Soccer – futbol in Spanish – is not meant to be played in the snow. That is exactly what the Costa Rican team had to do Friday night, in a blizzard in fact, losing to the United States in World Cup qualifying.
Costa Rica’s soccer officials said they are planning a protest with the FIFA – (Fédération Internationale de Football Association / International Federation of Association Football), the international organization of football’s major international tournaments, notably the World Cup.
“It was an embarrassment to soccer, disrespectful to the game,” Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto told reporters after the game, which was played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
According to Pinto, the “legal conditions” for playing the game were not in place.
“We’ve going to see,” the Costa Rica federation president, Eduardo Li, told MLSsoccer.com after the match. “We’re going to analyze [our options].”
Costa Rica players said the conditions made the match unplayable.
Midfielder Cristian Bolaños, who plays in Denmark, said:
“Honestly, it was robbery, a disgrace, I’ve never played a game in these conditions. You couldn’t see the ball … if we had played without snow, we would have won, I am sure. We were robbed, I think. The whole world is going to commentate, ‘what is that game?’ The referees that we had today didn’t handle it properly. They cost us three points.”
Álvaro Saborio, said:
“We couldn’t play in those conditions; they should have stopped the game in the first half.”
And goalkeeper Keylor Navas said:
“They’re not playing conditions for playing soccer on. I would love to play in a field where the field was good.”
Coincidentally, on the other side of the pond, the qualifier between Northern Ireland and Russia in Belfast was postponed again on Saturday because of a snowstorm. The game was supposed to have been played Friday but was put off until Saturday because of the weather.
“The referee has just called the match off as ice is forming. There is no need for fans to come to Windsor Park to help,” the Irish Football Association said on Twitter.
Does Costa Rica have a point? Should the match have been played at all? Should it have been abandoned in the second half when the rate of snowfall appeared to increase?
I’ve introduced a new section to the Q: Qphotos, an exclusive collection of photos on Costa Rica of the past decade and more.
I started looking back to some of my old photos and thought they would be great to share with everyone. From the old rickety bridges to Quepos, the beaches and towns, the collection paints a picture of Costa Rica.
The first published are a look back at San José starting with series of photos that capture the mood each year through the past decade. The project is a work in progress, regularly I will update and publish more photos. I have over 10.000 photos that will be published in the coming weeks.
It is unfortunate that some take advantage of useful sections or pages of websites like Q’s questions and answers to spam their services and/or products.
Over the past couple of weeks I have had to clean (remove) hundreds of spam posts, some cleverly masked as questions. For instance, what does “best long island designer” or “new york dental insurance” have to do with Costa Rica. And where is the question? The interesting is that the spammers would then use a second username to answer “their” own question. A look up of the IP’s would reveal most (users and posts) coming from the same source.
A ban of IP did not change things. Forcing registration meant the spammer would have to spend a few more seconds on the site to register a fake user profile.
All in all, I was spending more time each day cleaning up the section. Worst it kept legimitate questions from being posted.
Team USA wins 1-0 against Costa Rica in a snowy World Cup qualifier
(Reuters) – Furious Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto said it was an “embarassment to football” that Friday’s World Cup qualifier with the United States was played in strong snow, while his federation promised to make an official protest.
The U.S. won 1-0 but Pinto was riled the game was played on a snowy field with a covering that became deeper as the game wore on.
“It was an embarrassment to football, disrespectful to the game,” an animated Pinto told reporters.
The game was played at the 19,374 capacity Dicks Sporting Goods Park, home of Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, nestled at the foot of the Rockie Mountains.
Pinto said the “legal conditions” for playing the game were not in place and a Federation official told Costa Rican media that an official protest would be made to FIFA on Saturday.
The referee stopped the game briefly in the 55th minute but only to ask ground staff to clear snow from the pitch markings and the game resumed after a few minutes.
Costa Rica’s players showed little dissent on the field, going close to an equalizer in the second half, but they vented their anger after the game.
“Honestly, it was robbery, a disgrace, I’ve never played a game in these conditions,” said midfielder Cristian Bolaóos, who plays with Danish club FC Copenhagen.
“You couldn’t see the ball … if we had played without snow, we would have won, I am sure,” he said.
Striker Alvaro Saborio, who plays in Major League Soccer for Real Salt Lake, concurred.
“We couldn’t play in those conditions, they should have stopped the game in the first half,” he said.
Had the game been abandoned it would have had to be finished in the following 48 hours, causing a logistical problem for both teams who play again on Tuesday.
U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati felt the referee had made the right decision.
“Frankly, (stopping) would not have been to the advantage of either of the two teams, since they both play on Tuesday,” Gulati told reporters.
“Obviously you worry about the safety of players and being able to see the ball. The referee and the match commissioner made the decision that the game could continue and I think it was the right decision,” he said.
Gulati said the decision to play in Denver in March had not been based on any desire to have difficult wintry conditions for Central American opponents, but was mainly due to the desire to spend a week at altitude before a game in Mexico City on Tuesday.
“If the thought is that we want to play Costa Rica in a situation where it could snow, then there are some places that maybe could have been better, like Boston or somewhere,” he said.
Although not abnormal for the summer or dry season, the downpours of the last couple of days are really the start of the winter or wet season, according to the forecast by the national weather institute.
Juan Carlos Fallas, director of the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN), says that the start of the rainy season this year will be April 1, weeks ahead of the normal.
“The rainy season will start in the South Pacific, then by the third week in April will be in the Central Pacific”, explained Fallas.
The weather expert said that by mid-May we will see the full rainy season in effect in the Central Valley (San José) and the North Pacific.
