Last year Costa Rica received in real terms (adjusting for inflation and exchange rate) 4% more in remittances than the year before. But, the sending of money that is generally made by workers to their family in Costa Rica is one the most expensive in the region.
A study by the Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones, a division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) show that sending US$200 from the United States to El Salvador has a cost of 4%, while the same transfer costs 6.9% if sent to Costa Rica.
The study reveals that Central American (including the Dominican Republic which is part of the Central American Integration System (SICA in Spanish) spent approximately US$630 million dollars to send money to their home country.
In terms of cost of service the Dominican Republic is second to Costa Rica. However, in the DR there is the deep rooted custom of receiving money at home, which adds to the cost.
The IDB report notes that the lower costs in countries like Panama, Nicaragua and El Salvador is the “dollarization” factor, where money is received in dollars, while in Costa Rica payments at the receiving counter are in colones, at the day’s exchange rate.
Another factor that could reduce costs, says the IDB report, is a transfer directly into a bank account, however that channel is still not an option offered by the remittances services.
To get a handle on the costs charged by the remittances services, go to enviacentroamerica.org, a website that provides data and information on sending relatively small amounts of money to Central America. “Envía Centro America” covers flows from five main sending areas in the United States of America to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
For example, sending US$200 from New York, York to Costa Rica, the cheapest (3% – US$6) is Delgado Travel that sends to Remesadora Costa Rica, Serviexpreso, Citibank. The most expensive is Xoom (8% – US$15.99) with receipt at Citibank. The same US$200 sent from New York to Nicaragua costs 1/2 percent less on the low and high ends. Click here to try the cost calculator for yourself.
Concern growing because Sala IV suspended use of bonds
Parties looking to legislators to solve their access to campaign funds
The biggest challenge the political parties and their candidate face in the 2104 presidential elections is funding for their campaigns.
Speaking to La Nacion, Otto Guevara, president of the Movimiento Libertario (ML) party, said he has carefully evaluated five options to finance his party’s campaign that includes seeking a loan from a foreign bank and raising money from the public through text messages and calls through 900 line.
Also, contributions could be collected through a website by way of selling advertising space and billboard companies could lend money to the party so that it can purchase advertising space.
However, according to his version, none of the options can be implemented due to legal reasons.
The Libertario party is not the only one struggling with the start of the 2014 presidential campaign kicking off in four months and 20 days.
Although not as open as the ML, the other political parties face similar problems in raising money to finance their campaign expenditures.
And not for the lack of trying.
The estimated cost to finance the 2014 campaign is some ¢5 billion or more colones for each political group.
The funding problem stems from a Constitutional Court (SALA IV) decision last January suspending the use of political bonds to finance elections.
[colored_box color=”grey”]In 2011 Luis Antonio Sobrado, President of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) yesterday urged legislators to pass a law that would eliminate political bonds in campaign finance policy. Sobrado explained that the bonds of smaller political parties are essentially worthless paper when they lose in elections and described the entire program as a loophole for parties to covertly receive foreign contributions and effect money laundering. See original La Nacion article.[/colored_box]
The bonds were the main funding tools for the political parties, that would be used as collateral for bank loands and payments to suppliers or to raise cash.
Now, political parties are at the mercy of contributions by individuals, which were negligible in the last campaign.
The Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), for example, says it has available only 3% of the costs, according to Maynor Sterling, party treasurer.
Johnny Araya, candidate for the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) says that the funding of campaigns conditioned on private contributions is insufficient and dangerous.
“I think it would be wrong and inappropriate to rely on private donations, you lose the sense of campaign financing by the state,” he told La Nacion.
At the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) – a political force in the country until two elections ago – Gerardo Vargas, president of the party, said the outlook is very difficult and seems to benefit only the PLN.
“This is a great damage to democracy”, said Vargas.
According to Guevara’s interpretation of the election rules governed by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE), his options are not that easy to implement. For instance, using text messaging, a website or the 900 service the cost could be higher than the collection or at best leave the party with no net balance. Guevara uses the example that if one thousand people would contribute ¢1.000 colones each to raise ¢1 million, the cost to use the service would be much higher.
As to raising money abroad, Guevara says that the TSE rules (law) prohibit foreigner involvement. The prohibition also applies to companies lending parties money to purchase their services, as in billboards, radio and television time.
Guevara and the other political party leaders are looking for legislators to pass a law that would help them somewhat. For instance, the TSE proposed last month that each radio and television station give up to 30 minutes air time daily for “election campaigns” and allow parties to increase their political debt to 30% from the current 15%.
Despite their ideological differences, the majority of the parties agree on one thing: they should have kept the political bonds. Although party leaders and candidates don’t quite agree on their use.
The lack of rain in the country has not only affected the aquifers that supply drinking water to the various communities, which have had to endure rationing, it has also forced the state power utility to use water reserves in the dams in conjunction with other generating systems to keep eletricity flowing.
Elbert Duran, spokesperson for the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) said the lack of rain in the country has affected the area basins where hydroelectric plants are located.
The ICE official added that Arenal reservoir – the Arenal lake – has been fundamental in this crisis.
But the Arenal also depends on adequate rainfall to maintain a good level, this year being one of the worst.
The low reservoir levels has forced ICE to step up electrical production using fossil fuel (bunker and diesel) generators, in combination with wind generators.
Duran said that while ICE has been impacted by the decreased rainfall and have to be very calculating in using water reserves, there have been no problems in providing electrical services to the country.
Residents of Hatillo, on the south side of San José, have been victims of a fraud by two brothers who dressed as Cruz Roja (Red Cross) workers asking for donations.
One of the brothers had been a police official until last December 15.
A police operation to apprehend the two ended on Sunday when the brothers Vargas Zamora were caught “red handed” at the farmer fair in Hatillo 2.
Authorities say the men would dress like official Cruzrojistas and even carried a box for donations, just that in this case the money went into the pockets of the scoundrels and not the needs of the community.
Given this, authorities are recommending people to be more vigilant to avoid being victimzed by the unscrupulous.
One billion people will consciously breathe together by 11/11/2012. Join individuals from around the world as we consciously breathe together on www.DoAsOne.com connecting in one global breath.
