Increases in the price of fuel, electricity and other services will take Ticos by surprise this week.
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“Mordida” To Cost Tránsito His Job
A Tránsito (traffic official) who tried to take a bite out the wallet of a driver found himself detained by Judicial officials and could end up losing his job.
The victim said he was asked for ¢5.000 colones “for a coffee” by traffic official, Hernán Soto Córdona, to look the other way.
The driver said he took a snapshot (with his cell phone) of the bill’s serial number and then called judicial police to report the “mordida”, a term in Costa Rica referred to a bribe.
Judicial officials took the traffic official into custody for questioning and is sure to be charged with corruption.
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Gas Companies Ordered To Change Cylinder Valves
The cheap pin type regulator shown in the photo above is actually referred to as the “Central American type”, considered unsafe in the rest of the world. See our report “Cooking Dangerously”.
The Ministry of Environment (MINAE) has ordered bottlers of compressed gas cylinders to change the valves as a condition of renewing their operating permits.
The MINAE said bottlers have three months to make the change which has to be completed before the end of June.
Tomza is the first gas company to already start making the change to one thousand cylinders and says it has purchased two thousand new ones.
Gas Nacional Zeta says it has not started the change as it has not yet received the directive from the MINAE, spelling out the changes being asked. MINAE minister, Rene Castro, says the company has been officially notified.
A study by the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Costa Rica (Fire Department) indicates that nine out of ten emergencies involving gas in the past year were caused by faulty valves.
Bomberos reports responding to 2,091 cases so far this year.
In addition to the valve replacement, gas bottlers are required to dispose of cylinders older than 10 years.
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Don’t Forget the Umbrella!
It’s time to start carrying the umbrella as the “transition” period to the rainy season began with the start of the new month.
The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – national weather service – confirmed the start of the transition period began on Monday and is forecasting rainy conditions all week for the Central Valley and Caribbean.
Monday night a light rain fell on San José, while for today (Tuesday) we can expect winds and some rain.
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Former President Figueres Confirms His Support Of Araya
Former president José María Figueres Olsen has given his support to San José mayor Johnny Araya, saying he will join the campaign to ensure an Araya presidency.
Figueres revealed his support for Araya to Amelia Rueda in an interview at the Soda Tapia, a popular restaurant in La Sabana.
For now, Figueres’ role in the presidential campaign is unknown, however, it does not rule out the former president going from community to community drumming up support for Araya.
Figueres and Araya have met regularly to discuss the state of the nation and the current status of the campaign. In the past Araya has been quoted as saying that it was just a matter of time before Figueres would join him in his presidential bid.
Figueres travels back and forth between Switzerland and Costa Rica, arriving Thursday night, in his continuing promottion his project “Via Costarricense”.
Figueres is schedule to leave Costa Rica on Sunday, but is expected back at the end of the month to take part the IV Congreso Latinoamericano de Turismo Médico (Latin American Congress of Medical Tourism), which he will be among the speakers.
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Gas Price Hike Approved
Forget the postponed drop in gasoline prices, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) on Monday approved an increase of ¢28 and ¢24 colones that will take effect later this week.
The increase will shoot up the price of a litre of super gasoline to ¢767 and regular ¢721, while the price of a litre of diesel fuel will drop ¢8 colones.
The following table shows the change in prices:
The price change will take effect the following publication in La Gaceta, which is to take place within five days of the approval.
According to the ARESEP spokesperson Carolina Mora the increas reflects changes in the international prices for crude oil.
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‘Green Growth’ Tops Costa Rica Envoy’s Agenda
The right colour: Ambassador Alvaro Cedeno Molinari speaks about his country’s ‘green growth’ agenda at the Costa Rican Embassy in Tokyo.
Alvaro Cedeno Molinari, Costa Rica’s Ambassador to Japan, says his mission in Tokyo is to deliver his country’s message on green growth and renewable energy — and to develop what he describes as a green growth agenda between his country and Japan.
“My agenda is not a technical one. I’m not a biologist, I’m not an engineer. I’m simply enthusiastic about green growth and climate change, renewable energy, biotechnology, and eco-tourism,” Molinari said — an agenda he says his country has been pursuing for decades.
According to Molinari, renewable energy was initially developed in Costa Rica in 1955 as an opportunity to generate electricity from the abundant hydropower sources provided by the country’s extensive rivers, lakes and waterfalls.
Over the past three decades, Costa Rica has tripled its gross domestic product and doubled its forest coverage at the same time. It is also a “green country,” with 95 percent of its electricity generated from renewable sources, including hydrothermal and geothermal power. Almost 30 percent of its ecosystems are under legal protection, he said.
Molinari said he is trying to convince the Japanese government and businesses to collaborate with Costa Rica on research and development in renewable energy and sustainable development to take advantage of his nation’s rich biodiversity. Such cooperation, he said, will be essential as Costa Rica tries to achieve its goal of “carbon neutrality” — a state where net carbon dioxide emissions drop to zero — by 2021.
The ambassador is also trying to tie Costa Rican institutions with Japanese counterparts to establish a partnership in bio-resources or natural components that could be used to develop cosmetics, food or pharmaceuticals in Japan.
Molinari, 38, said one of his current interests is “bio-literacy.” It means, he said, “to be able to speak the language of life — what are the essential needs for our planet, not only to be sustainable, but to regenerate what has been lost?”
“It’s fifth-grade science. The cycle of water and carbon. Where the soil fertility comes from. Where clean air and water come from. This is very important for us,” he added.
Molinari was posted to Japan only weeks after the Fukushima nuclear disaster triggered by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, and he said the whole range of incidents “brought fear” to him.
“I knew it was something that was very serious, something that was going to take a long time to control. But at the same time, I felt it was my duty as a global citizen to be here, and to pay attention to what was happening, and to share whatever I could in the process (of recovering),” he said.
“It makes me wonder: What do the children understand? Not only the consequences. The consequences are very easy to see. But about the causes. It’s more about why it happened. The nuclear technology was not infallible. Today, we can’t tell children that nuclear energy is infallible — at least not in Japan,” he said.
He stressed the nuclear energy technology issue is of critical importance right now for both Japan and the world.
“Nuclear energy was a very good solution for the second half of the 20th century. Now we know that there are cleaner, cheaper, more renewable, safer sources of energy. The obvious question is — how do we move from nuclear to renewable?” Molinari said.
“The energy matrix in Japan relies very highly on nuclear energy. The issue is how much urgency you see in the need to change,” he said.
