From QNicaragua.com / Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega, on Friday offered to grant asylum to NSA leaked Edward Snowden, one day after he and Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro and other South American leaders gathered to denounce the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane over Europe amid reports that the American was aboard.
Maduro made the same offer to Snowden.
The two presidents made their offers during separate speeches in their home countries on Friday afternoon. Snowden has asked for asylum in numerous countries, including Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Ortega said he was willing to make the same offer “if circumstances allow it.” Ortega didn’t say what the right circumstances would be when he spoke during a speech in Managua.
He said the Nicaraguan embassy in Moscow received Snowden’s application for asylum and that it is studying the request.
“We have the sovereign right to help a person who felt remorse after finding out how the United States was using technology to spy on the whole world, and especially its European allies,” Ortega said.
The offers came following a flap about the rerouting of Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane in Europe earlier this week amid reports that Snowden might have been aboard.
Secret-spilling website WikiLeaks said that Snowden, who is still believed to be stuck in a Moscow airport’s transit area, had put in asylum applications to six new countries. He had already sought asylum from more than 20 countries. Many have turned him down.
Wikileaks said in a message posted to Twitter on Friday that it wouldn’t be identifying the countries involved “due to attempted U.S. interference.”
Had a great laugh with my dear friend Judith the other night when she showed me her latest brochure for her “Aromatherapy Rainforest Essences of Costa Rica” products.
While sitting back at a local hangout in Playa Hermosa (South of Jacó), with a few cold beers on the table, a freshly cooked fish and lightning flashing the darkness of the ocean in the background, Judith laughed off what some might see it as a gross error, and especially for a woman.
Item number F5 on her product list says it “repels c*nts”. For those who can’t figure it, the asterisk is a “u”. Judith told me it should have read “repels ants”.
The printer, it appears, in deciphering Judith’s scrawl and not having a good grasp of the English language, translated it to what is perhaps the most offensive word in the English language.
Moral, proof read everything!
Just that you know, Judith give me permission to tell this story. You can reach Judith at carpediem@ice.co.cr
When I go to a restaurant, there are a couple of things that really set the tone for me, and if they aren’t “right”, then I feel a little let down.
So often, restaurants are judged simply by their food quality or freshness or their service. These things are important, yes, but for me there are other little things that sometimes go unnoticed.
In Jacó there are a lot of restaurants. But, one stands out more than the others.
Away from the main strip at Driftwood Grill and Lounge, only with months being open, one can have the best food in Jacó and the best atmosphere to unwind and relax.
Let’s talk service. They have it in spades. Dale, a Canuck (Canadians for our friends to the South) transplanted in Costa Rica makes sure that his dedicated staff is attentive and knowledgeable. And friendly. In Dales word, “when you dine with us, you’re always in good hands”.
The decor is contemporary and elegant, the atmosphere relaxed. The menu includes pizza made right in front of you, pastas, hamburgers, sandwiches, steak & seafood, and special vegetarian dishes. Or just enjoy a cold beer at the bar with 55 Inch TV’s to enjoy your favourite sports
Stop in the next time you’re in the neighbourhood and enjoy an old favourite. Or, discover a new one. Either way, they’ll treat you to a dining experience that’s unparalleled.
Oh yeah, don’t forget to check out their bathrooms. The Driftwood has one of the sexiest (elegant and clean) bathrooms in Jacó. The condition of the bathroom also says a lot. A dirty, neglected bathroom is an indicator to me about how the kitchen is run, and subsequently, quite the appetite suppressant!
Getting there
The Driftwood Grill & Bar is located on the first entrance road to Jacó, just before the bridge ahead of the main strip access., right across the Costa Linda condominiums.
Contact
Reservations aren’t needed. If you want to call ahead, you can reach Dale and his staff at 2634 4445 or email info@driftwoodgrill.com
Tell Dale you heard about his place on the Q and have a beer on us!
strong>This is a food review by the Q. It is not a paid ad. If you like to have the Q review your restaurant, hotel, bar and so on, contact the editor@qcostarica-082020.mystagingwebsite.com.
Purchasing real estate in Costa Rica can present many pitfalls to the would-be expat purchaser. As a practicing Real Estate Attorney in Costa Rica, I have seen many of these pitfalls, often presented to me for resolution by expats, after the damage is done. One of the main items for consideration in avoiding these pitfalls is to choose a competent Real Estate Agent and Real Estate Attorney at the outset.
The Real Estate industry is not regulated in Costa Rica, nor is there an organized MLS to assist with locating suitable properties for sale in an area in which the purchaser may be interested.
Regardless of the lack of regulation, I work with many Realtors, largely having prior experience in the Real Estate industry in countries like Canada, or the U.S., who are knowledgeable, hard-working, and honest.
It is important to select a Realtor who has local knowledge of the properties available for sale in the area of the Country that the purchaser is interested in. This can be accomplished in-part by real estate web site searches on the internet. The other important factor is to check the references of the Realtor that you select.
