If you think that the recent signing of Costa Rica's new anti-smoking law imposes too many restrictions, then you should not plan to move to the city Elk Grove in Sacramento County, California. According to a recent article written by Mary Elizabeth Williams for online magazine Salon, the council of Elk Grove is currently debating a citywide ban on smoking inside housing units in residential a...

Costa Rica's initiatives in forest conservation and replanting of trees are part of the plan that President Laura Chinchilla referred to as "becoming a Green Power" when she officially kicked off the Limpia tu Huella (Erase your Carbon Footprint) campaign a few days ago. Similar efforts are now spreading in South America. A recent article published by the AlertNet Thomson Reuters Foundation...

The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. Our current immigration law, which was published in La Gaceta in 2009 and went into effect on March 1st, 2010, has been questioned by the Institute of Social Investigations of the University of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: IIS-UCR). Accordi...

SAN JOSE – Minister of Public Health Daisy Corrales has sent instructions to regional directors in Costa Rica to notify private businesses that they should immediately begin taking down all "Area de Fumado" (Smoking Area) signs. The old signs should be discarded and replaced with the new "Prohibido Fumar" 8.5" x 11" official posters. The measure described above can be implemented now, witho...

From March 28th through April 1st, 2012, the Vans Pier Classic returns to Huntington Beach, California, and Tico surfer Carlos Munoz will be competing among some of the biggest names in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The Vans Pier Classic has been rated a 4-star competition by the ASP, which means that Carlos will be surfing against top-notch talent competing for the $115,000 ...

Residents of Playa Jaco in our Central Pacific coast are in for a spectacular sunset. On Sunday, April 1st, at the Malecon Bar Restaurant in Jaco, acclaimed Tica pop singer Debi Nova will perform an acoustic set as the sun goes down, as part of the Roxy Sunset Unplugged event. For those who are not familiar with Debi Nova, she is a talented singer and songwriter who has found success in the int...

"Innovative, forward-looking approaches and ideas" are needed, said Minister of Foreign Trade Anabel Gonzalez at the pre-conference event of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. Our Minister was invited to address the conference by the Secretary General of the UNCTAD, Supachai Panitchpakdi. Fresh from her visit to the INDIASOFT 2012 IT and B2B expo in H...

By declaration of the United Nations, World Press Freedom is celebrated each May 3rd with the goal of developing initiatives that support freedom of expression, raise awareness as to the importance of news media, remembering those unfortunate journalists who were victims of censorship, oppression and violence. UNESCO San Jose will celebrate World Press Freedom Day proactively. In associatio...

More than 130 young judokas from different nations participated in the 2nd Kimura International World Cup at the Urraca Institute in Panama. On that tournament, martial artists from Costa Rica took first place in several categories and managed to earn 15 gold medals, 9 silver medals and one bronze medal. The second and third places in the tournament were taken by Panamanian judo teams Kimura an...

The life of 11 year-old Maria Fernanda Herrera Sandoval today is radically different from just a year ago. Fernanda's ideas on environmental conservation sent her from her humble home in Bajo Tejar in San Ramon to the capital of France. Fernanda is in the fifth grade at the Alberto Manuel Brenes school in San Ramon, an institution selected by Panasonic to represent Costa Rica at the awards ...

Chancelor of Foreign Affairs Enrique Castillo spent a day with his Israeli counterpart discussing the challenges and common interests between the two nations, according to digital news daily El Pais and Spanish news agency EFE. According to official sources, the meeting between Castillo and Avigdor Lieberman was "very open and satisfactory, in which a summary of international affairs and re...

The grand opening of the world's most recognizable brand of coffee shops will take place in May, and it is looking for 30 new employees to join its ranks. As expected, the first Starbucks will open in Avenida Escazu, on the ground floor of the new complex of upscale shoppes next to the Residence Inn Hotel. This is the only location that has been confirmed thus far. The Seattle-based coffee r...

