While being busy putting the Taxation ministry under the microscope, for its poor tax collection practices, Costa Rica’s leading newspaper, La Nacion, itself has been involved in a tax evasion case that has been ongoing since 2004. This CRHoy.com toon gives us a humorous glimpse at what is going on.
Image courtesy of Traffic Law Costa Rica
Getting your car ready for the annual Riteve inspection means checking the brakes, lights, seat belts, muffler, tires, etc. that everything works, with the intent to keep your vehicle running safely.
For some, however, the corrections are temporary only to pass the inspection. Renting tires, modifying the vehicle’s emission, adjusting the brakes and other mechanic’s tricks are a few some use to pass inspection and then.
This practice has been known to Transport officials who have been helpless. Until now. The vice-minister of Transport, Silvia Bolaños, says people have to understand that the vehicular inspection is as matter of road safety.
This past week the Policia de Tránsito (traffic police) in conjunction with Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi) officials have been surprising drivers with random roadside spotchecks. The Tránsitos (traffic officials) now have the ability to correct problems items like slick tires or modified mufflers and head and tail lights, armed with tools to prove faults that make a vehicle unsafe and would have never passed a vehicle inspection.
Moreover, there exists a large number of vehicles that circulate without the Riteve. The spotchecks allows the finding and/of confiscation of unsafe vehicles.
Items like slick tires, faulty brakes and non-working head and tail lights are now targeted by Tránsitos at the roadside spotchecks.
The objective of the Cosevi and the Policia de Tránsito is to make the public aware of the serious problem of not maintaining one’s vehicle or not submitting to a vehicular inspection.
If you have one an iPhone or an iPad chances you are familiar with the phrase, “what can I help you with? coming out of your mobile device. Other phrases include “how can I help you today” or “I’m not sure what you said…”
This is Siri, the intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator which works as an application for Apple’s iOS. Android users have a similar app.
The application uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services. Apple claims that the software adapts to the user’s individual preferences over time and personalizes results, and performing tasks such as finding recommendations for nearby restaurants, or getting directions.
And it is available in Costa Rica. Siri has been an integral part of iOS since iOS and was first supported on the iPhone 4S. Siri was added to the third generation iPad with the release of iOS 6, and is included on the iPhone 5, fifth generation iPod Touch, fourth generation iPad and the iPad mini.
How to Use Siri on the iPad
Siri comes to the iPad with the iOS 6.0 update, but if you are having trouble activating Siri — which is done by holding down the home button for a few seconds — you might want to make sure that (1) you have the right type of iPad (Siri only works on the iPad 3 and later models) and (2) that you have Siri turned on.
There’s not much to be done about Siri on an earlier iPad other than simply upgrading to the new iPad, but we can do something about Siri being turned off.
Here’s how you turn Siri on:
Remember, you will need an active Internet connection to use Siri. It should work on both Wi-Fi and when you are using the 4G/3G data connection.
How to Use Siri on the iPad
Siri was introduced to the iPad with Apple’s iOS 6.0 update, but it requires a 3rd generation “iPad 3” in order to work. And because Siri passes your question up to Apple’s servers to be analyzed, it also requires an active Internet connection, either through Wi-Fi or a 4G/3G connection.
How to activate Siri on the iPad
First things first, you will need to let your iPad know that you want to ask Siri a question. Similar to the iPhone, you can do this by holding the Home Button down a few seconds.
When activated, Siri will beep at you and open a window on the screen with a small microphone on it. The microphone will have a purple glow to it, indicated Siri is listening. Simply ask a question, and Siri will do her best to comply.
If you want to ask additional questions while the Siri menu is open, simply tap the microphone. It will glow purple again, which means you can ask away. Remember: a purple-glowing microphone means Siri is ready for your question, and a microphone that isn’t glowing means she is not listening.
Note: If you have problems getting Siri to activate, make sure you have it turned on in settings. Also, remember it requires an Internet connection and an iPad 3 or later.
What Questions to Ask Siri
Siri is a voice recognition artificial intelligence decision engine that has been programmed with various databases that will enable her to answer many of your questions. And if you got lost in that explanation, you are not alone.
Forget the technical stuff. Siri can perform a lot of basic tasks and answer various questions. Here is a range of things she can do for you:
Basic Siri questions and tasks:
Siri as a personal assistant:
Siri will help feed and entertain you:
Siri knows sports:
Siri is gushing with information:
Siri is pretty intelligent, so feel free to experiment with different questions. Siri is connected to a number of different websites and databases, which means you can ask her a variety of questions. Here are some examples of Siri performing calculations and finding information for you:
Funny Questions to Ask Siri
Siri is not only a valuable personal assistant. She can also make you laugh. Apple took the concept of an Easter egg to new heights, embedding a number of funny questions you can ask Siri. I’ve listed out a number of fun questions you can ask Siri, but I’ve withheld the answers so you can discover them yourself. And for some questions, asking a second or third time might get a different (even funnier) response.
Fun Questions to Get to Know Siri:
Funny Requests to Make of Siri:
Let Siri Teach You Something:
Learning How Funny Siri Can Be:
Just when you thought all the roadblocks and demonstrations were over, opponents to the San José – San Ramon road concession say they will continue their protests, this because they believe the concession contract is not dead.
The Foro Nacional suspects that the cancellation of the concession contract by Presidenta Laura Chinchilla was only to pacify the people before the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama to Costa Rica.
The Foro believes that the actions of the government contradict the words of the Presidenta, and as such have organized a protest march for Thursday, May 16.
The protest is to call the attention of the public who have been led to believe that the concession contract with the Brazilian firm, OAS, is dead. The Foro Nacional said they will hold a press conference during the protest to point out the points of their fight against this project.
Following the announcement of the concession contract early last month, public outcry lead to the government back tracking and on April 29, says ahead of the Obama visit, Presidenta Laura Chinchilla said in a national television broadcast her government would be cancelling the contract.
This act quelled planned protests before and during the historic presidential visit that occurred on May 3 and 4.
Monday, May 5, the minister of Planning, Fernando Chacon, announced that a termination letter had been sent to OAS and that an auditor would be hired to calculate compensation of costs for the constructions company.
The impression is that the termination is of mutual accord. However, OAS, has 60 days (from last Monday) to respond to the termination letter.