Do As One is a non-profit organization here to serve and connect humanity by establishing a legacy of healthy, conscious breathing.
Sloths have it rough: They’re insanely adorable, yet they move far too slow to escape us when we want to snatch them up and kiss them full on the lips. Baby sloths also need 12 months to learn from their mothers what foods to eat, so if a baby is orphaned, it’s impossible for it to survive in the wild.
Thank goodness for Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica, which raises and studies sloths that are brought there after being injured or orphaned.
The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica is the world’s only centre dedicated to the rescue, research and rehabilitation of sloths. They have been rescuing sloths for over 20 years.
Revenge and fights for territory are among the leading cause of deaths from the drug trafficking trade or “narco” in Costa Rica.
According to the Judicial officials, in total, 74 people – on average six people monthly – were mortal victims of the drug trafficking trade in the country, this figure representing 18.7% of the 394 homicides recorded for the year 2012.
One of the “deadliest” zones says the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) is the city of Limón (not to be confused with the province) where 15 deaths were recorded. And of those 15 deaths, 13 occurred right smack in the centre of the city.
Following Limón is the city of San José with 10 deaths, then Tibás and Desamparados with six each.
“In Limón what happens and we have always said, is that there is a social problem of corruption, poverty, lifestyle, culture, that has to attacked differently. When the OIJ arrive at crimes, then we are not there to prevent, rather to repress, ” said the director of the OIJ, Francisco Segura.
Security Minister Mario Zamora, and the deputy minister, Celso Gamboa, noted that one of the measures used to counter these crimes to control the registration and use of firearms.
What happens in this underworld is that a mistake or bad move quickly results in payment with a life. The OIJ records indicate that 28 of the 74 drug trafficking related murders were a “settling of scores”. Another 11 of the deaths were occasioned by “heated discussions and quarrels”, according to Segura.
“Armed violence is used by drug trafficking gangs as a form of discipline”, says Zamora.
Many of the victims of the drug trafficking trade in 2012 were young, aged between 18 and 29. According to the OIJ data, almost half (35) of the total deaths were under the age of 30.
“Many are from low-income society, do no work or study or come from broken homes where drug trafficking is part of life, and a way to obtain what others have”, is the profile explained by Segura.
The following video shows you how to use the new electronic parking meters to control street parking in San José, between 7am and 7pm from Monday to Saturday.
San José mayor, Johnny Araya, shows off the new electronic parking meter
Starting Monday street parking in San José will be by electronic meter only, eliminating entirely the system of “boletas”. The new electronic meters starting working a week ago, however users of the old style “boletas” had all week to use them up.
So, what happens to those drivers or vehicle owners who still have unused boletas? The Municipalidad de San José assures that it will issue refunds.
The mayor’s office has confirmed that starting Monday refunds will be available at the claims window on the first floor of the municipal offices, from 7:30am to 4pm.
The new electronic parking system has five different methods of payment: by credit or debit card (though this service was still not working as of Saturday), prepaid scratch off cards obtainable from the BN Servicios, a CPS user code via SMS messaging at 7070-2775 and a CPS user code by way of an app available for iOS (iPhone) and Android smartphones. To use the CPS cellular parking system users have to register at the CPS Parking website (operator from Toronto, Canada).
Street parking in the city of San José is controlled between 7am and 7pm from Monday to Saturday. The cost is ¢225 colones for each half hour and the fine for an expired meter is ¢5.100 colones.
Editors note: The Policia de Transito (traffic police) DO NOT control street parking, the job is left up to the local municipal police departments (if one exists). The Tránsitos, however, can ticket vehicles improperly parked, ie at yellow curb, blocking traffic.Confusing? Just don’t park where you are not supposed to.
Starting this week bus operators will have to compete with the train for passengers to and from Cartago. Commuter train service in Costa Rica is operated by the state agency, the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarril, INCOFER.
Minutes after the private plane was in the air Casa Presidencial gave notice that Presidenta Laura Chinchilla had left the country, headed for Perú to attend the wedding of the son of Vice-President Luis Liberman. Casa Presidential noted that Chinchilla will also meet with her counterpart on Monday, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala.
Accompanying doña Laura is her husband, Jose Maria Rico. In addition, flying with the Presidenta is theMinistro de Comunicación, Francisco Chacón and his wife, Ministra de Comercio Exterior, Anabel González. All left on the same private plane from the Juan Santamaria airport.
This trip had not been previously announced and does not appear in the presidential agenda on the website of the Presidencia.
The Casa Presidential bulletin says that Monday Chinchilla will meet with Humala to discuss the development of bilateral trade and diplomacy following the approval of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Chinchilla is scheduled to travel to Ecuador on May 22 for formal investiture of president Rafael Correa’s second term, and then onto Cali, Colombia, for the VII Summit of the Pacific Alliance.
Experts of the Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN) – National Seismological Network – say the phreatic eruption in the Poás Volcano, (Spanish: Volcán Poás) this week is keeping them active as explosions release acid gas.
On Wednesday May 1 A phreatic explosion occurred from the crater lake. On Wednesday a small earthquake swarm occurred probably caused by fluid movements bringing heat into the crater lake.
Although the phenomenon occurs frequently, volcanologists highlight the fact that this time it activity is not in the lagoon, as usual, but rather on a rock structure.
The explosion has caused large rocks to come loose and the gassy smoke reaching 700 degrees Celsius.
The experts are keeping the volcanic activity very closely, especially the decreasing level of lagoon that has dropped almost a metre (three feet) in the week.
For now the Parque Nacional Volcán Poás is open to the public. Experts urge caution when visiting the volcano.
The Poás has erupted 39 times since 1828.
Poás was near the epicentre of a 6.1-magnitude earthquake in January 2009 that killed at least forty people and affected Fraijanes, Vara Blanca, Cinchona (the most affected area), the capital San José, and the Central Valley.
There was also eruptive activity in 2009 involving minor phreatic eruptions and landslides within the northern active crater. Poás eruptions often include geyser-like ejections of crater-lake water.
If you are thinking or living in or retiring in Costa Rica the following should be of interest to you.
According to a recent article in Costa Rica’s la Nación newspaper there are some 16,000 U.S.citizens living in Costa Rica. This information is based on the 2011 census done by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (el Instituto Nacional de Estadístics y Censos). These stats basically coincide with the figures Immigration Department’s (Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería) has come up with.
