A poll by Telenoticias, local channel 7 news, to know what Costa Ricans believe should be the presidenta’s priority for 2013 reveals that most Ticos are disenchanted with the political climate.
The new year started off with Rodrigo Arias throwing in the towel. He launched his presidential bid within days of Laura Chinchilla taking office on May 2010. On Friday he stunned supporters and the nation with his wanting nothing to do with politics. At least for now.
The poll, which was taken before the Arias announcement, revealed that one half not only did not believe in voting for one party or another, but simply do not believe in the country’s political system
The majority of the respondents felt that all politicians “never fulfill their promises”. Asked of their beliefs in presidenta Chinchilla, a resounding “she has not be able to in three years, don’t think this last year will make any difference”.
With Costa Rica now into an election year, the list of candidates – those with declared aspirations – is bleak. “More of the same tired faces”, many feel if what they face.
Many apply, but few are chosen. This is the situation faced by multinationals in Costa Rica seeking to hire employees with proficiency in English.
The latest to face this is SYKES that received more than 700 applicants in less than two hours to fill 200 jobs that required a 85% proficiency in another language, in this case English or Portuguese.
After sorting through the applicants, each having to first pass two oral interviews before being able to be considered, very few passed the door into the third test.
What is clear is that the English being thaugt or being learned in the country is not making the grade.
Companies like SYKES have had to create an academny where selected applicants will have to spend some five weeks – without pay or the promise of a job – to perfect their second language skills to the required level.
SYKES currently employees 3.500 in Costa Rica and is looking to fill 200 positions at its call centres located in Heredia, Hatillo and Moravia.
The average salary at SYKES is ¢400.000 colones or US$800.
Holiday gifts don’t always live up to expectations, in fact they can be outright faulty. The first line of action is to return to the retailer where the item was purchased for the guarantee, which, at the discretion of the retailer could be replacement, refund or repair.
However, if a retailer will not do good on the guarantee, the Ministerio de Economía is the place to file a complaint starting tomorrow.
Consumers laws in Costa Rica provide for a 30 business day guarantee on all retail purchased. This year, Economía has set a final date of February 7 to file a claim for all holiday purchases. Claims are accepted where the is not willing to honour the guarantee and/or the consumer feels slighted.
The guarantee does not apply is the consumer doesn’t like the colour or the size of an item, ie a shirt is the wrong colour, or the screen size is too small or the fridge door opens the wrong way. The guarantee provisions is strictly for faulty or defective items.
According to the Ministerio de Economía some 47% of all cases filed last January was where a retailer did not honour the warranty.
Children living near traditional plantations in Costa Rica are exposed to twice as much of the insecticide chlorpyrifos compared to children living near organic plantations, a study reports.
More than half of the 140 studied children — mostly indigenous Ngäbe and Bribri — had higher daily exposures than what is considered safe by U.S. standards.
Residential use of the pesticide, which has been linked to neurological effects in children, is banned in the United States, although it is still permitted on some crops. Costa Rica’s banana and plantain plantations export products to U.S. and European markets.
Turning unwanted items (stuff) to cash in Costa Rica is not an easy task. There a are a few options, however: the Compra y Venta (pawn shop), online sales, tell all your friends and the garage or yard sale. Let’s look at each.
1. The Compra y Venta is quick but expensive. This alternative is for raising cash but not really to get rid your stuff permanently, just letting it go for a little while. Interest rates can range from 10% to 15% per month. And if you want to repay early – get your stuff back faster – you will still have to pay out the full interest on the contract, which is usually three months.
If going this route, shop around. Many of the Compra y Venta are located in the area know as La Coca Cola in San José or commercial centres in small towns and communities. Not all Compra y Venta are the same. Negotiate. Get a clear understanding of the terms, like the interest rate, the cost of early pay out and late fees.
2. Online sales. There are many websites out there that you can post your stuff for sale and free. Craigslist and Encuentro24 are just two that offer a free service for most items.
Placing an ad is simple, for the most part, all you need is an email account. Some, like Craigslist verify your email before you can post. Add photos of the item(s) and a good description for best results. Use a generic email (like GMail or Hotmail) if possible to avoid being spammed. Be careful to include personal information that will be available to anyone.
3. Newspaper ad. The king of the jungle is La Nacion classifieds. Placing an ad with them gives you exposure to three newspapers – La Nacion, Al Dia and La Teja. They are also post the ad on the online publication. This form of sale can get expensive and no guarantee of any buyers.
