http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/costarica/ en-us Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:11:54 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414472/posts Several years ago, I enjoyed an amazing vacation in Costa Rica. Shortly after I arrived, I found myself reclining in a comfortable leather chair. I leaned back and relaxed, staring at the flawless blue sky and the steep, misty mountains surrounding San Jose. Soft, soothing music played in the background. I was beginning to drift off when a young woman walked over. She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Good afternoon, Jon. I hope you’re comfortable,” she said, in perfect English. “Can I adjust the chair for you? Would you like something to drink?” “No, thank you. I’m just fine.”... Total Health Breakthroughs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414472/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:11:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/669972/posts Sanibel, Fla., was one of the first U.S. cities to endorse the Earth Charter nearly a year ago as a part of Earth Day celebrations. It was also the first U.S. city to withdraw its endorsement. This controversial document, promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong for a decade, is seen by many to be an effort to create a new "16 Commandments" to serve as the foundation for a new global religion. Sanibel citizens were not happy about the endorsement. Forty-two citizens and five former mayors signed an open letter, published in a local newspaper, demanding that the endorsement... WorldNetDaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/669972/posts#comment Sun, 21 Apr 2002 08:32:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2377682/posts When Islamists made their roots south of the border... Venezuela's dictator: H. Chavez that "sees" only money, oil and Anti-Americanism-Power, does "serve" the Islamic Iranian Republic well, giving out passports to anyone. From that "port" it is quite easy for an Islamic Iranian AGENT to arrive into any other Latin American country as a... "Venezuelan". A "random" different case (of a Muslim trying to "blend" into Latin America), a year ago, a Jordanian Arab that "met" a Costa Rican (Tica) girl in Spain (she vouched for him in CR, asw this man came from the area in Jordan where a... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2377682/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 21:15:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2317655/posts Known as the 'Crocodile Man', Costa Rican animal lover 'Chito' swims, plays and even feeds 'Pocho' the giant crocodile in what is one of the world's most unlikely friendships. Wading chest-deep through the green water in a 100 sq/m lake in Siquirres, this bizarre and dangerous spectacle draws tourists from around the world. Calling quietly for his five metre long 'companion' before thrashing around, lifting his tail and head above the water. 'This is a very dangerous routine but Pocho is my friend and we have a good relationship,' says 52-year-old Chito. 'He will look me in the eye and... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2317655/posts#comment Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:15:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2318463/posts The Highland Park parents of 28-year-old graduate student David Gimelfarb are searching their son after he disappeared while hiking in Costa Rica. The doctoral student who went to South America a week ago was last seen by a park ranger about 10 a.m. on August 11. Gimelfarb was reportedly driving a rented sport-utility vehicle the Parque National Rincon de la Vieja, friend Michael Kipnes told Chicago Breaking News. His parents, Roma and Luda Gimelfarb, have flown to Costa Rica to look for him. "He [Roma] was OK," Kipnis said about his conversation with David's parents. "She's not holding up very... NBC Chicago http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2318463/posts#comment Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:57:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2313948/posts Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu, the government said in a televised statement on Tuesday. Arias fell ill on Sunday, complaining of a sore throat and temperature, Presidential Minister Rodrigo Arias said. A doctor's visit on Tuesday revealed that the president had the H1N1 virus, cases of which had been reported earlier in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose. The president's overall health was good, but following his doctor's advice, he will rest at his home until Sunday, Rodrigo Arias said. The president is expected to return... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2313948/posts#comment Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:43:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2295835/posts Edén Pastora threatened to attack Honduras According to the former military, the Honduran conflict could only be resolved by guns. 18.07.09 - Updated: 18.07.09 06:56 pm - Writing: redaccion@elheraldo.hn Tegucigalpa, Honduras . Former Nicaraguan guerrilla Eden Pastora, threatened to take up arms if there is no agreement in Costa Rica on the return of Manuel Zelaya as president. Pastora, a former Sandinista commander, is known for having led the command that took the National Palace, in the late 70s, during the Somoza dictatorship. See the biography of Eden Pastora According to El Universal of Venezuela, "Commander Zero," he told the... Diario El Heraldo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2295835/posts#comment Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:32:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910887/posts Al Gore’s campaign against global warming is shifting into high gear. Reporters and commentators follow his every move and bombard the public with notice of his activities and opinions. But while the mainstream media promote his ideas about the state of planet Earth, they are mostly silent about the dramatic impact his economic proposals would have on America. And journalists routinely ignore evidence that he may personally benefit from his programs. Would the romance fizzle if Gore’s followers realized how much their man stands to gain? Earlier this year Gore experienced a notable public relations debacle. The Tennessee Center for... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910887/posts#comment Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:35:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287191/posts London, U.K. (AHN) - A research group in Britain has chosen Costa Rica as the happiest place in the world citing its content people, long life expectancy and tiny carbon footprint due to the use of renewable energy.The Central American country topped the Happy Planet Index published on Monday by the New Economics Foundation, a British think-tank. The index measured the ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life-expectancy of 143 countries. According to the HPI, life expectancy in Costa Rica is 78.5 years and 99 percent of its energy comes from renewable resources. NEF started conducting the survey for the HPI in... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287191/posts#comment Tue, 7 Jul 2009 13:03:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2287185/posts I’m under the impression that every time Caribbean and Latin American countries meet with the President of the United States of America it’s to ask for something or complain about things. Almost always it’s to blame the United States for our past, present and future problems. I don’t think that’s completely fair. We mustn’t forget that Latin America had universities before the United States created Harvard or William & Mary, which were the first universities in that country. We can’t forget that on this continent, as well as the world over, at least until 1750 all Americans were more or... Arias speech http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2287185/posts#comment Tue, 7 Jul 2009 12:52:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285601/posts Costa Rica tops the "Happy Planet Index," a ranking of ecological efficiency among the world's nations, survey officials say. Costa Ricans reported the highest life satisfaction and have an average life expectancy second only to Canada, said a release from the New Economics Foundation, a British think tank that promotes ecology and sustainable economics. Nine of the 10 highest-scoring nations were in Latin America, with the United States reportedly "greener and happier" 20 years ago than it is today. Of the 143 nations surveyed for the Happy Planet Index, the United States ranked 114. While ecological progress is being made,... UPI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285601/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 20:47:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278842/posts Note: The following text is a quote: June 24, 2009 46 street gang members and associates arrested in New Jersey-wide operation ICE works with local law enforcement agencies to make arrests NEWARK, N.J. - Forty-six gang members and associates were arrested as a result of a statewide public safety initiative in New Jersey led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Investigation in Newark. The operation ended June 20. Each of those arrested were targeted for their membership, participation or association with violent street gangs. The success of the operation dubbed "Community Shield" was the result of an... ICE.gov - News Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278842/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:31:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247647/posts La Prensa (Managua, Nicaragua) 5/7/09 (Full translation of speech by Oscar Arias, President of Costa Rica, at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Trinidad & Tobago on April 18, 2009) “I have the impression that every time Caribbean and Latin American countries get together with the president of the United States of America it is to ask for things or to demand something. Almost always it’s to blame the United States for our past, present and future ills. I don’t believe that is at all just. We cannot forget that Latin America had universities before the United States created... NAFBPO- M3Foreign news report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2247647/posts#comment Sat, 9 May 2009 18:11:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2234568/posts CHICAGO – A federal judge dashed indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's reality TV dream Tuesday, refusing to give the ousted Democrat permission to travel to Costa Rica to tape a show in the jungle. U.S. District Judge James Zagel refused to modify terms of Blagojevich's bail to allow him to leave the United States, saying he needs to remain in the country to help his attorneys formulate a strategy for his defense. The judge said that would give Blagojevich a better sense of the gravity of the legal problems he faces — including allegations he tried to auction off President... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2234568/posts#comment Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:58:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233756/posts Just two days after US President Barack Hussein Obama shared a controversial and landmark handshake with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center has released a study analyzing the flowering alliance between the increasingly anti-Western Latin America and the virulently anti-Israel Iran. The study was conducted at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC), a non-governmental organization dedicated to Israeli intelligence and terrorism issues. According to the study, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using anti-Western Hugo Chavez as a springboard into several Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Nicaragua, and... Arutz Sheva http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233756/posts#comment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:28:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186361/posts In the story of the emperor with no clothes, it took someone whose observations are rarely heeded -- a child -- to point out the obvious fact that no one else could acknowledge. In the case of drug policy, it takes people who are usually ignored by Washington policymakers -- Latin Americans -- to perform the same invaluable service. Last week, a commission made up of 17 members, from Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa to Sonia Picado, the Costa Rican who heads the Inter-American Institute on Human Rights, did nothing but admit the truth: The war on drugs is a... realclearpolitics.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2186361/posts#comment Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:55:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2161123/posts A strong earthquake shook the Costa Rican capital of San Jose Thursday afternoon, sending frightened residents running into streets. There were no reports of injuries in the minutes following the earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude temblor struck 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of San Jose, at a depth of 28 miles (35 kilometers). Canal 7 television showed images of broken windows, fallen ceiling panels and cracked walls. It said the quake was felt strongly throughout the small Central American country. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2161123/posts#comment Thu, 8 Jan 2009 20:28:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154573/posts President George W. Bush cleared the way on Tuesday for Costa Rica to formally join a regional free trade agreement between the United States, the Dominican Republic and four other Central American countries. Bush issued a proclamation that brings the pact into force between the United States and Costa Rica on January 1. "This step marks an important milestone in our relationship with Costa Rica, building on our strong economic and political partnership," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. Costa Rica began negotiations with the United States on the agreement in January 2003, along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154573/posts#comment Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:14:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2103818/posts I've been looking at the possibility of retirement abroad for some time, so I'm on several e-mailing lists. I've been struck by how quickly a couple of these international agencies have pointed to the financial crisis as a marketing pitch. They're focusing on retirees and near-retirees hit hard by the crisis and encouraging us to consider a much more affordable retirement abroad. Here's the most interesting I've found so far (they even have a price list of common items): http://serenity21.com/ http://serenity21.typepad.com/serenity_real_estate/2008/10/to-north-americ.html http://serenity21.com/why_nicaragua.html http://serenity21.com/pricelist.html Very intriguing. I think there's going to be a big and growing market for them to cater... quesney http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2103818/posts#comment Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:14:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085329/posts Beaches Not for Germ-a-Phobes By Leland Baxter-Neal Tico Times Staff | lbaxter@ticotimes.net Some of the Pacific coast's most popular beaches are dangerously polluted with sewage runoff, according to a broad study by the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute (AyA). Water samples taken Aug. 13 show the beaches of Playas del Coco, Playa Tambor and Jacó are hazardous to human health as a result of elevated levels of fecal matter in the ocean. The Tico Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085329/posts#comment Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:04:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072276/posts OAKLAND — A 61-year-old Orinda real estate executive and former Saint Mary's College professor pleaded guilty Friday morning to producing child pornography in a case in which he traveled to Costa Rica to have sex with a 12-year-old girl.Leonard Auerbach faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.No family members or friends attended the hearing. Auerbach, dressed in a red Alameda County Jail jumpsuit, answered the judge's questions with simple "Yes, sir," responses.In April, Auerbach fled the country after charges were initially filed. After being named a "most wanted" fugitive by U.S. Immigration... Contra Costa Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072276/posts#comment Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:15:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051207/posts Watchdogs Cower in Crime Wave By Nick Wilkinson Tico Times Staff | nwilkinson@ticotimes.net It was just their third neighborhood watch meeting when four local gang members showed up, pointed menacingly at their eyes and then their mouths. Sibling Crime Fighters: Lillian and Victor Saborio, siblings from different neighborhoods in Cuatro Reinas de Tibas, discuss the crime problem and what they're doing about it. Click here for a photo report. Ronald Reyes | Tico Times “The message was clear,” says Barbi Mora, leader of the neighborhood watch in Leon XIII de Tibás, a neighborhood on the north side of San José... The Tico Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051207/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:00:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2022827/posts BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION ONE-E ADVISORY NUMBER 1 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP012008 800 PM PDT WED MAY 28 2008 ...TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS NEAR COSTA RICA...EXPECTED TO BRING HEAVY RAINS TO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AMERICA... AT 8 PM PDT...0300 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF COSTA RICA HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE PACIFIC COAST OF COSTA RICA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE PACIFIC COAST OF NICARAGUA DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FOR STORM... National Hurricane Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2022827/posts#comment Thu, 29 May 2008 05:41:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986209/posts SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - An American in Costa Rica was caught smuggling nearly a pound of cocaine (0.4 kg) in his stomach after he went into convulsions on a plane bound for Miami, police said on Friday. The 22-year-old man swallowed dozens of capsules stuffed with the drug before boarding a plane on Thursday in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose. Police said he started to vomit and convulse before the plane took off and was rushed to a hospital where he was still recovering on Friday. "They had to open him up too remove the capsules," said... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986209/posts#comment Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:56:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911108/posts By a razor-thin margin last week, Costa Ricans approved their country's entry into the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which they've been told will bring all kinds of benefits to their economy. But nearly half of voters in that U.S.-friendly country viewed CAFTA as a bad idea. We've long supported free trade and hope that, with Costa Rica's approval, the pact will make commerce easier among the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. But the growing skepticism about free trade across the Americas, including in the U.S., suggests the results have fallen short of expectations.... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911108/posts#comment Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:22:06 GMT