’s prison system, the comprehensive prevention of violence and crime, the promotion of culture of peace through alternative dispute resolution, and to be the legal representative of the Government of Costa Rica, as well as being a consultant of the Public Administration.
The literal translation of Justicia is Justice. Howeveer, this is not to be mistaken with, for example, the Department of Justice in the United States, that is the primary federal criminal investigation and enforcement agency, or Canada’s Minister of Justice that is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada.
San José has the largest per capital density of fast food outlets in the world, according to restaurant chamber.
45% of Cámara Costarricense de Restaurantes (CACORE) – Costa Rican Chamber of Restaurants – member restauranteurs consider the biggest challenge of their business is the current oversupply. The wave of openings of restaurant chains and individual locations occurring in the last two years has pushed the restaurant industry into a fierce competitive environment.
“This looks like a battlefield and we have already started to see the first fallen” says Manuel Burgos, president of the CACORE.
The restaurant chamber tabled on Tuesday its report “Radiografía del servicio gastronómico costarricense” (Xray of Costa Rican food service), at the “restaurant and national and international tourism marketing” conference.
The results of the report are the responses of 130 or 40% of the total CACORE membership to an email survey conducted last week.
Costa Rica’s restauranteurs say their second challenge is the high cost of operation, caused by the oversupply.
Burgos pointed out that in the restaurant industry there is no increase in customers, maintaining its size and entrepreneurs having to split the “same cake”.
The CACORE says that San José has the largest per capital density of fast food outlets in the world and is expected to grow 20% per year.
The oversupply generates little loyalty from customers, not only because there is so much choice, but several who open their doors do not know the business and make mistakes that affect the customer, compared to quality standards by franchises.
One of the most common bad practices, says the CACORE report, as an example, is when a restaurant operator seeing sales drop decides, and without major changes, to become an area bar without taking into consideration other conditions such as parking, music, ambiance and length of stay.
Burgos added that may entrepreneurs do not admit to the lack of training. In fact, 45% of those surveyed believe that their that their greatest strength is their knowledge of the business, but 39% admit they must improve in-service training.
“The results are contradictory, entrepreneurs are confused and there is much uncertainty because they don’t know the business,” added Burgos.
Although 42% of restaurateurs see the future with optimism , the same percentage believes that this year has been from good to average.
The first regional fair: Expofranquicias 2013 will be in Costa Rica and expected to visit are more than 8.000 investors interested in buying and selling franchises in countries such as Mexico, Uruguay, United States, Spain and Panama.
Expofranquicias 2013 is being held tomorrow and Friday (Sept 26 & 27) at the Wyndham San José Herradura convention centre.
The fair coincides with the “soft” opening of the Hard Rock Café, the latest franchise to open its doors in the country.
According to Karol Fallas, director of the Centro Nacional de Franquicias de la Cámara de Comercio de Costa Rica – National Franchise Centre at Costa Rica’s Chamber of Commerce (CCCR), representatives of more than 60 franchise companies will be on hand to offer opportunities to entrepreneurs looing to start their own businesses.
Anytime Fitness, Banco Nacional, Quiznos CR, Joyería Ana Gutiérrez, Coldwell Banker, Franquicia506, Petcafé, La Oliva Verde, Postnet, Body Wrap, Clean and Clean, Vellisimo, Equivalenza, Panaderías Tutu and Centro Panamericano de Idiomas, are just some of the local businesses on hand.
Moody’s Investors Service lowered its outlook on Costa Rica to negative, citing worries about the country’s rising debt burden and legislative logjam to address those woes.
The ratings firm said large fiscal deficits and a rising debt burden are the main risks to Costa Rica’s credit ratings.
Though the government debt burden remains lower than average for its ratings group, it has increased in recent years. The key reason has been a jump in the fiscal deficit, Moody’s said.
While the government has repeatedly attempted to improve legislation to deal with the rising deficits, it has so far not succeeded. The government is aiming to approve fiscal reform before the next administration assumes power in May of next year.
Costa Rica’s rating stands at Baa3, the lowest investment-grade rating. It is supported by a relatively diverse economic base, and, though the nation is smaller and poorer than similarly rated peers, the economy is growing quickly.
Costa Rica’s Presidenta Laura Chinchilla speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, September 24
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla Miranda highlighted in an address to the United Nations Tuesday the contribution of young people to the new development agenda through innovation and the use of new technologies.
“Increasingly, innovation, technology, education and culture are recognized as promoters of development, and there is a growing consciousness on the need of actively incorporating youth in these endeavours,” Chinchilla told the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 68th session.
“Costa Rica is honoured to have hosted and organized, along with the International Telecommunications Union (IYU), the BYND2015 summit on youth, development, and information and communication technologies.”
Earlier this month, some 700 young people attended the BYND 2015 Global Youth Summit in the Costa Rican capital of San José, and more than 3,000 followed the conference online and contributed their ideas from 43 hubs or workshops in 25 different countries using social media channels.
Chinchilla drew the attention of world leaders to the Final Declaration of the Conference, which urges Governments to provide more flexible, dynamic and open means of governing to reach more people more easily than presently possible. It also calls for education systems that equip students with not just theoretical knowledge, but with a practical mix of marketable, innovative and relevant skills needed to compete in the global digital economy.
“I symbolically present to you the Final Declaration of the Conference, adopted in our capital on the 11th of this month by thousands of young people from every continent. We believe it will be a very relevant input in the discussion of the post-2015 development agenda,” she said.
Chinchilla also stressed the necessity for the international community to implement a preventive approach not just for conflicts but also to avert the effects of global warming and climate change.
“We cannot remain inactive while global warming increases, ocean levels rise, and the survival of several small island States is threatened,” she said, commending Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s plan to convene a summit on climate change next year.
“We promote a model of development based upon harmony with nature; solidarity and social inclusion; economic and trade opening; development of our human resources, and innovation.
We realize that development is futile if it is not founded on a profound respect for human dignity and the rights and well-being of the people, including their day-to-day safety,” she added.
Leonardo Chacon racked up a big international win for himself and for Costa Rica Saturday morning when he was crowned hampion in the XTERRA USA Championship Triathlon held on September 21, 2013 in Ogden/Snowbasin, Utah.
Leonardo Chacon took the overall title in his first appearance at the XTERRA USA Championship, the off-road triathlon consisted of a 1,500-meter swim, a 28-kilometer bike and a 9.8-kilometer trail run.
Although it is called the XTERRA USA Championship, the pro start list featured an international cast of stars.
Chacon, who participated in the 2012 Olympics and is considered a triathlon legend in Costa Rica, had a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes, 31 seconds – including the fastest run split at 39:57, a little over a minute behind the number two competitor in the world, Josiah Middaugh, with 2:33:25 and Rueben Rufaza of Spain with an equal record and just the third XTERRA race of his career.
To make up for his relative lack of off-road experience, Chacon said he trained in the mountains of Costa Rica. In particular, he found a trail that matched the elevation levels of Snowbasin (start at 4,900 feet above sea level, and reaching a peak of 7,300 feet).
“I’ve been training for this many months, like five to six months, improving my techniques,” said Chacon, 29. “Now I’m very happy I can be with these fast guys up there.”
Chacon said his first XTERRA experience in Hawaii last year sparked his desire to improve on that fourth-place showing.
“When I did XTERRA last year in Maui, I started thinking about improving my technique and see if I can be with these guys,” he said.