However, said numbers are deceiving since they only measure those registered with the U.S. Embassy and Immigration and do not take into account people who live here and come and go like snowbirds, perpetual tourists and those who are not “on the books.” I personally know many who fall into these categories. According to my sources there may be as many as 40,000 Americans living here permanently.
U.S. Citizens are the third most numerous group of foreigners after Nicaraguans and Colombians. The Nicas are here to do the manual labor that Costa Ricans are no longer willing do. The second group are refugees from Colombia’s past political mess who are in search of better life and opportunities and to be part of the so-called “Costa Rican Dream.”
Here are some interesting facts about Americans who live here. Not all of them are retirees and many of them are employed. Almost half of them are less than 29 years old. Forty-one percent are married and have children. Forty-two percent have lived in the country for more than 12 years and around twenty percent are retirees. The majority of those who work are in employed in the fields of education, support services, or some type of administration and 8 percent work in the field of science. About half of the Americans employed here work in private industry and one-fourth have their own businesses.
Most people in this group prefer to live in the cantones (like our counties) of San José, Pérez Zeledón, Escazú, Santa Ana, Alajuela, Heredia and Sanat Cruz.
The governments figures are show a couple of patterns. First, people between 35 and 60 who migrate here with their families come to work. Second, among the group of retirees from the U.S. who move here 46 percent are married, 8 percent are divorced, 10 percent live in common law situations (unión libre) and 31 percent are single or separated. There is a third group that is composed of those who work for transnational companies that is made up of executives, and single younger people.
Here is a break down of the the ages of U.S. Citizens living here according to the census and Costa Rica Immigration.
Most baby boomers have experimented with marijuana at one time or another, especially after having lived through the 1960s. Some even continue to use pot to this day. I don’t advocate the use of drugs but have friends who smoke weed every day and lead normal and productive lives. On the other hand, I have known scores of people who have died from alcohol abuse, including my own father. Many retirees I have met over the years in Costa Rica drank themselves to death because the became bored with so much time on their hands.
Marijuana does have its benefits. One of the major benefits associated with medicinal marijuana use is the relief of chronic or neuropathic pain. Many patients who experience nausea or vomiting due to certain diseases or treatments, such as chemotherapy get relief from marijuana. For HIV/AIDS patients trying to stay healthy in the face of appetite loss and wasting syndrome, cannabinoid drugs are a viable treatment that do not adversely affect other required medications. Cannabis contains a compound that could help Alzheimer’s disease patients. Since it increases appetite it may help treat anorexia. In some cases it may also be a viable treatment for fibromyalgia, nausea, chronic pain, arthritis, insomnia and more.
More and more states and countries have realized that marijuana is not as harmful as it was once thought to be and are legalizing it for personal use. When governments become aware of the tax benefit of growing the marijuana I am sure many will decide to legalize it to increase revenue. The Mexican government legalized personal possession of up to 5 grams of marijuana (3 joints or so), but It is not legal to buy, sell, share, or grow marijuana. Furthermore, Colombia’s Constitutional Court approved the government’s proposal to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana for personal use. Anyone caught with less than 20 grams of marijuana or one gram of cocaine for personal use may receive physical or psychological treatment depending on their “state of consumption,” but may not be prosecuted or detained, the court ruled.
In Costa Rica marijuana is still basically illegal. However, most often the police here turn a turn a blind eye to those who are caught with a little of the weed for personal use. Cultivation for sale is another story. Lately there have been a few busts for growing pot, including the use of hydroponics to do it.
There is a growing movement to legalize marijuana in Costa Rica. One organization, Cultura Cannabis, has been holding demonstrations to raise public awareness of the drug and to try to make it legal here. They want collect signatures with the goal of getting the legislature to eventually consider the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and for personal use. One Costa Rican demonstrator remarked, “I used to suffer from asthma attacks and got no relief from traditional medicine. Marijuana did improve my condition.”
By the way, Marijuana has several names here: marijuana, mecha, monte, mota, yierba and more. Un puro is a marijuana cigarette.
I am sure that as more and more States in the U.S. And other countries opt to decriminalize the use of marijuana, Costa Rica will eventually follow suit.
This article by Christopher Howard was original published at Live in Costa Rica Blog
Driving in Costa Rica is reasonably safe. Do realize, however that most Costa Ricans are “first generation drivers” meaning they did not grow up in the back seat of their parents cars since likely their parents or other family member didn’t have a car.
Therefore most have less experience driving and knowledge of cars in general, don’t follow the rules of the road as North Americans and Europeans, for example, this combined with the lack of driver education and culture in the country.
It wasn’t until recently that more than a few “bought” their drivers license, which is not to say they don’t know how to drive, rather learned all the “bad habits” of their mentors who for the most part are first time drivers, with no driver education and so on. This is combined that until a decade ago driving in Costa Rica was mainly rural, even in the large metropolitan centers.
Today, with an increased number vehicles and basically with the same road infrastructure, the culture of respect for other drivers and pedestrians – and the traffic police – is not there just yet. Transport authorities are working on this but there is still a fairs way to go.
Besides the bad or better yet inexperienced drivers, there is the problem of the roads.
We North Americans, for instance, are accustomed to proper road signs and markings, road shoulders, barriers, traffic signals and so on. In Costa Rica driving certain roads is a challenge in itself, made more challenging in the rainy season (May to December).
The autopista General Cañas (the Interamericana) is the busiest road in the country running between La Sabana and the international airport in Alajuela. This road is six lanes for the most part – three in each direction, but with two lane bridges,. I has no shoulder, there dips in the road, blind corners, no on ramps for vehicles coming onto the highway and bus stops that use the right lane. And this is a good road.
So, if you decide to drive in Costa Rica, here are some Qtips:
1. Make sure your vehicle is always in good maintenance, ie tires aren’t worn out, fluid levels are in nornal range, battery is in good condition, head and tail lights works and so on
2. Always have a full tank of gas. Having it on “E” (Echale in Spanish, meaning fill it) could leave you walking. A traffic jam, road block, an unexpected protest, a traffic accident, can all work against you if have little fuel in the tank.
