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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, April 18, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 76 | |||||||||
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 Ministerio de Economía, Industria y
Comercio photo
This is one of the devices that
will be readied for the public.Economics ministry plans to provide more citizen access By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio unveiled a machine Wednesday that workers called a virtual office that gives residents access to the government administrative services, Internet and communication networks. The goal of these computerized stations is to make procedures and public information quicker and easier to access, said spokespersons. They will also cut down on the amount of paper the government uses. “Thanks to the cooperation through the Fundación Europea, we can move forward on the issue of improving regulations and simplifying procedures, by making available these digital units that link citizens with the state and information technologies which facilitates access to the electronic services and streamlines various public procedures,” said Mayi Antillón, economics minister. Users will have the ability to enter the ministry of economy Web site, use the Gobierno Digital platforms like CrearEmpresa and access PYMES de Costa Rica as well as other tools such as the Agenda Nacional de Iniciativas Ciudadanas, tourist information, Gaceta Digital and the official Gobierno de la República site. The CrearEmpresa allows a user to file many of the documents needed to set up a corporation. The PYMES system is for small businesses. The first machines will be located in the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica. It is projected that by the end of 2013 a network of 120 electronic offices will exist in the country. They will be available to the public in the municipalities, malls and various offices. “These devices will benefit the simplification of formalities and contribute to greater transparency towards citizens, allowing them to perform procedures for certification, registration and consultations, among others,” said a release. The systems appear to have much more content than the current Gobierno digital terminals that are in public places now. Informal exposure to language seen improving learning By
the University of Nottingham news service
Playing simple games using words and pictures can help people to learn a new language with greater ease, researchers from The University of Nottingham have shown. Their study, published by the scientific journal PLOS ONE, revealed that using fun, informal ways of learning not only helped complete novices to acquire a new language but also made more traditional methods of language learning more effective. Marie-Josée Bisson, the doctoral student who led the study, said: “The results of this study have implications not only for language learning and teaching, but also for anyone interested in improving their knowledge of a foreign language. “They show that informal exposure can play an important role in foreign language word learning. Through informal exposure, learning can occur without intention, in a more effortless manner. Anyone attempting to learn another language would benefit from activities such as simple games using foreign language words and pictures, or foreign language films with subtitles where they can enjoy the activity without focusing on trying to learn the words. The results of this study suggest that these kinds of informal activities can facilitate language learning, even days afterwards.” Picking up another language can be a difficult process. Many language learners believe that informal learning, for example, watching a foreign language film or spending time in another country immersing oneself in the culture, is helpful for learning the lingo. This has now been validated by the results of the Nottingham study, which used spoken and written foreign language words along with pictures depicting their meaning to measure foreign vocabulary learning in complete novices. In the first phase of the study, English speakers who did not know any Welsh, viewed Welsh words on a computer screen and were asked to indicate whether a particular letter appeared in each word. While viewing the word, they also heard the word being spoken and saw a simple picture showing its meaning. Importantly, the pictures and spoken words were irrelevant to their task and they had not been asked to learn the Welsh words. In the second phase of the study, English speakers were explicitly asked to learn the correct translations of Welsh words. They were presented with pairs of written English words and spoken Welsh words and had to indicate each time whether the English word was the correct translation of the Welsh. Information about whether or not their responses were correct was provided so that they could learn the correct translations. Importantly, half of the Welsh words had been presented in the first phase of the study. Results indicated that participants performed better on the Welsh words they had previously been exposed to, indicating that during their informal exposure they had started to learn the meaning of the Welsh words. Better performance in the explicit learning task was found immediately after the informal exposure as well as the next day. The researchers found that participants retained knowledge unintentionally learned during the informal phase even as much as a week later following further explicit learning of the Welsh words. Google
applications suffer