“I’m very concerned about Japanese children: What they know, what they think, what they feel about (the disaster). This is going to influence the rest of their lives. This is going to transform them into particular citizens, particular professionals, particular leaders of the country,” he said.
He said that the Japanese should remember how the country has valued nature in the past.
“I was very impressed by how nature is treated sacredly here. Japan is the only country in the world that has the Shinto practice. Shinto is essentially a praise for everything that is natural,” he stressed.
Molinari was born and grew up in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. After graduating from the University of Costa Rica with a degree in law, he obtained a master’s degree in peace studies and conflict transformation from a university in Norway. A polyglot, Molinari speaks eight languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, German, Norwegian, Mandarin and some Japanese.
He worked for a decade at Costa Rica’s branch of Children’s International Summer Villages, a global nongovernmental organization that engages in training and execution of intercultural competence building and peace education for youths.
In 2006, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Trade as the chief of staff for the minister. Eighteen months later, when Costa Rica established diplomatic ties with China and opened an embassy in Beijing, he was posted there as commercial counselor.
After three years, he quit the ministry and moved to Australia, where he went on to obtain a master’s degree in public policy and management. Then came his second diplomatic mission — to his current position — in 2011.
Molinari’s initial exposure to Japan came at a very young age. When he was 5 years old, he said he became aware that his family’s car was made by a Japanese carmaker. Furthermore, the anime adaptation of the Swiss classic “Heidi” and the popular TV series “Ultraman” — both dubbed into Spanish — were his favorite TV programs.
“At 8, I played my first Nintendo game, and the following year, I got my first Sony radio,” he said.
He said that when he was 11 years old, his father, a business consultant, gave the young Molinari a task during summer vacation: Read a book about Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic Corp. “I was reading some very profound business and cultural elements about Japan,” he said.
Later on, he said he became interested in martial arts and took judo and karate lessons in Costa Rica.
In 2004, Molinari visited Japan for the first time as a volunteer at an intercultural competence building program for Asia-Pacific youths and adults held in Fukuoka.
Noting his impression of Japan at the time, he said he thought Japan was a place “where human civilization had reached its most remarkable manifestation in terms of peaceful coexistence.”
“I had the impression that this was the most peaceful place on Earth — in terms of how Japanese culture has managed to build up after the war,” he said.
Molinari lives in Tokyo with his wife, who is a third-generation Brazilian-Japanese, and travels with her about once a month to various parts of Japan, including to Kitakyushu, where his wife’s family has its roots.
“I try to enjoy every day in Japan — as long as this beautiful adventure lasts,” the ambassador said with a smile.
Source: Japan Times
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Doritos Locos Nachos Only in Costa Rica!
Taco Bell Costa Rica rolled out with Doritos Locos Nachos, something US locations have yet to do. Think Nachos Supreme with all the addicting flavors of their seasoned beef, beans, neon orange cheese “sauce,” tomatoes and of course, sour cream, but swap the plain tortilla chips with Doritos Nacho Cheese-flavored chips.
Oh, and it’s 2 for 1 after 10pm. Reminder, this applies to Costa Rica locations only.
Sigh, we can’t wait ’til the Doritos Locos Tacos get re-reincarnated into tortilla chips here in the US. Imagine that.
If you’re really fiending, you can always DIY it by just asking for the Nachos Supreme toppings , then siphoning it all into a bag of store-bought Nacho Cheese-flavored Doritos. Psh, we got you.
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The Costa Rican Silicon Valley
The IMF predicts that in 2013 Costa Rica’s economic growth will surpass the world average. By playing host to numerous leading international corporations in the information and communication technology (TIC) sector, the country has placed itself at an advantage.
His father worked on a coffee plantation a few kilometres outside of San José yet in contrast, he has swapped the green fields for a computer screen. He works for one of the US multinationals that have set up headquarters in this Central American country. His role is to develop and improve wireless networks, work which he carries out in Costa Rica but which serves a worldwide purpose.
In his office his co-workers are both Costa Rican and natives of other nationalities who all form part of the renowned Silicon Valley of Costa Rica. The arrival of international corporations has served as a catalyst for the area. According to predictions made by the World Bank, the Costa Rican economy is set to experience a growth of 4%, a figure which exceeds the Latin American average.
The Prisma talked to Luciano Ciravegna, author of “Promoting Silicon Valleys in Latin America: Lessons from Costa Rica” and professor at the University of London.
Ciravegna reveals Costa Rica’s keys to success in becoming an operations centre for large multinational leaders in the information technology sector.
What is the Silicone Valley effect?
It is the heart of the world’s electronics and software industry, located in the North American state of California. It is renowned for its mass of large and small scale businesses and for its entrepreneurship. It is where many of the leading multinationals in this sector were created. Financially speaking, this cluster of corporations has fuelled the whole of the Californian and US economy.
For this reason, many Latin American countries are looking to follow suit and the majority begin by promoting policies which facilitate the installation of foreign companies specialising in technology.
What are the characteristics of the Costa Rican Silicone Valley?
On a global scale, production levels are not as great as China, Taiwan or South Korea. However, per capita, Costa Rica is Latin America’s primary producer and exporter of electronic and software products. Furthermore, thanks to successful policies for attracting foreign investment, 10% of the workforce (higher than the US average) is employed in this high-tech industry.
Its success is linked to the fact that Costa Rica is seen as a pacific country and has a skilled workforce. Costa Rica is now reaping the rewards of several years of state investment in state education.
What strategy was employed in order for Costa Rica to become an operations centre for large multinationals?
It is important to highlight that success has been achieved in three sectors which are all interrelated; tourism, the software industry and the manufacturing of medical apparatus.
Everything originated from the idea of developing a country brand in order to attract tourism which drew the attention of many American businesses. Despite lower wages, many employees prefer to work in this Central American country than in other parts of the world. Its close proximity to the US, agreeable climate and political stability are but a few of its appealing characteristics. The country has a multinational atmosphere and is home to various immigrant professionals from countries such as Argentina, Venezuela, US, Israel…
How has Costa Rica promoted its country brand?
Let’s just say it has been a long, gradual process. Costa Rica made a significant effort to promote its name amongst potential investors. It has invested a lot in this.. During the 80’s it opened an office in New York and gradually opened up others throughout the United States.
The aim of these offices is to promote the positive aspects of visiting the country. The arrival of the first tourists and mouth to mouth promotion strengthened the area’s reputation. Other Latin American territories have tried to do the same but have encountered difficulties in establishing an image capable of overcoming the notions of instability linked to drug trafficking.
