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Costa Rica Keeps Tapping Out Telegrams in the 21st Century
TELEGRAM NOT DEAD. STOP.
Despite end of Costa Rica’s telecommunications advances, telegraphy lives on.
India recently closed a 163 year-old chapter of her communications history as a telegraphic operator tapped out that country’s last telegram sent across a state-run network. As expected, the final Morse code dot/dash sequence on that last telegram spelled out STOP. A postal worker wearing a khaki uniform delivered the missive to its intended recipient and, just like that, the telegram became part of India’s long history.
Costa Rica, however, is not quite ready to retire her telegraphic equipment just yet.
Currently, there are still two telegram service providers; one is the state-run Correos de Costa Rica (the post office), an entity that has proven to be dynamic and resilient in answering the challenges of today’s electronic communications technology, and Radiografica Costarricense, S.A. (Racsa), a company that is part of the ICE the autonomous state telecommunications and electrical power agency.
Telegrams are still being tapped out and delivered in Costa Rica thanks to the Ministry of Public Education (MEP in Spanish) and a handful of financial institutions. According to a September 2012 article by tech journalist Pablo Fonseca of La Nacion, the only thing that is keeping Costa Rica from tapping out STOP on her last telegram is a legal and procedural matter: telegrams enjoy legal status as messages transmitted by a government-appointed institution that serves as witness and intermediary. There is no “he said, she said” point of contention with telegrams in Costa Rica; for this reason, telegrams have been instrumental in delivering proof of service of court documents, election results, payroll codes, academic grades, etc. Emails, Twitter posts, text messages, and Facebook status updates lack this legal standing in Costa Rica.
People in Costa Rica can still send telegrams by calling up Racsa and dictating the message over the telephone. Telegrams can be delivered nationally or around the world, and 24-hour delivery is guaranteed in Costa Rica -even to remote rural areas. The cost of the service can be billed directly to the telephone, which runs about $1.30 for a block of 25 words. It’s even cheaper if you go in person to a post office in Costa Rica, where you can send a full-page telegram for about $1.30. The post office even takes telegrams in advance for guaranteed delivery on busy days such as August 15th, which celebrates both the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother’s Day in Costa Rica.
Messages sent by MEP and a few financial institutions make up 95 percent of the telegram traffic in Costa Rica. As of late 2012, the post office delivered about 40,000 telegrams per month -down from more than 80,000 per month in the early 21st century. Both Racsa and the postal service believe that legal and administrative procedures in Costa Rica will switch to require certified e-mail by the end of the decade, thus putting an end on more than a century of telegraphic communications in this country.
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Former Presidents of Costa Rica Never Go To Prison
Now that Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy who was essentially forced out of office by a bunch of powerful bond traders, has been sentenced by an appellate court in Milan to serve seven years in prison, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether he will actually set foot in a correctional institution.
If the Berlusconi case unfolds in a fashion similar as that of Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier and Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria, two former Presidents of Costa Rica who received prison sentences in modern times, the former Prime Minister of Italy does not have to worry about ending up in the slammer.
Many former heads of state have been imprisoned; in fact, Wikipedia lists dozens of them, but the fact remains that in certain countries it is difficult to imprison a former President unless the offense is as egregious as genocide –case in point: the imprisonment and execution of Saddam Hussein.
Bunga-Bunga
Former Prime Minister Berlusconi has quite a few legal problems to deal with, but the one that has captured more headlines has been the sordid Bunga-Bunga affair. If you must know why it is called Bunga-Bunga, please note that Berlusconi himself reportedly used those odd words to describe a room in one of his summer mansions where all kinds of libidinous hedonism and sexual acts with prostitutes allegedly took place. One of the prostitutes came forward with testimony about the Bunga-Bunga parties she attended when she was 17 years old, which is the main reason the former Prime Minister was sentenced to prison.
Bunga-Bunga is the punch line to an old, puerile joke. In the event that you have never heard of it, here’s a common version (WARNING: This is a very crude joke of a sexual and offensive nature, and you may not find it funny at all). It is important to note that Berlusconi did not lose his seat as Prime Minister due to Bunga-Bunga, but most people would agree that the affair definitely qualifies as conduct unbecoming a head of state.
“Should Berlusconi go to prison?” is a question of the minds of many Italians these days, similar to when Ticos found out that two of their former Presidents were tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. They ended up not going to prison, however, thanks to their powerful connections, elite legal teams and expert wrangling of the legal system in Costa Rica. Although no Bunga-Bunga took place in either case, there was evidence of serious malfeasance:
Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier
The 41st President of Costa Rica was actually born in Nicaragua. He was actually going to run against President Laura Chinchilla and try his hand at leading Costa Rica for a second time, but his conviction and sentencing to five years in prison on two counts of corruption crushed his presidential aspirations.
Former President Calderon formed the Social-Christian Unification Party (PUSC in Spanish), a political group that has served as the major opposition to the powerful mainstay National Liberation Party (PLN) for the last few decades. He served as President from 1990 to 1994. He was involved in the infamous Caja-Fischel case, in which he supposedly received a $440K bribe from a Finnish company for the purpose of scoring a lucrative contract with the administration of Costa Rica’s public health system. He was actually taken into custody, but was later remanded to house arrest and then his sentence was waived after numerous rounds in appellate court.
Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria
The 43rd President of Costa Rica is from the same political party as the other ex-con head of state Calderon Fournier. Like his political predecessor, he was also accused of accepting bribes -$800K from the French telecom giant Alcatel.
If there is one thing that Ticos learned about former President Rodriguez, is that he is a man of conviction –no pun intended. He was appointed Secretary General of the Organization of American States, a position that could have guaranteed deferment of the charges against him, yet he surrendered his political advantage to return to Costa Rica and face charges. He was handcuffed at the airport in 2004 and taken into custody but later released to house arrest, where he would spend several more years since the court decided that he could serve the rest of his sentence there.
Right before Christmas last year, the former President received a pardon and exoneration from the court. Staying classy, he told national newspaper La Nacion that he was satisfied with the court’s decision and that he had no hard feelings against his accusers; he even delivered a Christmas message for Ticos.
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Six Months in Costa Rica = A Lot of Cocaine
During a recent press conference by the Ministry of Public Safety in Costa Rica, Minister Francisco Zamora announced that Caribbean operations by the National Coast Guard Service and law enforcement have seized 4.6 tons of cocaine so far in 2013. This is in addition to 1.47 tons of marijuana confiscated off the coast of the province of Limon in Costa Rica.
Minister Zamora’s remarks coincided with a public event celebrating the reinforcement of four Coast Guard stations in Limón. The work of these maritime search and rescue and law enforcement officers is being augmented by more powerful outboard engines on their small boats, which are sometimes no match for the racing-style boats used by drug runners who launch from Colombia and Venezuela and attempt to offload their cargo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
With the augmenting and modernization of the four Coast Guard stations, Minister Zamora explained that he intends to exert more control against drug trafficking in Limón. Costa Rica has often been labeled as a bridge for powerful drug cartels to move their nefarious cargo to its final destinations in North America, particularly to the United States. To this end, law enforcement in Costa Rica has been working hard to prevent cartels such as the Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar) of Michoacan from establishing a foothold in our country.
Between the month of January and July, law enforcement in Costa Rica have intercepted 11 boats in the Caribbean zone and arrested 12 suspect for offenses related to drug trafficking; all suspects are in currently in custody awaiting trial. The current Caribbean stations of the National Coast Guard Service of Costa Rica are located in Colorado, Moin, and Pacuare. In the near future, one more station will operate in the central canton of Moin, where two other stations currently guard the coastline and the Caribbean Sea.
Aside from catching drug runners, the Coast Guard in Costa Rica protects marine wildlife. To this effect, they often rescue nesting sea turtles and their eggs, and intercept shark finning crews.
