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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, Vol. 11, No. 217 | |||||||||
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Our readers' opinions
Non-traditional visitorscloud results of statistics Dear A.M. Costa Rica: You well alluded to the fact that many Costa Rica "tourists" counted in stats are not traditional vacationers but "perpetual tourists," even "serial tourists" who make Costa Rica their mental/emotional, if not physical, second home. Probably more than any other country could this be true. Food, hotel rental car rentals may not increase due to these type of "tourists," as they have found alternative, low cost, "local" ways to get around, stay, eat, play, etc. Maybe the immigration form could ask if the person has been to Costa Rica more than five times in the last five years -- to put their stats in perspective. Mary
Jane Piazza
Richmond, Massachusetts Obey the law and avoid those steep speeding fines Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Judy Griffith Gill's letter published on Tuesday raises an interesting question: Why can't there be signs notifying drivers of speed limits? And the answer, of course, is that there are such signs. They're everywhere. Every time the speed limit changes, a sign is posted. It's either painted on the roadway or posted on a sign beside the road. This is common practice throughout the world and it's virtually universal here in Costa Rica. Now there is some concern about the size of Costa Rica's speed limit violation fines, and I share those sentiments, but what other country posts the monetary cost of violating its speed limits? Why must Costa Rica be unique in that regard? I share Ms. Gill's sentiment that the simple answer to the problem is to obey the law. David
C. Murray
Grecia, Alajuela Government should do right thing and cut fines Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I have for years read and enjoyed many of the letters that have been written. I have never responded to any of them although I have wanted. Ms. Gill’s letter about speeding fines in Costa Rica is out of touch with reality. She states that most Costa Ricans should pay the speeding fine if they break the law. Interesting concept! She thinks that $600 is just fine! She obviously is not aware that the average Costa Rican makes just enough money to get by, this is a DRACONIAN LAW put in place only to generate money for the government. I agree, that if you speed you should be responsible for your actions, but make the fine proportionate with the action. The Costa Rican government should do the right thing for their people, lower these fines and worry more about the increase in violent crimes. George
De Prado
Coyote and Miami, Florida
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, Vol. 11, No. 217 | |||||||||
| Latest postal emission honors scouts and
guides worldwide |
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By Zack McDonald
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff Anyone sending a letter as of Friday can use stamps to honor the Costa Rican version of the boy and girl scouts. Correos de Costa Rica has begun circulating the postal issue "Centenario Guía y Scout," which notes the 100 years of scouting around the world. Correos issued 30,000 stamps, composed of two motifs that represent some of the most typical of the movement: a fire and a camp with the participation of children and adults. According to Giovanni Rojas, representative of the organiation, "This issue is framed in the celebration of 100 years of Movimiento Scout y Guía to the world, and celebrates the social and educational work of scouts and guides in Costa Rica and the world. " The Asociación de Guías y Scouts de Costa Rica is part of two world associations: the ¨scout," which was originally created for men, and the "guide," which was created later for women. But both have the same principles and values, and today there is no gender differentiation between the two, Rojas said. This emission, costing 340 colons, is complemented by 1,000 first-day envelopes, 2,000 postmarked philatelic bulletins, and postmarked with a line drawing of the guides and scouts movement´s shield of Costa Rica. Alvaro Coghi, general manager of Correos de Costa Rica, highlighted the importance of this issue, recognizing the |
 Stamps
feature a campground and bonfire.