Has the Silicone Valley effect had any impact on other areas in Latin America?
Yes and it has had a significant impact on the economic growth of several countries. Latin America mainly specializes in the services and software sector. These are clean industries as they cause no pollution. The majority of production and manufacturing is carried out in Asia.
The greatest impact is seen in the workforce that this industry employs with qualified and generally well paid jobs.
The biggest advantage is that national industry is benefitted. Brazil began offering its services to the US and the EU but it now supplies the national market. It is important that these countries are not just grain and soy bean producers but that they also invest in high-tech industries.
Is it possible that this current growth might become stagnant or disappear?
I do not believe that production could disappear completely, partly because it is an industry which is constantly being up-dated, each year people are buying new mobile phone models.
Over the last few years innovation has increased resulting in the need to provide customers with the services and electronic components that they demand. Latin America’s challenge is to continue to develop increasingly sophisticated services. Production costs in South America are more expensive than in Asia which means that the country must invest in levels of sophistication.
Is Silicon Valley just a synonym for economic impact?
It has introduced a significant level of education into society, we are dealing with specialized professions. There are individuals who at the age of 16 are already programmers and at 25 years old are sales managers. Compared to my country, Italy, there are a significantly higher number of skilled professionals in these sectors and with large salaries that would be satisfactory for even young Europeans.
Are there many British companies in Costa Rica’s Silicon Valley?
No. The majority are from the US and some from India but there are no British companies in this sector. This is a reflection of the poor economic relationship that exists between the UK and Latin America.
Which country is most likely to repeat Costa Rica’s boom?
Undoubtedly, Uruguay has the most similar characteristics. It has a small and relatively open economy. The population is well educated and it is already home to a significant cluster of technological corporations. This country represents competition for Costa Rica. Chile is another option thanks to its stable economy and success in attracting investors and entrepreneurs through favourable tax and immigration laws.
By Ramón Alabau, The Prisma
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Costa Rica Banks Moving Towards EMV Credit Cards
The days of the credit card’s magnetic stripe appear numbered, with special-chip, or EMV, credit cards poised to immigrate onto America’s payments landscape.
In Costa Rica the BAC San José is the first to use the chip on their cards, several banks in the country will start using the chip later this year.
MasterCard explained that in the case of Costa Rica, at least two entities are migrating to this technology.
EMV-enabled cards, named for developers Europay, MasterCard and Visa, have an embedded microprocessor chip that encrypts transaction data differently for each purchase. Some chip cards require a personal identification number to complete a transaction, while others only require a signature. EMV is widely used in Europe and Asia and is steadily being adopted as the standard type of credit card worldwide.
EMV: Better security than the mag stripe? Proponents of smart cards brag about the security EMV cards offer versus the traditional swipe-the-stripe cards. Because the transaction information is encoded uniquely every time, it’s harder for criminals to pick up useful payment data pieces and use them again for another purchase, says Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance, a nonprofit with a mission of advocating smart card technology.
Compare that with magnetic stripes that contain what Vanderhoof calls “static” data, or payment information that never changes. All thieves have to do is lift that information and create a fake card before going on a shopping spree.
EMV cards nearly eliminate skimming scams, says George Peabody, director of emerging technologies advisory service at Mercator Advisory Group. So no more worrying about a server taking liberties with your credit card after a meal, like the Mugs ‘N Jugs waitress in Florida who was arrested on charges of skimming the credit cards of bad tippers.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland the have branded the EMV smart card “Chip and PIN”, the word “chip” refers to a computer chip embedded in the smartcard; the word PIN refers to a personal identification number that must be supplied by the customer.
Developed well over 15 years ago, one market that resisted the use of the EMV is the United States. However that is changing with the announcement by MasterCard that it’s finally pushing the EMV system across its U.S. By the end of this month (April 2013), MasterCard is saying it’ll have, in the U.S., replaced its existing magnetic strip infrastructure with one compatible with the chip-based technology, where every credit card has a small silicon chip embedded in it.
So who knows? Your next credit card really may be your last, but before the plastic goes it’ll turn digital…and then disappear entirely into the digital ether (with Apple perhaps involved, if Visa doesn’t seal the iPhone NFC deal first).
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Taxi Drivers Firm On Tuesday’s Protest Action
As had been announced prior to Semana Santa, the “fuerza roja (red force) or taxi drivers, will be protesting on Tuesday, upset about the lack of action by the government, they say, against porteadores and gypsy cabs.
If the protest goes ahead it will unite thousands of taxi drivers from around the country.
The protest will concentrate in San José, though protests are expected in rural areas as well. Reports from the taxi unions indicate that their coordination efforts will ensure a massive protest action.
Expected on Tuesday is not just the lack of taxis, but traffic jams and road blocks.
A last minute dialogue may call off the protest, according to Gilbert Ureña, representing the taxi unions in one united voice.
The problem of porteadores (informal taxis) and gypsy cabs has been ongoin for years. The taxi unions and governments have reached several agreements to solve the issue. The taxi unions, however, say the government has not come through on the agreements and are being forced to take their position to the streets.
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30 Deaths Recorded In Semana Santa
The Cruz Roja Costarricense (Red Cross) reports 30 violent deaths and another 73 people requiring hospitalization for their serious injuries as the the tally for Semana Santa.
The number is 13 – 8 deaths and 5 serious injuries – more than the same period last year.
According to Freddy Román, press officer at the Cruz Roja, the actual number of fatalities could end up being higher, considering that some of the injured taken to hospital were in serious condition.
This year the main causes of the deaths were by assaults with knives and guns and traffic accidents.
Román said that the number of aquatic accidents was reduced this year, with only three accidents reported.
All the numbers from the rest of Central America are not yet in, but it appears that Costa Rica will have the highest in the region.
Estimates show that 1.5 millions of Costa Ricans went on holiday in this period, for that reason authorities had called to be cautious, particularly on the roads, to avoid traffic accidents.
At several beaches, signs were placed to warn bathers on the risks of dangerous currents, also the presence of first-aid workers has been increased in the places more crowded.
Traffic jams to enter the Central Valley and capital, drivers negligence and alcohol beverages consumption are the most frequent causes of traffic accidents.
In several regions of the country, alcohol ingestion had been banned during the Semana Santa, but it was allowed in the rest of the country.
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Costa Rica Trivia
Which is the most noted natural resource of Costa Rica?