outages for some users By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Google Inc. is experiencing a small outage of some of its popular applications such as Gmail and Google Drive, the search engine said on Wednesday. The company disclosed on its website that six of its 13 applications were having partial status disruptions. The issue with Gmail, for example, is affecting less than 0.007 percent of Google Mail users, who cannot access their accounts. Google said in a response to a request for comment that it is currently investigating the issue and will post the cause once the investigation is complete. "For everyone who is affected, we apologize — we know you count on Google to work for you and we're working hard to restore normal operation for you," Google said. Kerry says U.S. will wait before recognizing Maduro By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States has not decided whether to recognize Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela's new president. Kerry told a House of Representatives committee, "We think there ought to be a recount." Kerry added, ". . . if there are huge irregularities, we are going to have serious questions about the viability of that government." Sunday's narrow election victory by Maduro, the chosen successor of the late socialist President Hugo Chávez, has been rejected by his rival, Henrique Capriles. The opposition is alleging voting irregularities and calling for a recount. But Venezuela's supreme court says the manual recount sought by the opposition is impossible because the election system is computerized. The national election board had already said there would be no recount. Violence at opposition-led protests of the election results have resulted in seven deaths. Three cooks face allegations that they stole food from kids By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Judicial agents said Wednesday that three women who worked as cooks at a public school have been systematically looting the kitchen there of food. Agents detained the trio Wednesday as they left the school in the Cristo Rey section of San José with bags containing rice, beans, spaghetti, meats and other foodstuffs. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the three women worked in the kitchen. It is designed to provide meals for school children and is an important source of nourishment for youngsters in low-income areas such as Cristo Rey. Agents said that the thefts may have been going on for a year. School officials became suspicious in February when they noticed less food there than had been expected. An investigation followed.
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, April 18, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 76 | |
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| Iconic coconut water is at least worth a
second exploratory taste |
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By
Kayla Pearson
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff For tourists, the tropics are synonymous with warm weather and fresh fruit drinks under umbrellas by the beach. In Costa Rica, there is no shortage of these things. Meals known as casados are served with a natural juice, and persons push carts with pipa fria through all terrains. My first encounter with coconut water came during a trip to the Las Isletas off from Granada, Nicaragua. They are a cluster of 365 small islands in the midst of Lake Nicaragua. These land masses formerly were chunks of volcano Mombacho that were shed when the volcano erupted thousands of years ago. Now these islands are inhabited by both wealthy persons with mansions and locals who fish for a living. Part of my tour was to stop at the house of a local family. Upon docking our boat, children rose from their hammocks with smiles and brought us all a fresh coconut. New to the tropics, I had never seen a young coconut and was a bit shocked that the fruit I was presented with was hard and green and not brown and furry. Coconut water comes from the young fruit. The process for getting into the fruit was exciting. After giving us a “don't try this at home, you will lose a finger" speech, our guide took a large, sharp machete and hacked away at the top, until a round hole appeared. Here he placed a straw that served as a gateway to the clear liquid inside. With high expectations, I took a gulp. The taste that met my tongue was somewhat sweet, somewhat tangy and strong and peculiar. I have since heard someone describe the taste as dirty sewer water. I don't think I would go that far, but the flavor did cause my face to frown and my stomach to turn. I seemed to be the only one who didn't enjoy the drink, as others called it refreshing. For me, I would have rather had regular water. Yet, it was still entertaining to watch a person hack into the fruit. Commonly, when persons finished drinking the water, someone will chop the coconut in half then meticulously slice off a small concave piece of the side shell. |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Kayla Pearson
Opening a coconut requires a