Thursday afternoon many were surprised by the sudden and unexpected downpours. Although concentrated mainly in the San José area, the southern zone also reported rainfall. The Friday afternoon rains weren’t as intense, but they did fall. More rain is expected today, Saturday.
These rains are attributed to the hot sunny mornings, as moisture builds up in the air and released by the clouds in short, but intense bursts in the afternoons. Friday’s rain, however, was different. In many parts of San José there was a light drizzle in the early evening hours.
Habitat
Widely adapted and common, the terciopelo is no stranger to lowland moist and wet forests and premontane moist, wet, and rainforest. It is less common through dry forest zones, although it may persist along rivers through such forest. In human-controlled areas where rat populations have done well, this viper is not shy. Banana plantations are a particular haunt of the terciopelo because of their rats.
Range
In Costa Rica this species is common along the lowlands of both coasts up to 1,300 m in elevation. Beyond this country, it can be found on the Pacific coast from some parts of Mexico down to Ecuador; on the Atlantic coast, down to Colombia.
National Parks
Corcovado National Park, Golfito National Wildlife Refuge, La Selva, Chirripó National Park, Carara National Park, Tortuguero National Park.
Physical Description
This snake can grow to a large size as an adult, but has a distinct coloration pattern both as a juvenile and adult. Pale yellow or cream-colored bands crisscross the back and sides of the body, making spaces for a dark diamond pattern. The luster of these dark triangles is velvety, and the triangles connect slightly on the back which some describe as a butterfly or hourglass pattern. The head is large, triangularly shaped, and conspicuously wider than the neck. This pit viper has the deep, visible, heat-detecting pit between each eye and nostril. The eyes are large and have a vertical pupil. The scales along the head and back are keeled.
Biology and Natural History
This infamous viper’s large size, long fangs, and high venom production and toxicity are paired with an active and edgy disposition, making it one of the most dangerous creatures one can encounter in Costa Rica. It is the most dangerous snake in Central America and causes the most snakebite-related deaths among humans in Costa Rica. Venom from this species contains an anticoagulant and causes hemorrhaging.
This nocturnal serpent is more active on the ground as an adult, but as a juvenile may function during the day and on low vegetation. Younger terciopelos have a yellow-tipped tail to draw the attention of frogs or lizards before ambushing them. Prey size increases as the individual snake grows larger. It is common in this country, and commonly encountered. It passes the day coiled up and hidden in vegetation; at dusk it will hunt along roads or trails through dense grass and forest. It is not afraid of human dwelling areas. When it feels agitated, the fer-de-lance may vibrate its tail—the buzz is audible—before striking. It moves quickly when threatened. Other large vipers are more inclined to escape when they feel attacked, but the terciopelo is more likely to strike. It produces a lot of venom, so it is less reserved with this defense as other snakes.
Female terciopelos give birth to live young (as opposed to eggs) in litters of fewer than 10 to larger than 80 small snakes at a time.
Diet
Juveniles prey on arthropods, frogs, lizards, or other small vertebrates. Adults upgrade their diet to small mammals, such as rodents and opossums, and occasionally birds of an appropriate size depending on the snake.
Height/Weight
The full length of this snake can be more than 2 m; females are able to reach slightly longer body lengths than males.
The Terciopelo (Fer-de-lance) is one of the most dangerous creatures one can encounter in Costa Rica
Other large vipers are more inclined to escape when they feel attacked, but the terciopelo is more likely to strike.
Anti-venom rushed to Vancouver from Seattle zoo by air ambulance
A Vancouver, Canada, man who suffered a potentially deadly snake bite in Costa Rica that left him weeping tears of blood is recovering in a Vancouver hospital thanks to the quick work of a medical team and an emergency flight to Seattle to pick up an antidote to the venom.
Michael Lovatt, a 61-year-old old Sunshine Coast resident, was bitten by a venomous snake earlier this week while walking along a beach at night in the city of Quepos.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Vancouver General this morning, Lovatt said he never even saw the snake.
“All of a sudden there’s this intense pain on my foot. By the time I [shone] my flashlight down on [my foot], I just see three red dots and it’s sore… It went downhill real quick right after,” he said.
Lovatt, who lives in Robert’s Creek, went to a medical clinic in Costa Rica, but a language barrier prevented him from getting any more than minimal help, so he got on a flight to Vancouver.
”His tears actually had turned to blood.’
— Dr. Roy Purssell, director B.C. Drug and Poison Information Centre
“We deduced what had occurred, figured out which snake it had to be,” he said.
By the time he landed in Vancouver, he was in piercing pain, his kidneys were shutting down, and his blood was extremely thin and acidic, flowing freely from his lips and gums.
A friend rushed him to Vancouver General Hospital where critical care physician Andrew Neitzel said he was amazed Lovatt survived the flight.
“I was surprised he managed to fly back to Vancouver from Costa Rica,” said Neitzel. “He required urgent dialysis, urgent critical care support.”
Minutes later Lovatt was on death’s door, hooked up to dialysis and blood transfusion machines, while the staff at the hospital attempted to diagnose his condition.
Dr. Roy Purssell, the director of the British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre, said the snake venom also causes major problems with blood clotting.
“The patient was having bleeding from various areas, and his tears actually had turned to blood,” he said
Lovatt told doctors he thought he was bitten by an ant, but the doctors soon figured out it was no simple ant bite.
Purssell said a medical team from his centre and Vancouver General Hospital managed to identify that the culprit in the attack as a type of pit viper called the fer-de-lance, or Bothrops asper, (Spanish name: Terciopelo) based on all of the symptoms Lovatt suffered, including damage to his kidneys.