Hydro power. Hydro power is a very important natural resource in Costa Rica. It is abundant and an example is the Represa of Cachi, that produces this kind of energy.
What is the highest point in Costa Rica?
Cerro Chirripo. Cerro Chirripo’s highest point is 3,819 m or 12,530 ft.
Which provinces are on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica?
Guanacaste and Puntarenas. Guanacaste, Limon and Puntarenas are by the ocean, but the Limon province is on the Atlantic coast.
What is the highest of Costa Rica`s volcanoes?
Irazu. (3,431 m or 11,257 ft).
What is the main army of Costa Rica called?
Costa Rica does not have an army. Costa Rica is known for being one of the few countries that do not have an army. The army was abolished in December 1, 1948 by president José Figueres Ferrer. It was the first country to abolish its army constitutionally. Fuerza Publica is the police organization that protects the country.
Which two countries border Costa Rica?
Nicaragua and Panama. Costa Rica borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south.
How many provinces does the country Costa Rica have?
Seven. Limón, San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste and Puntarenas.
What is the capital of Costa Rica?
San José. San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica. First it was Cartago, but it changed. San José is now the most developed province of the country.
What is the size of Costa Rica’s territory?
In total, Costa Rica comprises 51,100 square kilometres (19,700 sq mi) plus 589 square kilometres (227 sq mi) of territorial waters.
What is Costa Rica’s main religion?
Christianity is the predominant religion, and Roman Catholicism is the official state religion according to the 1949 Constitution, which at the same time guarantees freedom of religion.
How many languages are spoken in Costa Rica?
The primary language spoken in Costa Rica is Costa Rican Spanish. Some native languages are still spoken in indigenous reservations. The most numerically important are the Bribri, Maléku, Cabécar and Ngäbere languages, some of which have several thousand speakers in Costa Rica – others a few hundred. A Creole-English language, Jamaican patois (also known as Mekatelyu), is spoken along the Caribbean coast. About 10.7% of Costa Rica’s adult population (18 or older) also speaks English, 0.7% French, and 0.3% speaks Portuguese or German as a second language.
How literate is Costa Rica?
The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9%, one of the highest in Latin America.
Is Costa Rica in South America or North America?
North America. Coasta Rica would be considered North American, as with all the other Central American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Belize, and Panama. Central America is not a continent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America
How do you say hello in Costa Rica?
Hola. Hello in Costa Rica and most Spanish people countries is hola. Make sure not to pronounce the ‘h’ as the ‘h’ is silent in most Spanish words.
What is Costa Rica’s currency?
The Colon. Costa Rica’s currency is the colon. The plural of colon is colones.
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VIDEO: Presidential Candidates On Being Sincere
[youtube id=”zYzSjHFDrQM” width=”620″ height=”360″]
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Presidential Candidates Say They Will Be Sincere
Six of the presidential candidates agree that win the 2014 electons they should show who they are, be sincere, no masks or characters.
That is the image that the candidates want to convey, using social netowrks and touring the country to bring home the message.
Regional media may also play an important role for the candidates to let the people know who they really are, what they stand for and their objectives. As the election (February 2014) gets closer all the candidates agree that voters are more informed today.
The presidential hopefuls are: Johnny Araya (PLN), José María Villalta (Frente Amplio), Epsy Campbell (PAC), Juan Carlos (PAC)Mendoza (PAC) and Luis Guillermo Solís (PAC). The PAC has yet to name a presidential candidate.
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Motorcyclists Top The List in Semana Santa Fatalities
Four of seven traffic fatalities so far this Semana Satna were on motorcycles.
The latest accident occured Saturday morning in Siquirres, where a young man was driving the motorcycle, with a companion in the back, when it was involved in a collision with a vehicle.
The woman, who was not wearing a helmet, died on the scene. The man was taken to the Siquirres hospital in delicate condition.
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SATIRE: Costa Rica Bans Motorcycles On Its Roads
Disclaimer: The following article is purely fictional, a satire/parody.
The government of Costa Rica announced a ban of all two wheeled motorcycles on public roads. The ban is immediate and includes all types of motorcycles and scooters. Three wheeled cycles are still OK.
A government source said “they are just too dangerous”.
For the moment bicycles are still allowed. However, the government has commissioned a study to determine if bicycles should also be banned
The transit police said it will start applying the ban as soon as the Semana Santa holidays are over, due to lack of sufficient officials.
The explanation given for the ban is that it will save the state run medical system, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) or Caja a lot of money. Authorities indicate that motorcycles are involved in the majority of traffic accidents.
The INS, the state run insurance company, is also expected to benefit from the ban. It is not a state secret that the majority of motorcycle owners do not pay the Marchamo, annual circulation permit. By banning motorcycles, owners of motorcycles would buy a four wheeled vehicle and owners of passenger vehicles, trucks etc. pay their Marchamo.
A source close the Q had another theory and more plausible reason for the ban. Gasoline station owners were denied an increase in the profit margin by the regulatory authority. The denial came before Semana Santa when the ARESEP was forced to postpone the gasoline price decrease under the threat of gasoline station owners to shut down the dispensing of fuel.
The source tells the Q that a backroom deal was brokered where the government would ban motorcycles, being more economical and requiring less fuel, forcing consumer to buy more gasoline to fill the larger tanks of other vehicles. So, though the station owners did not get their increase, they make more profits by selling more gasoline.
And the timing was right. What better to do this during Semana Santa while everyone is on vacation!
Whatever the reason behind the ban the question by many motorcycles owners is now, “what do we do with our motorcycles? If we can’t drive them on public streets and there are no buyers, what now?”
One motorcycle dealer says he has he answer: a conversion kit. Yup, the kit converts a two wheeled motorcycle to three or four wheels, which are not banned.
The dealer, Gitao, who spoke to the Q, said “If we have to we will do a Macgyver* but guarantee a conversion every time”. The dealer did no provide details on the conversion kit or the cost.
One motorcycle group, “Somos Los Motorizados”, formed quickly in response to the ban, said they will take to the streets in protest. Juan Carlos Campos, head of the group , admitted it won’t be like the past demonstrations since they can’t be out in their motorcycles. Campos says the group is struggling to figure out a way for the people and government to know it is a group of motorcyclists protesting or the teachers or ICE employees, for instance.
SLM, without putting too much thought in the idea told the Q that if this ban sticks they will take it to the Constitutional Court, where hopefully it will be struck down or at least tied up for a few years.