When selecting a Real Estate Attorney, the Realtor that you are using may be helpful in pointing you in the right direction. It is, of course, important not to use the same Attorney as the seller of the property, for the obvious conflict of interest issues that arise. In Costa Rica, all Attorneys are regulated and must be members of the College of Lawyers in order to practice law.
In Costa Rica, being a Civil Law Jurisdiction, rather than an English Common Law Jurisdiction like the majority of the U.S. and Canada, it is the Notary Public that is empowered to transfer title to a property in the National Registry. Normally, the Notary Public, who also must be an Attorney, will conduct all of the legal due diligence that is necessary with respect to a property, such as conducting a Title Search, determining legal access, land use permits, etc. Title Insurance is not a requirement in Costa Rica, as it is in the U.S. and parts of Eastern Canada.
The Government of Costa Rica guarantees the property title to be as it is registered in the National Registry. Rather than purchasing a Title Insurance Policy, it is a more useful exercise to have the Survey Plan checked by a qualified Surveyor, especially if the existing Plan exceeds five years from the date of making. It is important that all of the matters of legal due diligence are conducted either prior to signing a Purchase Agreement and depositing purchase monies, or with appropriate safe-guards in place for the return of any deposit monies should the due diligence indicate that proceeding with the purchase would not be advisable.
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
Former San José mayor and now presidential candidate will be tying the knot tonight (Friday) in a private ceremony at his home in Rohrmoser.
As announced last month by his girlfriend, Sandra León, the couple will be holding a private civil ceremony, with about 60 invited guests.
Araya lives around the corner from former president Oscar Arias, who not long ago held a similar, private wedding ceremony in his home.
Details of the Araya wedding are sketchy. Sandra would only tell the press that, “we are large families, however, the event will be a small affair: my parents, Johnny’s parents, brothers, sisters, his three children and my three are the main focus”.
This will be marriage number for four four Johnny. Though, if we take into account that he married his second wife, Jeannett Campos, twice this would be fifth walk down the isle, sort of speak.
The Civil Registry record Johnny’s first marriage in 1979 to Maritza Morera Sigler. That marriage lasted only 4 years. In 1983, Johnny married Jeannett Campos and in 1988, divorcing both times. In 1990, he married Kenia Gutierrez, in a marriage that lasted 17 years, the couple divorcing in 2007.
Costa Rica joins “Café pendiente”, a philanthropic practice that had its origins in Naples, Italy, in 2008, where one person buys his own coffee and leaves behind a paid one for another person who is unable to pay.
The idea followed Europe to South America and now in Costa Rica, giving the gift to a person who cannot afford a cup of coffee to enjoy one.
The social initiative is in Costa Rica thanks to the collective efforts of the blogs, Chepecletas, Indignados de CR and 89 Decibeles.
Participating coffee shops are easily identified with a sticker at the their front door. Taking part in the project already are Viva Café, Ecomercado and La Cafeteria in San José,
More information is available at https://www.facebook.com/cafependientecr. Better yet, visit one of the coffee shops taking part in the initiative and buy someone a cup of coffee!
If you are a coffee shop owner consider joining the “Café pendiente”!
Praying to John Paul II saved me’ Floribeth Mora Díaz
The miracle healing of a Costa Rican woman from Dulce NombredeTres Rios, east of San José, will elevate Pope John Paul II to sainthood, confirmed Pope Franciscus from the Vatican in Rome.
After a long period of research and silence, the pontiff announced the decree confirming that the cure by John Paul II of the Floribeth Mora Díaz.
Mora told the world by way of a website, that she was healed of a brain aneurysm after John Paul II prayed for her. “I asked John Paul II to help me and I was healed”, said Mora.
The statements came to the attention of the Archdiocese of San José and later, the case went to the ecclesiastical authorities in Rome.
Following an exhaustive investigation, the Vatican concluded the late pontiff was indeed responsible for her healing, according to Italian media reports.
John Paul had already been credited with asking God to cure French nun Marie Simon-Pierre Normand of Parkinson’s disease, which helped lead to his beatification in 2011, when he was declared a “blessed” of the Church.
Two confirmed miracles are usually required under Vatican rules for the declaration of a saint.
The Polish pope John Paul reigned from 1978 until he died in 2005 and played a key role in the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, while his ambitious missions abroad attracted millions of faithful.
‘Praying to John Paul II saved me’ Floribeth Mora Díaz
Floribeth Mora Díaz was told there was no hope. Taken to hospital, she was devastated to discover that her persistent headaches were the result of an aneurysm in the brain. The doctors said her days were numbered.
The mother of four, in her 50s, returned to her humble home in Tres Rios.
There, in May 2011, in front of their candlelit shrine to Pope John Paul II, surrounded by brightly-coloured plastic flowers, rosaries and homemade crucifixes, her husband told her she should pray.
Mora was “cured” by praying to Pope John Paul II, they claim, and this “miracle” has now led to his being made a saint – with the ceremony marking his ascension expected in December. It will be the fastest time in modern history that someone has been declared a saint.