Placing a classified ad in the newspaper is simple today. At the La Nacion you can do so online (a credit card is needed) or you can visit anyone of the La Nacion points of sale around the country. For the Diario Extra, for instance and others you will have to visit personally at their main offices.
4. Tell your friends. Let everyone know that you are selling and what. But don’t be surprised if you get them telling you of the stuff they are selling. Great for trading but no so for raising cash, your original goal.
This option works if you have friends. If you don’t, then maybe your enemies?
5. The garage or yard sale. One, you don’t need a garage or yard for a garage or yard sale. Two, holding a garage sale means opening the doors to your yard and home to anyone. This goes in smack in the face of having bars, barbed wire, triple locks and alarms in the first place. So, for a few colones, you are willing to trade your security?
If you do hold a garage or yard sale, you will have to either place ad and in the newspaper, online or tell your friends. When holding the sale, make sure your items are clearly priced and be prepared to negotiate. And cash payment ON THE SPOT is usually the best policy.
As to security, make sure that you can control who gets into your yard, garage or home. This one you will have to figure out depending on where you are located. And definitely never at night. Or when it is raining.
Surely there are other ways of – legally – turning your stuff into cash. But, probably the best way is to show financial responsibility in the first place: don’t buy what you don’t need, don’t impulsive shop, don’t use you credit card and don’t spend more than you can afford.
The phrase La Cuesta de Enero is too well known in Costa Rica, for despite the Aguinaldo (annual year-end bonus) most Costa Ricans face an uphill January, financially speaking that is.
December is an expensive month in Costa Rica. As usual Ticos (Costa Ricans) spend more than they can afford. Retailers like Wal-Mart made sure of that, offering specials on specials on specials.
At Pricesmart, catering to a slighlty higher social economic level, you could not get near the parking lot. Same at malls like Multiplaza in Escazú and Paseo de las Flores in Heredia.
Besides gift bying, there are the lunches and dinners out. A McDonalds hamburger combo can set you back about ¢4.000 colones in Costa Rica. For a family of four that is ¢16.000 or US$32 for lunch. The Zapote Fair and the bulls also put a dent to the financial health of many families, costing upwards of ¢50.000 (US$100), again for a family of four. And that is without any excesses.
In January, with the holidays over the sobriety of the situation kicks in.
One business that will have its “December” is the pawn shops or “Compra y Venta”, who will be taking in many of the Christmas tree gifts for cash to be used on items like paying the phone bill, the water and electricity and buying food (no McD in January).
The Compra y Venta (pawn shop) offers a lifeline to February and maybe even to March paychecks. But that lifeline is expensive, with credit ranging from 10% to 15% monthly interest.
The core business of the pawn shop is lending money with the item is left behind as collateral. The borrower pays interest on the loan and then recovers the item when the loan – and interest in full – is repaid.
Gold, jewellery, appliances like washers and dryers and electronics like flat screen televisions, dvd’s and computers are items that one can easily get a loan on.
But, what happens when a loan is not repaid?
Typically, a borrower is permitted a grace period if he or she falls behind on the payments. Loans can also be extended at re-negotiated terms. But in the end if the loan and interest is not repaid, the item(s) then becomes the property of the pawn shop and can be legally resold to third parties.
In the past, the Compra y Venta centred in one major area in the downtown area of San José known as La Coca Cola. Today, operators like La Cueva have locations in the suburbs. The business has gotten so lucrative in the last several years that there are more than a dozen “major” operators now competing for your stuff.
But not everyone pawns their stuff with the idea of getting it back. Some seek out the Compra y Ventas that will offer them cash – though the deal and terms are negotiated in the same way – with no intention of returning for the merchandise. This is another form of trading goods for cash.
An alternative to the Compra y Venta is the private lender, who like the Compra y Venta takes in your stuff as collateral for a loan, there isn’t the formality of the licensed Compra y Venta and the guarantee that your property will be available to you or in good condition, even after repaying the loan and interest. But that is story for another time!
In a surprise announcement former ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, told his audience gathered at the nomination campaign offices in Los Anonos, he WILL NOT be seeking the party leadership nomination in March.
The announcement surprised everyone inside and outside of the Partido Liberacaion National (PLN).
Rumours had been flying in the last couple of days, getting stronger on Friday, of a major announcement by Rodrigo – younger brother to two-time president and Nobel Peace prize winner, Oscar. However, most were left with their mouths open when Rodrigo threw in the towel.
There was mixed reaction to the announcement. PLN legislator, Victor Hugo Víquez, was one to say he regretted the Arias decision. “The polls favoured another candidate (Johnny Araya), so it did not make sense to continue with this fight”, said the legislator.