In the few hours the ban went into effect. a poll by the Q revealed that all interviewed were in favour of the ban. To be fair, however, none of the interviewed were motorcyclists. One motorcyclist refused to give her opinion, showing us the finger, leaving it up to interpretation if it as good or bad sign.
* Macgyver: the ability to use a dorito, some duct tape, and a paper clip to create a time machine. I dont know what im talkin about.
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Major Roads Saturated By Vacationers!
If you thought the traffic was nasty going to the beach the last couple of days, expect the worst today and tomorrow, as most will head home from the beaches and resorts, ending the Semana Santa holidays.
One of the most congested is the San José – Caldera (Ruta 27) between Orotina and Cuidad Colón (Santa Ana).
On Wednesday and Thursday the Autopistas del Sol, the road concessionaire, opened all lanes one way to Puntarenas between 6:00am and noon. Today (Saturday) and Sunday it will open all lanes one way in the direction of San José between noon and 8:00pm.
The one way is between the Pozón (Orotina) and Cuidad Colon (Santa Ana) toll stations.
HOWEVER, despite the measure traffic on the “Caldera” was, is and will continue to be a mess. The obvious is just volume, but more, the lack of alternate routes AND the bad drivers – drivers who drive too slow; or too fast; impatient, driving on shoulders, crossing double lines to get one car ahead; weaving between lanes, etc, etc, etc.
Friday night, drivers heading for the Central Valley were hit with a “wall” of vehicles at the Pozón toll station. The heavy flow of traffic continued to Atenas, where it started easing off as many heading for different directions. The next congestion came at the La Guacima toll station.
It was just volume of traffic, as many vacationers decided to head home early, beating out the madness that is expected today and tomorrow. Or maybe not, since…
The best recommendation is to travel home on Monday if at all possible. If not, here are a few recommendations:
- a full tank of gasoline
- radiator, oil and transmission fluid (if automatic) topped up
- belts and hoses in good condition
- ensure that exhaust system is working properly. Toxic gases can build up quickly and with no ventilation…
- lots of fluids (water, juices, etc) for your and your passengers
- if traveling with children, make sure you have entertainment for them
- if traveling with pets make sure they are well hydrated and stop to have them relieve themselves to reduce stress
- scout alternate routes
- make the trip at off hours (like the middle of the night) or Monday and Tuesday, if at all possible
- allow at least 1-2 hours of added travel time to get to your destination. For visitors headed to the airport, allow even more time in the event of accident or car breakdown.
- arm yourself with a lot of patience and then some
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Once again The “Lagarteada” Unites Thousands In Santa Cruz
You can’t be in Costa Rica during Semana Santa and not visit Santa Cruz in Guanacaste. Not for its beauty nor its nearby beaches, but for annual traditional “Lagateada”.
Every Good Friday, thousands flock to the Ortega river in Santa Cruz for annual capturing a huge lizard. This year, the catch was a yellow belly of about four metres (12 feet) long.
Official estimate puts the number in attendance at 4.000, between community residents and visitors from around the country and the world.
The tradition began some 150 years ago when a local resident capture a large “lagarto” on Good Friday. The dictionary defines lagarto as a lizard, alligator (caimán).
Today the tradition has changed a lot, but it remains, a group of about 30 men are involved in capturing the lagarto.
The lagarto is then taken to the Plaza de Ortega where there is a great celebration.
Finding the largest lagarto starts days and weeks earlier. In addition, organizers now need to obtain permits from the municipality and the Regional del Área de Conservación Tempisque de Nicoya (ACT).
Some residents say that in the past the fat of the lagarto was removed for alleged medicinal properties. However, today the practice involves capturing the lagarto and releasing it the following day.
Friday’s catch is to be released this morning (Saturday) at 9:00am back into the Ortega river, in the same spot it was captured.
Until next year!
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Another Happiness Reprt – Costa Rica Did NOT Make The List
Just Explain It: Who Are The Happiest People In The World? Are you happy?
The pursuit of happiness was enshrined as a right in the United States Declaration of Independence over 200 years ago, but now researchers and policy makers are looking closely at what nations are the happiest, and why.
Last year, the United Nations passed a resolution declaring March 20, 2013 the first International Day of Happiness. The resolution recognized “happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.”
So, why is happiness so important? How is happiness measured? And what countries are the happiest?
That’s what we set to find out, on today’s “Just Explain It.”
The United Nations believes happiness can be the result of their peacekeeping, anti-poverty, human rights and sustainability duties. When International Happiness Day was announced, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Social, economic, and environmental well-being are indivisible. Together they define gross global happiness.”
Research shows that people who are physically healthy, have strong social and communal ties, and have meaningful goals tend to be happier and live longer. Money only makes an impact on happiness to the point of covering necessities. Once those needs are met, research doesn’t show a correlation between more money and more happiness. Similarly, governments are also finding other ways to define national happiness and success beyond wealth and gross domestic product.
In 1972, the small Himalayan nation of Bhutan rejected GDP as a measure of its well-being and adopted gross national happiness or GNH. In Bhutan, GNH consists of shared economic prosperity, environmental and cultural preservation, and good governance. It sounds hard to measure, but it seems to be working pretty well for them. In the last 20 years Bhutan has doubled its life expectancy.
More recently in 2009 former French President Nicolas Sarkozy created a commission to measure the nation’s prosperity by looking at issues like the environment and quality of life. Meanwhile, in 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron began measuring the nation’s “life-satisfaction” through surveys, and he directed local governments to foster well-being in an effort to improve it.
Many studies use data beyond wealth to calculate happiness and well-being, but they don’t provide a definite answer as to who are the happiest people in the world.
The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index ranked 142 countries by surveys and empirical data across eight areas: Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Governance, Education, Health, Safety & Security, Personal Freedom and Social Capital. Wealthy northern European nations Norway, Sweden and Denmark topped the list.
The United States ranked high, but came in 12th. It was the first time it wasn’t in the top ten. The two lowest ranking scores for the U.S. were in the Economy, and Safety & Security. But the biggest drops in the last two years of the Index for the U.S. were in Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Personal Freedom and Governance.
However, a Gallup survey published last year found different results. In their survey to find the most positive nation in the world, Gallup asked citizens in 148 countries if they experienced a lot of enjoyment the previous day. They also asked if respondents felt respected, well-rested, laughed and smiled a lot, and did or learned something interesting the day before the survey. Who were the most positive people? Citizens in Panama and Paraguay answered yes to all those questions 85% of the time. In fact, eight out of the top ten countries were in Latin America: El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Ecuador and Costa Rica. The other two countries in the top 10 were Thailand and the Philippines. Only 76% of U.S. respondents said yes to all of the questions, placing it in 35th place.