“How can it be that in this small country, such as Costa Rica; in this poor small neighbourhood, this miracle took place?” said one of Mora’s neighbours, standing outside her home. “It is amazing. I don’t have words to describe it.”
The Moras are a traditional Catholic family. Alejandro Vargas Román, the neurosurgeon who treated Mora, says he is convinced that her recovery is the result of divine intervention.
“Of course it’s true,” he told La Nacion. “I am a Catholic, and as a doctor with many years of experience I do believe in miracles. No one has been able to provide a medical explanation for what happened.”
The surgeon says he was questioned by Vatican authorities in San Jose, who concluded that the woman was saved by a miracle. “I talked to the priests, but maybe they were specialised in something,” he said. “They weren’t doctors; they were theologians or lawyers, so my role was that of medical investigation.”
But he is adamant that the science is sound.
José Rafael Quirós, bishop of San Jose, said: “The canonisation of one of our brothers, as a model of sainthood for the Church, brings great joy to us all.”
Costa Rica’s coffee farmers got a boost from the government to combat a devastating fungus that has affected the industry, with the signing of a bill that will provide US$40 million dollars in support.
The government estimates that some 250.000 mostly small farmers across the country will benefit for the financial aid, to combat the “Hemileia vastatrix”, a fungus of the order Puccinilaes (Previously also known as Uredinales) that causes coffee rust, a disease that is devastating to coffee plantations – that has affected over 60% of Costa Rica’s coffee and has ravaged coffee plantations across Central America this season.
The regions most affected by roya (coffee rust as it is known in Spanish) are Coto Brus, Pérez Zeledón, Turriabla and Valle Occidental, according to the ICafé, Costa Rica’s Coffee Institute.
Delta Airlines, celebrating its 15th year of interrupted service in Costa Rica, inaugurated on Tuesday its Los Angelses – San José service.
The water arc is a symbol of friendship that takes place at airports around the world every time a new route is opened.
The non-stop flight leaves San José (SJO) at 6:55am and arrives in Los Angeles (LAX) at 12:20pm. The airline will be using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft with a capacity of 180 passengers, 24 in first class.
Delta operates 4 daily flights to Costa Rica, three to San José (two from Atlanta and one from Los Angeles) and one to Liberia (LIR) from Atlanta.
Industry experts say the move by Delta and other airlines is a reaction to Avianca’s cancellation of five non-stop flights to Costa Rica.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 315 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Dealta is headquartered in Atlanta and employs some 80.000 people worldwide.
Costa Rica’s Poder Judicial (judiciary), since January this year, has been employing CODIS, the forensic intelligence tool that allows the resolution of cases to help find missing persons or make an identity in accidents or natural causes and of course catch criminals.
The CODIS Unit manages the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National DNA Index System (NDIS) and is responsible for developing, providing, and supporting the CODIS Program to federal, state, and local crime laboratories in the United States and selected international law enforcement crime laboratories to foster the exchange and comparison of forensic DNA evidence from violent crime investigations.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States (FBI) donated the CODIS platform, allowing Costa Rican authorities the same ability of US law enforcement agencies to compare profiles from the FBI and Interpol, and other countries like Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Korea and Europe using CODIS.
So far, in just six months, Costa Rica’s judiciary has found 129 atches that have allowed authorities in the country to close cases.
“During this period we have found that criminal recidivism is much greater and although at first we expected getting results up within a year, when we had information available, we realized that immediacy is another feature of CODIS”, said Glen Arrieta Castro, of the Judiciary.
The FBI sponsored CODIS as part of its program of technical assistance to forensic laboratories in other countries.
With seven months to go to the February 2, 2014 presidential elections, former San José mayor Johnny Araya holds a bold lead in the polls over his rivals.
According to the latest survey by Unimer for La Naciona, the candidate for the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) has 26% of voting intentions, while Rodolfo Hernández, candidate for the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) is in second place with 12% of the votes.
In third and fourth place is Ottón Solís and Espy Campbell, respectively, of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), a party that will decide on their candidate on July 21.
Solís has 9% of voter intention, despite that the three time presidential candidate and founder of the PAC says he will not run in 2014. Meanwhile, Epsy Campbell, who has declared her intention to lead the PAC has 5% of the votes.
José María Villalta and Otto Guevara, leaders of the Frente Amplio and Movimiento Liberatio, hold 3% and 2% of the vote, respectively.
The survey was taken between June 4 and 13, taking in the response of 1.200 potential voters and has a 2.8% margin of error.
Chief Prosecutor pro tem Carlos Maria Jimenez Tuesday explained that the reason investigators gathered evidence at the offices of the RECOPE refinery, Soresco company and the SETENA environmental agency Tuesday morning is because citizens have come forward with doubts about the pact with China.
The Comptroller General’s Office last week invalidated the pact to build a new $1.4 billion refinery because that agency says it found “irregularities” in the environmental studies. Ten officials from the prosecutor’s office, OIJ detectives and experts in digital information participated in the surprise operation.