‘Within two hours he miraculously improved. It’s hard to explain it. It was almost magical,
— Dr. Andrew Neitzel, VGH critical care physician
The fer-de-lance is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Costa Rica.
As dozens of blood transfusions kept him alive, doctors finally found the closest anti-venom at a zoo in Seattle.
The team contacted Woodland Park Zoo and Mark Myers, a curator at the zoo, rounded up 20 vials of antivenin, which the zoo keeps on hand for emergencies, and arranged for a zookeeper to deliver the vials to an air ambulance which flew down from Vancouver to pick them up.
“Receiving the call for help was quite a harrowing experience.We knew that time was critical and we had to move fast if we wanted to help save this patient’s life,” Myers said in statement released by the zoo on Friday.
A helicopter pilot rushed the anti-venom back to Vancouver where doctors shot Lovatt full of anti-venom.
“The abnormalities and blood clotting were starting to resolve within minutes. They were dramatically better within a couple of hours, and almost back to normal within a few hours after that,” Purssell said.
Lovatt is now in stable condition in Vancouver General Hospital. Purssell said he may suffer some permanent kidney damage from his ordeal.
Neitzel credited the co-operation of several medical services for working together to save the man.
“Within two hours he miraculously improved. It’s hard to explain it. It was almost magical,” said Neitzel. “He would have died. There’s no question this would have taken his life.”
“A combination of all of the services coming together at Vancouver General Hospital, the emergency department, the hematology department, orthopedics and plastic surgery, the blood bank, BC Ambulance Service — without all of these groups working together to help this patient, we’re fairly certain the outcome would have been tragic.”
The Fer-de-Lance (Terciopelo) in Costa Rica:
Habitat
Widely adapted and common, the terciopelo is no stranger to lowland moist and wet forests and premontane moist, wet, and rainforest. It is less common through dry forest zones, although it may persist along rivers through such forest. In human-controlled areas where rat populations have done well, this viper is not shy. Banana plantations are a particular haunt of the terciopelo because of their rats.
Range
In Costa Rica this species is common along the lowlands of both coasts up to 1,300 m in elevation. Beyond this country, it can be found on the Pacific coast from some parts of Mexico down to Ecuador; on the Atlantic coast, down to Colombia.
National Parks
Corcovado National Park, Golfito National Wildlife Refuge, La Selva, Chirripó National Park, Carara National Park, Tortuguero National Park.
Physical Description
This snake can grow to a large size as an adult, but has a distinct coloration pattern both as a juvenile and adult. Pale yellow or cream-colored bands crisscross the back and sides of the body, making spaces for a dark diamond pattern. The luster of these dark triangles is velvety, and the triangles connect slightly on the back which some describe as a butterfly or hourglass pattern. The head is large, triangularly shaped, and conspicuously wider than the neck. This pit viper has the deep, visible, heat-detecting pit between each eye and nostril. The eyes are large and have a vertical pupil. The scales along the head and back are keeled.
Biology and Natural History
This infamous viper’s large size, long fangs, and high venom production and toxicity are paired with an active and edgy disposition, making it one of the most dangerous creatures one can encounter in Costa Rica. It is the most dangerous snake in Central America and causes the most snakebite-related deaths among humans in Costa Rica. Venom from this species contains an anticoagulant and causes hemorrhaging.
This nocturnal serpent is more active on the ground as an adult, but as a juvenile may function during the day and on low vegetation. Younger terciopelos have a yellow-tipped tail to draw the attention of frogs or lizards before ambushing them. Prey size increases as the individual snake grows larger. It is common in this country, and commonly encountered. It passes the day coiled up and hidden in vegetation; at dusk it will hunt along roads or trails through dense grass and forest. It is not afraid of human dwelling areas. When it feels agitated, the fer-de-lance may vibrate its tail—the buzz is audible—before striking. It moves quickly when threatened. Other large vipers are more inclined to escape when they feel attacked, but the terciopelo is more likely to strike. It produces a lot of venom, so it is less reserved with this defense as other snakes.
Female terciopelos give birth to live young (as opposed to eggs) in litters of fewer than 10 to larger than 80 small snakes at a time.
Diet
Juveniles prey on arthropods, frogs, lizards, or other small vertebrates. Adults upgrade their diet to small mammals, such as rodents and opossums, and occasionally birds of an appropriate size depending on the snake.
Height/Weight
The full length of this snake can be more than 2 m; females are able to reach slightly longer body lengths than males.
Starting today traffic on the nations highways and bi-ways is expected to over-saturate an already overburdened road system, as thousands leave the urban jungles of the Central Valley and head for the green jungles, rainforests, beaches and resorts around the country.
Wednesday, will be the real test for the 628 Tránsitos (traffic officials) that have been assigned to keep the roads safe during Semana Santa, given that Thursday and Friday are legal holidays, followed by days off on Saturday and Sunday, for an extra long weekend. Traffic back into the Central Valley starts to build up on Saturday.
The director of the Policía de Tránsito, Germán Marín, assures that his police force will be working around the clock, with increased patrols on the major routes like the Ruta 27 (San José – Caldera), Ruta 32 (San José – Limón), the Interamericana (north and south) and the Costanera.
This year the additional challenge for the traffic police is keeping drunk drivers off the road, this being the first year in decades where prohibition will not applied in many areas.
Last year Semana Santa saw nine deaths from traffic accidents. Maríns says his goal this year is for zero.
The list of cantones that will not apply prohibition during Semana Santa (Holy Week) is growing. As of Friday 16 municipalities have said alcohol sales will continue as normal during Thursday (28) and Friday (29).
Not applying the “ley seca” (dry law) means that consumers can buy alcohol at the supermarket, alcoholic drinks with their meals at restaurants and down a few at the local watering hole, uhm, bar.