steady handThis piece serves as a scoop for the white meat inside. The meat can then be eaten as is, or in the Caribbean it is made as a base for rice and beans. Unlike gallo pinto, the dish is cooked in coconut milk, a liquid that can be made from blending the coconut meat with water. In a mature coconut, this meat can be made into an oil- something I buy frequently from the Saturday feria as a moisturizer for my hair. Here in Costa Rica I see coconuts all around. A shop not far from my residence sells them for 250 colons or 50 cents. Vendors have them on carts at national events in the city as well as on the sand at the beach for prices that are as high as $2. Friends here tell me of the wonderful health benefits of coconut water as nature's sports drink that's full of potassium. They tell me it's even better as a half-and-half mixture of rum and coconut water, called Coco Loco. All this, plus the image from a Jamaican tourist I met in Manuel Antonio who reminisced of the divine flavor from the fruit she enjoyed as a child, led me to try the juice again. The flavor this time was not as strong, but still not as great as I wanted it to be. However, this time, I did finish the whole contents and my stomach flipped a little less. I guess it's an acquired taste. |
| Guanacaste residents file Sala IV case
over arsenic in water |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some residents of Guanacaste have filed a Sala IV constitutional appeal because their tap water is laced with arsenic. The Sala IV has asked the government agencies involved to respond. Arsenic in the water is nothing new because the chemical occurs naturally in the ground. However, more than a year ago, President Laura Chinchilla declared an emergency based on the problems with the water, and the group of residents said nothing has been done since. Among other requests they are asking the government to build |
whatever it takes to keep the
arsenic out of the water. This probably will mean bringing water
in from elsewhere. The original presidential decree cited problems in communities in Alajuela province and in the canton of Bagaces, Cañas and La Cruz in Guanacaste. The residents note that arsenic is listed as a cause of cancer. The problem is well-known, and there have been cases of farm animals suffering due to the arsenic in the water. Among other agencies, the residents name the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, the national emergency commission, the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos, the Presidencia, the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energies and the Ministerio de Salud. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, April 18, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 76 | |||||
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| Harvesting sea cucumbers at Sámara ends up in arrests
for two men |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
They are called pepinos de mar, which translates to the English "sea cucumbers." They also might be considered the poor man's Viagra because many cultures think that the sea creatures can enhance virility. Police officers said they think that a bag of about 500 of the tiny creatures was headed to Nicaragua when they detained two men at Sámara. The men were residents of Matapalo, police said. The sea cucumbers are protected by law in Costa Rica. Employees from the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura also participated in the arrest. Also present were two minors. The sea cucumbers in the bag were dead, said police. The sea cucumbers are called that because they are narrow and long. They have a tough skin. Those who have eaten them say they are pretty tasteless and have to be mixed with sauces or some other flavoring. They said the sea cucumber was similar to tofu in that regard. The creatures live on the floor of the sea, so they are easy to capture in shallow waters. |
 Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía y Seguridad Pública photo
Police officers inspect the dead
sea cucumbers |
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Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, April 18, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 76 | |||||||||
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| Mississippi man called suspect in poison letters By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. investigators say a suspect in Mississippi has been arrested in connection with a poisoned letter sent to U.S. President Barack Obama. The FBI said suspect Paul Kevin Curtis was arrested Wednesday in Corinth, Mississippi. Investigators did not provide further details. However, an FBI intelligence bulletin seen by reporters said the suspect's April 8 letter to Obama and a second one addressed to U.S. Sen. John Wicker were postmarked in Memphis, Tennessee, and contained some identical wording. Both letters preliminarily tested positive for ricin, a highly poisonous chemical compound that is deadly in amounts as small as a grain of salt. Investigators said both letters were intercepted at mail screening facilities away from the White House and Senate offices and consequently did not place either the president or the senator in immediate danger. Ricin previously turned up in the U.S. Senate mailroom in 2004, forcing authorities to temporarily shut down two Senate office buildings. Mail laced with the highly toxic bacterium anthrax appeared in post offices, newsrooms and U.S. congressional offices in the days and weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington. Those attacks were later linked to a government scientist who killed himself while under investigation in 2008. U.S. immigration bill has 844 pages of regulations By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has formally filed a long-awaited immigration reform bill. Sen. Chuck Schumer filed the 844-page bill early Wednesday. The bill provides a 13-year path to citizenship for more than 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. It also creates new visa programs while bolstering border security. Both conservatives and liberals