Orland Business Journal – You may head to Costa Rica for the surfing, white water rafting and zip-lining through the jungles, but there may be business opportunities waiting for you in this Latin American country with a gross domestic product of $41 billion.
With an eye on capturing some of that market and luring investment to the region, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando is planning a trade mission to Costa Rica in July.
The chamber, which sponsored a trade mission to Colombia in August, is partnering with the Canaveral Port Authority and JetBlue Airways on the July trip.
“We need to let other people in the world know that Central Florida is ready to do business,” Diana Bolivar, president of the chamber, told me following a seminar the organization hosted in the National Entrepreneur Center on doing business with Costa Rica.
The chamber, which has 10 of the 20 slots committed for the July 10-14 trade mission, hopes to open doors and establish relationships with Costa Rican companies looking to do business with Orlando companies and invest in Central Florida.
Although exports from Florida to Costa Rica of $2.07 billion were down 1.1 percent in 2012, imports of goods from that country were up 68 percent to nearly $6 billion.
Costa Rica exported 220,000 tons to Central and North Florida, but those regions exported only 30,000 tons to the country. Port Canaveral, which is trying to boost its cargo business, believes the country could be a “significant opportunity” for Orlando companies.
“Costa Rica is a prime target for Port Canaveral,” Shannon Feeley, assistant director of cargo business development for the Canaveral Port Authority, told those attending the seminar.
Companies involved in medical and dental equipment, building products, and hotel and restaurant products have the best chance of selling to Costa Rica, said Paul Mitchell, regional manager of international trade development for aviation, aerospace and defense trade programs at Enterprise Florida.
While there are opportunities to develop export markets, Mitchell cautioned those attending the seminar not to expand overseas unless they have the time and money to commit to building those markets.
Building relationships in Costa Rica is key to doing business, according to Jose H. Silva, a financial adviser in the Ormond Beach office of Edward Jones who spent 12 years in the Latin American nation as a business management consultant.
“The ones who are successful are the ones who make and invest in relationships,” Silva told those attending the seminar.
Source: Orlando Business Journal
Costa Ricans have long had a tradition with soup, particularly during the rainy season which runs from May to December when it helps to mitigate the effects of the cold weather (a few degrees below dry season weather) and even the usual cold symptoms.
Even though typical recipes such as the traditional olla de carne are disappearing, the demand for convenient and easy-to-prepare food continues benefiting the sales of packaged soup, like the “Maruchan, which ironically is an American producer of instant noodles.
The convenience of the Maruchan cannot be disputed. In the US, it is often a staple diet of “poor college students”, but in Costa Rica it is often a staple of busy families, where both of the breadwinners work and little time to cook a homemade hearty soup. It is also great for a quick lunch, open the package, into the microwave and voila!
But, if you can take the time to make a homemade soup – mother please – here is one Costa Rican soup recipe that can’t miss the spot:
Ingredients
Finely chop
Directions
Recipe courtesy of Recipes Wiki Costa Rican Soups
A pro-life association in Costa Rica has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the plight of babies with anencephaly, who are often used to justify calls for the legalization of abortion in Latin America.
Babies born with the condition are missing all or part of their brain and usually die within a few hours, although some babies live longer. One baby with the condition born in Brazil lived for 16 months.
In a statement sent to CNA, the pro-life group Por la Vida underscored the importance of defending the right to life of babies with anencephaly, one year after Brazil legalized abortion for babies with the condition. A baby with the same condition is currently making headlines in El Salvador, as a similar debate rages in the country.
The awareness campaign in Costa Rica includes testimonies from families who have had babies with anencephaly.
“Antonella, Gabriel, Liam, Isabella are only a few of the names of these babies who lived for a short time outside their mothers’ wombs but who live on in the hearts of the parents,” the campaign explained.
It added that these parents “wish to tell their stories to show that preserving the life of their child was worth it and that the best decision a mother in this situation can make is to allow her child to live and to die in the arms of his or her loved ones.”
The testimonies posted on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, “have moved the hearts of those who have followed this campaign, which has already received more than 10,000 visits on its first day,” the association said.
One woman explained that she did not see her baby as deformed. Rather, she explained, “(t)o me he is and always will be my baby, the fruit of my womb, my gift from God, my first and only love.”
Por la Vida noted that in Costa Rica, abortion proponents have used the case of a woman called “Aurora” to argue for the legalization of abortion, alleging that her unborn child “suffered from deformations incompatible with life.”
“Aurora’s” case is currently being studied by the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica.
Source: CNA/EWTN News
OIJ confirm the arrest of five people Wednesday morning, all involved in the attempted murder of a Pococí Criminal Court judge last December. Among the arrested was judge, Lizano Córdoba, who worked alongside the intended victim.
Francisco Segura, director of the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ), said the arrests took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Heredia, Desamparados, Limon and Guapiles.
Last December 14, judge Jorger Paisano Saborio, who was unharmed in the attack, was the target of an intended hit while on his way to work, about four blocks from the Pococi courthouse.
The judge’s car was shot at several times, but none of the bullets met with their intended target.
Prosecutor Juan Pablo González said Paisano had asked for Lizano Córdoba to be fired for failure to perform his job properly and for constantly arriving late to work.
The five face charges of attempted murder, which in Costa Rica carries a sentence of up to 35 years in prison.
In the toon by CRHoy.com, theMinistro de Comunicación is calling it “enough bullying against the Presidenta”
The next time you decide to eat at a restaurant best to check that there isn’t a fly or a nail in your soup. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health says that most complaints against restaurants are for objects or insects in salads.
According to Health data, to date, 12 complaints of poising have been filed against restaurants. This is an average of 2.4 per month for this year.
In total, 722 complaints for various reasons have been filed, of which 470 are for restaurants in the Gran Área Metropolitana (GAM) – Greater Metropolitan Area of San José.
Health Minister, Daisy Corrales, said most of the cases are for objects and insects (especially salads) in the food. Following are complaints for uncleanliness of the establishment and third for intoxications or food poisining.
According to Corrales, all complaints are investigated, and not only focusing on the item of the complaint, but a general inspection of the entire operations is made.
Areas that investigators will look into are: cleanliness of the establishment, availability of drinking water, food handing, cooking, storage and waste disposal, among others. Employees are also required to have a food handling certificate.