Mario Alvarez, a friend and partner, said that the voice of older brother influenced the decision.
Brother Oscar last month said that come January the polls would turn to Rodrigo’s favour. Oscar said that the popularity of long time mayor Araya in December was due to the mayor’s visibility in the series of holiday events in San José, like the Festival de la Luz and the Zapote Fair.
At the Festival de la Luz, Araya took centre stage in an unprecedented move by leading the parade through the downtown San José streets, looking very presidential.
In that line of thought, Rodrigo Arias accused mayor and neighbour Araya of dirty politics, of using municipal events (and thus at municipal expenss) to further his nomination campaign.
Arias came out in his presidential aspirations way back in 2010, weeks after his brother’s second term ended. Back then he quickly cooled his jets after being accused of undermining the new president, Laura Chinchilla.
And though he was quiet in the public front, rumours of an active behind the scenes campaign were confirmed when last year Arias came out in public in series of television commercials that were to demonstrate his civic duty, but in fact was to clean up his image for the 2014 race.
The commercials, however, did not do much for him. The average Costa Rican did not seem him as “presidential” material. He social media ridiculed Arias, mocking his commercials. In the end though, the polls did the talking.
In June this year, Arias and Araya were neck-to-neck in the polls. However, the entry of possible contender José Maria Figueres Olsen, set Arias back. In October, Arias drew a 6% favour (same as Figueres) to Araya’s 16% in a Unimer poll for La Nacíon.
In November, Figueres announced that he would not seek the nomination. But Arias’ standing in the polls did not get better.
Another factor leading to the Arias decision to step down was financial. “I felt I did not have the economic strength to a process that would require much economic effort”, Arias told the press.
An estimate is that the nomination campaign, if he continued, would set back Arias some US$1.3 million dollars, though no mention was made of how much had already been spent.
A Good Gift for New Year
For his part, Johnny Araya told the press Friday night that he was surprised, but accepts the decision. The San José mayor said he would be changing his approach in light of the surprise resignation of his biggest rival, acknowledging that he now has less obstacles on the road to the party nomination, but nothing has been decided yet.
Rumours have been flying since the Arias resignation that Berrocal would also throw in the towel, paving the way for an Araya coronation. Berrocal, who has not gotten higher than 2% in the polls, told the press that his ideology is close to that of Araya.
As to enlisting Arias’ support, Araya said that he will be asking all “libericionistas”(Liberationists) without exception for their support, that would include also the 16 PLN legislators who have backed Rodrigo.
Araya told La Nacion that, though he does not feel anointed as presidential candidate, there is no doubt that (the resignation of Arias) paves the way for his candidacy.
Now that Arias is out, what of “loyal” Arias supporters like Maria Luisa Avila? Will she and others now join Araya in his bid for the presidential chair?
Flying in the wings, however, is the possibility of a Figueres run at the presidency. Although he has said no on many occasions, did not put his name in the ring for the PLN leadership, he has been working on a plan for Costa Rica. The question is, will he wait to 2018 or run an independent in 2014?
Everyone knows Figueres. His father’s mug shot is on one of the most popular bills, the ¢10.000 colones. And José junior is the spitting image of José senior. What better campaign promotion than one you don’t even have to pay for!
A total of 21 new political parties will be seeking registration for the 2014 elections.
Of the 21 that started the registration process to 2014, ten are national parties and the others provincial, according to the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE).
Interested parties have until February 1, 2013, to apply.
Police authorities say they achieved a 12% reduction in assaults on pedestrians in San José and a 5% overall reduction in all types of crime.
This is much higher than the 2% reduction authorities had proposed for the year.
The regional director of the Fuera Publica for San Jose, Raul Rivera, said that improvements in policing techniques was a key factor in achiving the reduction.
Going to jail in Costa Rica in 2013 may not be so bad if you can believe the works of Justice Minister, Fernando Ferraro, who promises an improvement in the prison infrastructure and the overcrowding problem.
The increase in crime in the country has resulted in an increase of prisoners that has oversaturated an already overburdened prison system
According to a study by the Estado de la Nación (State of the Union) the increase of inmates in the country’s prison system between 2010 and 2010 was by 6000 people.
No doubt that the country is experiencing a crisis in overpopulation despite the construction of more than spaces for 1.000 inmates. Worse yet, if no immediate action is taken, the situation will not improve.
Ferraro told the press this week that using funds from the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) there is to start simultaneous construction of nine modules in the coming weeks, that will house some 2.700 inmates.
