Costa Rica places first in Latin America and thirtheenth in the world for outsourcing services, according to the 2103 ranking prepared by the global consulting firm and investment research, Tholons.
San José, Costa Rica remains one of the most impressive in the region jumping five places compared to the previous index, consolidating the city as one of the big winners in the list of 2013.
The general director of the Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo (CINDE), Gabriela Llobet, said the country stands for the ability of its workers, instead of the low cost of the services.
Currently there are over 120 multinational companies in Costa Rica, most installed in Zona Francas (free zones), providing outsourcing services and employ 35,000 people.
Tholons is a leading full-service Strategic Advisory firm for Global Outsourcing and Investments. As a leading provider of location analysis and strategic growth & expansion services for outsourcing providers and buyers, they presented for the third year running – a detailed analysis of the 8 established and 50 emerging destinations but also ranked the the next 10 aspiring cities ‘on the Tholons Radar’.
The Banco Central de Costa Rica (BCCR) – Central Bank – lowered the prime rate starting today (Thursday) to 8.90%, a 0.15 point reduction from Wednesday’s 9.05%.
The decrease is part of a series of reductions that began last October when the prime rate was 11%.
According to Central Bank officials, the 8.9% will stay in place at least one week, before the bank announces any changes.
Although he says he’s out, he may just get back in the fight, again, for the presidential chair in 2014.
Otto Guevara, the all-time candidate for the Movimiento Libertario (ML), said on Wednesday that he will consider running again in 2014 if the an alliance of political parties does not materialize come June.
The former presidential candidate and former legislator is expecting an alliance, for the time being called “unión nacional” to be formed and field a presidential candidate to go up against Johnny Araya and Partido Liberiacion Nacional (PLN) that will be seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term.
However, if the expectation does become a reality Guevara will again – fourth attempt – run for the presidency.
JetBlue Airways plans new daily, nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and San José (SJO), Costa Rica starting June 27, the airline announced Wednesday.
To celebrate, JetBlue is offering sale fares from $129 one-way from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Juan Santamaria International Airport valid for travel June 27-Aug. 8.
Purchase by Jan. 19 at jetblue.com/new.
The flight will depart Fort Lauderdale 9:45 a.m. to arrive in San Jose at 10:39 a.m. Returning it’ll leave San Jose 1 p.m. to arrive here 6:09 p.m.
As might be expected the problem revolves around money and lack of planning. With a “knee jerk” response, this administration will, next week, come with some kind of plan to stop the massive inflow of dollars.
This is not at all a simple nor a lineal subject. However, Costa Rica, lead by its Presidenta, Chinchilla is willing to at least put the country’s collective finger in the dyke to stop the inflow the unwanted flood of dollars.
As a very down and dirty summary, the US Dollar is flooding “Paradise” with money because the interest rates are much, much higher than other alternatives and also to make dirty money clean. Despite all the rhetoric, it is that easy to understand.
When we have such a major inundation of foreign currency, that currency become less valuable and the local currency appreciates disproportionate from reality.
When we factor in that Costa Rica lives from exports, that formula is cyanide to the economy. It limits valuable, if not critical, exports, tourism, promotes inflation and most of all limits foreign direct investment which finds Paradise, “…too expensive.”
There are a number of ways to reverse or at least contain this situati0on and none have to do with filthy rivers, dirty beaches and all-inclusive resorts nor the recent second term election of Obama.
Although we are not privy to the exact proposal, there seems to be two sides to all this.
The Central Bank would propose to allow the colon vs. dollar to be free range, like the Pipasa chickens. No band, no floor and no ceiling.
This is the “whatever” mentality which would immediately result in a further devaluation of the coveted USD and a big inflationary upswing. (As if we have not seen enough.)
And, the colon would only artificially be accepted on the international markets as a viable and strong currency.
