by Rod Hughes
Freedom of speech is alive and well in Costa Rica. The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court has severely censured the Social Security Administration (Caja) for prohibiting one of its officials from being interviewed by a newspaper in its headquarters building.
Last Dec. 20, a daily newspaper La Pensa Libre reporter asked Caja official Edgar Trejos for an interview but his superiors first prohibited Trejos from talking with the reporter, then begrudged him a place in the building in which to be interviewed. “We had to go outside,” remembers Trejos, “almost in Second Avenue to complete the interview.”
This is not the first time the Caja has run afoul of the freedom of expression Constitutional clause while trying to muzzle an official. Last August, the court blasted the Caja for preventing a financial officer to talk about pensions and the general state of the institution’s finances on two occasions in 2005.
Nor is the Caja the only governmental agency to get a slap from the magistrates for a gag order, reports the dailu paper La Nacion. In May, 2006, the National Georgraphical Institute incurred the court’s ire for reprimanding two employees for talking to the press.

Coral reefs in the northern Pacific are in danger of disappearing because of algae that disrupts the food chain of the polyps that compose them, according to a study by researchers at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).

In some places in the northern Pacific, as much as 95% of coral has died because of these algae, scientifically known as caulerpa sertularioides, which compete with the delicate polyps for light and space. The Gulf of Papagayo is one of the areas that’s been the most affected.

Environment and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles told Radio Monumental yesterday he’s aware of the alarming results of the UCR study and that the challenge is now combating the spread of this invasive alga species.

Dobles said this will be a “difficult job” but that authorities are taking the advice of experts by beginning to manually extract algae during certain times of the year.

He said authorities are working on coordinated efforts in the tourism sector to establish navigation rules to avoid these algae spreading to other areas of the Pacific coast.

“Without appropriate actions, it will continue affecting ecosystems and the economy in general because of the effect on tourism and fishing,” he said.

This species of alga is present in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. It has the capacity to adapt to different environments and is easily carried by currents and boats to new waters.

The UCR study found that this species is not new along the Pacific coasts of the Americas; from 1988 to 1989 it caused all of the coral to disappear along part of the Panamanian coast.

-ACAN-EFE

by Rod Hughes
Thursday is the day of Our Lady of Angels (or, La Negrita, in Costa Rica), one of the biggest holidays in this predominantly Catholic country where Roman Catholicism is the official religion. What makes it special for foreign tourists is the annual tradition of the pilgrimage in foot to the Basilica in Cartago, the seat of the patron saint of Costa Rica.
No fewer than two million prilgrims come from all over the country under the watchful eyes of Red Cross paramedics and traffic police. Most make the trek from San Jose to Cartago along the edge of a tollway, a mere 22 kilometers through rolling, green hills, but a group of seven are walking from Guanacaste province–barefoot– to show their devotion.
Many are aspiring to the intervention of the Virgin (to whom many miracles are accredited) but others, especially teenagers, come in a spirit of adventure, tradition or companionship with chums who are more devout.
One other aspect of this Virgin sets this celebration apart—she is black. In fact, the black statue is a symbol of the inclusive nature of modern Costa Rican culture.
The origins of the statue are shrouded in legend. She was found near Cartago by a young girl, tradition has it, in 1635. Attempts by meddlers to move her to other locations were fruitless, legend continues, and she continued to reappear at exactly the same place, the site of the Basilica.
The trek often begins the week before the Saint’s Day. If the reader intends to participate, some words of advice, starting with appropriate footwear. Usually, the sun is hot in the morning, so do not spare the sunscreen. Take along bottled water or drinkables such as Gatoraide. (Beer, although often consumed, is not recommended.) Do not burdon yourself with unnecessary weight unless you are in superb physical condition. Sunglasses are important, as is an umbrella (it usually rains in the afteroon here.) Bright-colored clothes are adviseable, since traffic whizzes by unheeding.
One will arrive hot, dusty, footsore, sweat-soaked or even wet, if one starts too late, but probably as cheerful as most of the the walkers are. As The Tico Times staffwriter Mike Faulk wittily observed about the uncomplaining, “…Who ever heard of a high-maintenance pilgrim?”

