Mother's Day - 15 August
Tomorrow, Friday 15 August, is Mother's Day in
Costa Rica. It is a large retail holiday, second
to Christmas.
This year retailers are seeing a cautious
optimism among shoppers. Consumers are more
cautious and competition between retailers has
been fierce, telling consumers to look carefully
at the costs before buying. Most hope that they
will surpass their expectations for sales.
This holiday is also a boom for some financial
companies, who are counting on their customers
taking our loans or using their credit cards to
make purchases for Mother's Day gifts. Interest
rates on consumer loans can be as high as 28%,
while credit cards can reach 75% per year.
Mother's Day is legal holiday in Costa Rica and
all government offices, banks and offices will
be closed.
Click
here to send Family & Friends flowers in
Costa Rica for Mother's Day!
1,308,911
signatures for Osvaldo y Kattia
Thanks to
the 1,308,911 men, women, children and
adolescents of Costa Rica there will be justice
for the victims of violent crimes and their
families. Everyone that signed believed in the
project for Kattia and Osvaldo's Law, a campaign
without precedent in the history of the country.
Hundreds
of people organized to collect signatures from
their communities, their jobs and from all
across the country, regardless of the distance,
or physical or monetary limitations. Not even
the heavy rains could hold back the
determination of Costa Ricans tired of
injustice.
Initially,
the campaign, organized by Casa Alianza, set the
goal of collecting one million signatures, but
through citizen's determined efforts, this goal
was quickly superseded.
The
proposed Kattia and Osvaldo´s Law was delivered
to the president of the Commission for Children
and Adolescents in the Legislative Assembly,
Carlos Avendaņo.
The
proposed law seeks to establish a registry of
criminals who have committed crimes against
children (sexual abusers, rapists, pimps,
murders, child pornographers, etc.) such that it
will be possible to know where these criminals
live, and so that the authorities can locate
them quickly if they commit a crime against
children or adolescents.
In
addition, the registry will allow citizens to
know if one of these criminals lives in their
community. This preventative mechanism will
allow mothers and father to better protect their
sons and daughters.
Due
to the huge numbers of people supporting this
initiative, Casa Alianza hopes that Congress
will remove all unnecessary bureaucratic red
tape to quickly pass the law, but also hopes
that the members of the Legislative Assembly
will take the time to reflect to create the best
laws possible for the benefit minors.
Nicaragua rejects extradition of ex-president to US
Former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo
Aleman, who faces a legal process over money laundering charges in the United States, would not be extradited, said incumbent President Enrique Bolanos on Wednesday.
"Aleman is not to be extradited under any circumstance, because the Constitution does not allow it," Bolanos said when asked what would be the reaction of the Nicaraguan government to the Miami Court's requests for Aleman's extradition.
Aleman, 57, has been under house arrest in his smart ranch since Dec. 12 last year. He was accused of helping embezzle nearly100 million US dollars of government funds during his tenure from 1997 to 2002.
Bolanos said he knows through the media that Aleman will be indicted before the Miami Court, but the Nicaraguan Attorney General's office has not officially been notified.
He indicated that the legal process, which opened in Miami, does not necessarily means that a new trial will take place in Nicaragua. The Miami trial "could present evidence that could be utilized here and we have a treaty that allows us to exchange information," he added.
The Central American Court of Justice, on Tuesday, dismissed an appeal by
Aleman, who claimed immunity as a deputy of the Central American Parliament from prosecution by the Nicaraguan government
Aleman was transferred Monday from his ranch outside Managua
to a jail cell in the capital city.
Aleman's personal fortune totaled about 250 million dollars in 2001, compared to an estimated 50,000 dollars in 1989, according to opposition Liberal Constitutionalist Party members.
He is also accused of having defrauded the state television network of 1.3 million dollars.
So far, 40 others have been found to be linked with Aleman's case, including members of his family and 16 of his former staff.
The Green Machine for Coffee Growers
Two North
Yorkshire, England, firms have developed machinery
designed to preserve the environment and
improve the working lives of coffee growers in
Costa Rica.
Engineering and
design firm Malton Laser has made parts for a
burner used to dry coffee beans that is
fuelled by bean husks instead of rainforest
wood.
It is hoped the machine will help preserve
protected forests and also save on the costs
associated with gathering and buying the wood.
Malton Laser produced the steel
framework and parts of the waste-burner for
Bioflame which is based in nearby Pickering
and specialises in burners which consume waste
products without producing pollutants or
dioxins.
Chief executive Victor Buchanan said the order
for farmers on the Llano Bonito co-operative
could lead to more business.
He added: "Once this bit of kit reaches
our customers in Costa Rica it will be a
catalyst for further orders.
"At the moment many farmers are holding
back, waiting to see what this machine will do
before purchasing we have no doubt that
there will be a rush of orders next
year."
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