3. Never leave home without the following in your trunk: water, battery cables, space belt, small tool kit that includes duct tape (woks wonder in all situations), jack and spare tire. And a pack of gum, the type with the foil wrapper. The gum itself can work as an adhesive, the foil wrapper great to make electrical connections, like in place of a fuse.
4. Have your ownership (title), Marchamo (circulation permit) and Riteve (inspection certificate) in the vehicle. The number of a two truck can come in handy.
5. Have your Costa Rican drivers license on you. There are different licenses for different classes of vehicles, have the correct one.
6. If you have foreign drivers license (from your home country) make sure your also have your passport and that your not driving past your visitor stay date. If you have permanent residency, you need to get a Costa Rican drivers license.
7. If you insure your vehicle with INS – the state insurer – know that they have roadside assistance like a tow truck, boost, fuel, etc. This service is free to all INS customers. Remember the vehicle is insured not the driver. The INS operator will ask for the license plate number and it doesn’t matter who is driving the vehicle. OR WHERE IT IS IN THE COUNTRY. INS will tow your vehicle from anywhere to wherever you tell them.
8. Keep in your vehicle loose change (for tolls, the wachimen – the guy/gal who looks after you car parked in the street), a flashlight and always carry a cellular phone.
9. Watch you speed (driving over 120 km/h will cost about US$600 and 6 points); don’t tailgate; don’t assume that the guy/gal in front will not stop for any reason; don’t expect, but give courtesy; horn honking is a national tradition; and, having the right of way is a matter of interpretation.
10. Don’t forget that the traffic police now use radar and are good at setting speed traps. It’s not unusual for the speed to change from 90 km/h to 40 km/h in a straight of way and for no reason whatsoever, always use your seatbelts, don’t talk on the cell phone OR TEXT MESSAGE while driving and for the love of family, DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.
I have been driving in Costa Rica for more than 10 years, most of that time with a driver’s license. I have seen the changes in the traffic laws, the change in driver behavior – not!, and most the attitude of the traffic cops.
By and large today the traffic police is a professional police body with an enormous challenge. For the major part, the officials with their hands out especially to foreigners have been weeded out and paying of a traffic cop today is much harder and certainly more expensive.
In the days past, I used to have a ¢2.000 colones bill aside for the traffic police. That went to ¢5.000, then ¢10.000 and ¢20.000. Now, just give me the ticket.
Students sit on a bench at Bocas de Nosara high school. Photo by Pinar Istek.
By Wilberth Villalobos Castrillo – “I hate school,” recalls Carla with pain (not her real name), who was willing to tell us her story but requested that we protect her identity. “I was 13 years old, in seventh grade in high school and all of my classmates made fun of me because of my nationality,” she related.
Students sit on a bench at Bocas de Nosara high school. Photo by Pinar Istek.
Bullying is the main form of violence in the nation’s schools and high schools. It shows up as ridicule, discrimination and exclusion, and in some cases beatings. It happens in the high school corridor, the classroom or in the hallways, both during recess and during classroom hours, as well as on social networks on the Internet, through phone calls and text messages, known as cyber bullying.
According to date from the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), this type of mistreatment is most common for 12- and 13-year-olds.
Carla studied in Samara’s rural high school and remembers that the worst years were seventh and eighth grades when all of her classmates made fun of her every day. “They called me Nica regalada, paisa and made fun of the way I talked,” she commented.
The verbal abuse from her classmates was so bad that she sought out the help of her teachers and even the high school principal but none of them did anything to remedy the situation.
Maria, Carla’s mother, recalls that on several occasions her daughter came home crying, saying that she didn’t want to study or return to the high school. “I went to explain the situation to the teachers and they told me that it was nothing, that it was kids stuff,” she said. Then Maria decided that her daughter would continue her studies in another institution, so midway through her last year, Carla transferred to Belen High School, where she earned her diploma.
Carla’s situation is just one example of how complicated it has become for students to get along with their classmates. According to data from the orientation department of the Nicoya High School, just last year more than 100 cases of bullying were reported, not including cases where the student or classmates don’t report the abuses.
Sara Cabalceta, head of the institution’s orientation department, commented that the majority of cases are reported during the first years of high school, mainly in seventh and eighth grades. She considers that it is more common in these grades because the teenagers “are in a transition stage” coming from elementary school and since they are the “little ones” of the high school, they suffer the abuses of the upperclassmen in tenth or eleventh grade.
In September of 2012, MEP presented the National Coexistence Program, which contains the Integrated Protocol for Attending to Violence in Secondary Educational Centers. In April of this year, the protocol for primary educational centers was also presented.
Sulay Salas Valenciano, regional director of MEP in Nicoya, explained that the objective of these programs is to permit the 182 educational centers in the canton to diagnose and intervene in cases of violence. Salas indicated that all of the directors know the protocols now because since last year the regional direction presented them and explained how to apply them. In addition, she expressed that the information is also known by the supervisors of the eight educational circuits in the canton of Nicoya.
Efraín Baltodano, supervisor of circuit 1, acknowledged that in most of the educational institutions of his circuit, the protocols are being applied. However, he considers it likely that in some high schools the principal or councilor doesn’t apply the protocols for lack of knowledge of part of the process or for simple neglect. In addition, he pointed out the obligation that each regional direction has to train the principals and teachers of the institutions each year since many of them are temporary and transferred to other schools. Therefore it becomes necessary to train the new instructors.
Jose Luis Ramirez, director of the Nicoya High School, affirmed that he knows the protocols and that currently they are being applied in the institution, but he believes that although they serve as a guide for the teachers and councilors, the parents also should know them to support and aid in the labor of educating youths so they don’t turn into bullies.
On the other hand, Ramirez firmly believes that the current evaluation rules prevent them from being more drastic with the misconduct of the students. “If a student hits another, the most I can do is suspend him for 30 days,” he commented. He recalled that the former evaluation rules, which were reformed in 2009, permitted principals to expel a student from the institution and even deny registration. “Now I feel that many professors are afraid of the students since they don’t feel protected by the law,” affirmed Ramirez.