Source: CRHoy.com
Use extreme care when purchasing a cellular phone in Costa Rica. A new scam has been uncovered by the investigators of the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL) where cellular phones purchased from an authorized retailer are “cloned” to unlock stolen cellular phones or cellular phones purchased outside the country.
The SUTEL says it has detected the problem in recent months, as some stores are dedicated to providing cellular unblocking service, which could result that the IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity or device identification number) of one phone is used on another in the hands of an unscrupulous operator.
The IMEI is a unique number that is coded into each cellular phone. The code identifies the unit globally and is transmitted by the terminal to connect to a network.
SUTEL spokesperson, Eduaro Castellon, explained that in some of these stores (the unblockers) what they do is clone the IMEI number of authorized units to be used on stolen or imported cell phones.
What this means is an uncalculated number of cell phones with the same IMEI and serious repercussions for those who purchased an authorized cell phone, leading to the loss of the unit and the service.
Typically, the more expensive cell phones or “smartphones” are targets of cloning.
The SUTEL reminds that there are only three “approved” vendors of cellular phones in Costa Rica: ICE (Kolbi brand), Claro and Movistar. Buying a cellular phone from a retailer who is not authorized by the three can result in lossses.
For example, a customer buys a cellular phone from an unauthorized retailer or cell unblocker, in some cases motivated by the lower price that the authorized store. Everything seems in order, the unit is its original box, a receipt for the purchase is provided. But there is the possibility that the phone could be a cloned phone, hence the low price.
In real terms, the buyer’s investment is at risk. For one, the cell phone may not connect properly to the networks in operation in Costa Rica, or have a poor quality of service. Since the phone was not purchased from an authorized retailer, the excuse for the lousy service has to be the phone. Service providers in this case have no legal obligation to investigate the source of the poor quality of the service.
If the purchase is a cloned phone the risk is even higher, surely almost total over time.
If for some reason, like the original or one of the clone phones is reported stolen or for any other reason the IMEI is blocked, ALL the cell phones with the same IMEI will be blocked. In this case, only the owner of the phone with the original IMEI has a claim.
You’ve been warned!
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On the third anniversary of her government, Presidenta Laura Chinchilla acknowledged that her to some conflicts have been slow, but did not specify which ones.
Although she argued that she has been constant with dialogue, the Presidenta also admitted some lapses in communication channels when situations reached a boiling point, and consequences were inevitable.
In a bried interview with Amelirueda.com, Chinchilla said that the style of governing is one of the things that has to change in this last year in office.
The President also acknowledged deficiencies in facilitating access to information by the public and needs to promote transparency of the decisions made by administration officials.
Basically, these are the items of focusing by Presidenta during the next twelve months.
According to political analysts, the Presidenta’s last year in office will be much of nothing, probably spending her time bolstering her image and less of governing.
The presidential elections are in February 2014, with the new president taking office the first week in May. Under Costa Rica’s reformed constitution, a president can only run for re-election after skipping out one term. Thus, Chinchilla could make a run in 2018.
Companies in Costa Rica are concerned about the increase in corruption in the country, this according to a survey published by the Costa Rica Chamber of Commerce (Cámara de Comercio de Costa Rica) of 54 companies.
According to the report (published in September 2012), 93% of the companies interviewed consider the problem of corruption in the country as serious or very serious. This is reinforced by the fact that 46% of the companies reported having been proposed by a corrupt public official.
Asked how the private sector can fight corrupion, the majority of the companies surveyed said that developing policies and codes of ethics to not tolerate or promote corrupt practices and resort to filing complaints is the key.
The survey also found that in 35% of the cases corruption is related to abuse of authority, in the negotiation of contracts, followed by favouritism and influence peddling.
The report also notes that in many cases complaints aren’t filed due to the high cost (in economic terms, time and processes) and that there is no penalty. Worse, the companies must continue facing the same corrupt officials.
Ovarian cancer, often been referred to as a ‘silent killer’, is a cancerous growth that is responsible for 67 deaths each year in Costa Rica.
The signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are frequently absent early on and when they exist they may be subtle. In most cases, the symptoms persist for several months before being recognized and diagnosed. Most typical symptoms include: bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain, difficulty eating, and possibly urinary symptoms. In such cases, you can visit the site https://www.cvmus.com/ to understand the symptoms and their causes. Remember that the earlier you diagnose the cause, the more the chance for you to get cured and healthy.
Other findings include an abdominal mass, back pain, constipation, tiredness and a range of other non-specific symptoms, as well as more specific symptoms such as abnormal vaginal bleeding or involuntary weight loss. There can be a build-up of fluid (ascites) in the abdominal cavity.
Ovarian cancer is associated with age, family history of ovarian cancer (9.8-fold higher risk), anaemia (2.3-fold higher), abdominal pain (sevenfold higher), abdominal distension (23-fold higher), rectal bleeding (twofold higher), postmenopausal bleeding (6.6-fold higher), appetite loss (5.2-fold higher), and weight loss (twofold higher).
In most cases, the exact cause of ovarian cancer remains unknown. The risk of developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors:
According to statistics, each year 133 Ticas (Costa Rican women) are diagnosed each year. Micheal Liberman, medical manager at the pharmaceutical Roche, says that 80% of the case are detected at later stages, and there is no procedure for early detection.
“In proportion, is a very similar figure to the global statistics. The importance is that it is a deadly disease, then even though the rate of incidence sounds low, is a very high figure (…) would be the second leading cause of death from gynecological cancer after cervical cancer”, said Liberman.
Worldwide, around 140,000 women die of ovarian cancer every year. Even modern screening tests for ovarian cancer, which include a blood test for the CA 125 marker, combined with ultrasound, often result in unnecessary surgery and “..are failing to catch early signs of the disease..”, a study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center revealed.
Main types of ovarian cancers (tumors)
Epithelial ovarian cancer is by far the most common form of ovarian cancer. Germ cell and stromal ovarian cancers are much less common. Ovarian cancer can also result from a cancer somewhere else in the body that has spread:
The stern presidential look!
It was the evening of April 22 when Presidenta Laura Chinchilla took to national television to announce that the concession contract with the Brazilian company, oAS, for the reconstruction of the San José – San Ramón project was cancelled by “mutual accord”.
However, last night in an interview with 7 Dias, the Presideta contradicted herself, saying “there never was by mutual agreement, but a political decision”. Watch the video below.
“There have been no agreements”, Doña Laura answered her interviewer, Gerardo Zamora.