On the other side of the coin, for a quick fix the Chinchilla administration is thinking more like (a) lowering the super attractive interest rates on colons so as not to attract speculative/short term investments, (2) put a surcharge or tax on monies earned by USD currency importers and (3) lower colon valuation making Costa Rica less attractive to purchase local currency as well as national bond instruments, however, more attractive for tourism and exports.
What expats need to think about is that if incoming USD is to be taxed and limited, that money is not here for speculation but rather for living expenses and investing into the Country itself. Therefore, the wording and consideration of the Chinchilla proposals must be well thought out and I have no indication that is the case.
Like a Grimm brothers story, this fairytale has been around for years and only now, when in crisis mode is it being addressed, as are most things in Costa Rica.
Those folks living on pensions and US Social Security are more than casually anxious because their funds are not at all meant to take advantage of short term interest rates nor short term investments. These expats, who call Costa Rica homek, live and invest in this country. To be devalued in purchase power or taxed on living is out of the question and would be a fatal flaw by the Chinchilla people.
An artificially strong colon bolstered by speculative, short term USD investors is resulting in a loss of competitiveness of exports (All products), as well as tourism and mid to long term investments not to mention profits and employment. And this is why Laura Chinchilla calls the situation, “mass destruction.”
Deep into the jungle, surrounded only by the sound of falling water and birds chirping is possible only minutes from the San José airport, Los Chorros de Tacares is one of Costa Rica’s natural jewels. Located in the little town of Tacares de Grecia, it is known as the natural water source of all the local villages.
This park is unlike other tourist park. It offers nature, crystal clear water and hikes through trails, making it a heavenly place for visitors looking for a totally different experience.
It is rustic. There are no comforts of a commercial park here. No restaurants, no gift shops. The private park offers nature in its purest form, rivers and the waterfalls.
Los Chorros is known as one of 5 primary waterfalls in Costa Rica. These amazing waterfalls plummet from 60 metres high (180 feet) and invite those brave enough to repel down its face. The park nurtures hiking trails that lead exploration along majestic rivers.
An area with picnic tables and bbq is provided. Or bring your on grill, that is OK too. In our case, in addition to the grill, the Colombian contingency brought the “olla” (the big pot for the Sancocho) and a three piece band for the entertainment.
The park does not get a lot visitors thus there isn’t the overcrowding. Last Sunday there were less than 100 people in the 30+ hectare park.
Another plus is the low cost. Entrance to the park is only ¢2.000 colones (US$6 for foreigners). But this can be negotiated if you come with a large group, as we did last weekend. On my visit we were a group of 15 and got the price down at ¢1.000 per, even though everyone was a foreigner!
There are two parking lots, one at the foot of the river, costing ¢2.000 per car and the upper, the official entrance ¢1.000. Make sure that you leave the park the same way you came in to end up at the right parking lot, or you there is a lot of walking in between.
The park opens at 8am everyday and closes by 4pm, though you can stay longer in the park, though not recommended past sundown as there is no lighting anywhere.
A great place any day, especially to get away from the urban jungle and in only minutes to get there. The most important part is to have a spirit of adventure and a desire for fun!
Getting there From San José, past the airport to Alajuela take the road to Grecia, hang a right past the soccer field at Tacares in 5 minutes you will find the lower parking lot (at the bend in the road) or travel another minute, hang a right at the sign and down the mountain to the parking lot. From Grecia (points northwest), take the road that least to Alajuela, hang a left before the soccer field and as per above.
Photos
Here I am cooling off in the river with Avia.The Colombian band keeping everyone entertained while the food was cooking.
This is the Costa Rican Variable Harlequin Toad (Atelopus varius), also known as the clown frog, is a neo-tropical true toad from the family Bufonidae (Crump 1986).
Once ranging from Costa Rica to Panama, A. varius is now listed as critically endangered and has been reduced to a single remnant population near Quepos, Costa Rica (rediscovered in 2003) and is presumed to be extinct in Panama (IUCN, personal correspondence 2007).
Recent variation in air temperature, precipitation, stream flow patterns, and the subsequent spread of a pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) linked to global climate change have been the leading cause of decline for A. varius (Lips et al. 2003 and Pounds et al. 2006).
A. zeteki has been considered a subspecies of A. varius, but is now generally considered a separate species (Savage, 2002).
The Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) is concerned about the low levels in the rivers, which would result in a water shortage this summer in both San José (capital) and coastal areas.
The first alert was this weekend when residents of Montes de Oca (San Pedro), Curridabat and Zapote, were affected by an unexpected cut to water for several hours.
Eduardo Lezama, assistant manager at the AyA, said the situation could become critical this year.
Since last year the IMN – national weather service – has been forecasting a dry spell between September and April. However, according to Lezama, the measurements taken show the problem to be even more serious than expected.
One example given by Lezama is the water levels in the Tiribí river that runs on the south and west side of San José, where water levels are 50% lower than normal.
The problem extends to the water tanks, like the tank at Tibás which has only about 90 centimetres (less than three feet) of water, which is worrisome for the water utility, explains Lezama.
The bullring is a staple at traditional Costa Rica festivals, where men and women run in front of and away from charging bulls.
The bullring is a staple at traditional summer festivals, where men usually run in front of and away from charging bulls.
The death of 29 year old Melvin Valverde has brought to light that “improvisados” – amateurs who enter the bullring – at the Palmares Festival are not covered by insurance.
The Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS) – state insurer – confirmed that the festival organizers have a policy to cover workers, but the amateurs entering the ring are not deemed employees and thus are not covered under the policy.
“Nervousness and inexperience” is what did in Valverde, a father of 3, that entered the ring to follow through on a bet. His mother told the press that she tried dissuade her son who had never entered a bullring before, but to no avail.
Valverde was thrown in the air by the first bull of the night, landing on his neck causing injury that caused death at the scene. First reports indicated that the man had died in hospital, authorities however confirmed that the man had expired in the ring. A television video shows the man thrown in the air by the bull, landing on his neck, then picked up by the bull and thrown in the air and again landing on his neck.
Unlike the organizers of the Zapote Fair that demand improvisados to purchase an insurance policy before being allowed in the ring, no such requirement is in place at Palmares.
Only 8.100 of the 20.594 applicants will be accepted for entry to the Universidad De Costa Rica (UCR) this year.
Although the rest passed the entrance exams, the director of registration at the university, José Rivera, announced that the institution cannot take in all that applied.
As part of the application process, students must choose two possible careers and compete for admission to any of them. According to the university, last year 10,176 students competed, of which 7,495 we accepted.
In 2012 the careers with the highest competition and therefor the most difficult to enter were Medicine and Surgery, with Microbiology and Chemistry as second choice and Collective Communications Sciences in third.
The announcement of the names in the final cut will be made public on Friday, January 18 at 1pm on the university’s website or by calling 2511 5777.
Government to present draft legislation to discourage speculative capital coming in
Last Minute News: 3:23pm – Through a Twitter message, Presidenta Laura Chinchilla, announced this morning that the government will seek to discourage the short-term capital inflows after the country’s currency jumped the most against the dollar in Latin America.
Presidenta Chinchilla and Vice President Luis Liberman, speaking to reporters mid-day in San José, said they want the Legislature to raise the percentage of capital inflows investors must keep in longer-term deposits as well as increase taxes on profits from those investments to 25% from 8%
“Speculative capital inflows ((capital golondrina in Spanish)) are real and massive weapons of mass destruction against the economy of a country,” Chinchilla said.
The legislation would discourage foreign short-term investment to take advantage of interest rates in colones, which currently are higher than dollars.
“We are strenghtnening against speculative capital entering the country”, said the Presidenta.
Costa Rica’s currency, the colon, has gained 2.2% versus the dollar this year, the most among Latin American currencies tracked by Bloomberg. The colon has gained 1.5% versus the dollar over the past 12 months, the most of any Central American economy. The colon fell 0.1 percent to 497.33 per dollar at 2:00 pm local time.