by Rod Hughes
Well, the soccer season has begun again and for thousands of fans in this country, there’s something to look forward to once more.
Alajuela fans can rejoice after yesterday’s drubbing of a surprised Liberia team, 4-1.
For a time in the first part, neither team shone, then Liberia drew first blood with a corner kick that Freddy Segura converted into a 1-0 score at minute 47. The Liberia fans in Alajuela’s Morera Soto Stadium went wild. Earlier they had been treated to a near-goal by ex-Alajuela star Rolando Fonseca who surprised goalie Wardy Alfaro and almost had his revenge on his old team.
But Segura’s goal proved to be like an alarm clock for Alajuela, awakening the lion. Luis Lara evened the score for Alajuela 10 minutes later and Victor Nunez put the team ahead a few minutes after and then it was all downhill for Liberia. Two minutes later Pablo Nasser made it 3-1 and in the closing minutes Nunez made his second goal.
The black and red gang has had two previous lackluster seasons. Could this year be the one that sets them on track again?

by Rod Hughes
For Bernadina Vazquez of San Carlos, July 30, is a special day. No, it is not her birthday—she’s had 87 of those and they’ve grown a little stale.
It was the day in 1950 that she was the first woman in Costa Rica to cast a ballot, following passage of a landmark law.
The Costa Rica was a conservative country in those days and women’s suffrage came late, even for machista Latin America. Even at that, many men considered giving women the vote was risky business.
It seems a long time ago in today’s Costa Rica where the percentage of women in congress is among the highest in the world, as is the proportion of women in universities. But the National Institute for Women, which organized a special event in her honor, realizes that women have come a long way, baby.
In recognition of Bernardina’s special place in history, the social welfare institute IMAS gave her a check for 800,000 colones, which would have been a huge sum in 1950 but is valued at about $1,680 in today’s inflated colones.

by Rod Hughes
In every country, the majority of students complain of boredom in class, but in Costa Rica they may have a point, reports the daily newspaper La Nacion.
The paper points out that the same material is often covered two years running in grade school, indicating a lack of curriculum coordination. For example, the fourth grade covers non-verbal communication, the interpretation of gestures and such. Important for socialization of the students, one might say, but it is repeated in the fifth grade.
Or the case of group and individual action in protection of the environment through recycling, composting and such, taught in the fifth grade, then repeated in the sixth. Again, important in a small country where littering is a national illness and the environment is a vital economic factor. But twice in a row?Further, the paper says, the sixth grade is a general resume of the material taught in the fourth and fifth grades. This was valuable when the students were required to pass standardized, nationwide tests in order to graduate into high school, but the Ministry of Education has eliminated this test.
Alexandrina Mata, vice minister in charge of educational programs, told the paper that the curriculum is under general review but not to expect reforms until 2009. But she touched on another sore point with students and many parents—lack of creativity among teachers. They must deepen their understanding of the material and try to pass it on to students in different and more interesting ways, she says.
The traditional teaching method in this country involves the teachers writing material on the blackboard and the students copying it into notebooks, often without understanding what it means or how it relates to life in general. This is partially due to the cost of textbooks, which many parents cannot afford. But it is a time-consuming process that means less teacher opportunity for explanation. Regretably, some teachers welcome this rote-memorization, due to laziness or lack of understanding of the subject.
Mata regrets this lack of teacher creativity. She admits that some of the material studied is obsolete but notes that a worse problem is the dull way it is presented, through a written exposition on the blackboard. She noted that there were many simple lab experiments to demonstrate photosynthesis, for example, but teachers simply stick to the old method.
She further criticized her predecessors at the ministry for not bringing teachers up to speed on their subjects, especially in the fast-changing sciences. It is not enough, she emphasizes, just to teach the facts of physics but also the reasoning behind it.
Such forward thinking is long overdue, according to many who have been through the system. Three University of Costa Rica pyschologists several decades ago tested students graduating from grade school in reasoning power, then tested them in their final year of high school. They found that the students had actually declined in their problem-solving abilities during the interim.
The ancient copybook method apparently gives students the facts—while robbing them of the abilitiy to use them constructively.
This reporter has had first-hand experience with the old method. Some years ago, while helping his daughter the night before an exam, he was appalled to learn that she had memorized everything without understanding a thing. When he stopped to explain the basis of a of a certain point, she urged him to proceed to the next point.
“But you’ve got to understand the material if you expect to remember it,” explained this reporter.
“I don’t have time to understand, Dad!” she protested with a note of hysteria in her voice, “I’ve got to study!”