The minister added that the overpopulation situation and lack of financial resources impedes improving rehabiliation conditions for the inmates.
Working with other institutions, Ferraro said the Justice Ministry plans to work on preventing inmates from repeating their crime patterns so as not to be back behind bars.
Former Ministro de la Presidencia and brother to two-time president and Nobel laureate Oscar, Rodrigo Arias has called it quits to his aspirations for the presidential chair in 2014.
Arias, in a press conference after meeting with his campaign staff, said Friday night he will not be running for the Partido Liberaciona Naional (PLN) party nomination at the convention in a few months, leaving the field open for San José mayor, Johnny Araya and Fernando Berrocal, the only two declared candidates.
In 2010, within days after his brother’s second term ended, Rodrigo let it be known he would be running for president in 2014, a situation that caused rumbling in the party and accusations of him undermining the new president, Laura Chinchilla, also of the PLN party.
Arias claims dirty campaigning and an attack against him as some of the reasons for his stepping down from the party nomination rate. In the past few weeks Arias accused Araya of using municipal funds in the nomination campaign.
In the polls Arias never made it to the top, always shadowed by Araya and though he says no, he won’t run, José María Figueres.
Brother Oscar has assured everyone that the polls would turn to his brother’s favour come January, once all the holidays were over, especially the Zapote Fair which in Oscar’s opinion kep Araya in the limelight and at the top of the polls.
Costa Rica authorities are investigating an alleged officer of the Fuerza Publica (police) for decapitating a turtle in a video circulating the social media.
The video, titled “la sopita del mes” (soup of the month), shows a man in what appears an official issued police t-shirt, cutting off the head of a turtle with a machete.
Juan José Andrade, director of the Fuerza Publica, said in a television interview that the t-shirt worn by the man in the video appears to be police issued.
This is not the first time for man who identifies himself as Suárez to be seen in evidence of contact with animals. Post on social media are photos of Suárez with lizards, roosters and even a pig dressed in a shirt and shorts/
Andrade assures that the man, if he is an police official, will face administrative actions against him that include dismall from the force, and if not an official of the Fuerza Publica, will face other charges following the investigation.
An empty fair field characterizes this year’s traditional Zapote Fair. And with the last days of the fair in sight few vendors see sales and attendance increasing.
On the other hand, the advisor to the Comisión de festejos populares de la Municipalidad de San José, Rafael Arias, sees the fair a success, especially the bull fights that has received ample participation.
But, despite the low attendance the fair hasn’t been without criminal activity. Raul Rivera, director de la Fuerza Pública de San José, said 33 people have been arrested so far for a variety of issues.
Costa Rica exported 100,120 60-kg bags of coffee in December 2012, up 28% from 78,214 bags shipped in the same month last year, Costa Rica’s the Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (Icafe) – National Coffee Institute – said.
This brought total exports in the first three months of 2012/13 (Oct/Sep) to 180,736 bags, down 3.7% from 187,704 in the same period of 2011/12.
(Reuters) – Costa Rican inflation hit 4.55% at the end of 2012, the National Census and Statistics Institute (INEC) reported on Thursday, slowing its pace from the previous year.
The figure is in line with the central bank’s target range of 4.0 percent to 6.0 percent and is below the 2011 figure of 4.74 percent.
Consumer prices increased by 0.28 percent in December.
The economy of Costa Rica, a tiny Central American country famous for its beaches and tourism, is seen growing 4.8 percent in 2012, higher than originally expected on the back of a strong manufacturing sector.
The central bank has said it sees inflation at about 5 percent through 2013.
The New Year is here and one resolution that many make is to travel more. Many have a desired location in mind for where they want to visit in the next year.
Fly.com, an easy-to-use airfare search engine announced the Top 10 Most Desired Countries for 2013 with Italy topping the list. ICT take note, Costa Rica did not make the cut.
Fly.com conducted a survey of 875 U.S. travelers from Dec. 1-13 about which countries they would most like to visit within North America, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania/Antarctic if money and time were not concerns.
Italy was the number one choice of countries to visit within the next year. It beat out other European locations like the United Kingdom and France, which both fall in the top five. Twice as many respondents said they could rather visit Italy than the other two European countries combined.
Many also indicated that they want to go down under to countries like Australia and New Zealand which were second the third, respectively.
