The Atlantic Zone Returning to
Normal
For the first time in
more than two weeks we have
nothing new to write about the
situation in the Atlantic zone.
The weather conditions changed
on Saturday, bringing sunshine
and seasonal conditions back to
the area that received more rain
in during the period than the
monthly average.
The rain and flood left
thousands to take refuge in
shelters and five dead. Almost
1.000 still are being house in
temporary shelters.
The water levels last week had
threatened the already beaten
area, especially in the
southeast corner of the country,
in the border town of Sixaloa,
which, according to President
Pacheco, will be moved to avoid
next year's floods.
Aid is still pouring in. Red
Cross and National Emergency
Commission workers are still
delivery help, food and other
necessities to those in
communities most affected.
The weatherman had predicted
that by Saturday the rain and
strong winds would stop. And
like clockwork, the national
emergency was reduced to yellow
status from red just after noon
on Saturday.
The hot sun is drying up the
flooded areas and the river
water levels started to return
to normal.
Now, the task of rebuilding will
be the challenge for the
thousands who had their home
partially or complete damaged,
crops destroyed and lives
shattered.
President Pacheco to Visit
Ecuador
President Abel Pacheco, along
with his Foreign Trade Minister
(Ministro de Comercio Exterior),
Manuel González, are getting
ready to leave tomorrow (tuesday)
for the la Cumbre de los Países
Latinoamericanos Exportadores de
Banano (Banana Exporter's
Summit) in Ecudador.
The meeting is to discuss the
the tariffs planned by the
European Nations starting in
2006..
The European community wants to
place a tarrif of 230 euros on
each ton of bananas, an amount
the exporting nations believe to
consider too high.
The situation is very important
to Costa Rica as it exports 50%
of it's banana production to the
"old countries".
The president is expected to be
in Ecuador for two days.
Taxis Want a 'Just' Fare Hike
The ink isn't even
dry on the latest publication of
the official newspaper La Gaceta
that announced the latest fare
increase and the la Unión de
Taxistas Costarricenses (UTC) -
taxi union - is asking for more.
The recent increase saw the
first kilometer fare go to ¢285
colones and each additional
kilometer to ¢160 colones. If
the taxi union has it's way, the
fare could just to ¢500 for the
first km and ¢250 for each
additional km.
The union is saying the fare
increase is necessary due to the
rising cost of fuel and living
expenses. The system used to
adjust fares is antiquated,
allowing fare increases only
when the price of gasoline rose
more than 5%.
The new fares, if approved,
would allow taxi drivers and
owners to start to make up for
the losses of all these years.
The taxi union is also asking
that there be different fares
based on the cars used. A driver
who is operating a late model
car and has a college degree and
speaks English deserves to be
able to charge more for those
services.
For any fare increase to become
effective it first has to be
approved by the Autoridad
Reguladora de los Servicios
Públicos (Aresep) - the public
regulator of public services -
which just approved the last
increase.
The taxi union says that if the
ARESEP refuses their proposal it
will be appealed and will
continue to fight until the
"appropriate" fare is approved.
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Divorces On The Increase
For many, marriage is the most
important personal event of
their lives. A married couple
can consolidate their future,
plan a family and be together
"until death do us part".
However, the institution of
marriage is losing strength.
Each year in Costa Rica there is
an increase in the number of
divorces. According to the
Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE)
in 2004 there were 9.467
petitions for divorces compared
to 6.843 marriages registered.
Divorces surpassed marriages by
more than 2.620.
Infidelity, lack of
communications, economic
conditions and the increase in
domestic violence are some of
the causes of the split by the
couples who are more and more
opting for a definite end to
their union.
According to the Registro Civil,
a department of the TSE, this
trend has been steadily
increasing for the last four
years consecutively. May 2004
was the month with the highest
number of divorces registered:
1.260.
The trend began in 2001 with
7.087 divorces registered. In
2002, 7.786 couples ended their
union and in 2003 the amount of
break ups was 9.442.
Registering a divorce is simple
once the couple have obtained an
order from the family court
making the split official and
definite. The court document can
then registered with the TSE by
either of the parties and takes
between 15 and 22 days for the
records of the Registro Civil to
be updated.
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