The anti-corruption division of the prosecutor’s office were tipped off by a confidential report last year backed up by several warnings from citizens. So far, however, no single person has been implicated for wrongdoing. Prosecutors are also investigating possible payments to Chinese executives here.
Possible charges that could be filed would be for officials not fulfilling their functions, misuse of public funds and outright corruption in receiving funds.
The downtown San José hospital, the San Juan de Dios, is celebrating 168 years of service with the campaign “Yo amo al hospital San Juan de Dios” (I love the San Juan de Dios hospital).
The campaign includes recorded messages by doctors, nurses and patients that have passed through the hospital over the years, broadcast over the hospital’s internal sound system.
On Friday and Saturday, planned are recreational activities at the medical centred.
Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX) has announced that its updated free trade agreement (FTA) with Mexico, and a new trade treaty with Singapore, both entered into force on July 1.
To increase further trade and investment between the two countries, Costa Rica’s FTA with Mexico improves the agreement signed in 1994. It now forms part of the Mexico-Central American FTA signed in November 2011, which consolidates the previously-separate treaties Mexico had with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua into one agreement and, it is hoped, will also stimulate intra-regional trade.
COMEX has disclosed that, during the last decade, bilateral trade between Costa Rica and Mexico has shown an average annual rise of 12.6 percent, from USD511m in 2002 to almost USD1.5bn in 2012, although Mexico exports to Costa Rica are still more than three times as much as those in the opposite direction. In addition, at USD350m in 2012, Mexico became the second largest investor in Costa Rica.
The bilateral FTA, signed by Costa Rica and Singapore in April 2010, which also became effective on the same date, is a broad-based and comprehensive agreement, covering issues such as trade in goods, rules of origin, customs procedures, technical barriers to trade, competition policy, trade in services, investment, e-commerce, intellectual property rights and dispute settlement.
Costa Rica will eliminate import duties on 90.6 percent of its imports from Singapore, with the tariff on the remaining products to be eliminated over a period of 10 years (with a provision for acceleration, if subsequently agreed). On its part, Singapore will be granting immediate duty free access for all imports from Costa Rica.
In a statement, COMEX confirmed that Costa Rica already has a surplus in its trade balance with Singapore. During the period between 2002 and last year, Costa Rican exports to Singapore reported an average annual growth of 45.7 percent to USD746.1m, while its imports from Singapore reached only USD33m.
By accident, Costa Rica’s lawmakers have made same-sex unions legal, approving on Monday changes to Articl22 of the “Ley de Persona Joven” (Law of Young People), that prior to change recognized unions only is between a man and a woman.
tThe new bill states, “the right to recognition without discrimination contrary to human dignity, social and economic effects of domestic partnerships that constitute publicly, notoriously unique and stable, with legal capacity for marriage for more than three years”.
Conservative lawmakers, realizing the error, are now asking Presidenta Laura Chinchilla to use her veto power. Legislators like Manrique Oviedo of the Partido Accion Cuiadana (PAC) says he “feels deceived” and accepts “making a mistake” in voting for the bill.
Legislator for the Frenta Amplio, José Maria Villalta, explains that conservative lawmakers “simply didn’t read the entire bill” before voting in approval.
The bill still requires approval in second and final vote and if it passes, Costa Rica would join the five other Latin American countries that have approved same-sex unions.
Brazil was the most recent to do so on May 14, 2013.
Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriages on July 22, 2010.
The Colombian Constitutional Court ruled in February 2007 that same-sex couples are entitled to the same inheritance rights as heterosexuals in common-law marriages. This ruling made Colombia the first South American nation to legally recognize gay couples. In January 2009, the Court ruled that same-sex couples must be extended all of the rights offered to cohabitating heterosexual couples. On July 26, 2011, the Court ordered the Congress to pass the legislation giving same-sex couples similar rights to marriage in two years (by June 20, 2013). If such a law is not passed until then, same-sex couples will be granted these rights automatically.
The 2008 new constitution made Ecuador the first country in South America where same sex civil union couples are legally recognized as a family and share all the same rights of married heterosexual couples (except for adoption).
Uruguay became the first country in South America to allow civil unions (for both opposite sex and same-sex couples) in a national platform on 1 January 2008. Children can be adopted by same-sex couples since 2009. A same-sex marriage bill passed in the Chamber of Deputies in December 2012,as well as in the Senate in April 2013 but with minor amendments. The amended bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in a 71–21 vote on April 10 and then on May 6, 2013 got the signature from the President. The marriage laws become effective from August 1, 2013.
Variously known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83).
In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
The tradition of patriotic celebration became even more widespread after the War of 1812, in which the United States again faced Great Britain. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday; in 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees. Over the years, the political importance of the holiday would decline, but Independence Day remained an important national holiday and a symbol of patriotism.