Here are Fly.com’s 2013 Top 10 Most Desired Countries:
1. Italy
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. United Kingdom (tie)
France (tie)
6. United States
7. Ireland
8. Spain
9. Fiji
10. South Africa
“It is no surprise that Italy is at the top of America’s wish list for 2013,” Warren Chang , vice president and general manager, Fly.com said in a release. “The destination conjures up images of romance, history and some of the finest food and wine in the world. However, as with any worthy new year’s resolution, we recommend acting on the intention right away. Booking flights well in advance can help travelers save a fortune. Being flexible is also key. For example, a tool like Fly.com’s Fare Calendars can help travelers save hundreds of dollars from one day to the next by providing visibility on when it is cheapest to fly.”
While no individual Asian country made the top 10 list, India, Japan, Thailand, China and Vietnam made it the third most desired region to visit, with India being the most popular.
The United States took the sixth spot on the most desired countries list and North America was the fourth most popular region, showing that Americans are also looking forward to traveling in their very own country.
Guanacaste cantons, like Abangares and Nicoya, are fighting to remain free of transgenic corn now that the company Delta and Pine is looking to plant modified international Monsanto seeds in the canton of Abangares. The controversy will be delayed until the end of February since the State National Biosecurity Commission requested more information about the product.
Although the Municipality of Abangares has declared itself to be an “ecological canton free of transgenics,” the Biosecurity Commission has argued that this is invalid since it goes against “other laws.”
Delta and Pine want to plant one to two hectares of this genetically altered corn as part of an investigation of pest resistence, but after a meeting on December 3rd between the parties, the Commission gave the company a maximum of 60 days to provide convincing documentation that there are no risks. After the deadline, the Biosecurity Commission will have five days to decide.
About 60 public and private institutions have opposed the project, such as the Public Defendor’s Office, the College of Agricultural Engineers, the School of Biology of the Univeristy of Costa Rica and the Technological Institute of Costa Rica.
Environmentalists who marched in November and December in an effort to stop a project to introduce and commercialize transgenic corn will have to wait until February to see if their labor bears fruit.
About 60 public and private institutions have opposed the project, such as the Public Defendor’s Office, the College of Agricultural Engineers, the School of Biology of the Univeristy of Costa Rica and the Technological Institute of Costa Rica.
Legislator Jose Maria Villalta, of the Frente Amplio party, and ecological organizations filed an appeal against Delta and Pine for not presenting environmental impact studies and other details related to the future crops.
Various farmers participated in a 200-kilometer march from Guanacaste to San Jose to put pressure on the opposition. Starting on November 24th, dozens of environmentalists carrying banners left from various cantons of Guanacaste to arrive in San Jose on December 3rd. One of the leaders, Edison Valverde, indicated that if this type of corn enters the country, it would contaminate crop traditions of more than 10,000 years.
“The wind would spread the transgenic corn and it would contaminate the rest of the grain varieties that the farmers have been plantingfor years. This would also have consequences on human health and the quality of water. It’s such a serious issue that it’s already been prohibited in other countries like France,” cited Valverde.
Nicoyan Natalia Perez, who participated in the march, commented, “Now, since our diet is based on corn, if Monsanto enters Guanacaste our corn will disappear and with it, our traditions, our costums, our food base and in the end our blue zone…. While economic interests are strong, Nicoya is a canton free of transgenics… and it should stay that way!”
Since 1990, small cultivations of modified corn exist in Costa Rica, but only and exclusively for investigation, as well as plantations of transgenic cotton, banana, pineapple and soybean, but they are not sold commercially or used for public consumption.
If you have read any of the books or movies in the highly-popular science fiction series Jurassic Park, you probably realize that the plot supposedly takes place in Costa Rica. The film centers on Isla Nublar near Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, where a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of genetic scientists have created an amusement park of cloned dinosaurs. Said island is fictional and does not exist.
There is also another inaccuracy in the first Jurassic Park movie. Jurassic Park’s chief computer programmer, Dennis Nedry steals dinosaur embryos with the purpose of selling them. There is a scene where Nerdy is negotiating the sale at the beach that is suppose to be San José, Costa Rica.
Every knows that San José is located in the country’s Central Valley and not on the coast. Despite these fictional elements in the movie, believe it or not we do have a kind of Jurassic Park in Costa Rica.
Located 25 minutes from the city of San Isidro de General, on the way to Dominical Beach, is Parque Reptilandia. It is Costa Rica’s largest and most diverse reptile exhibition. Guided tours are offered where retirees and others can learn all about reptiles. The park boasts over 50 glass fronted terrariums and pools that take advantage of natural light and rainfall of the area.