The Flip Flop. “What I said was that I was going to ask the respective authorities that the political decision was to terminate by mutual agreement, but that is a process that must be attached to technical and legal processes”, said chinchilla.
The Presidenta chose not to answer if there will be compensation payment for the cancellation of the contract.
“I will not comment on how the mutual agreement will be implemented, it is not up to me, it is a legal issue”, were the words of the Presidenta.
What we do know is that on Monday (after the taping of the interview) the government confirmed that it had sent OAS a letter of the decision to cancel and that minister of Planning, Roberto Gallardo, informed that an auditing firm would be hire (by way of tender) to assess the costs incurred by OAS.
An answer by OAS is expected within 60 days to terminate the contract by “mutual agreement”.
The video following is he report by TeleNoticias and clips of the 7Dias interview. Scroll to minute 1:05 for the Presidenta’s answers.
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A solar home that consumes less natural resources and produces minimal waste is the entry that a group of 35 students from Costa Rica’s Instituto Tecnológico (TEC) – Institute of Technology – will take to a global competition.
The Costa Rica team has made official list of the 20 teams allowed to compete, in the competition that will be held in France in June 2014.
With the solar home project, an interdisciplinary initiative involving 12 career groups of the TEC, including architecture, construction engineering, information technology and business administration, Costa Rica intends to win the European Solar Decathlon, a competition in which young people will face 19 other universities worldwide.
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The aim is to create a sustainable housing model using clean energy, said the project manager, Juan Carlos Martí.
Currently, the team of students is refining the concept that will become a housing proposal for a Costa Rica of the future.
Solar Decathlon Europe has contributed 100.000 Euros to the Costa Rican team for classifying. However, according to Marti, the amount barely covers one third of the total estimate to complete the project that includes the cost of moving the house to Europe.
The Solar Decathlon Europe is an international competition that challenges collegiate teams to design and build houses powered exclusively by the sun. The winner of the competition is the team able to score the most points in 10 contests.
Modeled after the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, the first Solar Decathlon Europe began in Madrid, Spain, in June 2010. Decathletes from 17 teams spent 10 days competing in the Villa Solar near the Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacia Real). A combination of task completion, measurement, and jury scoring determined Solar Decathlon Europe’s first champion: Virginia Tech. The second Solar Decathlon Europe occurred in spring/summer 2012.
This competition takes place during even years, alternating with the U.S.-based competition, by agreement between the United States and Spanish governments.
In order to discreetly reach abused children, one aid organization designed a clever billboard that only displays a hotline number for people shorter than 4’5″.
The secret is a precisely serrated surface, a Lenticular lens, that reflects light differently to those looking from above and below a specified height. Shorter people (children) see the following message on a street sign: “If somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you,” along with a confidential number to call the Spanish organization, Aid to Children and Adolescents.
Adults see, “Sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” The ad is especially designed for children who may be traveling with their abuser.
Lenticular lens have been a popular gimmick for decades, from toy rulers to a Species II movie poster (below) that changes images as a pedestrian walks passed it.
n the future, we could imagine more advanced warning systems. IBM is reportedly developing ads that remotely targets a user’s individual interests, based on radio frequency-enabled cards that they expect consumers will carry with them. Similarly, malls can now track users’ cell phone signal as they travel from store to store for marketing data. It’s not hard to imagine a billboard beaming abuse-notification messages to a child’s cell phone, or, more discretely, to a technology like Google Glass.
For an explanation of the ad, watch the video below.
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Source: Tech Crunch
Costa Rica News – When it comes to dating in Costa Rica it can be very difficult as many times you need to teleport back in time to play the dating games that you learned in middle school……for adult relationships.
You fell in love quickly and thought the ecstatic feeling would last forever. You may have found out by now that you were in for an emotional roller coaster when dating a Costa Rican woman or “Tica”.
Ticas tend to be very jealous. After a while they will call more often to see who you are with and where you are. If you decide to break up note that Ticas are very sensitive. They will fight the breakup and get more possessive. Girls breaking up with Ticos (Costa Rican men0, on the other hand, will find that they will get the cold shoulder and be shunned from the guys group of friends.
For those who keep dating, a note about motels: they are not cheaper than hotels and are not a place to spend the night. Most motels charge by the hour and are used for only a few hours at a time. If you are going to spend the night you can find a cheaper hotel.
In Costa Rica birth control is available over the counter without a prescription. In fact, this has not lowered teen pregnancy statistics.
50% of marriages in Costa Rica end in divorce. Some are immediate because of some kind of abuse following the union. In most cases the mother is awarded custody of the children as well as child support and alimony. Any property acquired during the marriage is generally split evenly.
Hopefully any relationship you get involved in will have better luck than the above problems of drama, birth control, single parents, and divorce. Good luck at being in the successful 50 percent!
Source: Costa Rican Times
Two-time Costa Rican president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias believes his nation’s greatest contribution to the world is peace, which has come in the form of a homegrown initiative approved last month by the UN as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
Arias made the statement during an exclusive interview with Gulf Times. “This is the most important legacy that Costa Rican diplomacy has given to humanity and the world. I feel so proud that this was born in my foundation,” said the Nobel Laureate, who is also the founder of the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress.
The foundation was set up with the monetary reward he received from the Nobel Peace Prize and produced a code of conduct for arms transfers that gained support at a New York meeting in 1997. “I never thought I would see it approved by the UN in my lifetime. All the hard work put in to convince nations around the world that arms trade needs to be regulated to prevent trafficking that fuels conflict has paid off,” he said.
Arias was in Doha en route to Bahrain to attend the Interaction Council, an association of former heads of state.
The ATT was adopted by the UN General Assembly on April 2 as a resolution with 154 votes in favour, three against by North Korea, Iran, and Syria and 23 abstentions, including China and Russia, who are among the world’s leaders in weapon exports.
During his first term as president from 1986 to 1990, Central America was riddled with conflict and proxy wars between the two superpowers engaged in the Cold War. After proposing a peace plan that didn’t require a military solution as an end to conflicts between governments and rebels in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama – a move that wasn’t in the interest of either of the two nations but solved the conflicts within a decade and landed him the Nobel Prize – Arias started dreaming, planning and promoting a legislation to end the life support of conflicts Costa Rica had peacefully witnessed at its borders: arms smuggling and trade.
“Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948 but I kept my country safe by isolating it from the conflicts. The next step was to offer a peace plan to our neighbours in which all parties were involved, even at an international level, and that democracy was a prerequisite for peace. It worked,” he said. “But the weapons were still there. ‘How did they get there in these conflicts and in all the others around the world?’ I was asking myself.”
The treaty regulates the estimated $70bn-a-year worth of commerce of conventional weapons and can become an international law if the parliaments of 50 UN member-nations approve the order to become such a law, according to Arias.
Costa Rica’s only diplomatic mission in the Arab World is in Qatar, set up during the second term of Arias (2006-2010) in line with his aim to boost Costa Rica’s diplomatic relations across the world. During his Doha visit, Arias met briefly with HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser; the visit also included Qatar Foundation and the Museum of Islamic Art.
“The architecture is spectacular, and while I may not be an expert in Islamic art, it’s very impressive that Qatar holds such a collection,” he said, adding that his foundation is working to establish a museum of peace. “I want this to show the world that not all conflicts have to be solved by military means. I want this to be my legacy. We’ve seen this in Central America, Northern Ireland, South Africa.”
Source: Gulf Times
The “boletas” or parking stubs that has been in use for street parking in San José will come to an end this week, replaced by the new electronic parking meters.
The Municipalidad de San José said it will continue to accept the paper stubs as proof of parking until the end of the week, but starting next no more when all the “boletas” in circulation lose their value.
It is estimated that some 5.000 vehicles use street parking spaces daily in San José. The Muni recently installed the electronic meters and is confident they will be a success.
The new meters can be loaded with parking space time by was of a cellular phone, virtual pins, credit and debit cards and on the municipality’s website.
Before the new meters were installed, street parking meant, after finding an empty parking space, locating a vendor or point of sale, like a nearby hotel, restaurant, etc.
Once the boleta was paid for a specific time, it was placed on the dash, inside the windshield, for street parking officials to control. Once time ran out, it meant a parking ticket.
With the new meters, the paper boleta is no more.
This also means the hundreds who depended on the sale of the boletas will be out of a self-made job.
On Friday night, during the meeting of the Central American presidents with U.S. President Barack Obama, Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega, reiterated to his American counterpart that his government will build the inteoceanic canal.
Witness to the statement was Costa Rica’s minister of the Environment and Energy, Rene Castro, one of the attendees of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and United States dinner at the Teatro Nacional.
Daniel Ortega and Barack Obama together in Costa Rica on May 3, 2013
- Chinese and American Investment would finance the canal
- Daniel Ortega plans to build the canal during his presidency
- Panama offers technical assistance
- Costa Rica’s support is required for the project to go anywhere
According to Castro, who was Minister of Foreign Relations from May 8, 2010to August 1st, 2011 , President Ortega said the canal projec is moving ahead and will be built with Chinese and American investment.
“Very soon there will be two canals in Central America”, were the words spoken by Ortega says Castro.
During the dinner with Obama, each of the of the presidents of Central America took ten minutes to present their topic of interest.
What did Costa Rica say on this? “Nothing, we just took note. We all know that the project goes nowhere without Costa Rica’s support”, said Castro.
Costa Rica’s current Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, said on Monday that he di not hear what Ortega had said on the subject. However, he recalled hearing the President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, offering his Nicaraguan counterpart help with the development of the canal.
“He (Martinelli) said they were willing to provide technical assistance to Nicaragua, with the experience they had”, Castillo told La Nacion.
The Castillo version of the story is confirmed by Minister Castro, that Martinelli offered Ortega help if and when they are ready to build the canal.
Last September, Ortega announced that his government had signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese company that commits Hong Kong-based HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. Ltd. to financing and building the Nicaraguan canal that would unite the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. The route would include passage through the San Juan river, a river that divides Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Costa Rica has navigational rights of the river, but it clearly belongs to Nicaragua.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua are currently before the International Court of Justice at The Hague on the neighbouring issues.
In October 2010, Costa Rica alleges Nicaragua invaded the area known as Isla Calero, while the government of Daniel Ortega says it belongs to Nicaragua.
The Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal is a proposed waterway through Nicaragua to connect the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. Such a canal would follow rivers up to Lake Nicaragua and then 10+km through the isthmus of Rivas to reach the Pacific.
Such construction of a canal along the route using the San Juan River was proposed in the early colonial era. Louis Napoleon wrote an article about its feasibility in the early 19th century. The United States abandoned plans to build such a canal in the early 20th century after it purchased the French interests in the Panama Canal at a reasonable cost.
Speculation on a new canal continues. The steady increase in world shipping may make this an economically viable project. Alternatively, a railway, or a combined railway and oil pipeline, could be built to link ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Nicaragua has let contracts to Korean developers to construct a deepwater port and facilities at Monkey Point on the Atlantic coast to improve capacity there.
Several possible routes have been proposed for a canal in Nicaragua, all making use of Lake Nicaragua, the second largest lake in Latin America. Three routes have been discussed to carry traffic from the Atlantic up to the lake, which is at an elevation of 32 m (105 ft) above sea level:
An artificial canal would then be cut across the narrow isthmus of Rivas (its lowest point is 56 m (184 ft) above sea level) to reach the Pacific Ocean at San Juan del Sur or Brito.
The idea of building a canal through Central America is a very old one. The colonial administration of New Spain conducted preliminary surveys. The routes usually suggested ran across Nicaragua, Panama, or the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.
In 1825 the newly established Federal Republic of Central America considered the canal. That year the Central American federal government hired surveyors to chart the route and contacted the government of the United States to seek financing and the engineering technology needed for building the canal, to the great advantage of both nations. A survey from the 1830s stated that the canal would be 278 km (172.7 mi) long and would generally follow the San Juan River from the Atlantic to Lake Nicaragua, then go through a series of locks and tunnels from the lake to the Pacific.
While officials in Washington, D.C. thought the project had merit, and Secretary of State Henry Clay formally presented it to the Congress of the United States in 1826, the plan was not approved. The US was worried about the poverty and political instability of Nicaragua, as well as the rival strategic and economic interests of the British government, which controlled both British Honduras (later Belize) and the Mosquito Coast.