What might cause the different results? Gallup’s poll asked respondents more subjective questions about themselves, while the Legatum survey used both questionnaire and hard data. There could also be cultural differences as well: people in certain countries may be more or less likely to express happiness than others.
But then again, isn’t perceived happiness, still happiness?
What makes you happy? Why do you think U.S. isn’t the happiest country in the world?
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Chinchilla Best-Dressed Woman Among Top 10 Best-Dressed World Leaders
Vanity Fair magazine lists Costa Rica’s presidenta second of the ten best-dressed world leaders, the top among the four women on the list.
VF says Costa Rica’s Presidenta is “progressive” when it comes to her dress.
The Presidenta is number two on the Vanity Fair list, behind UK Prime Minister David Cameron and ahead of the Primer Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte.
Rounding out the top ten best-dressed by Vanity Fair are: Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress; US President, Barack Obama; Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Werner Faymann
Chancellor of Austria; Joyce Banda, President of Malawi; Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico; and, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland.
VF describes Laura Chinchilla as: the first female president of Costa Rica, is a social conservative and progressive dresser. For her inauguration, Chinchilla wore a white skirt and white suit jacket featuring a built-in white cummerbund. Though she’s been in office for just under three years, she’s already experimented with a wide variety of suit shades and is often photographed wearing gem tones of green and blue. Poker-straight shoulder-length brown hair combats the aging effect that’s often a consequence of female politicians’ necessarily moderate outfits.
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Teacher Dead In Costa Rica: What Happened To Sarah Acton While On School Rafting Trip?
It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. Sarah Acton, a 31-year-old teacher from Buffalo, N.Y., was on a school trip in Costa Rica when she suddenly died of an unknown cause.
The Spanish teacher at Tapestry Charter School became ill while leading students on a cultural exchange program. She collapsed during a white-water rafting trip, and despite receiving immediate medical attention she could not be revived.
On Monday, school officials remembered the beloved teacher and the passion she had for her job.
“She showed up here every day and she was happy to be here, happy to be with her students,” said Joy Pepper, Executive Director at Tapestry Charter School. “She was very frank and got a lot out of them.”
“She wanted us all to graduate and be successful,” one of her students said. “So we’ve got to do it for her.”
School officials headed to Costa Rica on Tuesday to bring the students home on Wednesday, half way through their trip. Some of teenagers wanted to finish it to honor Acton, but school officials opted for bringing them home to their families.
Acton was getting her Board Certificate in world languages, and had studied abroad before in Costa Rica, and had led similar cultural exchange trips in the past. She was married to James Acton, a YNN News photojournalist.
Source: The Latin Times
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US President To Visit Costa Rica
The US Embassy in San José says that United States president, Barack Obama, is making plans to visit Costa Rica in May. The trip from the White House will also take him to Mexico.
No date has been announced, the Embassy only saying it will be early May.
Obama is scheduled to meet Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto between May 2 and 4. Nieto took office last December and has met with Obama at the White House last November.
From Mexico, Obama is schedule to head south to Costa Rica, where he will meet with presidenta Laura Chinchilla who is hosting the Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA)* meeting that will be attended by several Central American leaders.
Obama said he hoped the visit would strengthen cooperation on a variety of issues.
“I’m looking forward to having a couple of days of important consultations and emphasizing, underscoring, how important it is for us within this Western Hemisphere to be able to strengthen our economic ties,” Obama told the Spanish-language network Telemundo in an interview released Wednesday. “Because that will be good for all the parties concerned. They’ll have a greater chance of success and opportunity.
“And when you have more opportunity, more success, it solves a lot of these other problems. You start seeing lower rates of crime and drug violence. You start seeing fewer problems with respect to undocumented immigration, because people have opportunities in their own countries. So we want to make sure that we’re pushing forward that positive agenda.”
Obama last traveled to Mexico for the G-20 summit in June. He visited Central America in March 2011.
SICA
The Central American Integration System (SICA) is the institutional framework of Regional Integration in Central America, created by the States of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Also involved are the Dominican Republic as an Associated State; Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and the United States of America, take part as Regional Observers. China (Taiwan), Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, South Korea, France, the Holy See, participate as Extra Regional Observers. SICA’s General Secretariat headquarters are located in the Republic of El Salvador.
Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti and Uruguay are in the process of joining the System as Regional Observers as well as the United Kingdom in the Extra Regional Observer category. Their participation was approved by the XL SICA Heads of State and Government Meeting, held in December 2012.
The Central American Integration System was established on December 13, 1991, by the signing of the Protocol to the Charter of the Organization of Central American States (ODECA) or Tegucigalpa Protocol, which amended the Charter of ODECA, signed in Panama on December 12, 1962, and formally came into operation on February 1, 1993.
The SICA initiative was widely supported by the United Nations General Assembly (Resolution A/48 L of December 10, 1993), with the Tegucigalpa Protocol being duly registered with the UN. This allows that it be invoked internationally as it also allows SICA’s regional bodies and institutions to interact with the United Nations System.
The System was designed taking into account past attempts for regional unification as well as lessons learned from a history of political crisis, belligerent conflict and dictatorial rule in Central America. These considerations, coupled to internal constitutional transformations and the existence of democratic regimes in the region, were contemplated in establishing the fundamental objective of realizing the integration of Central America in order to transform the area into a region of Peace, Liberty, Democracy and Development, based firmly on the respect, tutelage and promotion of human rights.
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SMiShing: Protect Yourself against SMS Phishing Attacks
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It’s the latest high-tech attack and it’s coming to cell phones everywhere. Here’s the lowdown on smishing and what you can do about it
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Never reply to a suspicious text without doing research and verifying the source.
Just when you thought you understood “Phishing” and felt save to navigate the world wide web again, there is “Smishing”. So, what is Smishing?
Short for SMS Phishing, smishing is a variant of phishing email scams that instead utilizes Short Message Service (SMS) systems to send bogus text messages. Also written as SMiShing, SMS phishing made recent headlines when a vulnerability in the iPhone’s SMS text messaging system was discovered that made smishing on the mobile device possible.
Smishing scams frequently seek to direct the text message recipient to visit a website or call a phone number, at which point the person being scammed is enticed to provide sensitive information such as credit card details or passwords. Smishing websites are also known to attempt to infect the person’s computer with malware.