work of girl guides in the consolidation of civic and moral values that should prevail in Costa Rican society. "For Correos de Costa Rica, as a creator and promoter of the Costa Rican stamp collection, it is an honor that the scouts and guides form part of the stamps that circulate daily in Costa Rica and the world in letters and packages that the official mail service of the Republic distributes through its more than 570 specialized carriers and messengers, "said Coghi. The production was financed by the Banco de Costa Rica and illustrations were made by Costa Rican artist Luis Demetrio Calvo. The issue can be purchased at the Correos de Costa Rica online store through the Web site (www.correos.go.cr) and the philatelic office located in the Central Post Office building in San Jose. |
| Olympic hopeful visits to give pointers
to other gymnasts |
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By Andrew Rulseh Kasper
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff On a rare break from her rigorous routine, Costa Rican gymnast Mariana Sánchez was able to leave her training grounds in the United States for a brief sojourn in her home country to visit family, friends and young, aspiring gymnasts. Though her past is highlighted with an ever-growing list of accomplishments and her future aspirations are to be a world-class athlete, Ms. Sánchez' demeanor was everything but braggadocios as she performed a routine with younger girl gymnasts Tuesday in Parque la Sabana. The 15-year-old even seemed a little nervous in the glaring spotlight before the media cameras. But all the nerves disappear when she is focused on her gymnastics routine. Ms. Sánchez excels on the bars, although she said she prefers the floor routines, and her talent has brought herself and Costa Rica plenty of status in the gymnastics world with a career marked by top finishes in junior competitions. Now Ms. Sánchez is focused on competing at the elite level. On a typical day she said she trains roughly eight hours total with school crammed in between workout sessions. Her gym is in Ohio where she lives with the family of another gymnast. Her training is sponsored in part by Banco Nacional. The bank's marketing director, Mario Roa, said his organization would like to see her achieve her dreams and help put Costa Rica on the world map. And one of the primary goals of her strict regimen is just that: an Olympic appearance, either in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro or next year in London. To compete in 2012 before she is 16, Ms. Sánchez needs a special exemption from Olympic officials. “I'm preparing for London,” she said. “But I always have 2016 in Brazil to fall back on.” She also is anxiously anticipating the opportunity to represent her country at the 2013 Central American games to be held in San José, where the taste of a home-soil victory would be sweeter than most. Yet her taste for success has been a long-time coming. Ms. Sánchez has been training stateside for approximately two and a half years, but her desire to compete came long |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Andrew Rulseh Kasper
Ms. Sánchez balances a
younger gymnast.before with her first
competition at the age of 4.
However, she claims her progression actually started in the womb and laughed that her mother, who owns a gymnasium and was a gymnast herself, was performing the sport while pregnant with her. “She is impressive,” said one girl in the group of predominantly elementary school children as Ms. Sánchez performed a solo floor routine complete with flips and spins. And when the group of girls was asked if they wanted to be like Sánchez they all nodded their heads enthusiastically. Ms. Sánchez offered them this piece of advice. “Never give up and just follow your dreams, even if it's not gymnastics.” |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, Vol. 11, No. 217 | |||||||||
This is a file photo of some of the boats in a previous race leaving Le Havre |
 Transat
Jacques Vabre photo
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| Trans-Atlantic sailboat race is scheduled
to begin today |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Transat Jacques Vabre is supposed to be well under way today by midmorning here. The starting time is 3 p.m. in Le Havre, France. This is the 10th edition of the cross Atlantic boat race and the second to have Limón, Costa Rica, as a finish. The race start was delayed 50 hours by bad weather. Organizers say that the crews still will face a tough Channel with south southwest winds in the 15 to 20 knot region. They expect a front to pass and that the winds will shift to the northwest. That will give a boost to the 35 boats in the race. Some skippers said they expect winds in the 50 knot range once they reach open sea. |
Monohulls have a 4,730-mile course
to traverse. They pass by the
Dominican Republic. Multihulls travel further. That course is 5,323 miles in the southern Caribbean. The first boat is expected to reach Costa Rica in 13 to 14 days. The last race to Costa Rica was in 2009. Then the multi-hull Crêpes Whaou! crossed the finish line off Puerto Limón the night of Nov. 23 to claim victory. The Crêpes Whaou! took 15 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds to travel from Le Havre. Race organizers compute their average speed at 13.41 knots over the 5,805 miles. The race is sponsored in part by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, which hopes it attracts visitors to the country. |