Municipalities that say will apply prohibition are:
In San José: Escazú, Aserrí, Mora, Goicoechea, Santa Ana, Alajuelita, Acosta, Moravia, Montes de Oca, Turrubares y Pérez Zeledón.
In Alajuela the municipalities that will have prohibition are: Alajuela, San Mateo, Atenas, Naranjo, Palmares, Poás and Orotina.
In Cartago all cantones will be “dry”.
In Guanacaste and Puntarenas (covering the entire Pacific coast) prohibition will apply only in: Bagaces, Carrillo, Nandayure and Hojancha, Puntarenas, Esparza, Montes de Oro and Golfito.
On the Caribbean side, in the province of Limón, the following municipalities will not allow the sale of alcohol: Limón, Pococí and Siquirres.
No prohibition is expeted in the province of Heredia.
Rafael Arias, advisor to San José mayor Johnny Araya, said no ban is foressen in the single largest municipality in the country.
This year is the first year that municipalities have the power to decide for themselves if there will be prohibition or not. Municipalities have until Wednesday to decide, thus the foregoing list could change.
Prohibition, if applied, is from 12:01am Thursday to 12:01am Saturday of Semana Santa.
This last week, perhaps more than any other week has clearly defined the country sponsored, clandestine war of Internet hackers and the ability to use the usually friendly Internet to destroy what we believe to be confidential and essential to our daily lives.
The war of words is between North Korea, China, the United States and even Mexico and you have to believe Russia is in the mix along with Israel.
The Internet, a free method of global communications has evolved into the true weapon of mass destruction (WMD) ranging from friendly Facebook to now the most malicious, popular hacking in an attempt to stop or disrupt critical assets of unsuspecting companies as well as governments.
“I now control your oil reserves and not to mention your bank’s ATM machines,” find me! Therefore I have captured not only your source of energy but also the personal life of your members; including bank accounts.
Countries, and Costa Rica being among the least defensible, can easily have our entire infrastructure system shut down, our banks abrogated, ATM machines stopped, water usage stopped, even the traffic lights put on hold with the click of one magic button.
But who would want to do that to Pura Vida?
We can start with Nicaragua who has tech savvy pals in Iran and even to some lesser extent Venezuela and then there are those who simply think this is all good sport. Also Nicaragua has been the recipient of the devious transfer of sports book money by Western Union which by-passes entirely Costa Rica resulting in their coffers and not ours. (The Nica country is not that rustic to not receive millions of dollars every day).
Cyber Attacks are the future global threat and comparatively, nuclear war seems almost mundane since if a country does not have the ability code to “fire”; the rocket is useless.
If we cannot function as a government, bank or even be a reasonable civilization as we know it; we simply cannot function at all.
Moreover, it does not seem to be all that hard to accomplish.
According to most articles, hacking and implanting computer viruses (Malware) does not seem terribly complicated. Not to mention stealing personal identification which usually results in hefty charges on credit cards, car loans and home mortgages.
On a more serious note, let’s try the disruption of the oil flow in Saudi Arabia and in New York manipulating the coveted subway not to mention the stock exchange.
All of which is small compared to shutting down energy reserves, turning off electricity, reversing sanitation stations and to a much further extent: making sure clocks work incorrectly based on Greenwich time!
In short, professional hackers, military hackers from around the world can easily prey on countries like Costa Roca which seem both naive as well as defenseless.
Since we in Pura Vida tend to focus on the good life, it might be smart to make one of these cross border deals that are so popular with countries who can protect us from the international cyber attacks. It is one thing to down load an illegal version of a film and something totally different to cancel out the essential infrastructure of an entire nation with the “click” of a single button on the keyboard.
Carlos Caiceda Perlaza comes from a coconut plantation family on the Pacific in Colombia where they cultivated and sold coconuts. There, they processed the coconut for its juice and used it to cook shrimp, Carlos recounted. But it was when he came to Costa Rica that coconuts created a nostalgia in him, reminding him of his feelings for his family, and he became curious about what else coconut could be used for besides consumption.
He was renting a small house in Montezuma facing the ocean when rainy season hit. Stuck inside with time on his hands, he found tools that were left behind by a Mexican artist and decided to try making things out of coconut, practicing “without any particular orientation.” Later a friend gave him advice on how to not break his tools so often and showed him some techniques, but Carlos was developing his own style.
For Carlos, experimenting with coconuts has become both his hobby and his work. “I think that since I discovered it, I am happy,” he said.
He has been crafting things out of coconut for 10 years now, and three years ago started a business in Samara called Cocotales, the name for coconut plantations in Colombia. Aside from jewelry, bowls and cord made from coconut, he and his companions have been experimenting lately with even more ways to use coconuts, from fiber to oil. They even tried making paper, but it turned out more like cardboard, so Carlos considers it “a failure.”
Alonso Lopez Perez, who began working with Carlos about six months ago, has also been charmed by the nut. “It’s cool, like alchemy,” he said. “We are producing something from nothing, something that is difficult to do and has its process.”
Alonso explained that it’s better to work with coconuts in winter when they are soft like a sponge. In the summer, they soak the coconuts in a barrel of water to soften them.
When the coconut is moist, Carlos said they hit it hard with a hammer to release the fibers. They extract three types of fibers— a long thread that is good for things like bracelets, a short one that they use to make a rough fabric for covering lamps, and a cotton-like fiber that they can spin like wool to form a strong rope. Carlos is contemplating making a type of spinning wheel to work with the fiber.