But the powerlessness that Ramirez feels because of not being able to be a little stricter with the students isn’t felt just by him and other professors; many parents also see themselves as limited and incapable of imposing their authority on today’s teenagers. Cabalceta, who works in the Nicoya High School and is in charge of the orientation department, expressed feeling worried and powerless since there are fathers and mothers that tell her, “I don’t know what to do with my child,” because they misbehave at home and at the high school too.
Carmen Prado, also a councilor at the Nicoya High School, added, this shows that [the parents] are the ones directly in charge of educating them and they don’t know how or don’t want to educate them at home and they look to us to do their job.”
Eduardo Alvarez Garro, neuroprogramming psychologist, explained that the causes that originate bullying are related to personal factors of a family and social nature, as well as the school culture of the aggressor and the victim. Also the background and the environment that surrounds the youth influence whether he or she will abuse or mistreat peers verbally or physically. “Teenagers reproduce the patterns they learn in their immediate environment,” indicated Alvarez, so if the youth is personally a victim at home or sees his or her parents attack other people, it is very likely that he or she will imitate these behaviors.
And for the victims, the family environment also influences their self esteem and how they face or even ignore attacks. Garro said that at home parents should assure the young victim of abuses of their virtues and of how important they are to them, since a youth that feels loved and valued and knows how to give love, “will be able to accept him or herself and accept others,” he explained.
Costa Rica is one of the most dynamic economies in central America and millions of tourists visit every year. But drug trafficking is becoming a major problem and violence is on the rise. Andy Gallacher reports from Barra Del Colorado on the challenges the police face.
Honduras is more than twice the size of Costa Rica, has double the protected area and is easier to get to from the United States. The only real difference, says James Adams, the head naturalist at The Lodge at Pico Bonito, is “Costa Rica is more savvy at marketing. Their Tourism Board has ten times the budget.”
Oh, yeah, and that little thing about the United Nations declaring San Pedro Sula, the city most tourists fly into, as the world’s most dangerous.
But as I always like to say, what’s a vacation without a little adventure?
Which is why I recently visited the Lodge at Pico Bonito. It’s smack dab in the middle of the Honduras jungle, borders mountains the locals call “Name of God Mountains” and has the exact same monkeys, birds and jaguars as its high rolling neighbor.
In fact, Elmer, our guide who does a fabulous howler monkey imitation, used a Costa Rica flora and fauna book to point out the many animals we passed on our hikes and canoe trips through mangroves.
“There’s just no money for tourism,” laments Adams, who moved to Honduras from New Jersey 13 years ago because of the tremendous wildlife. “The Minister of Tourism used to be a dentist.
“We probably find at least 12 new species here every year,” he says. “Honduras is rich with wildlife. It’s an eco-tourist’s heaven. We have four species of toucans and more than 20 species of hummingbirds. And it’s only a two and a half-hour flight from Houston and Miami.”
Which is why he returns to the States several times a year to promote his adopted country. He speaks to Audubon and other bird-watching groups every chance he gets. He instigated the building of Pico Bonito’s butterfly farm (it breeds more than 40 species of tropical butterflies including the blue morpho), its Serpentarium and Iguana House. When I was there, he was excited about the red-eyed tree frogs that have come to mate in the frog pond he and his crew of bilingual guides recently dug. And he says he usually feels safer in Honduras than in the U.S.
The Lodge at Pico Bonito also has miles of private trails winding through 100-foot canyons to waterfalls and natural swimming holes, a trio of four-story observation decks overlooking the jungle canopy and lots of adventures from white water rafting to safaris through the mangroves.
As for those State Department warnings? All I can say is “hogwash.” I have never felt more safe, met kinder, gentler people or had a more peaceful trip. In fact, I’d pit the Lodge at Pico Bonito against any five-star property in northern climes. Bordering the national park of the same name, it’s nearly two miles from a main road and the only “threats” are getting so wrapped up in watching keel-billed toucan nests or so enthralled by the pendulum swing of a motmot tail that you accidentally run into a tree.
The Lodge at Pico Bonito was chosen by National Geographic as one of the world’s top ecolodges, belongs to Small Luxury Hotels of the World and, well, let’s just say that Sports Illustrated didn’t film one of their swimsuit issues there for nothing.
So yeah, I ate a termite (it takes just like black pepper) and stood just feet from a couple deadly vipers (they were behind glass in the Serpentarium), but I never once felt threatened or in any kind of danger.
Many times I had to pinch myself. Is this a dream or am I really in the middle of this rainforest, being serenaded by birds and red-eyed tree frogs, while eating coffee and chili tenderloin medallions? Can it be true that pan-roasted rack of lamb with ratatoullie and sautéed haricot vert is on a menu served only steps from ocelots and agoutis and troops of howler monkeys?
Although the food alone is worth the trip to this secluded lodge within swimming and snorkeling distance of Honduras’ Caribbean coast, the biggest draw, the reason its 22 cabins are consistently booked, are the blue cotingas, basilisk lizards (they run on water and locals call them Jesus lizards), howler monkeys, crocodiles, green herons and fields of purple water lilies. In other words, Mother Nature herself.
The Lodge at Pico Bonito has 22 cabins, all around 400-square feet with private decks, hammocks, ceiling fans, free Wi-Fi and native wood and vaulted ceilings.
For more info, contact The Lodge at Pico Bonito, AP710, La Ceiba, CP31101, Honduras, Central America, 888.28.0221, www.picobonito.com.
While being busy putting the Taxation ministry under the microscope, for its poor tax collection practices, Costa Rica’s leading newspaper, La Nacion, itself has been involved in a tax evasion case that has been ongoing since 2004. This CRHoy.com toon gives us a humorous glimpse at what is going on.
Getting your car ready for the annual Riteve inspection means checking the brakes, lights, seat belts, muffler, tires, etc. that everything works, with the intent to keep your vehicle running safely.
For some, however, the corrections are temporary only to pass the inspection. Renting tires, modifying the vehicle’s emission, adjusting the brakes and other mechanic’s tricks are a few some use to pass inspection and then.
This practice has been known to Transport officials who have been helpless. Until now. The vice-minister of Transport, Silvia Bolaños, says people have to understand that the vehicular inspection is as matter of road safety.
This past week the Policia de Tránsito (traffic police) in conjunction with Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi) officials have been surprising drivers with random roadside spotchecks. The Tránsitos (traffic officials) now have the ability to correct problems items like slick tires or modified mufflers and head and tail lights, armed with tools to prove faults that make a vehicle unsafe and would have never passed a vehicle inspection.
Moreover, there exists a large number of vehicles that circulate without the Riteve. The spotchecks allows the finding and/of confiscation of unsafe vehicles.
Items like slick tires, faulty brakes and non-working head and tail lights are now targeted by Tránsitos at the roadside spotchecks.
The objective of the Cosevi and the Policia de Tránsito is to make the public aware of the serious problem of not maintaining one’s vehicle or not submitting to a vehicular inspection.
If you have one an iPhone or an iPad chances you are familiar with the phrase, “what can I help you with? coming out of your mobile device. Other phrases include “how can I help you today” or “I’m not sure what you said…”
This is Siri, the intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator which works as an application for Apple’s iOS. Android users have a similar app.
The application uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services. Apple claims that the software adapts to the user’s individual preferences over time and personalizes results, and performing tasks such as finding recommendations for nearby restaurants, or getting directions.
And it is available in Costa Rica. Siri has been an integral part of iOS since iOS and was first supported on the iPhone 4S. Siri was added to the third generation iPad with the release of iOS 6, and is included on the iPhone 5, fifth generation iPod Touch, fourth generation iPad and the iPad mini.
How to Use Siri on the iPad
Siri comes to the iPad with the iOS 6.0 update, but if you are having trouble activating Siri — which is done by holding down the home button for a few seconds — you might want to make sure that (1) you have the right type of iPad (Siri only works on the iPad 3 and later models) and (2) that you have Siri turned on.
There’s not much to be done about Siri on an earlier iPad other than simply upgrading to the new iPad, but we can do something about Siri being turned off.
Here’s how you turn Siri on:
Tap the Settings app on your iPad to go into the settings. Get help opening these settings.
Find “General” in the left-side menu and tap it to bring up general settings.
The Siri settings are near the top, just under “Usage”. Tap the Siri button to proceed to those settings.
Slide the button at the top from Off to On.
Remember, you will need an active Internet connection to use Siri. It should work on both Wi-Fi and when you are using the 4G/3G data connection.
How to Use Siri on the iPad
Siri was introduced to the iPad with Apple’s iOS 6.0 update, but it requires a 3rd generation “iPad 3” in order to work. And because Siri passes your question up to Apple’s servers to be analyzed, it also requires an active Internet connection, either through Wi-Fi or a 4G/3G connection.
How to activate Siri on the iPad
First things first, you will need to let your iPad know that you want to ask Siri a question. Similar to the iPhone, you can do this by holding the Home Button down a few seconds.
When activated, Siri will beep at you and open a window on the screen with a small microphone on it. The microphone will have a purple glow to it, indicated Siri is listening. Simply ask a question, and Siri will do her best to comply.
If you want to ask additional questions while the Siri menu is open, simply tap the microphone. It will glow purple again, which means you can ask away. Remember: a purple-glowing microphone means Siri is ready for your question, and a microphone that isn’t glowing means she is not listening.
Note: If you have problems getting Siri to activate, make sure you have it turned on in settings. Also, remember it requires an Internet connection and an iPad 3 or later.
What Questions to Ask Siri
Siri is a voice recognition artificial intelligence decision engine that has been programmed with various databases that will enable her to answer many of your questions. And if you got lost in that explanation, you are not alone.
Forget the technical stuff. Siri can perform a lot of basic tasks and answer various questions. Here is a range of things she can do for you:
Basic Siri questions and tasks:
Call [name]. Example: “Call Tom.”
Send text to [name] [text]. Example: “Send text to Tom: What did you say the name of that band was?”
Launch [app]. Example: “Launch Evernote.”
Search the web for [whatever]. Example: “Search the web for best iPad strategy games.”
Listen to [band name, song name]. Example: “List to The Beatles.”
Get me directions to [shop/restaurant name/address]. Example: “Get me directions to Six Flags over Texas” or “Where is Gilmer, Texas?”
Will it rain [date]?. Example: “Will it rain tomorrow?” or “What is the weather like?”
Siri as a personal assistant:
Remind me to [do something] at [date/time]. Example: “Remind me to walk the dog tomorrow at 10 AM.”
Schedule a meeting for [meeting] at [date/time]. Example: “Schedule a meeting for work at 3 PM on Thursday.”
Change my meeting from [date/time] to [date/time]. Example: “Change my meeting from 3 PM on Thursday to 4 PM on Friday.”
Tweet [what you want to say]. Example: “Tweet: I am having a cup of coffee.”
Update my Facebook status to [what you want to say]. Example: “Update my Facebook status to: Just watched Doctor Who and loved it.”
Siri will help feed and entertain you:
Show me nearby [type of food] restaurants. Example: “Show me nearby Mexican food restaurants.”
Find me [type of food] in [city]. Example: “Find me pizza in Dallas.”
Book a table at [date/time] for [restaurant]. Example: “Book a table at 6 PM for Via Real.”
What movies are playing? This will list out movies playing at nearby theaters. You can also add “in [city]” to check movies that aren’t near your current location.
Show me a trailer for [movie]. Example: “Show me a trailer for The Avengers.”
What movies has [actor] starred in? Example: “What movies has Tom Hanks starred in?”
What movies has [director] directed? Example: “What movies has Penny Marshall directed?”
What is the cast of [tv series]? Example: “What is the cast of How I Met Your Mother?”
Who wrote [book, movie, tv series]? Example: “Who wrote Harry Potter?”
Siri knows sports:
Who are the [sports team] playing tonight? Example: “Who are the Rangers playing tonight?”
What is the score of the [sports team] game? Example: “What is the score of the Giants game?”
How are the [sports team] doing? Example: “How are the Yankees doing?”
Who is leading the league in [stat]? Example: “Who is leading the league in rushing yards?”
How many [stat] does [player] have? Example: “How many rushing yards does Maurice Jones Drew have?”
Siri is gushing with information:
Siri is pretty intelligent, so feel free to experiment with different questions. Siri is connected to a number of different websites and databases, which means you can ask her a variety of questions. Here are some examples of Siri performing calculations and finding information for you:
What is 18 “percent” of 32 “dollars” 57 “cents”? Siri is great for figuring out how much you should tip or performing simple math. She can even plot out equations.
What is the price of AAPL? If you love to keep an eye on your favorite stock, Siri has your info for you.
Where is area code 212? A good way to check where that unknown call originated.
How much is 20 British pounds in dollars? Siri can do a lot of different monetary conversions, making her pretty good for vacations.
How old is Mitt Romney? Your query will need to be about someone famous enough for her to recognize, but you can ask a variety of questions about well-known people.
What time is it in London? Not only can Siri give you the time in locations across the world, she’ll also be able to give you facts like when the sun will rise in that location.
What is the definition of mouse? She may not be able to define Keynesian economics, but she can get most terms right.
When is mother’s day in 2013? This one can be really handy for everyone that wants to keep on their mom’s good side.
Funny Questions to Ask Siri
Siri is not only a valuable personal assistant. She can also make you laugh. Apple took the concept of an Easter egg to new heights, embedding a number of funny questions you can ask Siri. I’ve listed out a number of fun questions you can ask Siri, but I’ve withheld the answers so you can discover them yourself. And for some questions, asking a second or third time might get a different (even funnier) response.
Fun Questions to Get to Know Siri:
What are you doing?
Are you a man or a woman?
Are you human?
Who made you?
Why did Apple make you?
What’s the best computer?
What’s your favorite website?
What’s your favorite color?
Do you believe in God?
What is your favorite computer?
Funny Requests to Make of Siri:
Can you make me a sandwich
Call me (fill in the blank)
Show me the money
Take me to your leader
Sing a song
Beam me up
Open the pod bay doors
I can do this all day long
I need to hide a body
Talk dirty to me
Let Siri Teach You Something:
Where do babies come from?
When will the world end?
Is Santa Clause real?
When will pigs fly?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Opponents don’t believe the concession contract is cancelled
Government action was to pacify public ahead of Obama visit
Just when you thought all the roadblocks and demonstrations were over, opponents to the San José – San Ramon road concession say they will continue their protests, this because they believe the concession contract is not dead.
The Foro Nacional suspects that the cancellation of the concession contract by Presidenta Laura Chinchilla was only to pacify the people before the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama to Costa Rica.
The Foro believes that the actions of the government contradict the words of the Presidenta, and as such have organized a protest march for Thursday, May 16.
The protest is to call the attention of the public who have been led to believe that the concession contract with the Brazilian firm, OAS, is dead. The Foro Nacional said they will hold a press conference during the protest to point out the points of their fight against this project.
Following the announcement of the concession contract early last month, public outcry lead to the government back tracking and on April 29, says ahead of the Obama visit, Presidenta Laura Chinchilla said in a national television broadcast her government would be cancelling the contract.
This act quelled planned protests before and during the historic presidential visit that occurred on May 3 and 4.
Monday, May 5, the minister of Planning, Fernando Chacon, announced that a termination letter had been sent to OAS and that an auditor would be hired to calculate compensation of costs for the constructions company.
The impression is that the termination is of mutual accord. However, OAS, has 60 days (from last Monday) to respond to the termination letter.
Orland Business Journal – You may head to Costa Rica for the surfing, white water rafting and zip-lining through the jungles, but there may be business opportunities waiting for you in this Latin American country with a gross domestic product of $41 billion.
With an eye on capturing some of that market and luring investment to the region, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando is planning a trade mission to Costa Rica in July.
The chamber, which sponsored a trade mission to Colombia in August, is partnering with the Canaveral Port Authority and JetBlue Airways on the July trip.
“We need to let other people in the world know that Central Florida is ready to do business,” Diana Bolivar, president of the chamber, told me following a seminar the organization hosted in the National Entrepreneur Center on doing business with Costa Rica.
The chamber, which has 10 of the 20 slots committed for the July 10-14 trade mission, hopes to open doors and establish relationships with Costa Rican companies looking to do business with Orlando companies and invest in Central Florida.
Although exports from Florida to Costa Rica of $2.07 billion were down 1.1 percent in 2012, imports of goods from that country were up 68 percent to nearly $6 billion.
Costa Rica exported 220,000 tons to Central and North Florida, but those regions exported only 30,000 tons to the country. Port Canaveral, which is trying to boost its cargo business, believes the country could be a “significant opportunity” for Orlando companies.
“Costa Rica is a prime target for Port Canaveral,” Shannon Feeley, assistant director of cargo business development for the Canaveral Port Authority, told those attending the seminar.
Costa Rica in Miami. Photo: Facebook
Companies involved in medical and dental equipment, building products, and hotel and restaurant products have the best chance of selling to Costa Rica, said Paul Mitchell, regional manager of international trade development for aviation, aerospace and defense trade programs at Enterprise Florida.
While there are opportunities to develop export markets, Mitchell cautioned those attending the seminar not to expand overseas unless they have the time and money to commit to building those markets.
Building relationships in Costa Rica is key to doing business, according to Jose H. Silva, a financial adviser in the Ormond Beach office of Edward Jones who spent 12 years in the Latin American nation as a business management consultant.
“The ones who are successful are the ones who make and invest in relationships,” Silva told those attending the seminar.
Costa Ricans have long had a tradition with soup, particularly during the rainy season which runs from May to December when it helps to mitigate the effects of the cold weather (a few degrees below dry season weather) and even the usual cold symptoms.
If you are like many expats new to Costa Rica you have heard the name, you have even been asked to to pick up at the local store, NOW you know what it is. Sure it was the Spanish pronunciation that threw you off.
Even though typical recipes such as the traditional olla de carne are disappearing, the demand for convenient and easy-to-prepare food continues benefiting the sales of packaged soup, like the “Maruchan, which ironically is an American producer of instant noodles.
The convenience of the Maruchan cannot be disputed. In the US, it is often a staple diet of “poor college students”, but in Costa Rica it is often a staple of busy families, where both of the breadwinners work and little time to cook a homemade hearty soup. It is also great for a quick lunch, open the package, into the microwave and voila!
But, if you can take the time to make a homemade soup – mother please – here is one Costa Rican soup recipe that can’t miss the spot:
Sopa Negra (Black Bean Soup)
Ingredients
1 lb (450 gr.) black beans. Fresh are best but most likely you’ll find them dried.
8 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water or a mix
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
salt and black pepper to taste
6 eggs
Finely chop
10-12 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen, not dried!
1 small or medium Onion
5 cloves garlic
1 small green, red, or yellow sweet pepper
Directions
If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off.
Drain the beans and add water or chicken broth, salt, and half of the chopped ingredients.
Bring to a boil.
Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are nearly soft (~ 2½ hours).
Add the rest of the chopped ingredients, and vegetable oil, and cook an additional ½ hour.
Add eggs for the final 2–4 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs cooked).
Remove about half the beans and reserve for gallo pinto or to mash and refry (you can leave all the beans in but typically some are removed).
A pro-life association in Costa Rica has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the plight of babies with anencephaly, who are often used to justify calls for the legalization of abortion in Latin America.
Babies born with the condition are missing all or part of their brain and usually die within a few hours, although some babies live longer. One baby with the condition born in Brazil lived for 16 months.
In a statement sent to CNA, the pro-life group Por la Vida underscored the importance of defending the right to life of babies with anencephaly, one year after Brazil legalized abortion for babies with the condition. A baby with the same condition is currently making headlines in El Salvador, as a similar debate rages in the country.
The awareness campaign in Costa Rica includes testimonies from families who have had babies with anencephaly.
“Antonella, Gabriel, Liam, Isabella are only a few of the names of these babies who lived for a short time outside their mothers’ wombs but who live on in the hearts of the parents,” the campaign explained.
It added that these parents “wish to tell their stories to show that preserving the life of their child was worth it and that the best decision a mother in this situation can make is to allow her child to live and to die in the arms of his or her loved ones.”
The testimonies posted on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, “have moved the hearts of those who have followed this campaign, which has already received more than 10,000 visits on its first day,” the association said.
One woman explained that she did not see her baby as deformed. Rather, she explained, “(t)o me he is and always will be my baby, the fruit of my womb, my gift from God, my first and only love.”
Por la Vida noted that in Costa Rica, abortion proponents have used the case of a woman called “Aurora” to argue for the legalization of abortion, alleging that her unborn child “suffered from deformations incompatible with life.”
“Aurora’s” case is currently being studied by the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica.
OIJ confirm the arrest of five people Wednesday morning, all involved in the attempted murder of a Pococí Criminal Court judge last December. Among the arrested was judge, Lizano Córdoba, who worked alongside the intended victim.
Francisco Segura, director of the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ), said the arrests took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Heredia, Desamparados, Limon and Guapiles.
Last December 14, judge Jorger Paisano Saborio, who was unharmed in the attack, was the target of an intended hit while on his way to work, about four blocks from the Pococi courthouse.
The judge’s car was shot at several times, but none of the bullets met with their intended target.
Prosecutor Juan Pablo González said Paisano had asked for Lizano Córdoba to be fired for failure to perform his job properly and for constantly arriving late to work.
The five face charges of attempted murder, which in Costa Rica carries a sentence of up to 35 years in prison.
The next time you decide to eat at a restaurant best to check that there isn’t a fly or a nail in your soup. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health says that most complaints against restaurants are for objects or insects in salads.
According to Health data, to date, 12 complaints of poising have been filed against restaurants. This is an average of 2.4 per month for this year.
In total, 722 complaints for various reasons have been filed, of which 470 are for restaurants in the Gran Área Metropolitana (GAM) – Greater Metropolitan Area of San José.
Health Minister, Daisy Corrales, said most of the cases are for objects and insects (especially salads) in the food. Following are complaints for uncleanliness of the establishment and third for intoxications or food poisining.
According to Corrales, all complaints are investigated, and not only focusing on the item of the complaint, but a general inspection of the entire operations is made.
Areas that investigators will look into are: cleanliness of the establishment, availability of drinking water, food handing, cooking, storage and waste disposal, among others. Employees are also required to have a food handling certificate.
Use extreme care when purchasing a cellular phone in Costa Rica. A new scam has been uncovered by the investigators of the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL) where cellular phones purchased from an authorized retailer are “cloned” to unlock stolen cellular phones or cellular phones purchased outside the country.
The SUTEL says it has detected the problem in recent months, as some stores are dedicated to providing cellular unblocking service, which could result that the IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity or device identification number) of one phone is used on another in the hands of an unscrupulous operator.
The IMEI is a unique number that is coded into each cellular phone. The code identifies the unit globally and is transmitted by the terminal to connect to a network.
SUTEL spokesperson, Eduaro Castellon, explained that in some of these stores (the unblockers) what they do is clone the IMEI number of authorized units to be used on stolen or imported cell phones.
What this means is an uncalculated number of cell phones with the same IMEI and serious repercussions for those who purchased an authorized cell phone, leading to the loss of the unit and the service.
Typically, the more expensive cell phones or “smartphones” are targets of cloning.
The SUTEL reminds that there are only three “approved” vendors of cellular phones in Costa Rica: ICE (Kolbi brand), Claro and Movistar. Buying a cellular phone from a retailer who is not authorized by the three can result in lossses.
For example, a customer buys a cellular phone from an unauthorized retailer or cell unblocker, in some cases motivated by the lower price that the authorized store. Everything seems in order, the unit is its original box, a receipt for the purchase is provided. But there is the possibility that the phone could be a cloned phone, hence the low price.
In real terms, the buyer’s investment is at risk. For one, the cell phone may not connect properly to the networks in operation in Costa Rica, or have a poor quality of service. Since the phone was not purchased from an authorized retailer, the excuse for the lousy service has to be the phone. Service providers in this case have no legal obligation to investigate the source of the poor quality of the service.
If the purchase is a cloned phone the risk is even higher, surely almost total over time.
If for some reason, like the original or one of the clone phones is reported stolen or for any other reason the IMEI is blocked, ALL the cell phones with the same IMEI will be blocked. In this case, only the owner of the phone with the original IMEI has a claim.
A study by the Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones, a division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) show that sending US$200 from the United States to El Salvador has a cost of 4%, while the same transfer costs 6.9% if sent to Costa Rica.