It houses more than 65 species of reptiles and amphibians and features a myriad of creatures from petite poison dart frogs to enormous lizards and snakes. Guests can even get a glimpse of the Mexican beaded lizards, eyelash pit vipers, terciopelos (Fer-de-Lance) and giant boa constrictors. In addition, the park features smaller species like the Jesus Christ lizard that can skim across the surface of water so as to appear to be walking across it.
The star attraction is a fearsome-looking Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard. With a body spanning nearly eight feet in length, the Komodo gives the impression of a modern-day dinosaur.
Every Friday is feeding day. Many people are surprised when the see the way snakes eat. They consume several rats once a week because their metabolism can only process food when the weather is very warm. One of the most impressive species is the Olive Python from New Guinea which is not poisonous. It feeds on whole chickens because of its large size and humungous appetite.
Visiting Reptilandia is an example the 100s of activities available for expatriate retirees to stay busy and keep happy in Costa Rica.
Reptilandía is open to the public 7 days a week. For additional information Tel: 2787-8007 E-mail: reptilandia_cr@racsa.co.cr, www.crreptiles.com. You can also get Reptilandia by traveling on the new Costal Highway or costanera and turning left just before the bridge at the Barú River near the villiage of Dominical.
The Wachiman or Cuidacarro in Spanish refers to someone who looks after your car while parked on a public street. It can also extend to watching your car while in the restaurant parking, local shopping centre, etc.
By and large the Wachiman is an independent that you entrust with your vehicle while dining, taking in a show, a soccer game or concert at the stadium or whatever.
With the exception if a small few – very few – Cuidacarros are a pest in almost every street in urban areas across the country. They “autoconcession” (licence) themselves, staking out a stretch of curb of a public street and set rates depending on what they can get.
Some, with or without the permission of the property or business owner, set up shop outside the restaurant, strip mall, etc and charge you for watching your car in the parking lot – not a public street. In many cases we feel that this is service provided by the business. Just try to make a complaint when your car is broken into or missing altogether.
In some areas like around the national stadium in La Sabana and the Teatro Nacional in the centre of San José they Wachiman charge up to ¢5.000 colones. In fact, there are some who earn up to or more than ¢500.000 colones (US$1.000) a month, making the practice a very lucrative business, especially since it is all cash and tax free.
For the services of the Wachiman there is no standard set rate. No tariff like for other public services. Not even a concession or license requirement. For a Watchiman to set up shop all he (almost every Watchiman is a man) has to do is don a reflective vest and stake out a curb.
Since there is no legislation to regulate the practice and the municipalities fail to provide proper and secure street parking, the Wachiman applies his trade while municipalities close a blind eye and deny there is a problem.
Batman giving this Wachiman a hand!
Some Wachimen are have hutzpa, even handing out a card with “his” rate on it. And choosing not to pay, well it could mean disaster. Not to say that even if you do pay your car and their contents are safe from the criminal elements, just not this one, you hope.
There have been some attempts to regulate and license the practice. The last was some time back by legislator Carlos Avendaño who proposed a draft law, however proving to be ineffective in getting approval from fellow legislators and ending up being filed away in the archives of the Legislative Assembly.
If the municipalities, led by the Municipalidad de San José, had the cojones they could completely eliminate the problem by providing effective and secure off street parking. They, the municipalities, could seek lasting solutions and eradicate what has become a plague on the streets of Costa Rica.
I do not have figures, only my personal experiences with the Cuidacarros, whom I have found for the most part to be indigents, people who at other times we scoff at for sleeping on the sidewalk or from the stench of alcohol while strolling the Avenida.
Over the years, the watching of cars has evolved to the point that car owners are now extorted. It is impossible to leave your car anywhere, save in front of your house (maybe) without someone sticking their hand out to watch it for you.
Across from Plaza Mayor, in Rorhmoser, the Wachiman has even painted parking space lines on the public street, uses various objects to block off (reserve) spaces for what I can only guess are monthly clients of the office workers at the Citibank and Scotiabank offices. This Wachiman operates only during the weekdays and only during business hours.
Due to the failure of municipalities, the lack of parking lots nearby, street parking is the only alternative. In the downtown areas of San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, for instance, it is better to entrust the Wachiman with your car than to risk having to walk blocks in the dark and insecure streets to get to and from the parking lot.
Municipal cops having to deal with a situation.
My point to all this is not to complain and whine, rather to offer a solution.
There is a law, the “Ley de Servicios de Seguridad Privada” (Law of Private Security Services). This law serves a sensible set of requirements, which provides that the Watchiman obtain a similar permit to that of the private security guards, thus be registered with the Ministerio de Seguridad Publica, which vets for a criminal history.