Source: Ministerio de Seguridad Publica de Costa Rica
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Fresa? – The English Language Invasion of Costa Rica
When Fabiana Granados was crowned Miss Costa Rica 2013 over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of Ticos tuned in to Teletica for the pageant’s broadcast on Teletica clearly heard her exclaim in surprise, and in English: Oh My God!
Fabiana Granados’ choice of an English expression to express her elation and surprise at being crowned Queen of all Ticos caused a social media storm in Costa Rica, with netizens shaking their heads and sadly opining that either:
Spanish is sadly losing ground to English in Costa Rica
Or
Fabiana is a fresa
“Fresa” is part of the Costa Rican slang vernacular and it is used to describe people who attempt to flaunt their socioeconomic status by peppering English in their everyday speech; particularly with terms that are associated with teenspeak. Readers who often travel by bus to Heredia, Santa Ana, San Pedro, Rohrmoser, and other areas where English-language call centres are located, will invariably hear Ticos coming off their shifts speaking English or Spanglish to each other; it may be unfair to categorize these call center employees as fresas since they may only be practicing their second language, but you get the idea.
Our new Miss Costa Rica hails from Guanacaste, a province that has seen a great influx of English-speaking expats over the last few years and where English is becoming more common as a result. It is not unreasonable to think that Fabiana has been exposed to a fair amount of English growing up. In an interview with La Nacion, Miss Granados explained that, while she is bilingual, she barely uses that expression in English; she added that she exclaimed “Oh my God!” because that was what she felt in her heart at the moment. To Fabiana’s credit, she does not come across as fresa or unpleasant; in fact, she comes across as humble and down to earth.
A Bona Fide Grammar Police in Costa Rica
While the topic of why Fabiana used “Oh my God!” is the subject of dubious analysis, jokes and general mocking in social media circles, there are three Ticos who are not smiling at all. They are a pair of linguists and a writer who form part of Alajuela’s Committee in Defense of the Spanish Language, otherwise known as the “patrulla defensora del idioma” (grammar police).
Unlike members of the global online grammar police, who surreptitiously patrol social Internet forums and are essentially self-appointed in the interest of making the Internet a more legible place, Marcos Bravo Castro, Flora Jara Arroyo and Ani Brenes Herrera actually walk the beat of the streets in the central canton of Alajuela; they actively look for grievous affronts against orthographical and grammatical errors seen in banners, signs, posters, flyers, and other likely places.
The three members of the grammar police are actually upholding the law in Costa Rica. In 1996, the National Assembly approved Public Law Number 7623, In Defense of the Spanish Language and Native Languages of Costa Rica. The preamble of this law clearly states that advertising materials must be correctly written in Spanish or the indigenous languages of Costa Rica, as well as other media such as government documents and tourism informational materials.
The grammar police of Alajuela, who do not receive compensation for their arduous work, issue verbal warnings prior to writing infraction tickets that call for corrective action. This is pretty much the extent of their work, since the law does not call for fines or other punitive measures. They also have a thrice-daily radio show that airs on Radio Alajuela, 1120 on the AM dial, which deals with matters pertinent to the English language.
These linguistic volunteers certainly have their work cut out for them: A recent sculpture erected right across from the Juan Santamaria park reads “alajuela,” without regard to proper capitalization. Just a few steps away, a street sign reads “Boulevard Carlos Luis Fallas,” named after one of Costa Rica’s foremost literary figures. Boulevard is a French word; the correct usage in Spanish would be “bulevar,” which is a Gallicism accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy.
The English Invasion
Although the Spanish language is currently growing faster than English in many parts of the world, the Bard’s language is having a significant impact in Costa Rica. Just like in Mexico and many parts of the United States, the influence of English is leading to greater acceptance of Spanglish and its cringe-worthy idiomatic expressions. One only needs to spend some time watching television networks such as MTV Tr3s, NBC Mun2 and Telemundo-YouTube’s Mia Mundo to understand that Spanglish is on its way to becoming a mainstay.
Much to the dismay of Alajuela’s grammar police and others ready to defend the integrity of Spanish, the English imprint in Costa Rica can trace its beginning a long time ago. Spanish language purists can blame the prevalence of pop culture, globalization and the growth of the Internet for influencing Ticos into adapting English expressions.
Miss Costa Rica is hardly the only Tica using “Oh my God!” in their everyday speech. Ticos are avid users of online social networks such as Facebook; to this end, it is not rare to see the Internet abbreviation OMG in status updates and comments. The pre-Internet slang term “tuanis,” for example, is an unofficial Anglicism for “too nice.” The expression “todo bien” is a near-direct translation of the North American idiom “it’s all good,” which young Ticos have taken to use these days. Ticos who study English as a Second Language are usually surprised to learn that the word “catering” is not pronounced like the name Katherine without the letter h. There’s also the word “canopy” that describes the activity of using an intricate network of ropes and zip lines to appreciate the beauty of Costa Rica’s diverse forests.
Adding to the growth of English and Spanglish are Generation X Ticos who grew up with Channel 19 on UHF during the mid-to-late 80s. A previous article on The Costa Rica Star described this generational event:
“Channel 19 one day appeared on the free airwaves of Costa Rica; it was essentially a WGN broadcast from Chicago during the daytime, and sometimes HBO or MTV at night. Just like Cable Color, it was 100 percent in English, and the channel introduced young Ticos to a world of programming that included GI Joe, the Transformers, Soul Train, and the Chicago Cubs with Ryan Sandberg on second base.”
On that article, you can also read about the displeasure by some cable and satellite TV subscribers who complain about Cabletica’s recent move to replace original English programming on some channels with dubbed movies and series. With cable and satellite subscribers on the rise, providers in Costa Rica are increasing their Spanish and Spanglish programming options; however, there is still plenty of English-language content for Ticos to enjoy –such as this online newspaper. This preference for consuming English-language content is a more influential factor than the number of expats from the United States, Canada and other English-speaking nations.
We should not be afraid of the rise of English and Spanish in Costa Rica. It is preposterous to think that Spanish will one day cease to be spoken in Costa Rica, and we have Panama and Puerto Rico as evidence that this will not happen. It’s not like that university in Italy that switched to an all-English curriculum. Bilingualism and code-switching are also on the rise in Costa Rica, and the adaptation of English language words and expressions by Ticos actually conforms to Noam Chomsky’s linguistic theories on generative grammar; this, in the end, is a good thing.
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Legislators in Costa Rica Attempt to Tackle Sexting
The practice of sharing digital photographs of a sexual nature over electronic communication networks is rising among young people in Costa Rica. This activity is known as “sexting,” and it is something that lawmakers and public officials in Costa Rica want to reduce and control through a series of legislative initiatives.
A recent report by online news site CRHoy explains that young Ticos are misinformed about the sexting mechanism and its potentially harmful consequences. By using online social networks and apps such as Snapchat, young people in Costa Rica often believe that they are operating under a layer of privacy and security, when in fact they have no control over the future publication of their sexual content by third parties. They either blindingly trust those who they share nude and compromising pictures with, or they don’t think about the possibility of sexting content (including text) being intercepted by hackers or unscrupulous individuals.
About a year ago, online news site Ticovision reported on a legislative initiative to specifically protect young people in Costa Rica against the harms of sexting, which essentially consist of cyberbullying, blackmail and intimidation by others. As with all other legislative proposals in Costa Rica, this one is bound to take a while to be approved, which is why it is important to be informed as to the legal resources available when sexting goes wrong.
Roberto Lemaitre, an attorney and IT expert explained to CRHoy that application of Public Law 8418, the Law on Cybercrimes, can result in the incarceration of an adult for up to 10 years if found guilty of inciting sexting with a minor -whether consent was obtained or not. In the case of minors who take advantage of sexting to maliciously affect another minor, the Juvenile Justice Law can be applied and the parents of the minor could face civil penalties as well. Still, lawmakers want legislation that is more solid and specific against sexting.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Public Education (MEP in Spanish) is incorporating warnings against sexting in its sex education curriculum. Among the warnings will be examples of sexting cases that did not end up well, including the criminal case of a college student who filmed an underage girl taking a shower and published the video, as well as the infamous case of former Vice Minister of Culture Karina Bolanos and her steamy video that ended up being published by a jilted lover.