SMS phishing uses cell phone text messages to deliver the bait to induce people to divulge their personal information. The hook (the method used to actually capture people’s information) in the text message may be a website URL, but it has become more common to see a telephone number that connects to an automated voice response system.
The SMS phishing message usually contains something that demands the target’s immediate attention. Examples include “We confirm that you have signed up for our subscription. You will be charged $2 a day unless you cancel your order on this URL: [URL]”. Or (Name of popular online bank) confirms that you have purchased a computer from (name of popular computer company). Visit [URL] if you did not make this online purchase”, and “(Name of a financial institution): Your account has been suspended. Call 235.654.6969 immediately to reactivate”. The hook will be a seemingly legitimate website that asks you to “confirm” (enter) your personal financial information, such as your credit/debit card number, CVV code (on the back of your credit card), your ATM card PIN, SSN, email address, and other personal information. If the hook is a phone number, it normally directs to a legitimate-sounding automated voice response system, similar to the voice response systems used by many financial institutions, which will ask for the same personal information.
This is an example of a (complete) SMS phishing message in current circulation: “Notice – this is an automated message from (a local credit union), your ATM card has been suspended. To reactivate call urgent [sic] at 866-###-####.”
In many cases, the SMS phishing message will not show an actual telephone number and some unusual number. This usually indicates the SMS message was sent by email to the cell phone rather than from another cell phone. This information is then used to create duplicate credit/debit/ATM cards. There are documented cases where information entered on a fraudulent website (used in a phishing, SMS phishing, or voice phishing attack) was used to create a credit or debit card that was then used halfway around the world within 30 minutes.
Avoid the Dangers of “Smishing”: How to Protect Yourself
If you get a text that’s unsolicited or from an unidentifiable source, protect yourself with these tips:
- If the message appears to be from a legitimate source, contact that source’s main phone number—not the number provided in the text—and verify. Legitimate businesses, such as banks, do not send out texts that elicit a response.
- Delete messages from unknown sources without reading.
- Do not click on links or download apps from an unverified source.
- Never provide sensitive information to an unverified texter.
- Avoid messages that appear to come from non telephone numbers. This may be an identity that hides a scammer’s real number. The message may have no number at all.
- Add security software to your mobile phone.
- Look into setting up a “text alias.” This cell phone feature hides your actual phone number from the smishing sender.
- Contact your phone provider and alert it to the messages you’ve been receiving.
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Ruta 27 To Be “Reversible” On Peak Travel Days
If you are travelling to and from the Pacific coast this week and plan to use the Ruta 27 (San José – Caldera) take note of the following information by the Autopistas del Sol: the road will become a reversible road, westerly on Wednesday and Thursday and easterly on Saturday and Sunday.
Starting this morning Wednesday, March 27, the Ruta 27 will be one way to Jacó between Santa Ana and Orotina, the same will apply for Thursday, March 28, between 6:00am and noon.
On Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31, the Ruta 27 will be one way to San José – again between Orotina and Santa Ana – from noon to 8:00pm.
The measure is to move the expected high volume of traffic in the right direction, to the Pacific coast and back to the Central Valley, during the peak travel days.
For those travelling in the opposite direction during the “one way” of the Ruta 27, the alternates include the old road to Jacó (Aguacate) and the Interamericana by way of the Cambronero.
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Mob Attacks Immigration Police At Northern Crossing Post
The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (Costa Rica’s immigration service) reports that a mob attacked immigration police officers in the area of Los Chiles, near the Las Tablilas crossing point between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
The director of immigration Freddy Montero, said the attack from a group of men occurred around noon. Montero said the officers were in Los Chiles as part of the increased border controls for Semana Santa.
According to reports, the six immigraton police officers were patrolling the area when they observed a car with several people inside and decided to intercept and search. The report said the group of men in the vehicle got out quickly and fled before the officers could detain them.
The officers were able to detain the man and arrange for him to be transferred to the nearest prosecutor’s office (Fiscalia), when a group of about 25 men began pelting the officers with rocks and beating them with sticks, in an attempt to free the man.
The official report says that one of the officers opened fire during the incident, impacting one of the men in mob in the leg, and had to be treated by paramedics.
During the brawl with the mob several officers suffered blows to the head, back and arms.
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iPhone Most Coveted by Thieves in Costa Rica
If you own an iPhone in Costa Rica there is a one in four chance that it will be stolen. Statistics by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) reveals that of the 13.374 reported cell phones stolen in 2012, 3.155 or 23% were iPhones.
The provinces with the highest incidents of stolen iPhones were San José and Alajuela, as shown in the OIJ graph.
According to the Instituto Costarricence Electricidad (ICE), betwen March 2011 and November 2012, they received 176.000 requests for blocks as a result of loss or theft. No data was available from carriers Claro and Movistar.
The high cost and small size of smartphones make them coveted by thieves. The viceministro de Seguridad, Celso Gamboa, admits that the theft of cellular phones continues and is a serious problem.
It is not possible to compare is the incidents of iPhone thefts has increased since the OIJ does not have such information, since the iPhone, Apple’s flagship product and creation by Steve Jobs, did not officially arrive in Costa Rica until May 2011.
Source: OIJ
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Costa Rica eco tour: wild for the delights of a natural paradise
On an eco tour of Costa Rica, Pat Richardson uncovers a modern-day Eden bursting with sound and colour.
It wasn’t a scheduled stop, but once again our guides, Fabian and Jorge, had spotted something that they wanted us to see.
“Quickly,” they urged, “great green macaws.”
Armed, as always, with binoculars and cameras, we hurried back along the road to see this endangered species, of which around only 40 pairs remain.
With their vivid lime-green colouring, the birds were easy to spot in a not-too-distant tree. And when they took to the air, more of their glorious plumage was revealed: radiant blue wings, blue and scarlet tailfeathers and flashes of bright sulphur-yellow.
Fabian and Jorge proved to have a remarkable ability to spot wildlife amid the dense vegetation of this lush land. They pointed out slumbering sloths — one clutching her baby — as well as spider and capuchin monkeys, toucans, part-submerged caimans, a water snake, walk-on-water lizards, geckos and numerous iguanas. And what, from a distance, looked to us like a stray stem of ivy trailing its long line of leaves down a tree trunk turned out via a closer look through binoculars to be a colony of little-nosed bats, sleeping off the daylight hours in single file.