For the few honest and honourable cuidacarros – and they do exist – this should not be a problem. Those who are serious about their work and deserve to be remunerated should have no problem with the requirements, in fact they should be the ones pushing for regulations.
Licensing could also mean establishing a tariff, even a minimum like the taxis, at say ¢500 colones (a buck). The owner of the vehicle can then give (pay) more. The regulations could allow extras like for longer periods of time, for location and for available curb space.
The regulations could then have a mechanism for customer complaints. In the case of outright criminal activity the Penal Code kicks in. All this can be handled by the local municipalities. They could regulate the hours, the rates, the locations, etc, etc, etc.
And although it may not solve the problem definitively, it has to start somewhere, while municipalities start creating proper off street parking like a real city should.
Only my opinion. If you agree (or disagree) leave your comments.
In the meantime, here’s wishing you a Happy New Years and all the best for 2013.
Enrico Cacciatore
Chief cook and bottle washer at the Q!
Photos: Ticoracer.com, Josecamposrojas.com/ (Batman visita San José), Repretel News
The Policia de Tránsito (traffic police) know full well who the driver is of the vehicle that took down nine electrical posts in La Uruca New Year’s morning, causing some ¢50 million colones of damage. But, they do not know where he is.
Apparently when the traffic police showed at the hospital to interview the driver he had fled.
It appears, the driver who was taken to hospital with minor injuries checked himself out minutes before police arrived. The disappearance means authorities cannot confirm if the driver was under the influence or not.
The driver now has ten (10) days to present himself to receive the traffic ticket and take responsibility for the property damage.
Since the accident caused only property damage and there is no confirmation of alcohol abuse, it is a simple traffic accident and no criminal charges can be laid.
In addition, Costa Rica’s traffic laws do not stop anyone from leaving the scene of an accident, that is this and other drivers cannot be charged for failing to remain at the scene (the hospital in this particular case).
The matter of the cost of the damage will now be a civil matter between the person responsible and Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL), a division of ICE.
For the time being traffic authorities are suspecting speeding that led to the driver losing control of the vehicle as the cause of the accident.
More than 300 drivers were caught by the Policia de Transito in the last two days, all for not having their 2013 Marchamo paid.
In some cases, drivers did not have the Riteve current, which meant an additional fine and in several cases licenses plates confiscated.
The fine for not having the Marchamo current is ¢47.000 and possible confiscation of license plates. The latter being at the total discretion of the Tránsito (police official).
The Marchamo comes in two parts: one, a sticker that is to be placed on the front windshield and two, a document that is to be carried in the vehicle at all times.
There is debate as to the location of the sticker on the windshield. The traditional is on the passenger side. Some place it on the top middle.
In the past the sticker included the vehicle and plate details, traffic officials would then confirm it corresponded to the document. Now, it is just a generic Marchamo sticker.
An ambitious project by the Ministerio de Seguridad in co-ordination with the Secretaría de Gobierno Digital will see the installation of 2.500 security cameras throughout the country.
Currently, 60 cameras, installed and are operated by the Policia Municipal de San José (municipal police), keep an eye on things in the capital city of San José. The cameras were
The large scale project, however, is nationwide that includes some 600 cameras in the Gran Área Metropolitana (GAM) – the San José Greater Metropolitan Area which encompasses most of the Central Valley.
According to the director of Gobierno Digital, Alicia Avendaño, the cameras will have special software that sends information to the police.
The project is to cost US$15 million dollars.
For Fuerza Publica (police) director Juan José Andrade, the system will aid police in monitoring activity and use for material evidence in court.
Illustration is of the iTouch in a variety of colours. Apple is expected to do the same with the iPhone 5S.
Apple is expected to release an iPhone 5S in June, a break from the pattern it’s established over the last two years, says Jefferies analyst Peter Misek in a note this morning.
Illustration is of the iTouch in a variety of colours. Apple is expected to do the same with the iPhone 5S.
Misek is predicting the iPhone 5S has a new “super HD camera/screen, a better battery, and NFC,” and “possible updates include an IGZO screen for Retina+, 128GB storage.” He’s also predicting it comes in 6-8 colors, presumably similar to the iPod Touch which comes in a bunch of colors.
The iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 were released in the September/October time frame. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 came out in the June/July time frame.
Why flip back to the mid-year launch? Misek doesn’t give an answer, but Horace Dediu at Asymco has an interesting theory on why Apple would speed up its release cycle.