The central bank (Banco Central) has bought more than US$150 million in the currency market since the start of the year to help stabilize the colon, Liberman said. A strengthening currency hurts exporters by making their goods more expensive abroad.
The draft bill would be signed by the government on Thursday, the same day it is sent to the Legislative Assembly for debate by country’s lawmakers.
The Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda (BANHVI) said the institution will allow owners of assisted homes to rent them out, in very special cases.
The BANHVI over the 26 years has issued more tha 300.000 housing bonds that allows families who can hardly opt for a loan to buy their home who do not have an income to rent.
The bonds allow the poor to have a proper roof over their head to improve their family living conditions.
Juan de Dios Rojas, general manager of the BANVHI told the PRENSA LIBRE that the renting of assisted homes is not prohibited and that the government agency many tmes authorizes families to do so as long as they notify the bank.
Rojas explained that authorization is given in circumstances such as family conditions change or there is a need to move to be closer to work.
“If a family lives in Alajuela and must travel to work in Heredia, for instance, they may apply for authorization to rent the assisted home”, said Rojas.
For homemade Italian dishes, check out Sol y Mar restaurant in Garza. Partners Yuri Speca and Chiara Casalegno offer typical Italian dishes with both northern and southern flavours, ranging from familiar pizzas to pasta dishes and grilled or baked fish. Casalegno also prepares decadent Italian desserts, including tiramisú, a cream-cheese cake made with espresso and liquor, and rich, creamy panna cotta, an Italian custard which is baked to keep its form.
“Our philosophy is ‘quality first,’” said Speca. “We sell quality Italian dishes made from high quality Italian ingredients, so we work with a wholesaler of Italian alimentary products. Take pizza, for example: We start with Italian “00” type wheat flour, we use Italian tinned tomatoes, and even our salami is made in Italy.”
Located in Playa Garza next to Pescaderia Alex 50 meters from the beach. Call 8627-0139 or 2656-8061 for more information.
At least 40 luxury Toyota Fortuner vehicles will be assigned to officials of the various courts and prosecutor’s office. The purchase and use of such luxury vehicles by legislators and the presidential office would never live out criticism.
If you will recall a few years back Casa Presidencial had to trade-in the purchase of two Audis for “modest” vehicles following a pubic outcry.
So, why should taxpayers foot the bill for luxury vehicles for the judiciary that has proven to be more than inefficient?
This is austerity?
The photos shows from a Facebook post shows the 2013 Toyota Fortuner vehicles that will soon be in the parking lots of the courts and the OIJ and without even a question raised by the public on their purchase.
In this caricature of the Lincoln Plaza controversy over breastfeeding, we see mall security kicking out the Presidenta, asking “what’s with you, why are you throwing me out?”. The security official replies, “doñita you have been milking the country for the last three years and this is not allowed here”.
Costa Rica became an exporter of buses with the first 12 units headed for El Salvador.
Daewoo Costa Rica, the company that provides 32% of all the buses in the country, is the first to export buses outside its borders.
The model shipped to El Salvador is the CRE 340, a comfortable, safe and modern bus.
The company imports the motor and drive train and many other pre-assembled components from South Korea, with the final assembly and modifications made at its Santa Ana plant before shipping to the end user.
Accidents like pictured above are common on Costa Rica's roads, particularly the Ruta 32, the route of San José - Guapiles.
Accidents like pictured above are common on Costa Rica’s roads, particularly the Ruta 32, the route of San José – Guapiles.
This past weekend was a bloody on in Costa Rica’s, with 14 people losing their lives in only 48 hours. The majority of the deaths were to traffic accidents, following by aquatic accidents and violence with a firearm.
The number is alarming for the average number of deaths since the beginning of the year was one per 24 hours.
However, the numbers are less than the same period last year, when in the first 14 days of 2012 there were 43 deaths, while this year 27.