have criticized the bill. The so-called "Gang of Eight" senators who wrote the bill have pointed to this criticism to show they have reached a balanced, bipartisan solution. Schumer, a Democrat, and Sen. John McCain, a Republican met with President Barack Obama late Tuesday to discuss their immigration bill. After the meeting, the president urged the Senate to quickly move the bill forward. Senate fails to approve gun background checks By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The first major effort to overhaul America’s gun laws in two decades has hit a roadblock in Congress. The Senate voted down a bipartisan proposal to expand background check requirements for firearms purchasers, dealing a severe blow to gun control efforts just four months after a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. Gun control advocates wanted a ban on military-style assault weapons and restrictions on ammunition magazines. But many were willing to settle for expanded background checks to keep firearms out of the hands of violent criminals and the mentally ill. In the end, that proposal did not get the required three-fifths backing in the Senate. “The yeas are 54, the nays are 46. The amendment is not agreed to,” Vice President Joe Biden announced as he presided over the vote. Four Republicans voted for the Manchin-Toomey proposal, named for the Democratic and Republican senators who crafted it. Five Democrats voted against. Days of passionate debate preceded Wednesday’s vote. Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, said gun buyers must be scrutinized. “Do we honestly think it makes sense to allow someone without a mandatory background check to buy an assault weapon that can fire up to 13 rounds a second?,” he said. Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican, argued that the government cannot prevent gun violence. “No amount of government intervention can prevent irrational people from doing terrible things,” Shelby said. Opponents said new gun control measures will erode law-abiding Americans’ right to bear arms and do nothing to improve public safety. “People who steal guns do not submit to background checks,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican. Backers of the legislation countered that the lack of a perfect solution to gun violence should not halt all efforts to reduce it. “The longer I have spent in this place, the more I am convinced that there are people who actually do believe that we should just go back to the days of the Wild, Wild West. That we should usher in a new era of gun control Darwinism, in which the good guys have guns and the bad guys have guns and we just hope the good guys shoot the bad guys,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat. Present in the Senate gallery for the vote were family members of victims of the December school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. They joined Democratic senators for a post-vote news conference. “Today, fear, mistruth and brute political force won out over what is right, and America will be a less-safe place because of it. But I say to the families, do not give up faith,” said Sen. Charles Schumer. At the White House, President Obama called the Senate vote “shameful” but promised that the fight to reform America’s gun laws will continue. After rejecting expanded background checks, the Senate voted down several other firearms proposals, including a Republican amendment to boost illegal firearms prosecutions and a Democratic amendment to ban high-powered assault weapons. In a highly unusual move, President Obama allowed someone outside his administration to begin his statement in the Rose Garden. Mark Barden lost his 7-year-old son Daniel four months ago, in a mass shooting at a school in Connecticut. The president briefly put his hand on Barden’s shoulder as he spoke. “We will not be defeated. We are not defeated, and we will not be defeated. We are here now. We will always be here, because we have no other choice. We are not going away,” Barden said. When Obama took the podium, the president, who is known for his cool demeanor, lashed out. He accused both Republicans and Democrats who voted against the bill of political cowardice. “There were no coherent arguments as to why we would not do this. It came down to politics-the worry that that vocal minority of gun owners would come after them in future elections,” the president said. The president went on to blame the National Rifle Association and other gun owners groups of distorting the provisions of the legislation. “But instead of supporting this compromise, the gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill,” Obama said. Afterward, an NRA statement said the bill “would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms … requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right”. The legislation was a bipartisan compromise, intended to keep guns out of the hands of convicted criminals and the mentally ill. Obama said he sees the defeat of the bill as just “round one” in the battle for tighter gun control. “I believe we are going to be able to get this done. Sooner or later, we are going to get this right. The memories of these children demand it, and so do the American people,” Obama said. Former rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot while meeting with her constituents in Arizona in 2011, stood next to the president as he spoke. Before the event, she sent messages on social media, saying the Senate ignored the will of the people. Margaret Thatcher receives state funeral under security