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Costa Rica Homeopathic Cures
What should you do if your child has hiccups? Tell them to hold their breath? Drink water? Give them a shock? In Costa Rica, you should tear off a small piece of paper and stick it in the center of the forehead with your saliva. Is it effective? Probably just as effective as any old wife’s tale, but it is the frequently used solution here.
Costa Rica has many natural remedies and interesting solutions to common and rarer medical complaints, just as any country or culture. And just as in any other culture or country, the sensible approach to these is to use them in conjunction with any prescribed medication and with the approval of your medical fractioned. Costa Ricans, especially those who live in more rural areas are often firm believers in natural cures. Many markets will stock plants, herbs and leaves which are believed to have medical benefits with the wide selection of fruit and vegetables. Some common ones are:
Sorosi is a green leaved climbing plant which is used for ‘blood cleaning’. Drinking tea from the boiled plant is thought to clean your circulation if it is drunk two or three times a week, but not more. It is also frequently used to obtain relief from mosquito bites. The plant is simply crushed into cold water and applied to the bites. It should then be left to soak in and provide the patient with relief from itching and swelling.
Cheney Root is a dark red root, usually sold in roughly cubed pieces. This is usually recommended as a remedy for anemia, as it is rich in iron, but it has been suggested that it also an effective aphrodisiac! It can be drunk as a tea, after boiling or allowed to cool and drunk straight from the fridge.
Fever grass is commonly found growing and is a long spiked grass plant. It is boiled as a tea to bring down fevers.
Travelers with fair complexions should be delighted to discover that Aloe Vera is easily found growing in Costa Rica or whole leaves can be purchased in many markets as a welcome relief from the pain of sunburn and is much cheaper in its wild form than in the processed over the counter remedies that travelers can buy from the pharmacy at home! Another traveler’s friend is cinnamon tea (canela) which can be simply bought in bag form in any grocery store. This is a greatly eases the stomach cramps that accompany the unpleasant stomach bugs that tourists sometimes suffer from. It can be made from cinnamon sticks too which again can be bought in most grocery stores. Pipa water which is obtained from green pipa coconuts is a good rehydration liquid should you fall foul of Montezuma’s Revenge as it is pure. For this reason, it is a recommended hangover cure too!
Ideally, you will come prepared to Costa Rica with vaccines updated and a travel kit to provide band-aids for blisters and antiseptic cream for any cuts or opened bites, but you may wish to dabble in natural remedies too.
For those people who have a real interest in homeopathic medicines, the Noni is worth investigation. The ugly, foul-smelling fruit is grown mostly in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica where its juice has been drunk by many local inhabitants on a regular basis, due to the strong belief in its multitude of health benefits. Research is currently underway to examine whether the fruit can help to eradicate some forms of cancer but there is no firm medical evidence to support this belief. It is now available in bottled form for those who which to take it home.
Source: Vamos Live in Costa Rica Blog
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Folk remedies and bizarre rites are part of the national tradition
Though out history, an important part of any culture has been the remedies utilized for the ailments of both animals and people Costa Rica is no exception, and has made its share of contributions in the field of early folk cures and remedies.
From earliest Colonial times in Costa Rica, a conglomeration of monks, medicine men, healers, witch doctors, hobbyists and medical doctors have contended the efficacy of their cures.
Drugs, vegetables, herbs, amulets, witchcraft, incense, secret powders, dances, pantomimes and mysterious chants have formed part of the folklore of Costa Rican remedies.
Even the king of Spain sent special written requests to Costa Rica for remedies for various maladies.
In the middle 18th century, Juan Porras y Burgos, a parochial priest from Heredia, described the following remedy for cancer: “I administered a half ounce of Therica Magna in wine, two dragmas of spirits of ammonia salts and one dragma of Thericale powder,” he wrote.
Today we would know these ingredients as tincture of myrrh, theriaco syrup, spirits of amoniaco salts and Johns powders.
The early custom in Costa Rica was to self medicate any ailment, and whether because of poverty, family influence, or personal choice, the Costa Rican has favored traditional formulas of folk healers.
Some of these formulas gained such fame, both here and abroad, that they were registered as items with specific curative powders for specific diseases. An example: “ The embrocacion”, included in the codex Medicamentarius Galicus as Trementinado Linament. In Costa Rica the product became popular as “embocacion Imperial” and “sedative water”, and was also included in the “Pharmacopeia of France” as ammonia camphorate lotion.
Many countries have included several Costa Rican products in their pharmacopeia, some of which defy translation. To name just a few: Liniment Óleo Calcáreo Costarricense, Bálsamo Opdeldoch, La Limonada Purgante, Jarabe Yodotanico, Jarabe de Rábano (syrup of radish), Jarabe de Yoduro (syrup of iodine), Agua de cal (lime waters), Agua de Tilo, Ungüento de azufre (sulfur salve), Ungüento de Acido Bórico (boric acid salve), Belladona, Zinc and Pomada Mercurial.
One of the most popular preparations in Costa Rica was a tincture of opium and camphor. This elixir is in practically all the pharmacopeia of the world, and although this is a very controlled product, Costa Ricans continue to use it as veritable cure all.
For the treatment of gastric disorders, one of the most popular preparations has been a mixture of rhubarb and soda. By the 1800’s this product was in use in the pharmacopeia of Guys Hospital in London and in the U.S. in 1905.
Special mention should be given to the use of the seven herbs, seven spirits and the seven incenses, secret potions said to keep away evil spirits, frighten witches and purify the air.
Another curious bit of information was that it became a tradition among Costa Rican prostitutes to burn the seven incenses every Friday. Reluctant to suspend service that day, the lovely ladies continued working amid the penetrating smell of the incense in the hope that the smoke would serve to keep away the evil spirits from their place of business.
The “Marvelous Essence of Coronado” was one of Costa Rica’s popular products that was translated into several languages. Unfortunately the end of this decade finds these old remedies practically a forgotten shadow of the past.
Natural herbs and home remedies have been replaced by the tremendous avalanche of modern chemistry. The old simple remedies for the blood, urinary disorders, headaches, constipation, colds, stomach ache, snake bite, ear ache, etc. seem doomed to obscurity.
They’re in a coma and it seems that not even the famous cure-all “Pomada Canaria” can save them now.
Source: LiveinCostaRica
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Home Remedies: A Formula That Survives The Test of Generations
In the corridors of San José’s Mercado Cental (Central Market) you can find stalls with decades of being there, passing hands from one generation to another. Such is the case with home remedies, where many come in search of medicial plants to cure their ills.
Diabetes, gastritis, cholesterol, obesity and even cancer problems are some of the diseases that people turn to home remedies to solve, seeking out plants to help them.
To learn more about home remedies medicinal plants in a study by the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Inbio) – National Biodiversity Institute – called “Plantas al Servicio de la Salud” describes a range of symptoms and ways of preparing to fight diseases.
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Costa Rica tops my list of stunning places
Stuff.co.nz – Costa Rica isn’t a destination that would make the bucket list of many Kiwis, but it should. It’s one of the most incredible places on the planet in my view.
Arenal Volcano overlooking La Fortuna village in Costa Rica. Photo:Phillip Boorman,
I doubt many would be able to identify a landmark in this amazing little country in Central America, but landmarks are abundant here, and Arenal Volcano stands firmly at the top of my worldwide list.
This conically-shaped volcano in northern Costa Rica drew me back year after year, both as an independent traveller and as a guide for a Kiwi-based travel company. In a state of constant eruption for many years, Arenal Volcano looms high over the lake bearing the same name and many quaint Costa Rican villages.
It’s entirely covered by virgin rainforest, that teems with wildlife. I’d eat my hat if anyone left one of the numerous hiking trails in and around Arenal without an encounter with a troop of capuchin monkeys, a noisy toucan or a curious coati wondering what all the fuss is about.
You can’t have volcanoes and rainforests without waterfalls either, and they come in the most spectacular form possible in the Arenal area – huge, beautiful and powerful. The most impressive waterfall is the Catarata de La Fortuna, falling a massive 75 metres from a narrow slot in the rainforest canopy.
If all that isn’t enough, the natural hot springs in the beautiful village of La Fortuna at the foot of the volcano are a perfect place to sit back in the evening and watch the lava glowing at the top of the mountain.
My top ten landmarks in the world are:
1. Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
2. The Matterhorn, Switzerland
3. Iguassu Falls, Brazil
4. Chichen Itza, Mexico
5. Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
6. Torres Del Paine, Chile
7. Mt Everest, Nepal
8. The Statue of Liberty, USA
9. Mont Saint Michel, France
10. Machu Picchu, Peru
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Rapist Gets 150 Years Sentence
A serial rapist was sentenced to 150 years (reduced by the judges to a statutory 48) for committing at least 10 rapes, three sexual abuses and three armed robberies in Heredia and San Jose in 2009 to 2012.
Head of the Goicoechea tribunal, Judge Francini Quesada, said the DNA evidence was “irrefutable” in linking Jose Luis Elizondo with the crimes after genetic tests were performed on the semen left on victims. It was a 99% match.
His crimes for which he was judged began in August of 2009 and continued until his arrest last year, and were spread out in Curridabat, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Coronado, Tibas, Moravia and San Jose. He first menaced his victims with a pistol and committed his acts in public view.
Each time, Elizondo, 33, escaped by motorcycle until, in April last year, one of his victims escaped when group of youths approached in Coronado. She escaped the rapist and screamed for help. Her assailant was wounded and captured.
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Hotel Operators Worried About Decline of Tourists
While vacationers are happy heading home today, ending their two week mid-year school vacation period, others are gloom, hotel operators who are concerned about the decline of tourists.
According to a survey by the Cámara de Hoteles (Hotels Chamber) there has been a reduction in tourists in the first five months of the year, over the same period in 2012.
The areas with the best occupancy rate this year was Punterenas and Central Pacific with 48%, while in the Caribbean coast the occupancy average did not surpass 33%.
While the numbers of the July vacation are still not official, hotel operators can tell you that they are not good.
Experts are blaming domestic consumer confidence for the drop.
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[Video] MAVEN Profiles: Sandra Cauffman
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Mars Probe With Costa Rica Connection
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) is the planned space exploration mission to send a space probe to orbit Mars and study its atmosphere.
The project, which will launch on November 13, will help determine what caused the Martian atmosphere —and water— to be lost to space, making the climate increasingly inhospitable for life.
Working on the US$670 million dollar project that involves more than 400 scientists across the United States is Costa Rica’s own, Sandra Cauffman, who is NASA’s Deputy Project Manager.
Sandra has been working with NASA for the last 21 years. Sandra graduated from the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), as an Industrial Engineering major. After 3 years at college in Costa Rica, she went to the United States and transferred to George Mason University changing majors to Electrical Engineering. In her 7 year plan (3 in Costa Rica and 4 in the United States) she received 2 B.S. degrees, Electrical Engineering and Physics. She also have a M.S. in Electrical Engineering also from George Mason.
Asked about “What excites you about your job”? Sandra answers, “The question should be ‘what does not excite me about my job?’ I love my job! I love working with a very committed team. I believe in the NASA mission. I wanted to work for NASA since I was around 7 years old. There has never been a day when I did not want to come to work. Even when things have been difficult, I always say “if it is not hard, then there is no point in doing it”. NASA is all about tackling the impossible and working to see the impossible become a reality.
In this video, produced by NASA, Cauffman explains NASA’s interest is to understand why the Martian atmosphere weakened to the point of becoming the 10% the size of Earth’s atmosphere.
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Catholic Church Fudging Romeria Numbers?
The traditional “romería” to Cartago is around the corner. And like the last couple of years, the Catholic Church estimates more than 2 million will make the annual pilgrimage.
The romeria is a Catholic celebration that consists of a trip or peregrination (in cars, floats, on horseback or on foot) that ends at a sanctuary or hermitage. In Costa Rica, it is the Basilia de Los Angeles, to make requests and give thanks to the Virgin Mary black statue, locally nicknamed La Negrita, located inside the cathedral. People all over the country and even other Central American countries attend.
But is the annual estimation correct? Or is the Church inflating the numbers?
The Chancellor of the Diocese of Cartago, Father Francisco Arias of the Catholic Church insists that according to Church calculations – based on studies by the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica – at least half of the Costa Rican population (of 4.5 million) make the the walk to the Basilica starting on July 23.
However, the School of Statistics at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) set get a more accurate read on the number of “romeros” that take part the religious celebration each year.
Johnny Madrigal, lead investigator, says that the study reveals that for three consecutive years – 2010, 2011 and 2012 – the average number of participants does not go past 770.000. This, far less than the numbers provided by the Church.
Madrigal explained that the data was obtained through a survey that was carried out by telephone to 700 homes across the country during the 15 days of the pilgrimage.
Respondents were asked if they attended the pilgrimage, regardless if they did so on August 1 and August 2 – the days that sees the highest number of people mobilize to the Basilica – or if they did so in the days before.
According to the study the sample calls – only to homes that have residential phones – was broken down to 55% in the Metropolitan areas of San José, 25% to the rest of the Central Valley and 20% to the rest of the country, with the head of the household (the person who maintains the economic pulse of the family) responding 95% of the times.
The survey also reveals that in 2012 the majority walked to the Basilica (45.8%), though down from 58.9% the year earlier; 31.3% made the romeria in a private vehicle; 9.4% by bus; and the rest by other means of transport.
The complete results of the survey can be found here.
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Nicaraguan Musicians Share Their Love Of Music With Nosara
Photo by Daniel Peraza
By Daniel Peraza, VozdeGuanacaste / Now, while you can watch the colors of the sunset in Playa Guiones, you can enjoy the rhythms of marimba, boleros, tropical cumbias and folk music, thanks to the arrival of a trio of Nicaraguan musicians to Nosara, Pelada and Guiones.
The group Los Hermanos Solis, originally from Leon, Nicargua, emerged in the 90s and have traveled together to Honduras, El Salvador and now Costa Rica “looking for the life, and seeing how far we get,” as Marlon Solis puts it. He is the group’s singer and plays the marimba xylophone and sometimes the guitar.
When asked about how he got started with music, Marlon Solis commented that “it is a great achievement for me to sing to people because when I was little I did it with my dad. At the age of 8, I started playing the guitar and played with my dad.”
Meanwhile, his brother, Marvin Solis, guitarist and sometimes marimba player, related, “My brother taught me to play the marimba. I have been playing music for 17 years. Music comes to us as a legacy since our dad was a musician too. It took about a year to learn the basics of the marimba.”
The third member of the group, percussionist Luis Manuel Brenes, admitted, “I had a job in Nicaragua, but since childhood I have wanted to be a musician, all the time.” He also plays the guiro, a hollow gourd-like instrument with parallel notches along one side that is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches, and the Solis brothers are teaching him some guitar.
“For me, music is life, it is the most beautiful. Music lightens the spirit, the heart, everything,” said Brenes and, when asked what is the best part of live music, he said that people’s applause and affection is the most beautiful. “Since I came here, people have liked the marimba and received us very well,” he said.
To be musicians, they agree that the secret is to have first patience and wisdom, but mostly as they say “putting love into it because if there is no love, there is nothing.” And now they want to share that love with the people of Nosara. “I’m like the guide,” said Brenes, “because I know this area. This is the first time that they have come here.”
To contact these musicians for any type of event or party, you can call 8542-7859 or 7788-0726, or email: luismanbrenes@yahoo.com.
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Political Parties Can Pay Candidates A Salary
If political parties want, they can pay a monthly salary to their presidential candidates and also charge the expense to the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) – elections tribubal – as organizational expense and training.
That is the word from TSE’s Hector Fernandez, explaining that if a political party decides, it can set a monthly salary for their candidate, but keeping transparent the origin of the funds used to make the payment.
Today, no presidential candidate receives a salary for representing their party. In fact, each candidate confronts not only having to finance their own way to the presidential chair, but also face economic losses of salary they gave up to enter the election arena.
The discussion on salaries was tabled by presidential candidate Dr. Rodolfo Hernandez of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), who told the press that his campaign is being funded by his daughters and wife, who are supporting his presidential bid.
Johnny Araya, presidential candidate for the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) recently gave up his salary as San José mayor, when he resigned to officially run for president. Neither José María Villalta, of the Frente Amplio, nor Justo Orozco, of the Costa Rican Renovation, nor the candidate (not yet named) for the Libertarian Movement receive a salary.
Weighing in his “grano de arena” (Spanish for his two cents worth) is former president Oscar Arias, who on his facebook page calls presidential candidates disuscussing salary as political “newbies”.
“I personally do not agree with this (the payment of salary), because anyone who has this kind of aspiration has to know that this fight will represent economic, personal and family sacrifices and must be willing to take … promoting a paycheck to those who hold political office while on campaign undermines the principle that politics is a service and that public office involves many sacrifices …”, writes Don Oscar.
In the case of Dr. Hernández, he has asked for a leave of absence without pay from director of the Hospital Nacional de Niños (Children’s hospital) to take part in the political campaign. Unlike, Araya and others, Dr. Hernández has a well paid job to return to if he not elected president next February.
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While Illegal, Cockfighting Is Still a Common Fixture in Costa Rica
Despite the crackdown by authorities and while illegal, cockfighting is still a common fixture in Costa Rica. and now attracting cockers from other parts of the continent, who travel to Costa Rica to participate in these clandestine events.
According to the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA) – National Antmal Health Service – so far this year, they have realized two important raids on two underground events operating in the Central Valley (San José greater area).
SENASA authorities say they were able to determine that cocks being brought in from places like Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and other Central American countries.
In the raids, authorities were able to seize 179 fighting cocks, all presumed smuggled into the country. According to Allan Sánchez, Director Regional de San José, the health conditions of the animals and the spread of diseases through the cocks is a constant concern.
“In the San Jeronimo de Moravia raid…we found boxes used to transport cocks illegally from Mexico. They all had logos. The reason why we see the cockpits as a major health and animal welfare concern…”, said Sánchez.
The SENASA director added that in Mexico there is a worrying highly pathogenic of avian influenza, which has killed millions of birds.
Also concerned with the brutal and illegal activity is the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) – Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock – and the Fuerza Publica (police), that also work to dismantle organizations involved in cockfighting. MAG officials say that some groups even provide stands for spectators.
Another raided cockfighting operation was in Los Diques, in Cartago, where the SENASA was able to seize 90 cocks.
Other areas identified by authorities where cockfights are held are in Desamparados and the Zona de Los Santos, two areas under close investigation. Cockfighting has also been investigated in Perez Zeledon and La Rita de Pococi.
Cockfighting has been banned in Costa Rica since 1922. However, this is an activity that takes roots in ancient culture and in Costa Rica is said to have the following of thousands, with more than 150 different groups, some of who in the last couple of years have been defending cockfights. Last year the Fighting Cock Breeders Association ran a full page ad in La Nacion.
In support of SENASA is the Humane Society International. “We are pleased to see the resolute efforts on the part of the Costa Rican authorities to crack down on the widespread practice of animal fighting throughout the country,” said Cynthia Dent, regional director for HSI/Latin America. “Appealing to tradition to defend these gory spectacles, where animals are forced to fight each other, often to the death, is simply unconscionable and unbecoming for a country such as Costa Rica.”
Cockfigthing
In a cockfight, two roosters fight each other to the death while people place bets. Cockfighters let the birds suffer untreated injuries or throw the birds away like trash afterwards. Under normal conditions, roosters rarely ever hurt each other badly during the course of a territorial confrontation. In cockfights, however, the birds are often made to wear razor-sharp blades on their legs that can cause critical injuries such as punctured lungs, broken bones, pierced eyes and multiple lacerations to their skin.
People often bring young children to animal fights. Seeing adults relish such brutality can teach children to enjoy violence while sending the dangerous message that animal suffering is acceptable. In addition to being cruel, animal fighting often goes hand in hand with gambling, drug dealing, illegal gun sales and murder.
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Desamaparados Family Court Accepts Application For Same-sex Union
Legal same-sex unions in Costa Rica have taken a step closer to reality with the Desamparados Family Court acceptance an application by two men, seeking recogniition for the union and and their rights.
For the Movimiento Diversidad (Diversity Movement) this is only a first step.
The lawyer of the Movimiento, Marco Castillo, said that the application will be treated as summary judgement given that there is no established procedure for such cases. In explaining the process, Castillo said that the next step is for the parties and witnesses to be called to testify before the judge.
The expectation by Castillo and the Moviemiento Diversidad is that the judge “will rule in favour of the couple”.
Cartago Bishop, Monseñor José Francisco Ulloa, however, is confident that the Desamparados Court will reject the request. Ulloa said, “if the judge rejects the application it will create case law on the subject”.
So far, eight same-sex couples have applied for the same, the right obtained with the reforms to the Ley de la Persona Joven (Young Person Act) earlier this month.
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Gasoline Prices Lower Today
Good news for drivers and perfect timing for the vacationers return home, gasoline prices dropped this morning.
The price drop was published in Friday’s edition of La Gaceta, meaning gasoline station operators made the change at the stroke of midnight.
The drop isn’t a great deal, ¢8 colones for a litre of super and ¢13 for diesel. Regular gasoline prices stay the same.
The price for a litre of super this morning i ¢739 and diesel ¢611.
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Miss Costa Rica Fabianna Granados: “A Woman Must Have Humility”
23-year-old Miss Fabianna Granados reacts after being crowned as Miss Costa Rica 2013 in San José, on July 12, 2013.
Selected as the new Miss Costa Rica 2013, Fabbiana Granados is from Hojancha, Guanacaste. A student of business management and industrial engineering, Fabianna said she is proud to be the winner of this year’s contest.
Fabianna told reporters that a woman “should have attitude, confidence in herself, and humility; without humility you cannot do anything.”
The Miss Costa Rica 2013 prize is a new car, cash, accessories, clothing, footwear and all the support towards Miss Universe 2013.
Fabianna Congratulations!
For photos of Fabiana visit QMaxine!
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A Few Tips For Retirees Who Rent
By Christopher Howard, Live in Costa Rica blog – When renting an apartment or house in Costa Rica retirees should always have their lawyer look over the rental contract before signing it. Nevertheless there are a few things retirees should know to avoid misunderstandings and headaches down the road.
(1) The amount of the monthly rent should be stipulated in a written contract.
(2) The amount that the rent may be increased yearly if in colones.
(3) The length of the contract should be stipulated.
(4) Any contract should include the amount of the deposit.
(5) There should be a clause in the contract that states how and under what circumstances the deposit may be used. Unfortunately the deposit is not usually returned to the tenant, so many renters knowing this don’t pay the last month’s rent.
(6) Make sure you have a written contract. In the absence of one it will be difficult to prove what were terms of a verbal contract. However, in the worst case scenario rent receipts can be used to show the amount agreed to.
(7) Any contract should also specify who is responsible for repairs and improvements. Usually in a contract it says that the deposit should not be used for paying the last months rent but to cover any damage to the premises once the renter has moved. If the deposit was to be used to pay the last months rent it would not protect the landlord in the event the renter didn’t pay the final month’s rent, or cover any damages or outstanding bills for utilities.
(8) According to the Rental Law numbers 35 and 37 the renter and landlord share responsibility for the repairs of the rental. According to the law if the landlord is notified by the tenant and does nothing to repair the property within ten days, then the tenant can repair the property and charge the owner. In the case of improvements done by the renter without consulting the owner or without permission, the latter does not have to pay anything to the tenant.
Source: Live in Costa Rica blog
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When you marry or live with a Costa Rican, you basically commit polygamy
By Christopher Howard, Live in Costa Rica blog – I was married to a wonderful Costa Rican woman for almost twenty years. Unfortunately she passed away about nine years ago after a long illness.
My wife was not the typical Costa Rican woman in that she kept her family at a distance. Why? Because she didn’t want them meddling in our personal life. One of the downsides of having Costa Rican relatives is that you are basically married to the whole family, thus the statement above about polygamy is partially true. Family ties are very strong here and family always comes first. It always amazes me to what lengths Costa Rican women will go to in order to look out for their children’s wellbeing.
One of the complaints of many gringos is that it is hard to form friendships with Costa Ricans. The reason is that family ties are tight here especially among poorer families. The latter are too busy trying to survive so they don’t have the time to form many friendships let alone wine and dine their acquaintances.
In some ways close family ties are admirable. On the other hand, they can be a real drag as many gringos have found out. Most often Costa Rican families look at their American in-laws as nothing more than an ATM machine. The majority of the local woman consider gringos as a means for upgrading their lifestyles.
I do know a couple of gringos who are very happy with their Costa Rican relatives despite footing the bill. Ed married a Costa Rican woman about 20 years ago and had six children with her. He loves his wife’s family dearly because he never had a real family growing up so his Costa Rica relatives give him the sense of family he never had.
Bill is another acquaintance who got involved with a Costa Rican. Bill has a good sense of humor and jokingly says, “When looking for a spouse it is best to find someone who is an orphan and without any brothers or sisters. That way one can virtually reduce the chances of problems with inlaws.”
Many single male retirees who move to Costa Rica do so with the purpose of finding a mate. If they do get involved they should be aware of what they are likely to confront.
This article was first published in Live in Costa Rica Blog
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[Video] Made Of Pure Muscle
Behind the Scenes: FIAT Body Paint Shoot
A behind-the-scenes look at pulling together one of the most complex, ambitious and beautiful body paint photos you’ve ever seen.
[youtube id=”WKe02Fq-Yzk” width=”620″ height=”360″]
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As Government Falls, So Does Rico
Once again the husband of Presidenta Laura Chinchilla, José María Rico, had to be hospitalized. This time for a blow to his arm after falling in his home, in Santa Ana,last Friday.
Rico, 78, was taken to the Hospital Metropolitano (private hospital) by Doña Laura (54), where she stood by the “first husband” as they took x-rays and ruled out any major injurty.
This was all confirmed by the Casa Presidencial, as the minister of Communications, Carlos Roverssi, explained that José María had been admitted to the medical centre, but released in less than a day.
This is not the first time Rico has given us and his wife a scare. In 2010 he required hip surgery after a fall while on a family vacationin Punta Islita, Guanacaste.
And in April 2012 he was again hospitalized following a car accident, receieving a blow to the arm.
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René Castro: Political Houdini
Even though it is among the most powerful newspapers in Latin America, La Nacion has its severe critics. But no matter how it may conflict with one’s political sensibilities, one must admit — they are brutally frank about all politicians.
In a Sunday color piece, political writers Esteban Mata and Esteban Oviedo depicted Environment Minister Rene Castro as a sort of political Houdini, escaping underwater from the locked trunks of political scandal.
As secretary general of National Liberation party in 2007, he was arrested for drunk driving after smashing into two cars and attempting evade police. Yet, only two years later, he was very visible as Laura Chinchilla’s campaign manager.
After winning the election, Chinchilla appointed him as her Foreign Minister. But then came the San Juan River crisis and he was blamed for not taking a harder line. Despite a storm of criticism, the still-new President shifted him over to the Environmental and Energy Ministry.
It might have seemed that he could stay out of hot water in that post (although even there he was not loved by environmentalists). But when the Comptroller General’s office torpedoed plans for the $1.5 billion new petroleum refinery at Moin in Limon, Castro’s defense was that feasibility and profitability studies were at fault.
That cost, wrote the analysts, RECOPE president Jorge Villalobos his job — but so far, Castro hangs on. Even members of his own party have blasted his role.
Castro has been Environment Minister twice, the first time being under President Jose Maria Figueres (1994-96). He claims to have become interested in the environment when he served as deputy minister of Governmnet under President Luis Alberto Monge (1982-86).
In the latter role, he made a tour of Corcovado National Park where gold miners were working. Castro threw the miners out of the park with a great fanfare. They returned as soon as the last policeman had left the park.
During tjhe eight years after his stint with Monge, Castro followed the advice of another President, Oscar Arias, and studied at Harvard in the U.S., getting his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Environmental Economy. But, La Nacion noted, he collided with President Figueres on Castro’s plan to install another petroleum refinery, which Figueres felt contradicted a “green country’s” image.
President Chinchilla named him Foreign Minister despite the fact that he had no diplomatic experience. Longtime diplomat Carlos Roverssi, his vice minister, had many arguments with Castro. After 14 months in the job, Castro was hastily bundled off to the Environment Ministry.
It was during those 14 months that Castro overruled his deputy Roverssi and made a trip to Managua after which he told congress there would be “no problem” from Nicaragua’s plan to dredge the San Juan — which directly led to the confrontation and invasion of this country. (See previous articles.)
Will Castro survive until the end of Chinchilla’s term in May of next year? Don’t count him out.
Source: iNews.co.cr
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Victims of Savings Unlimited Still Unpaid
During 1999 and 2000, Savings Unlimited (also known as the “Cuban”) worked out of their luxurious offices in the Centro Colon building and received some US$46 million dollars at impossibly high interest from 2,600 investors. Then, abruptly, the office closed and investment “counselor” Luis Milanés Tamayo , now 62, disappeared.
It was an old story for Costa Rica where through the decades, starting with Latin American Bank in the 1970s, investors have lost millions of dollars to Ponzi schemes, fraud and dubious investments. The difference: Milanes is still free and stringing along the courts with empty promises to pay investors back.
The file has passed through the hands of six criminal judges, criminal magistrate Edgar Castrillo told La Nacion. But Judge Castrillo says the case is complicate by the number of victims to be paid, the demands of their lawyers, the time it has dragged on and the negotiations.
For example, Milanes (who was finally captured June 19, 2008, trying to fly out of El Salvador with a phony passport) turned over the Hotel Europa in downtown San Jose to a trust. It is valued at US$6.1 million but there have been no buyers. He rents a room there to live.
After police turned him over to the court, he offered to pay $14 million to his victims. The prosecutor did not ask for preventive prison because of the promise by Milanes to sign in with police every two weeks, to not leave the country or talk to the plaintiffs, and to post bond with various properties.
Three years after his capture, on May 23, 2011, he promised to pay $1.8 million in cash plus turning over properties valued at $12 million to a trust. So far, only three of the nine properties have been sold for just $353,500.
Tired of waiting for Milanes to keep his word, Judge Dayanna Segura gave him six months to produce the promised cash at $100,000 per month with $578,000 to have been paid by Nov,. 23, 2012. Some of his victims have complained that they have received nothing from Milanes so a hearing is invoked for October, this year, to see if he has kept his word.
Milanez offered a guarantee of payment of the $578,000 of an apartment on La Sabana valued at $70,000. But they have not been paid.
Originally 580 investors demanded their money back and one lawyer managed to get around 500 to accept a settlement deal. The other 80 were not included. They, naturally, want to be paid. Milanes, with a three year sentence hanging over his head for fraud, remains free.
With notes from iNews.co.cr
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Costa Rica Seizes Cash From Man Who Could Not Prove Its Origin
Government seizes ¢300 million colones (US$600.000 dollars) from citizen who could not justify the origin of the funds
The Juzgado Contencioso Administrativo y Civil de Hacienda (Administrative Court), in Goicoechea, ruled in favour of the Fiscalía (prosecution) against a man named Soto, and ordering that ¢77 million colones and US$487.500 dollars (¢238 million colones) pass to the State, because the man was “unable to justify” the increase in his financial worth.
This is the first sentence for “capitales emergentes” (emerging capital), applying the tools of administrative law by government to pursue funds that has no lawful justification, even when criminal proceedings have not been able to establish with certainty that the funds were acquired illicitly.
The Soto case started back in June 2011 when the Fiscalia filed a complaint against Soto, a lottery vendor and resident of Hatillo on the south side of San José. Immediately the Juzgado Contencioso ordered Soto’s funds frozen, which were held in two accounts at a state bank.
The Ley contra la Delincuencia Organizada (Organized Crime Act) of 2009, authorizes the Attorney General and three other state institutions to act in cases of suspicion. According to Article 20, the Attorney General, the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas (ICD), the Minsiterio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) and the Contraloría General de la República (Comptroller’s office), can file “complaints” for “capitales emergentes”.
The Soto case was initially handled by the Fiscalía Adjunta de Delitos Económicos (Deputy Prosecutor for Financial Crimes) alleging money laundering. However, despite intense investigations that included the Financial Intelligence Unit of the ICD, it was not possible to determine if money laundering had taken place.
Costa Rica’s laws provides that, to prove the offence of money laundering, a crime must be established, for example, fraud, tax evasion and drug trafficking, among others. The Soto case was closed without proving any crime was committed.
The case was stalled unitl May 2013, due to several filings with the Constitutional Court by the Juzgado Contencioso Administrativo .
On July 9 said Juzgado Contencioso Administrativo ordered a forfeiture of the money in favour of the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas (ICD).
The Attorney General, Jorge Chavarria, said regarding money laundering, it is difficult here and globally, to establish criminal liability where the action is bound to prove the predicate offense, thus it is important to design new mechanisms to combat money laundering like the use of tools of administrative law, as was applied in this case.
“The tool has great relevance for addressing money laundering because, although there is no imprisonment, there is loss of all goods unrelated to legitimate sources,” said the Chavarria.
Source: La Nacion
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Pura Vida: How To Build A Dog Family Ties
From National Geographic – Analyzing the DNA of 85 dog breeds, scientists found that genetic similarities clustered them into four broad categories. The groupings reveal how breeders have recombined ancestral stock to create new breeds; a few still carry many wolflike genes. Researchers named the groups for a distinguishing trait in the breeds dominating the clusters, though not every dog necessarily shows that trait.
Wolflike
With roots in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, these breeds are genetically closest to wolves, suggesting they are the oldest domesticated breeds.
Herders
Familiar herding breeds such as the Shetland sheepdog are joined by breeds never known for herding: the greyhound, pug, and borzoi. This suggests those breeds either were used in the creation of classic herding dogs or descended from them.
Hunters
Most in this group were developed in recent centuries as hunting dogs. While the pharaoh hound and Ibizan hound are said to descend from dogs seen on ancient Egyptian tombs, their placement here suggests they are re-creations bred to resemble ancient breeds.
Mastifflike
The German shepherd’s appearance in this cluster, anchored by the mastiff, bulldog, and boxer, likely reflects its breeding as a military and police dog.
The length of the colored bars in a breed’s genetic profile shows
how much of the dog’s DNA falls into each category.
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Nokia Lumia 1020 Packs 41-Megapixel Whopper Camera
Here, Nokia pairs an ultralarge camera sensor with the company’s PureView image-processing software, finally bringing us the smartphone we hoped the Lumia 920 and its many variants would be.
Camera geeks looking for the nitty-gritty will find six-lens Carl Zeiss optics (as in the recently unveiled Lumia 925), which also takes on wide angles.
Focus on camera misses the big picture. The Finnish phone maker released its remarkable Lumia 1020 phone with a 41-megapixel camera – but it’s still missing native apps for low-quality Instagram, Vine and Snapchat
It has high-resolution 3x zoom, autofocus (you can manually focus, too), and a dual-flash system. A smaller LED flash complements the larger Xenon flash — a design we saw in Verizon’s Lumia 928 — and the entire shooter captures 1080p HD video at a rate of 30 frames per second.ou can sum up Nokia’s just-unveiled Lumia 1020 in three words: 41, megapixel, camera.
Teased and leaked to death up to the very last minute before the big reveal, the Lumia 1020’s 41-megapixel shooter is what makes Nokia’s next marquee Windows phone, and what gives hardware jockeys a reason to salivate.
The Windows Phone 8 device will sell in the U.S. exclusively at AT&T for a hefty $299.99 with two-year contract. Preorders begin July 16, with the Lumia 1020 becoming available online and in stores July 26. (The Lumia 1020 will also sell globally.)
It’s all about the camera
Make no mistake about it: the Lumia 1020’s stunningly enormous image resolution is this smartphone’s single killer feature and sole reason for being. Yep, the 1020 puts the mega back in megapixels.
Ball bearings surrounding the lens promise image stabilization, which CEO Stephen Elop demonstrated onstage with photos he took on a wobbly boat. We suspect that ball bearings replaced the stabilizing springs found in the Lumia 920 to conserve space and keep the camera mount profile as low as possible.
Nokia has also made strides — and had successes — with its low-light photos. In fact, the Lumia 928’s camera has the best low-light quality of any phone’s that I’ve seen, with the iPhone 5 a close second in my photo tests. Nokia aims for even more improved low-light performance from its Lumia 1020.
Nokia’s Pro Camera settings boast controls that let shutterbugs and serious photographers easily navigate their options on the 41-megapixel beast, including manual exposure settings and long exposure times. The camera app also includes a tutorial, which sounds helpful for newbies wanting to learn how to use their high-octane phone, though we’ll have to wait and see what the phone can teach us.
Couple that with Windows Phone camera apps, called lenses, that layer on additional settings you won’t find in the native camera app, and you have an interesting camera story that — Nokia hopes — will run Samsung’s 16-megapixel Galaxy S4 Zoom smartphone camera into the ground.
We got a chance to try out the Lumia 1020’s camera app, which felt lively when fired up, taking photos quickly. Manipulating the Nokia’s graphical camera settings was also intuitive once we got the hang of it. We did notice that the phone’s fancy Map app took a while to launch and stuttered a bit when we tried the “Here” augmented-reality function.
Forty-one megapixels amounts to a lot of captured information, more than most people can and will really use, but — as with the Symbian-birthed Nokia 808 PureView before it — the Lumia 1020’s higher megapixel count translates into a 5-megapixel image with lossless zooming for higher-quality cropped photos.
In the Lumia 1020, Nokia is extending this “oversampling” method to video as well, which could mean some really high-fidelity HD captures when you zoom in. It isn’t just about images with Nokia. Audio technology that Nokia calls “rich recording” promises to capture clear, distortion-free sound even in loud surroundings.
Design and specs
Of course, the matte white, black, or yellow Lumia 1020 is more than just a camera. Toss the large, round shooter module aside and it looks a lot like the Lumia 920 phones, both in terms of the squared corners and rounded spines, and also its guts.
Close up, there are a few differences between the two handsets. When we got a chance to handle the new Lumia 1020 in the flesh, the phone certainly impressed with its build quality and premium feel. Like its predecessor’s, the 1020’s chassis is a unibody piece molded from high-quality polycarbonate. It also sports similar smoothly rounded edges and a slightly curved back, making it comfortable to hold.
The Lumia 1020 is slightly thinner and lighter than the Lumia 920; that’s no mean feat considering the enormous camera. The back of the 1020 also uses a soft-touch coating that feels less slippery than the 920’s often-glossy back surface.
The screen on this 4G LTE smartphone has the same familiar 4.5-inch AMOLED PureMotion HD+ display with a 1,280×768-pixel HD display and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Nokia’s Clear Black filter lies on top for cutting down outdoor glare. As with the new guard of Lumia phones, this 1020 has an ultrasensitive touch screen that you can operate with your fingernail or gloved hand; the 1020 is new enough to get Gorilla Glass 3 as its topper.
Above the display, a 1.2-megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera sits at the ready to capture shots and HD video.
The 1020 runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and has 32GB of internal memory, supplemented by 7GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, courtesy of Microsoft. The phone is sealed in typical high-end Lumia fashion, so there’s no expandable memory, though 32GB is a healthy helping.
Nokia has managed to keep the phone fairly thin, coming in at 0.4 inch like the rest of the Lumia line.
Although the Lumia 1020 will not come with wireless charging built in, you can buy an aftermarket charging cover. You can also pick up a camera grip made for the phone for $79.
Turning up the heat
With its 41-megapixel camera, Nokia’s Lumia 1020 absolutely brings the wow factor, proving that Nokia can innovate in its own way, that it is a mobile force to be reckoned with.
Nokia has certainly made good on its promise to produce Windows Phone devices at every price point. Yet with the Lumia 1020 being unveiled so soon after the Lumia 925 global flagship and Verizon’s 928 variant, Nokia is now out and out flooding the market.
Still, it’s hard not to get excited about a modern smartphone powerful enough to replace your point-and-shoot, and possibly even your dSLR. The $300 asking price is a high one; we haven’t seen costs like this for some years. However, Nokia is betting on folks seeing the value of a true two-in-one device and making an investment.
I’d bet on those prices certainly coming down as the months progress, particularly around the holiday season. But before then, we’ll have plenty of time to see just how this PureView camera handles.
There’s no doubt about it: photographs taken with Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 device are enormously impressive if you print them out onto a large-format high-quality print measuring, say, 1.3m wide by a metre deep. Here at Pier 42, where the launch took place earlier on Thursday, there are a number of prints showing photos taken in the past few days here in New York.
One of the most striking (not online yet, but coming at Nokia’s press site) shows a view towards the apartments overlooking Central Park. The lines of the apartments are razor-sharp; the grass in Central Park is vigorously green; the pools of water are pellucid blue. Viewing it online doesn’t really do the 41-megapixel shot justice.
Along with the other dozen shots hanging in a sort of gallery, you need to see it published professionally to comprehend it. And that’s before you learn that it was taken from a helicopter. “That’s a challenge for most smartphones,” said one of Nokia’s engineers, who has worked on the device for quite some time. “But we’ve got optical image stabilisation…” He wasn’t too fazed at the specifications leaking out ahead of the official announcement. “41 megapixels is just a number,” he said. “That doesn’t tell you what it’s like to look at.”
Yet here’s a strange thing: if Nokia were to release the 1020 as a stand-alone camera, stripping out the mobile phone element, it would certainly bomb. The compact camera market “is in free fall”, to quote the writer from Amateur Photographer (who is also out here as a guest of Nokia). People have given up buying compact cameras because they’re digital, just like their smartphones, and take nice pictures, just like their smartphones, but they don’t have the capability to send their pictures to social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine or Snapchat. And the cameras on smartphones are generally “good enough” – just as MP3-quality sound has generally been found to be “good enough” by the vast majority of buyers.
By making the Lumia 1020 a superlative camera that has a phone attached, Nokia seems to be going after a very specific segment of the market: “prosumers” who want to take really good photos and have the connectivity that a smartphone provides. It’s not, however, going to attract the sort of people who want to take a picture and upload it to the main social networks.
Price of success
For one thing, there’s the price. The Lumia 1020 will cost $299 upfront for the basic 32GB model plus the cost of a contract from AT&T in the US; for comparison, the AT&T iPhone 5 is $199 for the base 16GB model before the contract. (Update: the 32GB iPhone costs $399, so the price is the same if you equalise those specifications. However there isn’t a 16GB Lumia 1020, which means price-conscious buyers might stop at the 16GB iPhone.) For another, there’s the fact that it’s Windows Phone – which still doesn’t have native apps for Vine, Instagram or Snapchat. Chief executive Stephen Elop points out that there are third-party apps which will do the posting to Instagram (via Hipstamatic, a company which went through its own near-death experience last August when it laid off all but one of its staff). You can post to Instagram via Hipstamatic, and then read Instagram via an app called Instance. And there’s a Snapchat-compatible app.
Yet none of this is like having the native apps. And the question of whether ordinary people will really pay top whack for a fantastic camera is already answered by the compact camera market; and of whether they’ll pay top whack for a top-end smartphone seems increasingly to be “no” as sales forecasts for the Samsung Galaxy S4 are revised down, along with those for the iPhone.
So what is the purpose of the Lumia 1020? I think it’s to show off a top-end capability that Nokia can then push down to its lower-end phones – rather as Samsung does with the Galaxy S range, where the top-end phone is the flag carrier for the cheaper range that follows it.
People who appreciate high-quality photography (in terms of pixels captured) tend to assume that everyone will want just the same, if only they’re shown the chance to get it. But this is rather like the argument that hi-fi manufacturers fooled themselves with a decade or so ago, thinking that by offering “24-bit” audio quality on Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio they would tempt people away from lo-fi MP3 listening.
Sound argument
The reality is that most people listen to music in very low quality from car radios, small bookshelf speakers, lousy headphones. MP3s weren’t, and aren’t, much worse – sometimes, better – than what they used to get. And you have to have ridiculously good hearing to distinguish the difference in 24-bit sound (and even that might be imaginary). SACD and DVD-Audio died like dogs in a ditch.
Now, we’re much better at distinguishing differences in quality in photos, particularly when they’re printed out; but viewed on a 5in smartphone screen or even a standard laptop screen, the lack of quality in most of the photos we take isn’t visible. Nokia’s best hope may be that screen technology improves so rapidly that the difference in picture quality becomes more visible. For the meantime, though, it will be the cheaper Lumias – the 520 and 610 particularly – which will be the bedrock of its sales. (In fact, as I wrote this article, Kantar WorldPanel ComTech tweeted that the Lumia 520 had helped Nokia to reach its highest smartphone share in the UK since April 2011 – back in the days when Nokia still sold Symbian. It didn’t however specify how high that is.)
Even then, what Stephen Elop really needs more than Lumias with fantastic cameras is for Vine, Snapchat and Instagram to write native apps for the Windows Phone platform. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be in his hands.
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No Penalty or Fines Yet For Not Changing Over To New License Plates
- Changeover begins Monday and continues for the next 30 months
- Costs is ¢15.000 for each set of plates
- No word on what will be be done with old plates
Here is a twist to the license plate changover that begins on Monday, what happens if a vehicle owner does not or refuses to switch to the new, more secure plates?
As of today, both the Registro Nacional (National Registry) and the Dirección de Policía de Tránsito (Traffic Police) have yet to define the type of penaly to be applied.
The director of the National Registry, Dagobert Sibaua, confirmed that the changeover begins next week (Monday July 15) for all the “old” license plates ending 1, three months later for plates ending in 2 and so on…every three month a new number, until the last quarter in 2015 with the number 0.
Under this plan, come October all vehicles ending with the number 1 must have the “new” plates. But what happens if a traffic official stops a vehicle still with the old plates?
Sibaja says the penalty will be based on the established traffic law (ley de Transito). However, the Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes (MOPT) has yet to determine which article (of law) applies and what the penalty/fine would be.
According to the director of the traffic police, German Marín, the penalty can be established by several mechanisms. “We are looking forward to the word of the Registro, because they are in charge of the process (changeover)”, said Marín.
In other words, the director of traffic has no answer.
Approximately 250.000 vehicles have already made the switch voluntarily, either by requesting the new plates or replacing damaged or lost plates. Still to change their plates are more than 1 million vehicles.
The cost for the changeover is ¢15.000 colones for each set of plates.
Editor’s note: We have yet to get a response from the Registro of any plans to recycle the old plates. In the changeover there will more than 2 million single metal plates that will no longer be attached to vehicles. What will be of them?
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