On August 26, 1849, the Nicaraguan government signed a contract with the U.S. businessman Cornelius Vanderbilt. It granted his Accessory Transit Company the exclusive right to build a canal within 12 years and gave the same company sole administration of a temporary trade route in which the overland crossing through the Rivas isthmus was done by train and stagecoach. The temporary route operated successfully, quickly becoming one of the main avenues of trade between New York City and San Francisco. Civil war in Nicaragua and an invasion by filibuster William Walker intervened to prevent the canal from being completed.
Continued interest in the route was an important factor in the negotiation of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850. The canal idea was discussed seriously by businessmen and governments throughout the 19th century. In 1897, the United States’ Nicaraguan Canal Commission proposed this idea, as did the subsequent Isthmian Canal Commission in 1899. However, the commission also recommended that the French work on the Panama Canal should be taken over if it could be purchased for no more than $40,000,000. Since the French effort was in disarray, the U.S. was able to make the purchase at its price.
The Nicaraguan Canal Commission carried out the most thorough hydrological survey yet of the San Juan river and its watershed, and in 1899 concluded that an interocean project was feasible at a total cost of US$138m. At the same time the Geological Society of America published the “Physiography and Geology of Region Adjacent to the Nicaragua Canal Route” in its Bulletin in May 1899 which stands to this day as one of the most detailed geological surveys of the San Juan river region.
In the late 19th century, the United States government negotiated with President José Santos Zelaya to lease the land to build a canal through Nicaragua. Luis Felipe Corea, the Nicaraguan minister in Washington, wrote to US Secretary of State John Hay expressing the Zelaya government’s support for such a canal. The US signed the Sánchez-Merry Treaty with Nicaragua in case the negotiations for a canal through Colombia fell through, although the treaty was later rejected by John Hay. Before Corea completed a draft of the Nicaragua proposal, Congress was considering the Spooner Act, to authorize the Panama Canal. In addition to the promise of earlier completion of the Panama canal, opponents of the Nicaraguan canal cited the risk of volcanic activity at the Momotombo volcano. They favored construction of a canal through the isthmus of Panama.
According to Stephen Kinzer’s 2006 book Overthrow, in 1898 the chief of the French Canal Syndicate (a group that owned large swathes of land across Panama), Philippe Bunau Varilla, hired William Nelson Cromwell to lobby the U.S. Congress for the Panama Canal. In 1902, taking advantage of a year with increased volcanic activity in the Caribbean, Cromwell planted a story in the New York Sun reporting that the Momotombo volcano had erupted and caused a series of seismic shocks. This caused concern about its possible effects on a Nicaraguan canal. Cromwell arranged for leaflets with the stamps featuring Momotombo to be sent to every Senator, as “proof” of the volcanic activity in Nicaragua. An eruption in Saint-Pierre, Martinique, which killed 30,000 people, persuaded most of the U.S. Congress to vote in favour of Panama, leaving only eight votes in favour of Nicaragua. The decision to build the Panama Canal passed by four votes. William Nelson Cromwell was paid $800,000 for his lobbying efforts.
At the start of the 20th century, Nicaraguan president José Santos Zelaya tried to arrange for Germany and Japan to finance the canal. Having settled on the Panama route, the US opposed this proposal.
After the Panama Canal
Since the Panama Canal opened in 1914, the Nicaragua route has been reconsidered. Its construction would shorten the water distance between New York and San Francisco by nearly 800 kilometers (500 mi). Under the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty of 1916, the United States paid Nicaragua US$3 million for an option in perpetuity and free of taxation, including 99-year leases of the Corn Islands and a site for a naval base on the Gulf of Fonseca.
In 1929, the US Interocean Canal Board approved out a two-year detailed study for a ship canal route, known as the Sultan Report after its author, the US army engineer Col. Daniel Sultan. From 1930 to 1931 the US Army Corp of Engineers survey team of 300 men, surveyed the route of any future canal, called the Forty-Niners route because it followed closely the route that miners took in the 1840s California Gold Rush.[5] But Costa Rica protested that Costa Rican rights to the San Juan River had been infringed, and El Salvador maintained that the proposed naval base would affect both it and Honduras. Both protests were upheld by the Central American Court of Justice in rulings that were not recognized by either Nicaragua or the U.S. Both nations repealed the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty on 14 July 1970.
Between 1939 and 1940, with war in Europe underway, a new study was made for the construction of a barge canal. Three variants were considered with minimum channel depths of six-feet, ten-feet and twelve feet.
Present day
In 2004, the Nicaraguan government again proposed a canal through the country—large enough to handle post-Panamax ships of up to 250,000 tons, as compared to the approximately 65,000 tons that the Panama Canal can accommodate. The estimated cost of this scheme may be as much as US$25 billion, 25 times Nicaragua’s annual budget. Former President Enrique Bolaños has sought foreign investors to support the project. The scheme has met with strong opposition from environmentalists, who protest the damage that would be done to the rivers and jungle.The project will be like the original plans only in the fact that the US government would buy the land for investors to start building the canal.
In addition to the governmental waterway canal proposal, private proposals have been based on a land bridge across Nicaragua. The Intermodal System for Global Transport (SIT Global), involving Nicaraguan and Canadian and American investors, proposes a combined railway, oil pipeline, and fibre optic cable; a competing group, the Inter-Ocean Canal of Nicaragua, proposes building a railway linking two ports on either coast.
In 1999, Nicaragua’s National Assembly unanimously approved an exploration concession, Ley 319, for the construction of a shallow-draft waterway along the San Juan river, known as Ecocanal. This would connect Lake Nicaragua to the Caribbean, but would lack the inter-ocean link to the Pacific Ocean. This project is loosely based on the 1939/40 study.
It is possible that these schemes could exist in parallel to the proposed inter-ocean canal.
On October 2, 2006, President Enrique Bolaños, at a summit for Defense ministers of the Western Hemisphere, officially announced that Nicaragua intended to proceed with the project. Bolaños said that there was sufficient demand for two canals within the Central American isthmus. Bolaños proclaimed that the project would cost an estimated US$18 billion and would take approximately 12 years to construct. It could take one of six possible routes at approximately 280 km, reduce the transit time from New York to California by one day and a total of 800 km, would considerably reduce transit costs from Europe to China and Japan, and have capacity for ships of up to 250,000 tons.