Their latest venture is extracting coconut oil. Carlos explained the process: first they peel the coconut and extract it with a drill or a metal device; then they place the coconut meat in water in a plastic bin and let it ferment for a couple of days. The coconut oil separates from the water. They collect the coconut fat and cook it in a frying pan to separate the impurities from the oil and then filter it. After letting it sit for a couple of days the oil becomes more clear and is ready for bottling and use.
The process takes a lot of time and labor, according to Carlos, but they are enjoying learning new ways to use coconut.
Thursday’s afternoon surprise downpour with scattered moderate intensity could be back today and maybe tomorrow, experts say.
According to Gabriela Chinchlla, of Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – Meteorological Institute – Thursday’s downpour occurred due to the hot morning and build up of moisture in the air.
These rains are referred to as “Aguacero de los cafetaleros” (Downpours of Coffee Plantations).
The dowpour hit mainly the areas of Heredia, Alajuela, San José, Santa Ana, Orotina and Esparza, all coffee growing areas. Some parts of Guanacaste and the South Pacific reported rainfall also.
The clear skies and heat from the sun in morning are conditions for short lasting downpours in the afternoon.
Although the rainy season is weeks away, best not to leave the galoshes behind for the next couple of days.
To avoid getting drenched, keep an eye on the afternoon skies being on the lookout for a gray to dark gray cloud formation. If you see such a cloud formation, keep and eye on its movement: east to west usually means a typical afternoon downpour; from the southwest to east, pretty intense downpours; and from northwest to east, usually a real nasty downpour.
The Banco Central de Costa Rica (Central Bank) this month has doled out US$185 million dollars to shore up the dollar exchange. The objective of the Central Bank’s intervention is to not allow the dollar to drop below ¢500 colones.
To avoid a drop the Central Bank says it has had to buy up a lot of the dollars that have flooded the economy this past month.
The amount the Central Bank has spent in the first 20 days of this month is 13 times the amount the month earlier, according to the ElFinanciero.cr.
Experts believe that the Central Bank’s intervention policy will maintain the exchange rate to very similar levels as last year.
Mario Rivera, general manager of the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), the exchange rate “will remain relatively stable”.
The Costa Rica exchange rate varies daily; it could go up or down a few colones or cents every day.
Financial experts say solutions being employed as a remedy for the distortions caused by the flood of speculative capital in the Costa Rican economy, have a common factor: they fix one end of the problem and exacerbate another. Many believe Costa Rica’s economy should be dollarized.
The Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (CADEXO) has detailed the losses by the sector caused by the significant appreciation of the colon in the last three years.
As explained by CADEXCO, producers of meat, sugar and coffee suffered more than ¢70,000 million colones in losses, while for the banana industry is it calculated at US$0.80 per box exported.
In the pineapple sector, meanwhile, the calculation is of a direct impact of more than 15%, mainly due to higher exchange rate via payroll taxes, wages and electricity, among other things.
According to an article in Crhoy.com the real exchange rate in Costa Rica has depreciated by over 30% in a short period, removing a significant margin of profit for exporters.
The Consejo Nacional de Concesiones (CNC) – National Tender Board – confirms that the expansion of the San José – San Ramón road, will be only of two kilometres.
Before meeting with representatives of the communities opposed to the road, Edwin Rodríguez, secretary of the CNC, ackowledged that the expansion will only be between the La Sabana park and Pablo II bridge, where the autopista General Cañas will go from two lanes to four in each direction.
“We are focuing on safety, that includes some 22 pedestrian overpasses and 40 bus bays”, explained Rodríguez.
A group of community leaders met with Rodríguez on Thursday to obtain drawings and explanations of the contract award to the Brazilian company, OAS, that will maintain the road under a 30 year concession contract.
Under the concession, the 58 kilometres from La Sabana and San Ramón will become a toll road that will cost some ¢2.000 colones in each direction.
Opponents to the concession insist that there will not be any significant expansion and charging tolls is abusive.
The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) – Regulatory Authority of Public Services – has come under heavy criticism for backing down to the threats of gasoline station owners.
Days ago the ARESP approved a drop in gasoline prices of ¢6 colones for a litre of super and diesel and ¢5 for regular. The decrease came as a surprise to gasoline station owners who not only ask for a roll back on the decrease, but also an increase in their profit margins.
Gasoline station owners publicly said they would literally shut down their stations and layoff workers if the price drop was to take place. Under this threat the ARESEP caved in and suspended the decrease.
Ignacio Santos, news director at Telenoticias (channel 7 news), said his editorial, “authority is just in the name”.
The ARESEP decision was not welcomed by consumers and businesses, some accusing the ARESEP as being a puppet to interest groups.
The social networks – Facebook, Twitter, etc- were abuzz with all types of comments, none in favour of the ARESEP. A commentary by Andrés Chacón said, “we are governed by lobbysts. How can you not stay firm in your decision, very disappointing“.
The ARESEP denies political pressure. “It is very dangerous to make those claims (shut down sales) and the criterion of the board was to prevent further damage and ask for time consider the appeal”.
The regulatory authority said it would study the proposal of gasoline station owners.
San José among municipalities not applying prohibition for Semana Santa
The list of municipalities not prohibiting the sale of alcohol during Thursday and Friday of Semana Santa is growing.
As of Thursday night, fourteen municipalities have said the taps will flow within their jurisdictions, joining the municipality of Nicoya, in Guanacaste, the first to say prohibition would hurt local tourism.
Not applying the “ley seca” (dry law) this year are the municipalities of: Guatuso, Osa, San Ramón, Coto Brus, Parrita, Cañas, Talamanca, Corredores, Curridabat, San José, Nicoya, San Ramón, Aguirre, Monteverde and Guácimo.