| Fire fighters are recruiting to provide
staff for new stations |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The fire-fighting agency is seeking personnel for six new stations that will be opened in 2012. They are accepting applications for paid fire fighters and also for volunteers. The first three new stations will be in Los Chiles, Puerto Jiménez and Bribrí. Fire officials will be holding employment fairs for several days each in November in these communities. They will be in Los Chiles at the Restaurante Las Heliconias Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. They will be in Puerto Jiménez on the Osa peninsula |
at the Asociación
de Desarrollo Puerto Jiménez Nov. 18, 19 and 20. They will be in
Bribrí
at the Municipalidad de Talamanca Nov. 25, 26, and 27. Right now there are 66 fire stations and 503 salaried fire fighters. By 2020 the agency expects to have 96 stations. This is good news to expats, mainly on the Pacific coast, who are distant from existing fire stations. The new facilities come from an approval last month of a tax on electrical bills. The proceeds go to the firefighters. Those interested in seeking employment with the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Costa Rica can find out more information on the agency's Web site. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, Vol. 11, No. 217 | ||||||||||
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| Many around world hustle to enter U.S. visa lottery By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Internet cafes in many places around the world are reporting brisk business ahead of Saturday's deadline for the 2013 U.S. diversity visa lottery. Officials expect some 15 million people to register online to win one of 50,000 so-called “green card visas” that open a path to United States citizenship. Yusuf Tamiru spends his days sitting in a guard shack in an upscale Addis Ababa neighborhood dreaming of life in the United States. His guard job earns him the equivalent of about $50 a month, hardly enough to support his wife and daughter. Yusuf says winning a new life in the States would allow him to make enough money to send a monthly remittance to his family back home. "My dream is if I get the chance and go to the U.S.," he said. "If I work there, then I get the money to send for my daughter and my wife." The remittances that new immigrants send to relatives back home are often the main sources of foreign exchange in impoverished countries like Ethiopia. For each of the past 11 years, Yusuf has gone to an Internet cafe where he gets help filling out his online lottery registration form. Registration is free, but he pays the equivalent of 60 cents for the services of a computer-literate consultant. He worries that as more and more people register each year, his chances of being the lucky one get smaller. "If man is lucky, if he sends one time, he the chance," he said. "I think I'm not lucky, that's why I didn't get the chance." Working from the back room of a tiny Internet cafe, 23-year-old computer whiz Zelalem Tadesse has helped Yusuf and hundreds of others to register. The past three years, he's even applied himself. Last year, about seven people he assisted were among the 4,900 Ethiopians who won a shot at a Green Card, but not him. He says he would prefer to stay home and help to build a better Ethiopia, but he knows his chances of success are greater if he leaves. "If I got a bigger thing here, I don't need to go there," he said. "Because what I need, whether it is U.S.A. or Ethiopia, is being successful economically. If I can succeed here, I don't need to go there." Zelalem does not claim that his assistance will improve his clients' chances of winning the lottery. He says if he could, he'd charge more than 60 cents, and he'd help himself first. But U.S. consular officials say many unscrupulous operators have sprung up charging big fees with false promises that they can improve a person's chances. The State Department has issued a warning about fraudulent Web sites posing as U.S. government sites charging large fees to complete lottery forms. Scott Riedman, consular officer at the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa, warns that all of those promises are false. "We receive stories of people getting letters and e-mails saying, 'Hey, you've won the DV lottery program, just pay this processing fee and we'll make sure you get your visa', and these are all scams," said Riedman. The U.S. government is the only entity that processes diversity visas and “we don't even notify people by e-mail or letter if they've been selected to participate in this program,” he said. Consular officials say applicants must log on to a State Department Web site with their personal ID number to find out if they've won the chance for a green card. Winners of the 2013 lottery will be notified May 1. The purpose of the lottery is to bring individuals to the United States for countries that are under represented there. Promise of free schooling not the reality in Haiti By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