by Rod Hughes
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UPDATE 2 Aug. ‘07: It’s “let’s make a deal” time at the Legislative Assembly as 38 congressmen have banded together to plead with their Citizen Action Party (PAC) colleagues to stop obstructing the flow of legislation, after PAC deputies have blocked business repeatedly. PAC deputies oppose acting on 13 so-called “parallel laws” that would have to reform the way the country does business if it is to conform with the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The Pro-CAFTA deputies propose to debate the bills but not to vote on them until after the Oct. 7 referendum. Their proposal:If the pact is voted down, the bills would go back to committee–and likely die there–but if the majority of the people say “Yes” to CAFTA. the bills would go into law.(During August, the Executive Branch has the constitutional power to manage the congressional agenda in which laws are debated. Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias says the cabinet will send only “politically viable” bills.”
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In the United States, Congress has its filibusters as a way to waste taxpayers’ time and money.
In Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly, it is a matter of not showing up at the sessions as a way to block progress. In a unicameral congress with 57 lawmakers, 38 are needed to dance. This week, meeting in Guanacaste province for the Annexation celebration, only 34 showed.
Last week, congress was only in session two days because the Citizen Action Party (PAC) wanted to block discussion on bills for legal reforms necessary if the October referendum approves the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). PAC, with 17 elected deputies, is politcking hard against CAFTA and does not want to hear about any parallel bills that would smooth the way for it.
But this week, it was the President’s own party deputies that failed to show for the sessions because four of the vital pro-CAFTA votes were also absent, meaning the parallel bill could have been voted down. (President Arias has only 38 pro-CAFTA votes to count on, a bare 3/4 majorit needed.)
But in the past, it has not been political maneuvering that accounted for enough absences to fail a quorum attempt. Reasons for being absent include: illness, death in the family, business concerns and just not feeling like attending today. Although the leading daily paper, La Nacion, often prints a list of the most often absent, some legislators do not get the message or feel the need to be responsible to the voters who elected them. Since they cannot be re-elected until four years have passed, they depend on the voters (and the newspapers) to forget their records.
Some make a career of being absent.
Meanwhile, a plan to rent a building to house offices for 16 of the President’s party’s deputies, relieving pressure in the overcrowed neo-colonial Legislative Assembly building, has been postponed. The lawmakers want the landlord to present a seismic study on the structure before they move in.
This is probably unnecessary, since the deputies seldom do anything earth-shaking, anyway…

by Rod Hughes
Do you remember the “Mother of All Potholes” in Barrio Dent, near San Pedro, east of downtown San Jose? This was the more than 50 foot-deep, 40 wide gap that lasted for 18 months while two city governments fretted and feuded and motorists fumed at piled up traffic.
The good news is that it was filled in three months ago and everyone was happy.
The bad: The street is sinking again, with an alarming four foot drop in the street. So far the asphalt is holding up under the strain but it is a matter of time before it breaks up.
Engineers discount the possibility that the pothole could develop into another crater the size of the previous record-breaker. That was caused by the collapse of a drainage pipe.
The City of San Jose’s hydrologist,Marco Vinicio Corrales, says that this one developed due to the defective connection of a sewer pipe serving nearby condos. A crew tried to correct the problem a month ago but the repair didn’t hold. Torrential rains didn’t help matters, saturating the soil already undermined.
Corrales promised that this weekend, crews will dig up the sewer pipe and do the job right, for a change. Within two weeks, he promises that it will be paved and should last for 60 or 70 years.
On the other hand, without a Lindsay or a Paris in the country, what will people do for something to gossip about if the problem is cured once and for all?

DirecTV, exclusive provider of satellite digital television in Costa Rica, will trasfer its subscribers to the Mexican company Novavision’s Sky satellite TV platform, The Tico Times reported recently.
But, if you’re reading this in Costa Rica, never fear—it won’t cost you anything. DirecTV service will continue until the country’s customers are transferred, then will no longer be offered. Sky will offer 35 more channels, in addition to the DirecTV channels, giving access to a total of 210 channels. Luis Lépiz, president of DirecTV’s parent company, said the Sky system is more advanced with more customer options.
The change of equipment will take from four to six months, he added. DirecTV accounts for 12% of the paid TV market here.

by Rod Hughes
The U.S. government’s crackdown on Internet gambling not only got it in hot water with the World Trade Organization (WTO) but also has moved Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry to seek compensation for losses to its economy, reports the weekly The Tico Times.
The crackdown caused the closure of as many as 20 “sportsbook” operations in this country, including the closure of the London-based BetOnSports operation, throwing 1,200 employees out of work. (Most still have not received their severance pay, according to the Ministry of Labor.) Some 180 operations are still hanging on, the paper said, employing some 9,000.
The U.S. law signed by President Bush last October prohibits U.S. credit card companies and banks from processing payments to offshore gambling firms. The Foreign Ministry notes that the 2004 WTO report calls the law in restraint of competition and specifically conflicts with the 1995 GATS agreement including specifically access to betting services.
Costa Rica has joined a number of countries from the European Union, India, Canada, Macau, Australia and the Caribbean in seeking compensation for damage to their economies caused by the law. Talks are underway between representatives of this country and the U.S., the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.