It was Saturday evening, around 11:30pm, when a group of three couples were coming home from a party to celebrate the birthday of one of them. It was also the time that Victor Chavéz Valle, was leaving the local bar north of Liberia, also celebrating his birthday the following day.
The heavy rig was headed for La Cruz with a load of stone and gravel, while the six were heading south, headed for home.
As fate would have it, the two vehicles – the small, overcrowded Toyota Corolla, slammed into the heavy truck head on, causing the truck to jack knife and the loaded trailer to flip over on its side right on top of the small vehicle.
The driver of the heavy rig, who did not suffer any injury, was found to have a blood alcohol content of 1.70.
The legal limit is .75. The new traffic law calls for a prison term of six months to two years for anyone driving over the legal limit. The same law also calls for a prison term of six to eight years for anyone causing death. The final decision will rest with a court that will determine the degree of responsibility and take into account the number of victims and magnitude of the damage caused.
Based on this, if the truck driver is found guilty and give the niminum sentence for the deaths, it would be six times six or thirty six years, plus the years for driving under the influence.
For the time being Chavéz Valle will be spending the next four months in preventive detention while authorities fully investigate the accident and assign blame.
Five of the six dead were buried in La Cruz on Monday as hundreds of friends and family attended the funeral. The sixth victim, at the request of the mother, will be buried Wednesday in her native area of Nicoya.
Melvin Valverde Villalobos lost his life in the bull ring in the Palmares Festival Monday night. The 26 year old “improvisado” (amateur) bullfighter – well in reality part of a bunch of guys runnig in front of and away from the bull – was thrown in the air and snapped his neck bouncing on the dirt.
Valverde, like dozens every evening during festivals around the country, entered the bullring with a group of friends. This was his first time.
The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) said the young man did not survive the neck wound despite being rushed to hospital.
The death has re-awakened call to end the improvised games.
Seven Costa Rican transgenders want to erase all of their identity as a male. They feel as being women and want to be called by their female name.
The seven have been lobbying the Registro Civil (Civil Registry) for a name change. To do so, they are relying on two articles of the country’s constitution and the Convención Americana. The first says that all are equal before the aw, while the second states that one a has a right to chose one’s name.
The fight hasn’t been easy. The women face obstacles every day, as the name or gender in the identification is different.
Rejection as to their choice of gender and lifestyle is another obstacle. Being a woman named a man generates strong discrimination.
BUt the seven are not alone. There are nearly 300 transgender women in San Jos and Cartago which form part of the group Transvida, which disseminates information on sexual health and human rights in the “trans” community.
The Registro will not disclose how many requests for such names changes have been made. Rodrigo Falls, chief clerk at the Registro, explains that the name change is not their responsibility, rather one of the judicial system, as the power to change someone’s name is the responsibility of a judge.
The judicial process becomes tortuous for transgenders. Transvida says that what is required is a change in legislation.
Currently, transgenders can use heir “known” name and choice of photo on their identity, whether male or female, but without legal validity. For any legal process, the transgender has to use their registered name and identity, making it difficult to be a woman with the identity of a man.
A recent poll by M&R Consultores in Nicaragua reveals that 24.5% of Nicaraguans would be willing to leave their country for Costa Rica in search of jobs and better pay.
The results are from a poll of 1.600 Nicaraguas over the age of 16 taken between Decmber 17 and 28, 2012.
The poll also reveals that 38.1% would travel to the United States and 19.5% to Spain.
Six people were crushed under the weight of trailer loaded with stones in the late hours of Saturday night. The accident occurred on the Interamerican highway between Liberia and La Cruz.
Authorities say the driver of the heavy truck, who as impaired with a blood alcohol reading of 1.7, hit a small vehicle on a curve causing the truck’s trailer to flip on its side crushing the light vehicle.
The three young couples inside the small vehicle did not have a chance.
The Policia de Tránsito and the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) are still putting the pieces together, but without a doubt alcohol played a major role in the incident. According to preliminary reports, the light vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, as dragged for about 30 metres (1oo fee) after being hit head on by the truck, when the loaded trailer flipped.