By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Queen Elizabeth II and dignitaries from around the world attended the funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in London. Thatcher, 87, died last week. Her casket was carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage through the center of London, as people crowded the sidewalks to pay their respects. It was escorted by military units, and all along the route security was even tighter than originally planned because of Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings. There were some protests, but there were no serious incidents. Inside St. Paul’s Cathedral, the casket lay in front of more than 2,000 mourners. The current prime minister, David Cameron, was there, as were leaders and former leaders from around the world. But there was no official from Argentina, which Thatcher defeated in the 1982 Falkland Islands War. It was a prayer service, with no formal eulogy. But the bishop of London, Richard Chartres, gave a brief address, saying, "After the storm of a life lived in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm. ... Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings.” Ms. Thatcher was Britain’s only female prime minister, and the longest serving of the 20th century, holding the office for 11 years. Her passionately conservative policies transformed the country, and ignited strong emotions both in favor and opposed, feelings that have been on display again during the past week, even though she left office 23 years ago. Explosion rips Texas plant, and there are fatalities By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the southwestern U.S. state of Texas Wednesday evening left dozens of people injured and caused serious damage to nearby homes and buildings. The plant was located in a small community located just outside the town of Waco. An official with the Texas Department of Public Safety says the blast caused fatalities, but he did not give a specific number. Local firefighters were battling a fire burning at the plant when the blast occurred. Many buildings collapsed from the power of the blast, including a nursing home with over 100 residents. The cause of the explosion is not known. A nearby high school football field was turned into emergency staging area to treat the victims. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has issued a statement saying state resources have been mobilized to provide assistance to local authorities. Some with new flu strain had no poultry contacts By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that a number of people who have tested positive for a new strain of bird flu in China have had no history of contact with poultry, adding to the mystery about the virus that has killed 16 people to date. Chinese authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed some live poultry markets to try and stem the rate of human infection, but many questions remain unsolved including whether the H7N9 strain is being transmitted between people. World Health spokesman Gregory Hartl confirmed that there are people who have no history of contact with poultry, after a top Chinese scientist was quoted as saying about 40 percent of those with the H7N9 flu had had no poultry contact. "This is one of the puzzles still be solved and therefore argues for a wide investigation net,'' Hartl said in emailed comments, though he did not know the exact percentage. Several avenues should be explored by an international team of experts going to China soon, including the possibility that the virus can be spread between people, although there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, Hartl added. "It might be because of dust at the wet markets, it could be another animal source beside poultry, it could also be human-to-human transmission." Wendy Barclay, a flu expert at Imperial College London, said it was likely to be very difficult to determine and rule out people's exact exposure to poultry and to wild birds, which could also be a possible source of infection. "The incubation time might be quite long so visiting a market even 14 days before might have resulted in infection,'' she said. Previously World Health reported two suspected family clusters, but later said the virus was found not to have infected anyone in the first. Tests in the second were inconclusive and experts say the poor quality samples may make it impossible to know. China has warned that the number of infections could rise from the current 77. The latest victims are from the commercial capital of Shanghai, where the majority of the cases have been found, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday. China reported three new bird flu outbreaks to the World Animal Health Organization this week, bringing the total number of places to 11, the agency said on its website. Samples have tested positive in some poultry markets that remain the focus of investigation by China and the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. Zeng Guang, the chief scientist in charge of epidemiology at the China disease prevention and control center, said about 40 percent of human victims had no clear history of poultry exposure, the Beijing News reported Wednesday. China said on Sunday the virus had spread outside the Yangtze River delta region in eastern China, with cases reported in Beijing and the central province of Henan. World Health said no H7N9 vaccine was currently being produced. "This is being followed up, but we are not yet there in terms of thinking about producing a vaccine...We need a decision based on the epidemiology,'' Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, the