The new Ley de Regulación y Comercialización de Bebidas con Contenido Alcohólico (Regulatory and Marketing Act of Alcoholic Beverages Act) that went into effect last year gives each municipality the power to decide to maintain prohibition or allow the sale of alcohol during Holy week. Municipalities have up to Wednesday, March 27, to decide.
In municipalities that decide to keep prohibition, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, etc, are prohibited from selling any alcohole – beer, wine and liquor – from 12:01am Thursday to 12:01am Saturday.
The fines for breaching prohibition are stiff and can include the revoking of a liquort license.
The International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) overturned its decision to take away Costa Rica’s status as host of the 2014 U-17 Women’s World Cup, giving the country a second chance.
FIFA said it was withdrawing Costa Rica as host of the cup last February, after confirming delays in the construction of two stadiums, one in Jacó (Central Pacific) and the other in Liberia (Northern Pacific). The decision was made at a FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Zurich.
The Costa Rican government and Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefutbol) then announced a “last ditch effort” to recover the event.
“With pride and satisfaction, I can announce that the World Cup is returning to Costa Rica. I thank FIFA Vice President and Concacaf President Jeffrey Webb for his unconditional support,” Fedefutbol President Eduardo Li said.
Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Costa Rica’s Minister of the Presidency, said the World Cup returns after several meetings with FIFA representatives in Miami and Chicago, where the tournament’s action plan was reviewed.
Costa Rica decided to abandon the building of a new stadium in Jaco, and the venues that will host the games will only have to be remodeled, including Edgardo Baltodano Stadium in Liberia and Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in the capital San Jose. San Jose’s National Stadium will serve as the event’s main venue.
The government has pledged to contribute three million U.S. dollars to complete the remodeling effort, while Fedefutbol raises another four million dollars.
Sports Minister William Corrales said a FIFA delegation is expected to visit Costa Rica in April to inspect the renovation work.
“Vamos a Turistear” is back, the program by the tourism institute to draw the attention of national tourists for this holiday period.
The objective of hte Instistuto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) is for Costa Ricans to get out and know their country, offering contests and promotions.
Using the social networks like Facebook and YouTube, the ICT is promoting new tourist locations, focusing on culture, tourism and education.
The strategy also aims to include the indigenous sector and artisanal fishing among others.
The so-called “prohibition” on the sale of alcohol during Semana Santa (Holy Week) has been around since September 26, 1993 when Ley 7633 came into force, stating that alcohol beverages could not be sold during Thursdays and Fridays of the Holy week.
This year there is a change in the law, but not necessarily in the attitude of the people.
The new law, “Ley de Regulación y Comercialización de Bebidas con Contenido Alcohólico”, gives each municipality the power to regulate the sale of alcohol and consumption during civic events, parades and cantonal activities and can limit the scope.
Therefore, municipalities, for the 2013 Semana Santa must decide.
The decision by municipalities, however, may be based more on people’s opinion and traditions than law.
A poll by channel 7 television news, Telenoticias, indicated that more than 60% of the callers are in favour of maintaining prohibition, that is continuing the ban on the sale of liquor during the holidays.
La Trocha, the northern border road, has been mired in controversy for all kinds of corruption. And now the government will continue to pour even more money, another ¢146 million colones, into the project, making it the all time “chorizo” warranting a statue!
Although the year is 2013, and municipalities now have the power to be “dry” or not, for the most part Costa Rica appears to be still pretty “dry” during this Semana Santa.
Unless a local government dictates otherwise (Nicoya is the only one so far to say no) the annual prohibition of the sale of alcohol starts at 12:01am (just after midnight) on Thursday until I believe 12:01am (just after midnight) – Saturday.
During the this period supermarkets LITERALLY cover up their liquor and beer sections, including the coolers; bars have to lock up their liquor cabinets; and restaurants can only offer their patrons non-alcoholic beverages with their meals. Liquor stores close up entirely.
Costa Ricans are used to this and know how to get around it, well, are prepared for it. For visitors – tourists – it’s another matter, most are caught by surprise at the prohibition.
Say what? But I’m on vacation!!!
Here’s how to work around it.
1. Get your alcohol at least the day before and bring it with you to your vacation spot. The earlier the better, as lines at cash out get longer as the prohibition hour nears.
2. Many bars (IF they’re open) and restaurants will allow you to bring your own – but for their sake (because fines are VERY HIGH if they break the law – including being closed down for a period of time), please bring some sort of cup that doesn’t show what’s in it and do NOT leave the bottle out. BUT ASK FIRST!
3. Some places (mainly places geared towards tourists) will get creative and “get around prohibition” by offering some sort of all-inclusive PARTY/Fiesta with a set price for food and drinks (not cheap usually as it is often an open-bar).
Costa Rica seems to take these 2 holy days quite seriously (well – at least in MOST businesses) – practically shutting down towns not relying on the tourist $$!!!
Usually with the arrival of Semana Santa, municipalities across the country take the necessary measures to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages.
This year, changes to the Ley de Regulación y Comercialización de Bebidas con Contenido Alcohólico (Regulatory and Marketing Act of Alcoholic Beverages Act), allow local municipalities the decision to keep the traditions of the “Ley Seca” (Dry Law) or allows the taps to flow.
While the prohibition is no longer compulsory, the tradition of Thursdays and Fridays of Semana Santa (Easter Week) as “dry” days in Costa Rica, seems to continue when supermarkets, restaurants, bars, etc. have to hide away their liquor and suspend their sales from 12:01am Thursday to midnight Friday.
So far the town of Nicoya on the Pacific coast is the only local government decided against the prohibition.