The driver walked away from the accident without as even a scratch.
For now all that Tránsito is saying is that the truck was current with the vehicular inspection (Riteve), while the light vehicle did not have the Riteve nor the Marchamo (vehicle circulation permit) current.
The driver of the truck, whose identity was not disclosed to the press, has 22 traffic tickets since 2001 and was being held as suspect of vehicular manslaughter.
A group of women are organizing a protest march on the Legislative Assembly for Friday, January 18, to persuade legislators to extend maternity leave to six months.
The group says that six months is the mininum that an infant requires maternal care, that includes breastfeeding.
Protestors will be gathering at the Parque Central in the centre of San José and starting at 10am will march the few blocks to the Legislative Assembly where their message will be delivered.
Currently, Costa Rica allows for four months Maternity leave: one month prior to birth and three months after birth of the baby. The employer has to pay 50% of the salary for all the four months of leave, with the other half paid for by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) – Social Security.
Terminating the services of a pregnant woman can invite serious legal trouble. An employer would have to pay regular wages from the date of dismissal from service to the eighth month of pregnancy to a pregnant woman who has been fired. This is the very least. Compensation to be paid may be higher as decided in court in such cases.
Seduced by Brazila’s economic boom, Costa Rica will be on the hunt for investors and entrepreneurs. According to the Spanish language fiancial newspaper, the hunt is also for Brazilian companies to set up shop in Costa Rica and that foreign trade policy will focus on the South American giant, taking advantage of its growing industrial development.
The plan includes conducting studies to find market niches. Also, the aim is that Costa Rican exporters become part of the value chaing of Brazilian companies, either in and/or services.
However, the possibility of a free trade agreement between the two countries is ruled out for the moment, not because Costa Rica does not want it, rather Brazil has restrictive policies regarding trade liberalization.
Foreign Trade minister, Anabel Gonzalez, says she sees Brazil as a very big market that Costa Rica would like to get in on and work and despite the recent raising of tariffs by Brazil, Costa Rica wants to further strenghten investment and the exchange of goods.
Costa Rica is considering charging a border fee of US$25 for an export declaration and US$5 for each person, to fund maintenance and improvement work at border posts.
The would be charged at the major border crossings of Peñas Blancas (with Nicaragua), Paso Canoas (with Panama) and lesser crossings at a Tabilla, Los Chiles and Sixaola.
The government is also a considering investing US$80 million dollars by way of a loan from the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) – Inter-American Development Bank.
The Costa Rican scientist, Mario Protti, is in Antartica taking part in the WISSARD Project, as the team traversed successfully to the surface of Subglacial Lake Whillans after a historic trek of 628 miles across the Ross Ice Shelf.
This is the next step as scientists begin their push to study one of the final frontiers on Earth, the subglacial Antarctic environment. The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD ) project is a multidisciplinary scientific initiative focused on the aquatic ecosystem that lies beneath the Whillans Ice Stream.
Protti, an expert at the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de la Universidad Nacional (OVSICORI) – Costa Rica’s Volcanological and Seismological Observatory, travelled to the South Pole at the beginning of this month to take part in the expidition to research the role of subglacial lakes in stabilizing or destabilizing the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and looking for microbial life in the lake.
The La Nacion ran an article on Protti including him in the “Personajes 2012” (personalities of the year) report in the REVISTA DOMINICAL section. for his exceptional work when at 8:42am on September 5, 2012, the earth in the Nicoya Peninsula shook violently. “During the earthquake, while others ran for safety, Jorge Marino Protti, stayed in his office and refined thes internal seismograph to determine the characteristics of the movement…”, writes La Nacion.
In May last year, Costa Rica’s climber Warner Rojas droudly Displayed the flag of Costa Rica at the top of Mount Everest. Rojas was the first Tico to climb Mount Everest.
Like Rojas, Protti will be the first Tico to “pisar” (set foot) on the South Pole.
