 |
| |
Costa Rica Your daily |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
 |
 |
|||||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page |
|||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 224 | |||||||||
 |
| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
 |
 |
|
Our reader's comments
Fishing lodge operatorsays Barra open for fishing Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I wanted to let you know that unless they have changed the rule again in the last hour, there has been great confusion in the Costa Rican press about the Barra del Colorado airport. I am a commercial instrument pilot and flew out of Barra in a private charter Tuesday. The airport is in a restricted area which allows private charters in and out with advance flight plan. The disputed island land is in a prohibited area which is a no-fly zone for public safety. It is a long way from Barra and the Rio Colorado Lodge. We want all of our fishing customers to know that the Rio Colorado Lodge is open for business. The fat snook (Calba) have arrived early this season and are there now and that the tarpon fishing is wide open river and ocean. We are 3.5 hours away from the border dispute by river and an hour by ocean. The large police group in Barra is there only because it is the closest airport to the frontier. We have never been safer. Our three town robbers are afraid to go to work with all the police hanging around the airport. Rio Colorado is providing ice for the police, doing some laundry for the officers and using our fumigation equipment to keep the mosquitoes at bay. We have 100 smiley face Tico police in our town playing army, giving the local kids cookies and pops. If you remember Barney Fife, Sheriff Andy's deputy with his bullet in his pocket with his trusty pistol rusted in his holster, you can multiply that times 100 and get the picture. Fish is good and the photo ops are super, so come on up and catch a fish and be a part of history. Flying direct is not a problem. Thank you for letting your readers know the situation here. Our great staff is here waiting for the fishermen. Dan Wise
Archie Field's Rio Colorado Lodge Barra del Colorado New Web site discusses doing business in Costa Rica By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The parent company of A.M. Costa Rica has launched a new Web site where Costa Rican business owners and managers can share information and discuss common problems. The site is CRBusiness.biz, and the first postings discuss keeping track of visitors to commercial Web sites and also recent news developments on business themes. Business operators are invited to submit articles, and a mailing list will be established over the weekend. Nicaragua gets tourism loan for Grenanda and San Juan Special to A.M. Costa Rica
Nicaragua will improve tourism offerings in San Juan del Sur and Granada with a $10 million loan by the Inter-American Development Bank. The loan will finance restoration and improvements of tourism resources in both areas as well as training and technical assistance to micro-, small- and medium-sized companies to improve the quality of services provided for tourists. It will also support measures to improve the planning and management capabilities of the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute, the country’s leading tourism agency. The project is designed to increase average daily foreign tourists spending by more than 35 percent in San Juan and more than 25 percent in Granada, allowing local firms to double the number of formal tourism jobs, a move that will contribute to increase household income and reduce poverty in both locations. In San Juan del Sur, the Inter-American Development Bank will support the development of a cultural and leisure center; the restoration and improvement of the coastal promenade; construction of overlooks, bicycle paths and pedestrian walks along a new scenic coastal route as well as finance the reconstruction of the legendary Ruta del Oro between San Juan del Sur and La Virgen. In Granada, one of the oldest colonial cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, the project will finance the restoration of the historic center; highlight elements of the local history and culture, and upgrade the boardwalk and small docks that serve as points of departure for tours to Lake Nicaragua. The loan will also help finance sustainable management of tourist areas with adaptation to climate change and natural disaster risk management in coastal areas. In particular, it will include investments for land and urban planning, sustainable management of beaches, and promote the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the sector. At the truism agency, the loan will also help finance the redesign and the update of the system of registration, rating, control and inspection of tourism businesses.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 224 | |||||||||
 |
| Nation slowly continues to repair extensive storm damage |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country continues to dig out and make repairs in what has been described as the biggest disaster in 13 years. Some 16 highways remain closed. Agriculture is heavily damaged and many are homeless. The Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias said that 1,169 persons continue to be housed in public shelters. That is far less than the 4,000 who were housed at the peak of the emergency. The number of shelters has been reduced to 29 from 86. Some have no where to go. The emergency commission said that 2,626 homes were damaged as were 439 stretches of roads. Some 85 bridges collapsed or are is such bad condition they cannot be used. The death toll stands at 28, mostly from the landslide that buried homes in San Antonio de Escazú early last Nov. 4. The Judicial Investigating Organization has a list of seven persons who have not been seen since the storm began. The Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo donated $200,000 to help with the emergency and the U.S. Embassy put up $50,000. There were crews and aircraft from Panamá, Colombia and Guatemala. The Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social said it had transferred 32 million colons (about $632,000) to 93 families that suffered losses in one of the 29 affected cantons. The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad said that 90 per cent of the damaged areas had been fixed. At one place, Playón de Quepos, workers had to put in 1.4 kilometers of new line that had been destroyed by the four days of storms last week. That's more than three quarters of a mile. Repair crews will be working through the weekend at locations in Los Santos, Acosta, Parrita, Quepos, |