Falling in mid-summer, the Fourth of July has since the late 19th century become a major focus of leisure activities and a common occasion for family get-togethers, often involving fireworks and outdoor barbecues. The most common symbol of the holiday is the American flag, and a common musical accompaniment is “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States.
From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.
How are you celebrating your 4th of July? Share your stories using the comments section below.
The ice bottle comes wrapped with a red rubber band as a barrier to the cold.
Coca-Cola has the cure for a summer meltdown — a new bottle made entirely of ice.
The ice-cold soda container is shaped just like the iconic glass bottle, with Spencerian script lettering engraved in ice. The bottle is wrapped with a red rubber band, which doubles as a bracelet, that bears the Coke logo to prevent frozen fingers.
The ice bottle retains the shape of the iconic glass container.
The bottle melts when consumers are finished for easy and eco-friendly disposal, though critics mention all the excess refrigeration to keep the container from melting cancels out the environmental benefits.
The production process consists of micro-filtered water poured and frozen into silicon molds at 13 degrees Fahrenheit. The beachside beverage is then poured into the ice-cold bottle.
Beachside servers have sold 265 frozen bottles an hour on average, according to Coca-Cola’s website, which describes the new bottle as “Fria hasta la ultima gota,” or “Cold to the last drop.”
The chilly product is available exclusively in Colombia for now.
It is not confirmed if and when it might be available in Costa Rica!
Ticket scalping in Costa Rica is one of those grey areas of while not illegal, it is not tolerated, yet accepted. Case in point is the confiscation by the San José Municipal Police of tickets for the United States – Costa Rica game in September.
On Tuesday, authorities descended on the area in front of the National Stadium and confiscated 45 tickets from several resellers. Police say the confiscation was because the resellers were offering the tickets in public areas and wanted to confirm that the tickets being scalped had been bought and paid for and were not fakes.
On Wednesday, Marcelo Solano, director of the Municipal police force, said in a radio interview that the tickets would be returned to resellers if they can prove they purchased them.
There is little that we can do about tickets sold on Facebook, Twitter or Mercado Libre unless false
Talking on the Nuesta Voz radio program, Solano explained that the confiscated tickets were now in the hands of the Juzgado Contravencional de Pavas (Misdemeanor Court) and the legitimate owners could claim them.
Reselling of tickets to concerts, soccer games and other events is not illegal in Costa Rica. Solano explained that the confiscation was because it was done in a public place. The police director sad that the cops can’t do anything if the transaction is “in private”.
The police action on Tuesday followed the outcry by many who could not buy tickets at face value on Monday, forced to buy at inflated prices on the street. The sale of the tickets began at 10am Monday and by 2:30pm the say day all 28.000 tickets had been sold out.
Some believe that government spending is putting Costa Rica on the same path as Greece. The colon is expensive. Consumers are not spending. But these are only the symptoms of economic malaise in the country.
The cause is deeped, in that each year the government spends more money than it collects.
The excess spending is mostly in salaries of public sector employees who often earn twice as much as their counterparts in the private sector. And each year the government continues to accumulate debt it can never pay.
If this sounds similar that what happened in Italy and Greece, you are right.
The problems in Costa Rica are not yet as severe as of those countries, but each year it is coming closer, as the situation worsens.
A serious government would deal with the issue because of the unbearable situation.
Costa Ricans have a change to turn this around. There is a presidential election in February, a chance to elect leaders who have the will and the capacity wot deal with this critical issue.
To the contrary…who will be affected? The simple answer is “all”.
Few investors will invest, retail sales will slow down, employee wages will remain low, youth employment will be minimal, the cost of living will rise and retirement pension values will fall.
The problem at hand is that, this year the government will spend double of the revenue, just as it did last year. Excessive government spending has more than doubled in the last two years.
Each year, the government spends more than it can afford to pay, so every year the country goes into deeper debt that the year before.
The most likely scenario is to print more money. But to what point? When the new money has no value? The result, higher prices.
Borrowing money is another option. If the government were efficient in using borrowed money it would not be a problem.
Other options available to the government include increasing taxes. Force profitable businesses to pay their fair share of taxes and thus reducing unfair competition with other companies.
The criticism to increased taxes is that government reduce spending. This would mean fewer public employees with fewer benefits. Government employees must accept reasonable wages.
The saving grace, for now, is that government debt in Costa Rica is still low compared to that of Greece and Italy, so that the next crisis will not happen this year or next.
But, if the country does not change is course, inevitable it will reach the crisis point…
Costa Rica’s Health Ministry on Tuesday declared a health alert due to a dengue or breakbone fever outbreak which has claimed three lives and infected about 12,000 people so far this year.
Health Minister Daisy Corrales said the infection rate was four times worse than that of 2012. Corrales also confirmed that the three deaths were from the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever.
“We have to warn the population so that they do not end up in emergency situations,” she stressed.
Corrales warned that authorities were concerned that three dengue strains were in circulation heading into the rainy season, a prime time for mosquitoes that transmit the disease.
The worst outbreaks of the disease have been in towns on the Pacific coast, popular with sun-and-sand vacationers.