One out of every two Haitians is illiterate. Haiti's president, Michel Martelly, has made free public education one of his top priorities. On the first day of school in Haiti, adding to the normal chaos, the president was handing out free backpacks. “I’m now the superstar of the school,” a boy who received one of the coveted backpacks said proudly. President Martelly says his recent taxes on international calls and wire transfers have changed the public schools of Haiti. “That money has enabled us to provide free schools for the people,” explained the president. But at a public school in Tabarre, a poor neighborhood outside of Port au Prince, the moms told a different story. They said it’s far from free. The mothers said they paid to send their children to school. They said they paid the equivalent of $27 or $16. To back up their claims, they showed receipts. "Somedays I am not even able to sell the bread that I have and I have to let my kids go hungry so I can have enough money to send them to school," one mother, who said she sells bread on the street lamented. When a reporter returned one week later, it's bedlam. Children are kept outside the school because their parents have not paid a new fee to purchase emblems for uniforms. "We asked for children to have an emblem on their clothing to differentiate them from students of other schools," explained Jean Francois Lucien, the director of the school. "So the parents are being stubborn and they are refusing to put the emblem on their children’s clothing." The fee is less than $1.50 U.S. But it's still a hardship for the average Haitian who makes $2 a day. "A lot of times, you can't sell anything," another mother complained. "You walk and you walk before you can finally make 100 gourdes ($2.48)." And, what about the hundreds of dollars paid to enroll children here? “The minister asked us to stop charging parents to register their children, so we stopped and we didn’t collect any money after that," school director Lucien responded. But one woman reported that she had been told that her children had to leave because she didn't have an extra $6 for enrollment. “They told me no, when you have the complete amount, come back,” she said. Lucien says the school relies on the money from parents. "As long as the government accepts to pay for what the parents were paying previously, we can operate the school, but the school can’t operate without any money," he said. President Martelly says his administration will work with the school to make sure the money is refunded. The president used to be known as "Sweet Micky," a successful singer. Martelly says he will return to the stage in December to raise $10 million for education. If current trends continue, only 5 percent of the children will finish high school. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, Vol. 11, No. 217 | ||||||||||
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Latin America news |
 Consejo Nacional de Vialidad photo
Machine has begun to chew
asphalt on Paseo ColónPaseo
Colón to be rebuilt
as first stage in San José By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
With the approach of the dry season, road work picks up and traffic slows down. The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad said Tuesday that work had begun on stripping the asphalt off Paseo Colón, one of the busiest streets in San José Centro. The project encompasses 4 kilometers, from the west end of the four-lane street to Hospital San Juan de Dios. This is a $2.3 million job that will rebuild the driving surface on the road and cap it with 5 centimeters of asphalt. The street will be closed most nights from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Consejo said that it expected the work to be done in December and that there is a second and third stage that will be tackled later along the same route but further east. This is the main street for the Festival de la Luz, the annual Christmas parade. There was no mention on how the road builders would accommodate the marchers. The Consejo also noted that a similar job was taking place in Alajuela on the Bernardo Soto highway near Juan Santamaría airport. That is an $11.2 million job. There will be delays from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., said the Consejo. Masked men stick up casino at Jacó hotel By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Fuerza Pública officers said Tuesday that they managed to capture two of five persons who invaded and stuck up a casino in Jacó. The details were sketchy, and there was no report on which of the casinos in hotels at the central Pacific beach community was the target. Officers did say that the hotel staff immediately contacted police. The report said that five masked men, at least one with a firearm, entered, threatened workers and customers there and put some in a closed storage room. The men also took computers, billfolds, cash and cell telephones from customers, said the Fuerza Pública. Police said the men fled in a vehicle that resembled a red taxi. A vehicle matching that description was stopped in Pozón de Orotina where the two men were taken into custody. |
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James
DeRoy