This year, residents of the Guanacaste town can buy alcoholic beverages through the “Holy” days. Marco Antonio Jiménez, mayor of Nicoya, using the new law and justifies the decision by saying that the prohibition would negatively affect the local economy.
“The tourism industry is very important in our county where every year during this period hotels, cabins and hundreds of other businesses such as restaurants or sodas welcome thousands of national and foreign visitors, therefore, we consider that this measure (no prohibition) helps the local economy,” said Jiménez.
For the mayor, removing the prohibition it will also help local tourism recover from last year’s September 5 earthquake that hit Nicoya the hardest.
Jiménez added that this (the removal of prohibition) will be a show of confidence that the town can celebrate religious ceremonies in moderation.
Los Santos is holding its first coffee festival – Festival del Café – this weekend, where you can enjoy a variety of local dishes made with coffee, a “barista” competition, dances and masquerades.
The coffee producers of the cantons of Dota, Tarrazú and León Cortéz, came together to rescue the culture of its world famous coffee.
For the 50.000 inhabitans of the area coffee is the economic engine.
Presidenta Laura Chinchilla will be the opening act at the Festival del Café, that will take place Friday, March 22 at the San Pablo de León Cortéz park.
The barista competition will take place on Saturday at 1:00pm. For Sunday, organizers have planned an exhibition of largest coffee blaster in the country
Los Santos
Also called Zona Santa, or ‘Saint’s Zone, ’ this region of redolent coffee plantations and cool cloud forests isn’t exactly a destination, but rather a collection of highland villages at the heart of relaxed, rural Costa Rica. They famously bear sainted names: San Pablo de León Cortés, Santa María de Dota, San Marcos de Tarrazú, San Cristóbal Sur, San Gerardo de Dota.
Barista
The word barista is of Italian origin, and in Italian, a barista is a male or female “bartender”, who typically works behind a counter, serving both hot drinks (such as espresso), and cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, not a coffee-maker specifically. While the title is not regulated, most coffee shops use the title to describe the preparer of coffee and operator of an espresso machine.
Good espresso-making is essential to a barista’s role.
Baristas generally operate a commercial espresso machine, and their role is preparing the shot and pulling the shot; the degree to which this is automated or done manually varies significantly, ranging from push-button operation to an involved manual process.
Preparing the shot involves adjusting the grind of the beans, dosing (the amount of coffee used in the shot), tamping (pressing down the espresso in the basket), and often other preparation of the grounds (such as leveling, tapping, or stirring), with the goal of obtaining a desired extraction.
The barista usually has been trained to operate the machine and to prepare the coffee based on the guidelines of the roaster or shop owner, while more experienced ones may have discretion to vary preparation or experiment, and a seasoned veteran will of course need little training beyond specifics of equipment and beans used and the shop’s preferences.
Formal barista competitions originated in Norway, and today the most prestigious is the World Barista Championships, held annually at varied international locations. Baristas worldwide compete, though they must first compete in a competition held in their own country to qualify to enter in the WBC.
Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court or Sala IV has ordered the Ministerio de Educación Pública (MEP) to reinstate an employee who was fired for alcoholism.
The woman, in her appeal, claimed she was fied for absenteeism due to her illness and that she was never given a chance to rehabilitate.
The Head of Human Resources at the Education ministry, Juan Antonio Gómez, said the next step is to reinstate the woman and submit her to the Health Department.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) lists alcoholism as a mental health disorder.
If you were looking forward to saving a few colones on the price of gasoline, hold on. The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) announced Wednesday the postponed of the gas price drop that was expected to take effect on Saturday, due to threats of a strike by gasoline station owners
The reduction would have seen the price of gasoline drop ¢6 colones per litre on super gasoline and diesel fuel and ¢5 for regular gasoline.
Gasoline station owners are upset with the ARESEP for not approving their request for an increase to improve their margins on sales, in fact the regulatory body not no did not approve the hike, but rather a drop.
Gasoline station owners had threatened a nationwide strike, closing down gasoline stations and laying off workers, at the same time of the start one of the busiest travel season in Costa Rica, Semana Santa.
The president of the Cámara de Empresarios de Combustible, Antonio Galva, they would fight “to the last drop” after an appeal to the Intendencia de Energía was rejected.
A new method of money laundering coming from drug trafficking is evident in some hotels in Costa Rica, which have reported high income and low occupancy, the digital newspaper crhoy.com reports.
The online newspaper quoted a judicial source linked to the subject, which suggests that the financial crisis in local tourism, could be exploited by criminal organizations.
An expert from the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) related to the topic, said that this method is not new in the world of money laundering, but noted that there are no specific cases so far.
He said that one way to “launder” the money is to justify the large sums of deposits in banks, reporting a total occupancy of the hotel, but in reality there are empty rooms.
The OIJ is investigating whether the murder last February of Geovanny Soto, 52, and his sons Maurice and Emmanuel, 29 and 20 years, respectively, could be linked with such facts, because the family owns the Mountain Paradise Hotel, in the northern city La Fortuna de San Carlos.
Gustavo Araya, vice president of the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels, said that they know of two or three hotels, located in La Fortuna de San Carlos, which could be related to that illegal activity.
Araya explained that in 2007 some peoplpe were offered very low interest loans by some businessman, but one of the conditions was that they should receive money in Guatemala, one of the persons who accepted such loans was riddled with bullets later.
Reynaldo Velasquez, chief of the Money Laundering Unit of the OIJ, said in January that Costa Rica is a haven for money laundering, which is evident in the rapid growth of the real estate industry in coastal areas, encouraged by the arrival of capital flow whose origin is unknown.