In Parrita for example, there have been 525 infections in the past five weeks.
Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally A. aegypti. The virus has four different types; infection with one type usually gives lifelong immunity to that type, but only short-term immunity to the others. Subsequent infection with a different type increases the risk of severe complications. As there is no commercially available vaccine, prevention is sought by reducing the habitat and the number of mosquitoes and limiting exposure to bites.
Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. The incidence of dengue fever has increased dramatically since the 1960s, with around 50–100 million people infected yearly. Early descriptions of the condition date from 1779, and its viral cause and the transmission were elucidated in the early 20th century. Dengue has become a global problem since the Second World War and is endemic in more than 110 countries. Apart from eliminating the mosquitoes, work is ongoing on a vaccine, as well as medication targeted directly at the virus.
Signs and symptoms
Typically, people infected with dengue virus are asymptomatic (80%) or only have mild symptoms such as an uncomplicated fever. Others have more severe illness (5%), and in a small proportion it is life-threatening. The incubation period (time between exposure and onset of symptoms) ranges from 3–14 days, but most often it is 4–7 days. Therefore, travelers returning from endemic areas are unlikely to have dengue if fever or other symptoms start more than 14 days after arriving home. Children often experience symptoms similar to those of the common cold and gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea) and have a greater risk of severe complications,though initial symptoms are generally mild but include high fever.
Prevention
There are no approved vaccines for the dengue virus. Prevention thus depends on control of and protection from the bites of the mosquito that transmits it. The World Health Organization recommends an Integrated Vector Control program consisting of five elements: (1) Advocacy, social mobilization and legislation to ensure that public health bodies and communities are strengthened, (2) collaboration between the health and other sectors (public and private), (3) an integrated approach to disease control to maximize use of resources, (4) evidence-based decision making to ensure any interventions are targeted appropriately and (5) capacity-building to ensure an adequate response to the local situation.
The U.S. Embassy San José and the Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud (Ministry of Culture and Youth) invite to the Mary McBride concert Wednesday, July 3, at the Anfiteatro del Centro Nacional de Cultura (CENAC), Antigua FANAL, San José.
The concert stars at 4pm, it is free and open to the public.
The CENAC is located diagonal to the Casa Amarilla (the Foreign Ministry) in Barrio Amón,
Mary McBride and her band have released four albums – “Everything Seemed Alright,” “By Any Other Name,” “Every Day Is a Holiday,” and “The Way Home.” In the past year, Mary and her band have performed in the US, Europe, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan, Afghanistan, Italy, Albania and Algeria.
Mary has most recently been touring as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department, for which she is also developing versions of the “Home Tour,” which she founded to provide live music concerts for underserved communities.
Mary is the founder of the Home Tour, which brings musical concerts to the homes of people who otherwise would not have access to live music. The Home Tour travels throughout the U.S. and abroad to “places people call home,” including facilities such as long-term health care centers, homeless shelters, orphanages, prisons, homes in supported-housing communities, homes for people living with HIV/AIDS, homes for disabled veterans returning from service; and homes for people living with mental and physical disabilities.
Air Canada launched its discount service Rouge on Monday, with a flight from Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica; it was followed by a flight to Liberia, Costa Rica.
With suitcases, sunglasses and sandals in tow, customers were greeted by a veritable island party at Pearson Airport gates E70 and E71 in honour of the inaugural liftoff.
Ya Mon, no worries! CEO Michael Friisdahl, left, and VP of Customer Experience Renee Smith-Valade, right, celebrate Canada Day by announcing Air Canada rouge’s first ever flight to Kingston, Jamaica and Liberia, Costa Rica at Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 1, 2013. Air Canada rouge flies to Western Europe and the Caribbean from its Toronto hub and twice weekly flights to Athens from Montreal, with more routes coming in the fall.
Rouge is all part of a strategy by Air Canada to get a chunk of the growing leisure market. Competition will be stiff as Canada’s largest airline tries to muscle in on routes that have been dominated by charters like Air Transat and Sunwing or rival WestJet Airlines.
Air Canada Rouge president and CEO Michael Friisdahl said the key is creating an on-board experience that is different, given that Rouge’s fares will be competitive due to its new lower cost structure.
“That’s the price of entry into the leisure market,” he said. “What we will now need to ensure is when customers board our airplanes, the experience they will have for that very competitive price will be an experience that they will appreciate.”
Direct flights to Costa Rica are difficult to come by at this time of year, said Anne McFarlane of Milton, who appreciated being able to skip the layover and U.S. paperwork on the way to her condo in the Central American country.
According to the Air Canada’s timetable, effective July 11, 2013 to October 13, 2013:
Flights to Liberia (from Toronto) are once a week on Mondays.
Flights to San José (from Toronto) are twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Kim and Shane resting in the shelter they built on Discovery's "Naked and Afraid".
Kim and Shane resting in the shelter they built on Discovery’s “Naked and Afraid”.
‘Naked and Afraid’ is the craziest show on TV — you just have to watch – a show about the a man and a woman, strangers, stranded, buck naked in the jungles of Costa Rica, for 21 days and must survive together. Behold — the most ridiculous yet most riveting new show on TV, writes Kevin Fallon on the Daily Beast.
Two Sundays ago, TV fans and culture bloggers breathlessly tweeted the Mad Men season finale, using commercial breaks to analyze each frame, line, and drop of sweat on Don Draper’s forehead. I, on the other hand, spent commercial breaks switching channels to Discovery’s gloriously ridiculous new reality series, Naked and Afraid. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Kim and Shane resting in the shelter they built on Discovery’s “Naked and Afraid”.
Naked and Afraid is, in every sense of the word, an insane show. It’s also quite possibly the most riveting reality series on television. Ever.
The concept is simple, nonsensical, and utterly genius. “No food. No water. No clothes,” a booming narrator warns during the opening credits. “Can a man and woman survive alone in the wilderness naked and afraid?” It’s Man vs. Wild, but there’s a man and a woman. And they are, for no reason and every reason, buck naked. Buck naked in the jungles of Costa Rica. Bare-ass in the Tanzanian Serengeti. The goal—and it’s just that, a goal, as there is no prize for completing the mission—is to survive 21 days in the wilderness together. Naked.
It’s a terrifying prospect, really. Yes, the whole naked bit is silly and also stressful. (Think of the bug bites, the sunburns …) But perhaps better than any of the survivalist shows before it, Survivor included, Naked and Afraid manages to depict just how difficult and challenging and depressing and bleak and awe-inspiring it is to stay alive in the wild with no modern conveniences.
The “afraid” part of the title, then, really isn’t an oversell. There’s very real danger. And the “naked” half of the name, well, that’s not an oversell either.
“I’m not a kid anymore, I’m an adult now and I don’t have a problem being naked,” contestant Shane Lewis says in the opening minutes of the show’s first episode. “But I am worried about the nudity level with the predators we have out there. Every single cut is a potential serious infection.” He then nonchalantly strips off his T-shirt and shorts and waddles into the dense Costa Rican jungle naked as a jaybird, as if it’s not an absolutely ridiculous thing to do.
His female counterpart, Kim Shelton, is shown doing the same. “Should we talk about the fact that we’re both naked?” she says during their fascinating first meeting. “Maybe check each other out now?” Then they start giggling and pledge never again to address the fact that his penis is just hanging out and her boobies are out there in the sunshine.
Your heart is racing as the two survivalists attempt to save their fire from the rain so that, you know, they don’t freeze to death, but then …a butt! …
It’s understandable that they get over any insecurities associated with being naked so quickly. In the two episodes that have aired thus far, contestants become borderline hypothermic as nighttime temperatures plummet to almost unlivable numbers. The roof of one pair’s shelter is accidentally set on fire. Another pair goes more than a week without food. Hyenas swarm a camp at night. Shane encounters a snake so poisonous that a bite could render him immediately unconscious on the way to painful death within days.
“I almost died twice today,” Shane exclaims, after beheading the snake with a pointed stick he whittled to a spear. (Seriously!) “Woo! Gotta love it!” Approaching the reptile, which could kill right him there on camera, he says, “It’s all about speed and how big your balls are,” a particularly interesting turn of phrase when one considers that we can see exactly how big his balls are.
The contestants stop worrying about their nakedness so quickly because there are a hell of a lot of other things to fear. Like dying. All the time. The same can’t be said for the viewer, however. You’d think that after 42 minutes of it, you’d become desensitized to seeing the butts. But you don’t. You just don’t. (Genitals and breasts, however, are pixilated.)
It makes for a viewing experience like no other: your heart is racing as the two survivalists attempt to save their fire from the rain so that, you know, they don’t freeze to death, but then … a butt! … and you kind of giggle even as your pulse quickens in fright for these poor contestants. It’s a curious emotional experience, to say the least.
Already, as happens with hit series, a bit of controversy is swirling around Naked and Afraid. The New York Post put the show on blast after the series premiere, reporting that producers played down how much help they gave violently ill contestant Kim Shelton, apparently hydrating her off-camera through an IV. But then Episode 2 showed in great detail the lengths producers were forced to intervene on E.J.’s behalf, and, really, not losing a smidgen of the sense of danger by doing so. If anything, producer intervention raised the stakes of the show, shining a brighter spotlight on how serious and challenging it is. Producers would be wise to do it more often.
Remember on Season 2 of Survivor, when producers were shown on camera for the first time running to help contestant Mike, who passed out and fell into a fire? CBS promoted the intervention incessantly, and it was one of the most tense, dramatic moments the series has ever had. Or what about all those times producers had to step on camera to help or talk to a house member on The Real World? It never cheapened the show. It made watching more exciting.
That’s not to say Naked and Afraid is all drama. There’s as much silliness as one would expect from a show with such a campy title.