This year, Apple’s sales dipped significantly two quarters before the launch of a new iPhone. Consumers held off because they knew a new phone was coming. Apple wants to avoid loading all its sales into one half of the year. By accelerating its product releases it can avoid his problem.
Now, a note about Misek’s predictions. Misek had been making a lot of bad predictions about Apple TV for years. For instance, in August he said the Apple television was in full production and would be out by year end.
But, he nailed the iPhone 4S ahead of everyone else. In May 2011 when everyone was calling for an iPhone 5, he called for an iPhone 4S, which turned out to be accurate. So, his iPhone predictions seem trustworthy.
Apple is already testing the next iPhone, according to developer logs shown to Matt Brian of The Next Web.
Brian reports, “One developer showed us that Apple has been testing hardware relating to a new ‘iPhone6,1′ identifier, powered by a device running iOS 7, which is expected to be released by Apple in the middle part of this year.”
The current iPhone is marked in developer logs as ‘iPhone5,1′ and ‘iPhone 5,2’. Therefore, Apple appears to be testing new hardware.
In last two years Apple has released a new iPhone in the fall. The fact that a new iPhone is showing up in developer logs already suggests its going to pull the release date forward.
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We’ve already heard a few rumbles about Apple planning to release the next iPhone, which many are calling the iPhone 5S, in June or July.
The Cámara de Industrias de Costa Rica (CICR) – Costa Rica’s Chamber of Industries – said that the monthly income of some 2.300 officials at the state light and power company, the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz ( CNFL ) averages more than ¢2 million (US$4.000).
Some at the CNFL can be called “QFatcats”.
Costa Rica’s industrialists are requesting an audit of the company, a subsidiary of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) to evaluate the fairness and efficiency of a payroll that seems to be onerous and disproportionate for the reality of the country.
The CICR says that the salary structure is affecting electricity rates that include a 9.2% increase for 2013.
Electricity rates have risen sharply in recent years and affect not only industry but Costa Ricans in general. In the industrial sector, companies cite it as the primary factor adversely affecting their ability to compete.
Strong industrial growth is not foreseen for 2013, and if electricity prices rise the situation for industry may be even more troubling.
Not long ago Costa Rica got its new traffic law, one that introduces a system of accumulation of points, rather than the loss, as in the old law that saw every driver start off with 50 points and deductions were based on the type of infraction.
The new system is one where when 12 points are accumulated the driver loses driving privileges for a defined period of time and is required to attend driver education classes to regain the privileges.
Driving today with the 2013 Marchamo will set you back ¢47.000 colones, the fines that will be issued by the Policia de Transito.
As of close of business on Monday, the INS says 210.302 vehicles did not have their Marchamo paid. This number includes vehicles that have been taken off the road but have not been unregistered with the national property registry.
In a scurry to avoid the fines, a total of 24.583 paid up on Monday, bringing the total number of Marchamos for 2013 to 919.698.000.
Every registered vehicle must have its Marchamo paid to circulate on public roads. To obtain the Marchamo, the vehicle must have its vehicular inspection (Riteve) current.
Owners of vehicles without the Riteve face an additional fine for not having the inspection certificate. And the traffic police, as is customary during the first days and weeks of the new year, will be having an eye on vehicles with the respective certificates.
Although several earthquakes shook Costa Rica during the early hours of the the first day of 2013, the first of the year to be felt was at 10:12am.
The movement occurred in Copey de Dota de Puntarenas. According to the Red Sismológica Nacional (National Seismological Network) it had a magniture of 3.0 on the Richter scale.
Experts the increase in movements are related to the September 5 earthquave that activated hundres of fautls.
Like dominoes the nine electrical posts fell after the first being struck by an SUV at 5:40 am New Year’s Day.
The accident occurred in the area of the Banco Nacional in La Uruca, forcing interruption of power service in the area. The Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL) says power will be restored by 6pm.
The Policia de Transito say the cause of the accident is s
till unknown as the driver and passenger fo the Toyota were still in shock, waiting treatment at the Hospital Mexico close by.
Several blocks are affected by the power failure. The estimated damage is to exceed ¢45 million colones. Each of the nine posts have a value of some ¢1 million colones, to which there is the value of cable and the cost of new ironwork, machinery and labour that is working overtime during a legal holiday.
If you have to drive into San José this week, no to worry, there is vehicular restrictions this week.
The restrictions were suspended last week (Monday Dec 24) and will return next Monday (Jan 7).
The fine for violating the vehicular restriction is ¢47.000 colones and applies to vehicles circulating from Monday to Friday (save holidays) as follows:
