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National Day of Independence for
Costa Rica and Central America
The Republics of Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
and Nicaragua all celebrate
their National Day of
Independence today.
Parades,
marching bands and all different
kinds of festivities are going
on in all communities around
Costa Rica.
Costa Rica and the other Central
America countries obtained their
independence from Spain
in 1821.
Costa Ricans didn’t even know
about the declaration until a
month after Spain announced it.
After gaining independence became for a brief time part of Mexico,
becoming part of the Central American Federation
in 1826, and in 1848
the country declared its independence.
Banco ELCA Depositors Get Paid,
Almost
Good news for small depositors of
Banco ELCA. The Asociación Bancaria
Costarricense (ABC),
is fulfilling it's promise to
make good on small deposits.
Beginning this week and in
alphabetical order, the branches
of Banco ELCA are taking
declarations from depositors
with less that ¢500.000 colones.
Bank personnel told us that once
the form is completed, along
with copies of cedula or
passport, ABC will issue a
cheque for an amount not more
than ¢500.000 on week later.
The payment is only available to
individuals and not corporate
entities.
This week they are accepting
declarations from those with
their last names beginning in
either A or B. Next week, it's C
through F. The order will
continue into October.
The Superintendencia
General de Entidades Financieras
(SUGEF)
is expected to make an
announcement by the end of this
month on the future of the bank.
Twelve Years Prison for
Influence Peddling
A new law approved yesterday pretends to
punish up to 5 years of prison
for the "traffic of influence".
The law will sanction those who
influence public officials, in
delaying a decision, or giving a
concession or contract or any
public act.
The law also will punish those
who offer or peddle "influence".
The penalty is 12 years in
prison if the "influence" comes
from higher up, like the office
of the President of the
Republic, the Vice President or
a Supreme Court member. The law
is not limited to only those
functionaries.
The law had been tabled in the
Legislature on May 20 of this
year. Last night that final vote
saw 41 of the 44 legislators
voting in favour.
Jewish New Year Begins Tonight
The Jewish New Year, 5765, is
being celebrated all over the
world tonight at sunset.
The traditional Jewish New Year
greeting is Leshanah Tovah
Tikatavu — "May you be inscribed
for a good New Year". Many
important events are believed to
have happened on Rosh Hashanah.
The six days of creation were
completed; Abraham and Jacob
were born; Sarah, Rachel and
Hannah — after years of wanting
and praying for children —
conceived Isaac, Joseph and
Samuel, and Joseph was freed
from prison.
Costa Rica is home to about
3.000 Jews
Major customs of Rosh Hashanah
include the sounding of the
shofar in the middle of a
lengthy synagogue service that
focuses on the festival themes,
and elaborate meals at home to
inaugurate the new year. The
prayer liturgy is augmented with
prayers of repentance.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,
the most important of all Jewish
Holidays end at sundown
September 25th.
At sundown of the 24ht, Yom
Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is
the most solemn day of the
Jewish year. It is a day of
fasting, reflection and prayers.
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