There’s the time, for example, that contestant Kellie Nightliner goes fishing with her vagina. Yep. She just sits in a pool of water and spreads her legs, using her nether regions as bait. When a fish swims toward the promised land, she clamps her legs closed and traps it. “Maybe now, [fellow contestant] E.J. will treat me as an equal,” she says, filled with pride over being the first of the two to catch a decent source of protein. And you know what? He really does.
Plus, unlike Survivor, whose cast members magically appear camera-ready with long hair billowing sexily in the wind, the Naked and Afraid contestants, as time goes on, look like crap. Kellie’s hair starts to form tangled dreadlocks, and E.J. looks so dirty you can practically smell him through the TV.
So if there’s a little bit of a hole in your life now that there’s no Don Draper existentialism to decipher for the rest of the summer, you can do worse for yourself than to tune in to Naked and Afraid Sunday nights at 10 EST on Discovery.
According to the state insurer, the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), it has budgeted ¢13 billion colones for patient care resulting from traffic accidents for 2013, estimating some 2.000 more traffic accidents over last year.
The INS says it has seen an increase in traffic accidents and estimates it will pay out some ¢13.169 billion colones for the year, while in 2012 it paid out ¢11.4 billion.
Most of the money goes towards medical care, hospitalization and surgery among ohers.
In the face of the increased costs and accident rate, the state insurer will this month be sponsoring an awareness campaign.
According to INS, if the accident rate continues at the same pace as the first five months of the year (January to May), it expects a total of 26.700 traffic accidents for the year or 73 traffic accidents daily.
A sixty year old expat was murdered inside his house in San Pedro Monday night, in what appears to be a involving a woman and two assailants.
According to police, the French national, only identified by his last name Vigorett, was returning home in the company of a young woman and her two male friends.
His motive was…we can only guess. Theirs was robbery.
Police report that once at the house, the assailants beat and gagged their victim. Preliminary reports indicate that the tape suffocated the mam.
The woman and the two men fled the scene.
Commentary: This case is just one of many involving foreigners in the company of a young woman, becoming a victim of an assault and robbery, never coming to the attention of authorities. Unfortunately, last nights attack result in a death
In many such the victim (foreigner) does not report the incident for embarrassment, for fear of reprisal or the feeling that nothing will be done.
In the exapt community such stories are common. Every expat knows someone who has live through this type of ordeal, it is cannot be escaped.
Without victimizing the victim, many a male expat throws caution to the wind, puts aside common sense and becomes overcome by the very nature of the excitement of a young female companion. Only later to learn that the attraction was not his charm or wit, but rather his wallet and/or material things in his home.
The 20 day strike by a group of workers in the banana farms of Sixaola, has caused the Bandeco company losses for ¢280 million in fruit, according to Del Monte’s Director of Corporate Relations, Luis Gómez.
“The firm complied with all its obligations as it has operations in other countries. However, since we weren’t allowed to perform washing and packing work on the farms, we did lose fruits in the field, “he said.
The workforce is divided. There are 600 employees in total, 200 are on strike and 400 want to work but aren’t allowed to, and about 50 were fired weeks ago.
Two days ago, the employees who wanted to go back to work staged a demonstration and returned to the farms yesterday to cut banana; however, they received a statement from Del Monte (Bandeco is its subsidiary in Colombia, Ecuador, Central America and Brazil) that said that they couldn’t assign any labour if the strikers prevented the fruit’s entry.
Noah Aristides, who insists that there is no solution for the strike and that they should let them work, leads the group of employees who are against the strike.
Meanwhile, Federico Abrego, one of the leaders of the Union of Public and Private Employees (SITEPP), who defends the strikers, said that they wouldn’t allow any fieldwork to be done until the company personnel sits down at the table to negotiate.
Servimas in Sabana Este was one of the many locations mobbed by soccer fans on Monday Photo, JORGE NAVARRO
Servimas in Sabana Este was one of the many locations mobbed by soccer fans on Monday Photo, JORGE NAVARRO
Despite that the game is schedule for September 6, the air of revenge took over Costa Rica’s soccer fans on Monday, buying up all 28.000 tickets in less than five hours.
For many the qualifying game, to be played in Costa Rica, is payback for the snow ridden game last March that resulted in a Tico loss.
In the end, thousands had smiles on their faces buying their tickets for the sold out game. However, many thousands more, left with nothing but a sad look on their faces, after having stood in line for up to 8 hours.
Although people lined up starting Sunday, it wasn’t until 10am Monday when the Fedefútbol – Costa Rican Soccer Federation – gave the green light to Specialticket.net to start selling.
The bad news came at 2:30pm when Fedefútbol officially announced the game was sold out.
The tickets sold like hotcakes. Rafael Vargas, head of the Fedefútbol, commented that if they had a bigger stadium, perhaps one with 50.000 seats, they would have sold at as well.
“From point of the view of the soccer association the income is important, but we have to thank the fans for being keen to take in the game with the Unites States”, said Vargas.
Maduro made the same offer to Snowden.
In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
