Archive for January, 2008

Braulio Carrillo Highway Blocked by Slide

Monday, January 28th, 2008

by Rod Hughes
The highway connecting Limon with San Jose was blocked by a huge landslide but engineer Margarita Soto told the newspaper Al Dia that the Braulio Carrillo Highway should be open by midday on Monday.
The slide backed traffic up five kilometers on both sides, […]

Ex-Alajuela Striker Scott Goes to China

Monday, January 28th, 2008

by Rod Hughes
Former Alajuela striker Erick Scott is off to play soccer in China, along with Honduran forward Emil Martinez, to join the Shanghai club, the newspaper La Nacion reported today. Both currently play with Marathon of Honduras.
Marathon’s head coach, who went personally to the […]

Newspaper: 25 Years Since Last Meal

Monday, January 28th, 2008

by Rod Hughes
This writer mentioned last year that while the daily newspaper Diario Extra may have a reputation for sensationalism, it does not rival the U.S. supermarket press (National Inquirer, for example) for yellow journalism. However, a news story that appeared last month may stretch the limits of credibility. Make […]

Gourmet Coffee Prices Level Off in Market

Friday, January 25th, 2008

by Rod Hughes
Costa’s Rica’s gourmet coffee has leveled off in price on the world market recently, reported the daily newspaper La Nacion. The coveted coffee so beloved of finicky private consumers and the Starbucks chain, shot up 20% over regular coffee beans in 2001 but was only 17% last year.
[…]

Trains: On Track for the Future

Friday, January 25th, 2008

by Rod Hughes
For many years, the Costa Rican Railway System (INCOFER) was moribund except for some banana transport from plantation to port in Limon province. The railway was a victim of truck transport competition and a decrepid infrastucture. Today, INCOFER is planning for the future, thanks to rising diesel prices […]

Shaman Murdered for Allegedly Casting Spell

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

by Rod Hughes
Although fraud laws makes it a misdemeanor to profess to deal in witchcraft, in the far corners of the country a few believers still fear sorcery. This is the motive given for the murder of a 24-year-old man in the Guaymi area of southern Costa Rica
[…]

Saprissa Invited to Uruguayan Tourney

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

by Rod Hughes
Saprissa, the club that is currently defending champion of Costa Rica’s First Division soccer league, has been invited to play against several international powerhouses in Montevideo, Uruguay. Two games will be played per day in the Copa Ricard soccer extravaganza, that begins today.
[…]

Venezuela’s Chavez without Abassador Here

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

by Rod Hughes
Although no Costa Rican government official will confirm it, the newspaper Al Dia today reported that this country had rejected credentials of the ambassador Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez named nearly a year ago.
Jose Huerta, 66, was tapped in February, 2007, by Chavez as […]

ICE May Reimburse Users for Cell Interruption

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

by Rod Hughes
ICE, the government communications monopoly, feels the obligation to reimburse cell phone users for the 12-day interruption of service on its Alcatel net, according to ICE spokesman Elberth Duran.
The public telecommunications company is awaiting a technical study of what went wrong with the […]

Private Colleges Top Public in Graduates

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

by Rod Hughes
Private universities here graduated almost twice as many students as public higher education institutions last year, reports La Nacion, the country’s largest newspaper. In 2007, public universities graduated only 11,370 students contrasted against 19,876 in private colleges.
The central government’s budgetary bind has […]