Measure to be introduced
to ban shark finning here


A legislative deputy said Thursday that she soon would introduce a measure to make shark finning illegal.

Finning is the practice of catching sharks for the sole purpose of cutting off their fin for the lucrative Oriental trade. The wounded shark then is unable to navigate and dies.

The legislative deputy is Ofelia Taitelbaum, a former biology professor, who is associated with the government's Partido Liberación Nacional.

In addition to prohibiting shark finning, she said her measure would prohibit the shipment or stockpiling of shark fins in Costa Rica.

She also asked in a press release that the Comisión de Ambiente of the assembly open an investigation into the practice. Shark finning has been a steady business in Costa Rica even though a number of laws appear to be broken by the fishermen who bring the catches to shore.

In some cases they tape a shark fin on the carcass of a dead fish to conform with the rule that says the fin can only come ashore if attached to a shark. Ms. Taitelbaum said she would reform the law to stipulate that the fin must be attached to the shark in a natural form.

The general belief is that Costa Rican officials have not cracked down on shark finning because Asian governments that provide aid to the country have an interest in the practice continuing. Shark fins are used in Asia cooking.

The proposed law would provide criminal penalties of from six months to two years for those involved in the shark fin trade.

The measure also would have penalties for the owners of private docks where the practice is carried on.

Interest in sharks is heightened because the movie "Sharkwater" is playing in local theaters. The film has been given subtitles in Spanish. The movie is the product of  Canadian documentalist Rob Stewart, who traveled in Costa Rican waters aboard the Ocean Warrior with conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The ship's crew confronted illegal shark fishermen, which Stewart and his crew filmed.

Watson has criticized what he calls Costa Rica's continued corrupt involvement with the illegal shark fin trade.

Most measures proposed in the Asamblea Legislativa never are passed, and even those that are frequently take years. There was no word how much support Ms. Taitelbaum has for her proposal.

Christmas festival to run
two weekends downtown


Circus acts, stories, music and dance will combine this weekend and next for the Festival Navideño at the Centro Nacional de la Cultura in north San José.

Tropical-themed Christmas decorations will adorn the entrance, courtesy of artist Carlos Vargas, and artists from around Curridabat will be selling their produce.

The program will start Saturday with a theatrical presentation at 11 a.m, and continues throughout the day with marimba and guitar music, finishing up with a circus display at 5 p.m.

Sunday's highlights include a performance of the Brazilian dance-martial art Cappoeira at 1 p.m.

The following weekend, the festival will continue with music and story-telling, including a concert on the Charanga – a small stringed Andean instrument – at 2 p.m., and a marimba display at 5 p.m. Dec. 2. Costa Rican rock band Ghandi will round off the activities with a concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 3.

Latin America is called
source of future talent


Latin America will be a major source of talent for the new global marketplace, according to a study conducted by the employment services firm Manpower, Inc.

The study was discussed in a conference Wednesday afternoon at the Aurola Holiday Inn in downtown San José. Globalization of talent and mobility of workers will play a key role in the transformation of Latin America, said the firm.

The study concluded this expected mobility in the workforce is because many developed markets are looking to attract new talent. The need for people to improve their quality of life and the revolution of technology are also important factors in the idea of mobility.

In order to reach its conclusion, the firm analyzed world population and its predicted growth in the next 20 years, effects of social mobility on the lives of individuals, interexchange among students around the world, systems of education, and penetration of the Internet in various countries. The firm predicted 400 million Internet users in Latin America by 2015.

A main point mentioned in the study was the difference between “migration” and “mobility.” As opposed to migration, the idea of mobility does not include a change of career or permanent residency. According to Manpower, this “mobility” of talent and workforce will increase rapidly in the next 20 years.

Manpower said that mobility of talent and resources is vital to both people and businesses in the new global market  because it increases: access to new information, economic opportunities, innovation, and competitivity.

Telecommunications law goes
to full Asamblea Legislativa


The full legislature has begun to study a law that is designed to strengthen the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. The measure was considered in committee and has now gone to the floor.

Three separate summaries of the measure were presented by members of the special committee that studied the proposal.

This measure is one of the 12 laws that make up the package of changes that must be enacted to comply with the free trade treaty with the United States. Under the treaty the monopoly telecommunications institute would face competition.

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