On the WISSARD website the following update was posted today:
Image posted on the WISSARD website.
Another milestone has been achieved, the WISSARD traverse team has reached the lake!! WISSARD momentum is building as the deep field science and drill teams prepare for deployment. The first drill team flies to the lake tomorrow. Members of C-522-M (RAGES; R. Powell, lead) have recently returned to McMurdo for field operations and have worked on data analysis for proving instrumentation after the McMurdo Ice Shelf testing, and then getting the instruments readied for lake deployment.
The biology team (GBASE; C-523-M; J. Priscu, lead) has completed analyses from their recent MIS testing of the new ‘clean access’ hot water drilling system. This test demonstrated that the WISSARD drill successfully meets the environmental code of conduct established for clean access into Antarctic subglacial aquatic environments. The GPS team led by S. Tulaczyk (LISSARD; C-521-M) is currently on weather hold but hopes to deploy soon and meet the WISSARD traverse at the Lake Whillans Camp. Tulaczyk’s team will conduct survey work at the Whillans grounding line and, importantly, will confirm and then mark the spot where we will drill into the lake. This location was selected based on seismic and radar surveys from previous seasons and represents one of the deepest portions of Subglacial Lake Whillans.
Young mothers attend a breastfeeding activity at the Plaza Lincoln shopping center in San Jose, Costa Rica, January12, 2013, to call for the rights for mothers’ breastfeeding their children in public places. (/Kent Gilbert)
Costa Rica News – At least 50 mothers took part in breastfeeding their infants at Lincoln Plaza Saturday. The mothers sat down in the mall’s food court and breastfed their infants in a two hour “mamatón” in protest of the mall’s forcing of a woman to sto nursing her child a week earlier.
The prohibition had set off a furor on social media websites and even prompted a response by presidenta Laura Chinchilla.
The mall’s management quickly apologized for the incident and announced that breastfeeding would be allowed anywhere in the mall and not restricted only to the special assigned area.
The mamatón, despite the retraction by the mall, was in support of Patricia Barrantes, who had decided to leave the mall rather than comply with the mall security guard’s request to move nurse her infant in the lactation room.
Young mothers attend a breastfeeding activity at the Plaza Lincoln shopping center in San Jose, Costa Rica, January12, 2013, to call for the rights for mothers’ breastfeeding their children in public places. (/Kent Gilbert)
Some of the mothers who partcicpated on Saturday travelled from other parts of the country to meet up with lactating mothers in San José.
Costa Rica and other Latin American countrie try to encourage breastfeeding with laws that include mandatory time off during the work day for new mothers to feed their babies or pump breast milk. But women’s and children’s advocates say rates of breastfeeding remain far too low.
The Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres (INAMU) – Costa Rica’s National Women’s Institute sent the mall a formal letter warning that there was no legal justification for barring breastfeeding in public areas. The INAMU president, Maureen Clarke, was very vocal on the issue.
Costa Rica’s president, Laura Chinchilla, admonished Lincoln Plaza’s managers, saying interfering with breastfeeding in public was unjust and stressing that the provision of lactation rooms is only “so that women have an alternative location” to breastfeed if they wish.
In one thing Costa Ricans love more than the festivals is littering. Just look around after a concert at the national stadium, the Tope in San José or as is the case in the current major event in Palmares.
However, one group, Misión Planeta, for the sixth year, will collect waste in Palmares for shipment to places like Mexico and China to be recycled and used in the manufacturing of new products.
A team of 80 people are responsible for picking up trash that includes plastic containers, cardboard and aluminum that is take to a plant in Naranjo, where it will be sorted and shipped out.
In protest of the prohibition of breastfeeding in public areas by Lincoln Plaza, mothers from all over are being asked to descend on the mall, to breastfeed their babies.
The protest was organized by several women’s groups despite the mall’s retraction of the prohibition.
Organizers say they expect some one thousand women to participate in the exercise of their right of freedom to breastfeed their babies in public.