Dominical, Palmar Norte and
Buenos Aires. The major problem the crews have is access,
the company said. The company also reported that 99 percent of the cell towers were now in operation. Many had been damaged in the storms. Much of the damage was in the central Pacific. The company said that some 800 customers remain without telephone or Internet service in Parrita, Manuel Antonio and Bijugual. The company said that there were 4,819 electrical outages attributed to the storm, 5,141 telephone and Internet outages and 174 cell towers knocked out. Not all Costa Ricans are serviced by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, so there have been many more outages on lines of the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz S.A., the Heredia utility provider and the various electrical cooperatives around the country. The Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz, S.A. said that five electrical generating plants suffered damage. They are west of the metro area. The Nuestro Amo and Ventanas plants suffered major damage. The plants are insured, the company noted. As to its electric customers, the company said that Vista de Mar de Goicoechea, Bajo Los Anonos, Bello Horizonte in Escazú. Ciudad Colón, Tarbaca, Aserrí, San Juan de Dios de Desamparados and Cascajal suffered the most damage. Bajo Los Anonos still is out of service because the storm carried away all the electrical infrastructure, the company said. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes is working hard to restore the vital Interamericana Sun that was cut in a handful of places and landslides. That represents part of the 250 kilometers (155 miles) of roads that have been closed. The ministry said that work continues on the Costanera Sur along the central Pacific but that the road is open for those who need to travel to the southern zone or to Panamá. |
| More San José jewels found on a north side hike |
|||
| Not long ago I wrote
how lucky Costa Rica was because it was protected from the ravages of
nature, the Central Valley being the most blest. Since then we
have been clobbered by rains and winds and then Tropical Storm
Tomas. There are many people who have lost family members and
their homes and desperately need help. Pride in anything, it seems,
comes before the fall. I will be more careful in my boasting in the
future. Making matters worse is the unseasonable drop in the
temperatures. Very few buildings have heat. So perhaps it is a good time to consider joining the throngs of people in San José and hope the combined energy will keep us all warm (at least those of us who are lucky enough to get downtown.) Restaurants open and close with regularity in San José, but there are some that have been around for a long time – and with good reason: They have what restaurants should have: good food, good service and pleasant ambiances at reasonable prices. One that most people know about and have enjoyed for years is Tin Jo on Calle 11. Tin Jo serves dishes from just about every Asian cuisine and has maintained its quality for over 20 years. Another, perhaps less well-known, is Café Mundo on the corner of Avenida 9, right on the edges of barrios Otoya and Amón. Café Mundo serves a continental cuisine with an emphasis on Italian dishes. The food is usually excellent, and the wine generous. It has the added charm of outdoor dining on a patio about eight feet above the street. Upon leaving Barrio Amón, walk downhill from Café Mundo to Calle 5 and turn left. Go uphill to Avenida 7 and right behind the Holiday Inn is an art gallery that specializes in Costa Rican art. (And I have forgotten its name! But go in.) Then turn onto Calle 5, which runs alongside the hotel. On the right hand side is an open door front into Mora Books. I suggest you go there after lunch because it is a mess of books stacked every which way, in shelves on the floor, on the counter. It is not a very appetizing place, but you can find some reading treasures there. They also will give you credit for your own once-read books. |
If you are looking for a clean, well-lit place with new books, try Seventh Street Book Store. Walk through Parque Morazán, exit through the middle gate which will put you on Calle 7. Go straight ahead, cross at the light and go down about three stores on the left side and there is 7th Street Bookstore. All is orderly and clean. If you continue down Calle 7 you will come to Avenue Central, a pedestrian boulevard. Join the crowd and enjoy the window shopping. If you walk west on the avenue towards the clock in the intersection, you will come to the Plaza de la Cultura where, if it is a holiday or just a nice day, there will be clowns twisting balloons for the children chasing pigeons and perhaps some Peruvian musicians playing their upbeat music, or maybe a mime. If you go into Pops Ice Cream on the corner, you can exit (for a fee) holding one of their very rich ice cream cones then enjoy the festivities with something in common with the rest of the onlookers. Although I can do without the pigeons, watching the children is great fun. At this point you may discover that you are tired and would like to spend the night in San José so you can do more exploring tomorrow. The last time my son visited me he said he was not going to ride the bus with me anymore. His legs are too long and he would like to spend more time in San José. We went to look at the rooms in Casa Alfi. If you go past the Teatro Nacional and cross the street, going south you are on Calle 3. Casa Alfi is on Calle 3 between avenidas 4 and 6. We both liked the rooms and the prices: $30 for a single and $40 for a double for bed and breakfast. The phone is (506) 2221-2102. There is not a more ideal location in the heart of the city. And you will be doubly in luck if there happens to be a performance at the national theater that evening and tickets are available. |