The construction of the canal would more than double Nicaragua’s GDP based on the canal alone (exclusive of other investments which were estimated in Nicaragua as a result of the canal’s construction). Some sources suggest that construction of the canal would enable Nicaragua to become one of the wealthiest countries in Central America, and one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America in per capita terms. The government has been studying proposals for such a development. Supporters believe that all Central America would benefit from the construction of the canal. If a Nicaraguan canal were built, “it would bring an economic effervescence never seen before in Central America,” Bolaños said.[11]
In 2009, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev suggested that Russia would be interested in pursuing the construction of the inter-oceanic waterway canal. However, no progress has been made to date and the construction of the Third Set of Locks for the Panama Canal has apparently dampened Russian enthusiasm for the project. Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates has also expressed interest in sponsoring an inter-oceanic canal project.
On July 27, 2012 engineering services provider Royal HaskoningDHV announced that the Nicaraguan government has commissioned a feasibility study to be completed early 2013 at a cost of $720,000. The contract has been awarded to a consortium of Royal HaskoningDHV and Ecorys.
On September 26, 2012, the Nicaraguan government and a newly formed Chinese company have signed a memorandum of understanding that commits Hong Kong-based HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. Ltd. to financing and building the Nicaraguan canal.Plans call for construction to be partially completed by 2019 when the canal would have the capacity to accommodate 416 million tonnes of cargo.
Source: Wikipedia
The Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras (Sugef) is requiring banks to be more strict with dollar loans, as part of the new regulations it is has been in discussing with the banks, since last week.
Financial institutions, including cooperatives and mutuals have until May 30 to submit comments to the proposed rules. Subsequently, the Sugef will evaluate the comments and may incorporate them into the reforms to be approved by the Consejo Nacional de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (Conassif).
The goal is to have the changes in effect between July and August. The proposed measures means a more rigorous assessment that banks make of their customers as wells as its inernal operation on issues such as liquidity.
The primary objective is to extend dollars creidt only to those with the ability to pay despite exchange rate fluctuations.
The proposed changes means banks will have to take a closer at its debtors, the guarantees and credit history. Currently, the “stress tests” are reserved for loans excessing ¢65 million colones. Although there are banks that already perfom strict evaluations of all its customers.
In addition, finacial institutions have to increase their reserves for any contingency by 0.5% of its total loan portfolio.
The changes will be gradual, financial institutions will have from three to 36 months.
Gilberto Serrano, president of the Asociación Bancaria Costarricense (ABC) – Costa Rican Banking Association – says the measures will make it more difficult for baks to make loans. “The provisions will disquality people to have access to cheap dollars, forced to borrow in colones, which is more expensive”, said Serrano.
The train to Cartago is ready to roll. The engine and cars have spit shined, the passengers are waiting to board. So, what’s the hold up?
It appears that a delay in the printing of the train tickets has kept the San José – Cartago whistle blowing silent.
Accordig to the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (Incofer) the tickets are still at the printer and then require to be officialized, delaying the train service until Wednesday or Thursday next week.
Miguel Carabaguíaz, president of the Incofer, assures this is a small glitch in the process. “If you were to ask me if the train is ready today I would say, yes…but there are small details to work out”, says Carabaguíaz.
The commuter trip between San José (San Pedro) and Cartago is 30 minutes and costs ¢550 colones.
The Incofer expects to move some 5.500 people daily.
The Incofer reactivated train service in San José serveral years ago with the San Pedro – Pavas commuter service. Since it added service to Belén and Heredia centre and is working on reactivating the Heredia – Alajuela route.
Planning Minister, Roberto Gallardo, confirmed on Monday that the government has “officially” notified the Brazilian company, OAS, the cancellation of the concession contract.
Gallardo said that a letter by the Consejo Nacional de Concesiones detailed the reasons for the cancellation.
The Minister added that, through public tender, a company will be hired to calculate the payment of expenses incurred by OAS, an amount estimated at US$34 million dollars, which could be more based on the findings of the audit firm.
In cancelling the controversioal concession contract of the San José – San Ramón cotract, Presidenta Laura Chinchilla said on national television on April 22, the cancellation would not cost Costa Ricans. She did, however, explain that the company will be compensated for costs incurred in the process.
The high temperatures and the mugginess of the first days of May is expected to continue for the rest of the week, maybe even into next, says the national weather man.
Juan Diego Naranjo, of the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN), explained that the rains, albeit irregularly, around May 10 and that could help lower the heat.
Naranjo said that temperatures in Central Valley (San José) during the past few days have been averaging 30 Celsius, a few degrees above normal.
The same is around the country, such as Guanacaste and Limón recording higher than normal temperatures.
In the Central Valley, a breeze typically cools the hot air. In the last few days there are times that the air is still.
The IMN is forecasting by the weekend the transition to the rainy season to be complete, meaning hot and sunny mornings followed by rainy afternoons and cool evenings.
Neither Zarella Villanueva nor José Manuel Arroyo managed to get the 12 votes needed to become president of the Supreme Court. On Monday, the 22 justices voted five times and hinted at the division between those who lead the Judiciary.
Judge Jesus Ramirez, who chaired the session, argues that what happened during the election process is a reflection of the internal division between three generations of judges, vying to take the reins of the Judiciary.
Among three ballots, even null vote were greater that recevied by each candidate.
Arroyo himself argues that there is a lack of leadership and no one can fill the void left by the late Luis Paulino Mora.
The next voting session is next Monday, May 13.
U.S. President Barack Obama spent about 22 hours in Costa Rica this past weekend, leaving many wondering about the purpose of his visit, which concluded without any commitment, agreement or joint-declaration.
It was Obama’s first-ever visit to Costa Rica, and his motorcade was cheered by people – students mostly – lining the streets as he arrived Friday afternoon.
In 22 hours following, Obama met privately with Costa Ricas Presidenta Laura Chinchilla, followed up by a joint press conference and working dinner with presidents of Central America and the Dominican Republic.
“Costa Rica shows the benefits of trade that is free and fair,” Obama said at the press conference. “Over the last few years, under the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), our trade with Costa Rica has doubled, creating more jobs for people in both of our countries. Our partnerships are creating more opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs, including young people and women. As I told Presidenta Chinchilla, the United States will continue to be your partner as Costa Rica modernizes its economy so that you’re attracting more investment and creating even more trade and more jobs.”
For some in the Costa Rican government, Obama’s visit was about a special recognition of their country. Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo said the U.S. President’s visit puts Costa Rica in a “better position to become a modernized country on the path to progress,” according to The Christian Science Monitor.