Equally exciting were the creatures we could see or hear for ourselves. We could soon distinguish iguanas from the branches on which they languished; we knew when howler monkeys were near because their haunting roars reverberated through the forest; and we spotted tiny, brightly coloured tree frogs in the garden of our hotel in Tortuguero National Park.
Its name means “land of the turtles” and no one on the beach could miss the dozens of tiny hatchlings, which, discarding the shells from which they had just emerged, set off determinedly into the pounding surf on their remarkable, annual odyssey.
Just as thrilling, a few days later, was having wild hummingbirds perch on my fingers as they sipped sugared water from a feeder. More than 50 varieties of these flying jewels can be seen in Costa Rica, and no two on my hands were the same.
The wildlife we saw on that evening’s “night safari” was equally exotic but less enchanting — apart, that is, from the family of racoons that stopped for a drink in the grounds of the lodge we set out from. As our guide’s torch-beam picked out, in turn, a tarantula, a tightly coiled green serpent and a poisonous toad, we felt more unnerved by these sights than we would have in broad daylight and were left wondering what else lurked concealed by the inky night. Even so, it was yet another unforgettable experience.
Although bird and animal sightings were frequent, they weren’t the only highlights on this eco adventure: an eight-day journey that took us east from the capital, San José, to Tortuguero National Park — accessible only by small plane or, in our case, by boat through the rainforest — and the Caribbean coast. We then travelled west past a volcano, on through fertile valleys blessed with volcanic soil, up into an ethereally beautiful cloud forest, and across a plain to the Pacific coast for a three-day beach extension, spending seven nights in hotels en route.
At its widest point, Costa Rica measures a little more than 160 miles, and for a country that’s only half the size of Cuba, it packs in some very varied terrain — four-fifths of it mountainous.
The rainforest certainly lived up to its name and was a pleasure to explore by boat (ponchos provided). Costa Rica sits firmly in the tropics, so wet days were not cold ones and nights were warmer when the skies were not clear and the day’s heat lingered, trapped by clouds.
Halfway through the trip we headed from our hotel at the foot of Arenal (pictured below, the country’s most active volcano) for Tabacón Springs, a thermal spa resort built around a series of naturally occurring hot pools and cascades. We got thoroughly soaked — and it was blissful.
Another optional excursion that involved getting wet was white-water rafting, which I signed up for, having enjoyed some sedate float-boat rides in the past. This experience was altogether different: kitted out with helmets, life-jackets and paddles, and drilled in self-preservation in case we should fall overboard, we were swept into a raging torrent, bumped over a series of hair-raising rapids and bounced off the opposite bank. Exhilarating, but far from sedate.
The majestic Monteverde Cloud Forest, which sits high on the country’s mountainous backbone, over which moist air from the Caribbean meets dry air from the Pacific, also lived up to its name. Not that it was enveloped in broken cloud — rather, we witnessed a slow but ceaseless sequence in which slender veils of vapour rippled sinuously, often parting so we could see the Pacific Ocean, which sparkled invitingly far below.
Our walk through the Cloud Forest Reserve revealed a very different world from the one we had viewed from our boat trips through the rainforest, but this country is all about contrast. Our Sky Walk, from which we looked down on the canopy we had just been looking up at, provided another one, as did a very informative coffee plantation tour and, later, our three lazy days in a lively beach resort.
Despite all its beauty, the paradox of Costa Rica is this: poor infrastructure is its Achilles’ heel. Roads are inadequate, many bridges have structural problems and its ports and airports cry out for improvement. Most of the money required to make all this work will come from large-scale tourism — but this lush and friendly country’s unique charm is that the masses don’t yet go there.
From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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Win Puts Costa Rica Back The Mix
One point? No problem. Coach Pinto says the Ticos will somehow get the 3 points as Costa Rica gets first hex win, 2-0 over Jamaica
Following last Friday’s loss to the US, Costa Rica’s national soccer team, La Sele, recovered from their wintry ordeal with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win against Jamaica.
The win put the Ticos back in the mix for CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, in a game that must have seen most Costa Ricas glued to their television sets for the 90 minutes of play.
Both sides nearly went ahead early, with Jermaine Beckford shooting wide four minutes in when Jamaica looked certain to open the scoring before, at the other end of the pitch, Reading defender Adrian Mariappa’s attempted clearance came within a couple of inches of going into his own goal. The visitors started brighter, but Costa Rica, for their part, looked thrilled to be playing on grass rather than in a blizzard — and it was the hosts who took the lead in the 23rd minute.
It was a set piece that opened up the Jamaica defence, with Alvaro Saborio bringing the ball down and playing in a deflected pass for Umaña, who took a touch and smashed a shot past Donovan Ricketts to make it 1-0. The visitors’ response was to allow Costa Rica to keep attacking for most of the half, although Luton Shelton should probably have equalised just before the break when he danced through the Ticos defence only to delay shooting and let them clear to safety.
Most of the second half was intense, if nothing else — there was a major battle going on in the middle of the pitch — but something always seemed to go wrong. A touch, a misplaced pass, a wayward finish always ensured that even the most incisive-looking move broke down. The best example came in the 77th minute, when Joel Cambell sucked the Jamaican defence (and Ricketts) to one side and squared for Saborio five yards in front of the goal only for the striker to completely miskick his effort and send the ball bobbling well wide.
Fortunately, Diego Calvo opted to take matters into his own hands and inject a moment of real quality into the match. Picking up the ball at the edge of the area, the substitute danced away from Jermaine Taylor’s challenge, drifted further in and sent a beautiful curling shot just inside the far post. With 81 minutes gone, it was 2-0, and the points were safe.
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FIFA Rejects Protest, Upholds US Win
ZURICH — FIFA has upheld the United States’ 1-0 win over Costa Rica in a snowy World Cup qualifier last week, saying the protest by the visitors was not filed correctly.
The Ticos were angered by the decision of referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador to allow the game in Commerce City, Colo., to be played on a snow-covered field.
World Cup regulations required Ticos captain Bryan Ruiz to “immediately lodge a protest” with the referee if he believed the field became unplayable, FIFA said. U.S. captain Clint Dempsey also needed to be present for the protest.
Protests also must be filed in writing to FIFA’s administration “no later than two hours after the match,” the regulations state. FIFA said it received the protest letter Sunday, two days after the game.
“The conditions established in the regulations for an official protest have not been met,” FIFA said in a statement Tuesday.
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Highlights of The US/Costa Rica Hockey (Soccer) Game
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