He said it is very difficult to investigate this type of crime because Costa Rican law indicates that it is necessary to establish the illegality of money and then determine whether it comes from money laundering.
The current trend in mobile communications to use devices connected to the internet full time is forcing carriers in Costa Rica to move forward to the newer technology known as ‘4G’. So far, ICE, operating under the Kolbi brand, is the only carrier to announce plans for a 4G network.
TDMA was the first cellular technology used in Costa Rica. It was replaced by GSM, a standard in the country for years and later by UMTS/HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), better known as 3G.
José Pablo Blotta, director of ICE Mobile Division, would not disclose when the 4G will be launched, only to say that the implementation of the technology is advancing rapidly. Blotta talks abouts bandwidth close to 100 Mbps.
Everything You need to know about 4G
What is 4G?
4G is a lightning-quick internet connection for mobile devices – the fourth generation of wireless mobile communications technology, set to usurp the current 3G network in use today.
How fast is it?
It is said to offer speeds of up to 20Mb per second, faster than many home broadband connections but way behind current home fibre optic offerings which provide speeds of up to 100Mbps.
4G means you will be able to download and stream music and videos easily while on the go – a standard definition movie will take just 10-15 minutes to download via 4G. The faster connection also means mobile gamers will be able to enjoy richly detailed and complex online multiplayer games.
Who is offering it?
No one yet, but ICE could be the first before the end of 2013.
Will consumers have to pay more for 4G than 3G?
ICE will not talk about its 4G plans at all at the moment, but industry insiders think customers will have to pay more to enjoy the faster mobile connection speed.
Will I need a new phone?
Yes, you’ll need a 4G-capable phone.
Are they available in Costa Rica?
Yes. The iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy SIII, Nokia Lumia 920, all available in Costa Rica, are examples of LTE cellular phones.
Will data be capped under a 4G plan?
This is the big question. There’s not much point taking out an expensive 4G plan that allows you to download and stream huge amounts of data if the provider then caps the amount of data you can stream/download.
Mobile phone networks tend to charge a premium for data compared with fixed-line broadband, coupling low download limits with hefty fees for breaching your data cap. Any 4G plans that are launched could potentially come with a more generous download limit than current 3G options, but an unlimited data allowance would be the preferred option allowing customers to make the most of a 4G service.”
It’s becoming increasingly common to hear phone makers and mobile phone service providers hype their networks or phones as 4G (or sometimes 4G LTE). But what does that really mean? The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are sometimes referred to as the iPhone 4G, but does that mean that the iPhone 4 is a 4G phone?
The short answer is no, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are not 4G phones.
At least they’re not when by saying “4G” you mean the 4G or 4G LTE cellular network standard (the successor to the 3G standard used by the iPhone 4 & 4S) that most phone companies are referring when they say 4G. To understand the confusion, though, requires understanding what people mean when they say something is 4G. The confusion happens because there are two different meanings for the term 4G.
4G = 4th Generation Cellular Network
When most companies, and some people, talk about 4G, what they mean is a phone that is compatible with a 4th generation (i.e. 4G) cellular phone network.
4G networks, also called LTE Advanced or Mobile WiMAX networks (among other names), are next-generation wireless networks used by mobile phone companies to transmit calls and data to mobile phones. Just like the current 3G name means that something is a third-generation network, 4G networks are newer, more advanced, 4th generation networks that will replace 3G networks.
4G networks are faster than 3G networks and can carry more data:
4G network speeds: up to 1 GBit/second download; 500 Mbits/second upload
3G network speeds: up to 14.4 Mbits/second download; 5.8 Mbit/second upload.
While some 4G networks exist in limited implementations or implementations limited to some areas, most large-scale 4G network deployments will take place in 2012.
4G = 4th Generation Phone
The confusion about this question comes as a result of people sometimes using the term 4G to mean all fourth generation products generally, not 4G networks specifically. The iPhone 4 is, as the name would suggest, the 4th iPhone model, making it the 4th generation iPhone. But being a 4th generation phone is not the same thing as being a 4G phone.
The iPhone 4 Is Not a 4G Phone
4G phones are phones that work on 4G networks. The iPhone 4 is not compatible with 4G networks (the same is true for previous models). Because the iPhone 4 works on 3G and EDGE networks only, the iPhone 4 is not a 4G phone.
Neither Is the iPhone 4S
The iPhone 4S can download data at a faster speed than the iPhone 4 (up to 14.4 Mbps). While this isn’t 4G speed, some cell phone companies may promote the iPhone 4S as being a 4G phone or close to a 4G phone. Technically, this isn’t true. As noted above, 4G requires a particular type of cell phone network and chips in the phone. The iPhone 4S doesn’t have this chip. Some of the phone companies that offer it in the U.S., most notably Verizon, have extensive 4G networks, but the iPhone doesn’t take advantage of them.
How About the iPhone 5?
4G phones are notorious battery hogs and don’t deliver much use before needing to be recharged again. Giving the iPhone a long battery life is very important to Apple; battery-life concerns are probably what kept 4G LTE support out of the iPhone 4S.
Thanks to the iPhone 5’s larger dimensions, and engineering changes by Apple, the iPhone 5 both offers 4G LTE networking and solid battery life (Apple claims that the battery life is as good as the 4S, or better in some cases). So, if you want to get 4G LTE for the fastest cellular data experience, pick up an iPhone 5.
Costa Rica’s soccer officials said they are planning a protest with the FIFA – (Fédération Internationale de Football Association / International Federation of Association Football), the international organization of football’s major international tournaments, notably the World Cup.
I’ve introduced a new section to the Q: Qphotos, an exclusive collection of photos on Costa Rica of the past decade and more.