agency's director of immunization, vaccination and biologicals, told a news briefing in Geneva Wednesday. Indians rush to buy gold because prices dropped By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Plunging gold prices have prompted a rush to buy gold in India, the world’s most voracious consumer of the yellow metal. The drop in prices will also help the government, whose finances have been strained by the high cost of gold imports. Madhu Walia has been looking closely at a range of gold bangles and chains at one of New Delhi’s largest retailers for precious jewelry. “Prices have fallen, so I am very much interested to buy," said Ms. Walia. "But design I have not liked.” Amid the sharpest drop in gold prices in three decades on Monday, consumers started flocking to jewelry shops. Indians have a centuries-long cultural affinity to gold. Jewelry is given to brides at weddings and bought on auspicious occasions such as festivals. However, a five-fold increase in gold prices in the last decade had dimmed the precious metal's allure. Now, the nearly 20 percent plunge in prices since the start of the year has reignited India’s passion for gold. And, jewelers are upbeat. Sanjeev Agarwal heads the export division of Gitanjali Gems, one of India’s biggest jewelry chains. He says the drop in prices has come just weeks ahead of the Akshaya Tritya festival, May 13, considered by Hindus an auspicious day to buy gold. “Definitely, definitely, significant increase in footfalls and enquiries and purchases. It has the benefit of the festival coming next month and also the fact that wedding season is on, so it adds to the quantum of purchases being done.” said Agarwal. There is also increased interest in the wholesale gold market in New Delhi, where traders are clinching more deals than in the past few years. The head of the Delhi Bullion and Jewelers Welfare Association, Vimal Kumar Goyal says orders from retailers have nearly doubled since prices tumbled. He says people are getting nearly 20 percent more gold compared to what they would have received in their budget, compared to the start of the year. That has encouraged customers. Although business has been brisk in recent days, jewelers expect it to become even more so in the weeks to come. They say many customers are waiting to watch if prices drop further. They are people like Shipra Chabbra, who has come with her mother to a jewelry shop. “The anticipation is there will be more falling tomorrow or this week, so we are holding on, but that does help the decision, because you tend to save a bit more,” she stated. However, while jewelers may benefit from India’s affinity for gold, the government does not. Massive gold imports have strained government finances and prompted several policy measures to moderate gold demand in a country that imports almost all its requirement. Gold imports added up to a record $60 billion in the last fiscal year. That hefty bill has contributed to a worrying trade deficit. Indian gold imports have been declining. They plunged by nearly 25 percent in the first three months this year. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, April 18, 2013, Vol. 13, No. 76 | |||||||||
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Construction
expo to feature more than 200 firms, banks By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Cámera Costarricense de la Construcción will present the 15th edition of its housing and construction fair April 24 to 28. The chamber will present the ExpoConstrucción event in the Centro de Eventos Pedregal in Santa Ana. More than 200 companies that specialize in housing projects, decoration trends, new machinery and equipment and financing will be present in the facility. Experts from the Comisión de Construcción Sostenible and the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica will participate in the event along with members from the Cámara Costarricense de Corredores de Bienes Raíces. The realtors will provide information about auctions of properties that will be held the weekend of the fair, a release said. Also, 12 financial institutions will participate and offer patrons advice about the best financing options, rates of interests, favorable times to buy, remodel and build homes. These institutions include Banco BAC San José, Banco Citibank de Costa Rica, Banco Crédito Agrícola de Cartago, Banco de Costa Rica, Banco Davivienda, Banco General, Banco Lafise, Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, Banco Popular y de Desarrollo Comunal, Grupo Mutual Alajuela La Vivienda, Mutual Cartago de Ahorro y Préstamo and Scotiabank de Costa Rica. Persons looking to buy a house will find lot options at the fair that range from $25,000 to $100,000 and housing projects from $45,000 to $1.6 million. "Expo construction and housing is characterized by offering real benefits and unique conditions,” said Rodrigo Altmann, president of the ExpoConstrucción, in a release. “It is the only exhibition organized by industry experts and brings together the greatest exponents of the construction and housing sectors in the country.” The fair opens April 24 at 5 p.m. and closes at 10 p.m. April 25 and 26 hours are from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Entry for these three days is free. For the weekend, fair hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. April 27 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 28. Admission for these days is 2,000 colons. Children under 12 years old and seniors get free admission. |
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