Yesterday, Miguel Carabaguíaz, Executive President of INCOFER, confirmed that train service will not start by September 15th, because some details need to be ironed out.

They have not settled the rates with ARESEP, or determined how and where the rates can be charged. Options are to charge 300 colones per trip, to sell monthly, weekly and biweekly tickets and to sell in additional locations like universities and company offices.

If you would like to ride the train on Saturday you may. Expect long lines and waits, but there will be free rides from the Pacific Station. Trips are non-stop and will last 30 to 45 minutes.

If Costa Rica remains a member of the Internacional Criminal Court, the USA will apply sanctions as specified in the 2002 ASPA law. This law prohibits military assistance to countries that are members of the court, and at the end of 2004 other types of assistance were included.

According to the Wikipedia, The Internacional Criminal Court was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, as defined by several international agreements.

99 countries are members because they have ratified or acceded the ICC Statute, this include most EU countries, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea and even Afghanistan. Countries who oppose the treaty are North Korea, China, Iran, and the USA.

The Chancellor Robert Tovar stated Costa Rica’s position is to support the court and remain a member despite US pressure: “I think one can be poor, but dignified. It seems to me that the law is too drastic, and even offensive for us.

The US Embassy stated that “police aid and anti-narcotrafficking funds are not affected by ASPA, so they are not at risk.”

Tonight Costa Rica can practically wrap up the classification for the World Cup with a win at home over Trinidad. That would give them a 6 point advantage over Trinidad and if Guatemala is unable to tie or beat the high flying USA side, a six point advantage over the Guatemalans too.

Game time is 8:00 pm and the match will be televised live on Channels 6 and 7. The coach has gone with a very offensive”5 - 3 - 2″ line up:

Porras will repeat as the Goal Tender. Marín, Martínez and Umaña will be the central defenders. Miller and Drummond will be the “carrileros”, which means they will defend and attack along the sidelines. Centeno, Solís and Bolaños will be the midfielders. All three are better attacking than defending. Saborío, Gómez, and Wanchope will be the forwards. Gómez and Wanchope have history of scoring goals on Trinidad and Saborío is currently Fortune’s Favorite.

Keep your fingers crossed and remember: “Si Se Puede!” (yes we can1)

As of November 15th, RECOPE will supply stations in Guanacaste and Puntarenas with regular gasoline that has 10% ethanol. Earlier this year, RECOPE implemented a pilot plan with 30 vehicles, under the supervision of Brazilian experts.

For 6 months the cars were closely monitored, and it was determined that they suffered no damage and that no technical modifications were required for cars in Costa Rica to use ethanol. Emissions should not be a factor, since ethanol is environmentally friendly.

But overall consumption rose 3%, since Diesel rose by 8.5% and regular by 6.14%.

Consumption for August rose, leading critics to claim that the energy savings plan implemented by the government had failed. The plan’s administrator, Energy and Environment Minister Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, said that the results had to be analyzed more carefully and over a longer period of time in order to guage their effectiveness.

RECOPE’s Distribution and Marketing Manager, William Ulate, also said the statistics were misleading. “Every time there is a hike, people rush out to fill their tank. So they end up purchasing more than normal.”

The government has raised the possibility of implementing more severe measures like prohibiting the import of cars and creating wider restrictions for the circulation of vehicles in San José.