An analyst for Teletica Channel 7 News, Nuria Marín, called Obama’s visit an acknowledgement of his country’s “regional protagonism” and its “return to the geopolitical map” because Obama helped “strengthen Costa Rica’s brand name for attracting more U.S. tourism and investment.”
“The U.S. recognizes our fates are tied up with your success,” Obama told entrepreneurs and other leaders in San José. “If you are doing well, we will do better. And if we’re doing well, we think your situation improves.”
However, nothing substantial came out of Obama’s visit, no joint declaration or agreement.
Luis Guillermo Solís, a 2014 presidential hopeful and analyst, found Obama’s visit mysterious. “This has been one of the most mysterious presidential visits I have witnessed in the last two decades,” he was quoted as saying. “Nothing seemed to make sense about the objectives of Obama’s visit.”
Some are saying Obama merely sought to respond to criticism that he neglected the region during his first presidential term. Obama was heavily supported by Hispanic population in the 2012 election.
Obama said Saturday that the United States needed to deepen economic ties with the Americas to create more jobs. “One of the best ways to grow our economy is to sell more goods and services made in America to the rest of the world,” he said in his radio and Internet address. “That includes our neighbors to the south.”
But what led Obama to visit Costa Rica was perhaps that it was a politically safe country to visit as he was returning from Mexico, Nicaraguan political analyst Arturo Cruz said to The Christian Science Monitor. “It’s difficult to go wrong with Costa Rica – It’s a democracy with a vibrant economy and a friendly government that will always be friendly to the US,” Cruz was quoted as saying. “Costa Rica is like vanilla ice cream; it’s a safe bet. How can you go wrong with vanilla ice cream?”
By By Arianna McKinney / Voice of Nosara
At midnight on Wednesday, April 17, the National Service of Animal Health (SENASA- Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal) entered Samara with four vehicles, one truck, and two Public Force patrol units from Liberia to roundup animals wandering lose in the streets, and by 4:30 a.m. on April 18 they had loaded up 15 horses into the truck and shipped them off to a slaughterhouse in Alajuela, where they were sacrificed the following Monday, April 29.
According to Dr. Harold Marin Esquivel, regional director of SENASA, 13 of the equines were adults and 2 were foals. The use of resources for the operation came after repeated warnings that owners should not let their animals wander loose. Marin noted that the animals cause accidents and they defecate on the beaches, thus endangering public health.
In February of 2011, the former police chief, Jose Angel Gomez Matarrita reported to VON that animals had caused at least seven accidents in recent months. For example, in November 2010, an Alfaro bus hit two horses, killing the animals and completely damaging the front end of the bus. And this year the Samara police reported that a car hit a horse near Villas Playa Samara, damaging the car and killing the horse.
Law 5346 prohibits animals from wandering in roadways, stipulating that cows, goats, pigs, sheep or horses found in roads, streets, airports, parks or other public places shall be collected or killed, and after being slaughtered the animal products can be delivered to charity if their consumption does not present a risk to human or animal health.
Marin said that in general the animals are used for work during the day and then let loose at night, and in many cases they don’t have a brand mark. When SENASA is able to identify the owner of the animals, the owners are notified and given warnings or fines, but sometimes this is not possible, in which case the animals are considered abandoned. Marin explained that the animals are generally sent to slaughter because they don’t know who the owners are and don’t have veterinary records to know if the animals are in good health and have been given anti-parasite treatments.
One owner who lost two horses in this roundup was Concepcion “Chong” Diaz Jimenez. Diaz has eight other horses and operates horseback riding tours into the mountains. He said he normally keeps the horses on a property near the mechanic shop in Cantarana, but because of the lack of water at present he has been bringing the horses to his house to give them water, and at 3 p.m. he usually encloses them again, but on April 17 these two horses got loose. Diaz said he never received any warning from SENASA, although he mentioned that the police have talked to him about not working with the horses on the beach, although he is allowed to pass along the beach.
“It affects me a lot because they are animals that one very much loves,” Diaz said, noting that his horses are pampered and that one of the horses had been bought with money that was given to him as a gift by a friend many years ago.
After hearing from the police that the horses would be sent to slaughter, Berit Funke of Animales de Samara tried to find out if the horses were still alive to see if they could be rescued but found that it was too late.
“They are innocent creatures and they teach us so much about the free life in peace with nature,” Funke wrote on the Animales de Samara Facebook page, where she posted information about the roundup and called for a change in Law 5346. Funke said she is hoping a bigger rescue organization or a legislator will take interest in the case. Posts about the horses were shared 39 times and received more than 100 comments of support and updates from other people likewise investigating the issue.
For example, Maribel Cordero Solis wrote, “It’s incredible that SENASA commits these crimes.
Sacrificing animals in this way can NOT be accepted. I PROTEST emphatically against this crime.”
And Kristen Cretecos added, “This is such a sad time for Samara. I will always remember the magic of seeing the horses roam freely through town, living peacefully alongside us. I wish you all the best of luck in creating a safe space for horses in the region for the future.”
Dr. Marin acknowledged that a woman from Samara contacted him about rescuing the horses but noted that for this to happen the animals would have to go to a properly registered organization whose facilities have been inspected to insure that the animals will be kept in better conditions and cannot be donated for work, for example on horseback riding tours.
Samara resident Bea Jiron, who spoke with Marin, is now looking into the legalities of creating an animal rescue foundation. The foundation would need to have proper grounds for the horses, including a stable or shelter where the horses can be protected from the rain, as well as enough food and water, medicine, a veterinarian in charge of their welfare and volunteers to help care for them. It would also need to be approved and advised by SENASA and not exploit the animals.
“I have been considering the option,” Jiron told VON. “I am thinking of creating a group, get together and organize some kind of activity to raise money.” But to succeed, Jiron acknowledged that she would need a lot of legal advice and she plans to contact several lawyers that she knows to see if they would be willing to help or perhaps contact law students who might take on the project. If you are interested in helping, contact Jiron at b.jironarias@yahoo.com.
According to Marin, three such roundups have been conducted in Samara, including one last year and one the year before.
CRHoy.com offers up a little Tico humour, the police officer rounding up the police cutouts, saying “well…the mr. is gone, time to collect the cops and replace the potholes in their place”.
outt
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