||
 |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 224 | |||||||||
| Get the reindeer! San Ramon's portal
contest is coming |
||
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Christmas is coming quickly. The Centro Cultural e Histórico José Figueres Ferrer in San Ramón announced its annual portal contest Thursday. The portal is the nativity scene, usually Joseph, Mary and Child with shepherds, wise men and animals thrown in. This is the 11th annual contest run by the center, and the judging of contestants' home nativity scenes will take place from Dec. 7 to 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The scenes will be graded on creativity, organization, conservation of traditional elements and the degree of |
difficulty in
building the scene, said the center. Contestants have to enroll with
the center. More information is on the Web site. Prizes will be awarded Dec. 18. At Christmas most homes and many public offices have nativity scenes. They range from the low-budget to the elaborate. Among the most popular is one put up by the Teatro Nacional each year. The inauguration of the display usually is in the first week of December, and each year workers there try to create an unexpected theme. One year it was a rainforest nativity scene with large plastic tree trunks. |
|
| Latin tax reform linked to low-carbon
development |
||
|
Special to A.M. Costa Rica
The urgent need to close equality gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean should be complemented by the imperative of attaining low-carbon sustainable development. That was the view expressed by the executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. She is Alicia Bárcena and she was speaking this week in Germany. Public finances in Latin America have a chronic weakness that is reflected in a low tax burden (combined with high levels of tax evasion and avoidance), a regressive tax structure and a heavy dependence on a specific resource for tax collection (copper, oil, agricultural and livestock exports), she said. Diverse demands compete for public resources, producing constant tension among the different options of public spending, according to the head of the commission, a U.N. agency. |
Ms. Bárcena
stated that for Latin America, green fiscal reform "is a
serious challenge but also a new opportunity to combine the
establishment of solid fiscal foundations with environmental
preservation, as long as this can be adequately combined with greater
investment in critical areas such as infrastructure, which could
generate decent jobs with environmental sustainability. This will
depend, undoubtedly, on financing, investment and technological
innovation". "A better design of public finances that may expand the margins for environmental security as well as for attaining the imperative of social welfare requires using the opportunities of taxation in sectors such as energy, transportation, urban development and infrastructure in general," she said. This undertaking faces the political challenge of taxation, she added, which has to do with interest groups and privileged economic groups in a high-carbon development path. |
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2010 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica fifth news page |
|
|||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
||
|
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica sixth news page |
Looking
for a story from a past edition? See our search page or http://www.amcostaricaarchives.com |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
| San
José,
Costa Rica, Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 224 |
|||||||||
Latin American news Please reload page if feed does not appear promptly |
Carnival
cruise ship in port after being disabled by fire By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The disabled Carnival cruise line ship Splendor has been towed into the western U.S. port of San Diego, California after three days at sea without power. Tug boats brought the roughly 300-meter ship into dock Thursday. The U.S. Coast Guard escorted the ship. Officials say it could take several hours to get the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew off the ship. An engine fire early Monday cut the ship's power and set it adrift about 80 kilometers off Mexico's Pacific coast, leaving passengers and crew without air conditioning, hot water or regular phone service. A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, was on a training mission Tuesday in the area and was diverted to bring the disabled ship emergency food supplies. The head of Carnival Cruise Lines says the engine fire that cut power and disabled the ship is the worst accident in the company's history. Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill says the crew tried to make the best of the situation by providing free drinks and satellite phones for passengers to call their families. Some stranded passengers reported sleeping on deck, and waiting in line several hours for food. The cruise line says the passengers will receive a full refund, will have their travel expenses paid and will receive a future cruise of equal value. Museum gets new director By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Sandra Quiròs Bonilla, the director of the Centro de Investigación y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural, has been named director of the Museo Nacional. She replaces Ana Patricia Fumero, who was suspended for her handling of a case involving archeological pieces. Intersection being closed By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Municipal workers will close a key intersection Saturday and Sunday to fix a growing crack in the pavement. The location is the intersection of Calle 7 and Avenida 8. The job is being done with fast-setting concrete by the firm Cemex de Costa Rica. The firm worked on the intersection several months ago, so the crack is its responsibility, municipal officials said. |
| Latin American news feeds are disabled on
archived pages
|
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