The mall administration publiclu apologized following the publicity surrounding the woman who was told she had to breastfeed her baby in the secluded area of the mall.
The mall also received a scathing letter from presidenta Laura Chinchilla.
Breastfeeding in public in Costa Rica is commonplace. Just about anywhere, anytime women will pull out a breast to heed to the needs of a child. Some will cover up, while others have no problem exposing a breast in public.
There are some 540.000 registered corporations or S.A’s in the country, all subject to the annual tax on corporations (Impuesto a las Sociedades Anónimas) that is to be paid not later than January 31.
According to the Registro Nacional (National Property Registry) so far only 5.000 corporations had had their tax paid.
The numbers are alarming to officials, for last year about one half or 220.102 corporations had the tax paid, the others all accruing late fees and penalties.
For example, a coporation that did not have its tax paid in 2012 will see an additional ¢340.000 colones tacked on to the bill for this year. The amount is the ¢150.000 tax on the corporation, the rest is late fees, penalties and accruing interest.
The tax law allows the tax deparment to ask the Registro to cancel the corporation after three consecutive years of non-payment.
Some argue that it is cheaper to let the tax department cancel the charter than to pay a lawyer, which can run into hundreds of thousands of colones. However, the corporate officers may be personally liable for the tax.
The tax can be a nightmare for foreigners in Costa Rica since many hold property like a vehicle, a house, a bank account or even a cellular phone in the name of a corporation.
To complete transactions for say the transfer of a vehicle, or update a bank account or even update the cellular telephone account, there is the need for a “cedula juridica” – a certificate issued by the Registro listing the authorized officers of the corporation.
And to get the certificate, the tax must be paid. And in full and without arrears.
Costa Rica is considering introducing capital controls to combat so-called hot-money inflows that are putting upward pressure on its currency, Central Bank President Rodrigo Bolaños said on Friday.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the Central Bank bought US$125 million of US dollars to maintain its exchange rate within a set band.
Bolaños said that Costa Rica was studying the experiences of other countries in Latin American such as Brazil, which has introduced measures in recent years to stop overseas investment from pushing up its currency.
“We’re looking at and considering (capital control) options, which of them have been good experiences and what are their weaknesses,” said Bolaños.
Low interest rates in advanced economies have encouraged investors to seek higher returns in emerging markets such as Costa Rica, where the benchmark interest rate is at 9.05 percent.
Bolaños declined to comment on the possibility of relaxing the exchange rate band and allowing Costa Rica’s currency to go below its current 500-colon floor.
But in a meeting on Thursday with Bolaños and the country’s vice president, Luis Liberman, the president of the Exporters’ Chamber, Monica Segnini, said that the possibility came up.
“It was discussed and we made our position very clear that letting the band go without controlling interest rates would kill industry,” Segnini said.
A bill is being proposed to force domestic abusers to be fitted with electronic ankle bracelets so that they can be monitored and avoid they approach their victims.
The initiative proposes to amend four articles of the Criminal Code that would allow judges to order individuals accused and/or convicted of domestic abuse to wear the monitoring device. The order could extend to those on probation, explained the president of the Instituto Nacional de la Mujer (INAMU) – Women’s Institute – Maureen Clarke.
Fernando Ferraro, the minister of Justice, added that the ankle bracelets could also be used in other situations, such as monitoring a person while awaiting trial instead of being held in preventive detention (jail).
Upon approval, Ferraro explained that the Justice ministry would purchase an initial 1.000 units to be implemented as a pilot project. The cost is US$500.000, with funds coming for the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) loan of last year.
According to Justice, the cost of keeping an inmate in prison is US$30 daily. The ankle bracelet program would cut that cost more than half and solve the serious problem of prison overcrowding.
The law “Ley de Mecanismos Electrónicos de Seguimiento en Materia Penal” could be approved in less than a month, according to legislator Luis Gerardo Villanuena, chairman of the legislative committee working on the bill.