Chef Keven Evan Lee of the Sherbourne Restaurant in Hollywood, California was recently interviewed by the Los Angeles Times. When asked about his favorite breakfast, he replied: "My favorite breakfast is from the time that I lived in Costa Rica. Waking up to the sounds of the ocean crashing and walking into my kitchen for a plate that consisted of freshly boiled beans with thyme and cilantro fo...

Costa Rica is part of a bloc of 18 countries led by Mexico that sent an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) regarding SB 1070, a controversial law in the State of Arizona that aims to curb illegal immigration. The brief supports the administration of President Barack Obama, who has voiced his opposition to the measure in Arizona. An amicus curiae brief is ...

Government officials in Costa Rica met with a representative from the United Nations and agreed to hold talks with the Terraba indigenous people regarding their rejection of the controversial Diquis hydroelectric plant construction. James Anaya is a UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples who is an expert in the rights of native and indigenous people. He recommended that Costa...

In November 3rd of 1965, a military aircraft from the Argentinian Air Force carrying 68 airmen experienced damage in one of its engines and plunged into the jungle of the indigenous Talamanca region of Costa Rica. More than 45 years later, the mystery of what really happened to the crew and passengers of that unfortunate flight remains. According to newspaper La Manana de Cordoba, the famil...

SAN JOSE – With a brief ceremony, President Laura Chinchilla launched a nationwide campaign for residents of Costa Rica to get involved in achieving Costa Rica's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2021. "Limpia tu huella" (clean up your carbon footprint) is the name of the initiative, which officially started on Monday, March 26th, 2012. The official press release explained that th...

Plans to develop  Costa Rica's new international airport are currently being considered. According to business daily La Republica, the new airport should begin operations in the year 2026. On that same year, the management contract now held by Aeris Holdings over the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela will come to an end. A New Location Preliminary studies by civil aviatio...

Author's Note: This article uses the term "submersible" instead of submarine to describe manned vehicles for underwater exploration. Submarine is a military term, while submersible is used by the civilian and scientific community. The growth of ecotourism means that some tourists who arriving in Costa Rica may want to go beyond our national parks and volcanoes. Getting wet at our beaches is one...

The days of unlimited downloading using your smartphone or 3G wireless modem (known in Costa Rica as "datacard") may soon be over. According to an article published by online financial news daily El Financiero, the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL in Spanish) is looking at establishing a "fair use" policy that could allow wireless carriers to offer metered data plans or bandwidth throt...

Back in February of 2010, the former Vice President of Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan was appointed to the post of Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Ever since she took over the post, she has been working hard on advancing the agenda of the UNDP, which lately has been focused on sustainable development. Speaking to the Sunday Zaman English-language news publi...

Carlos Hernandez Valverde is a talented football player who, like fellow countrymen Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell, has found great success and acclaim abroad. Hernandez has been playing in the Australian A-League, with the Melbourne Victory Football Club, since 2007. Now that his contract is up for negotiation, Australian fans are following his every move. According to sports media site Tribal F...

An in-depth journalistic investigation by prominent news daily La Nacion sent seven Ministers rushing to update the value of their properties with the Ministry of the Treasury, the national revenue collection institution. One of the Ministers who scrambled to correct the value of the real estate he owns was the Minister of the Treasury himself, Fernando Herrero. The extremely detailed multimedi...

La Ruta Adventures, a unique travel agency that puts together some of the most exciting trips to Latin America, is better known for La Ruta de los Conquistadores -one of the most grueling mountain bike circuits in the world. La Ruta de los Conquistadores is billed as "More than a race, a personal growth journey", as it takes competitors from Playa Jaco up to the Carara reserve and down to the ...

President Laura Chinchilla has received both criticism and accolades for her decision to charge forward with the construction of a new highway that runs parallel to the San Juan river in Nicaragua. The highway, which is named after former head of state and national hero Juan Rafael Mora Porras, has been the subject of intense debate between public officials of both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Man...

Students and researchers from all over the world routinely come to Costa Rica to investigate the plethora of species that Nature has blessed us with. Many scientists are finding that the country's efforts to promote and advance ecotourism are paying off significantly. The Veragua Rainforest Research and Adventure Park is an example of how tourists and scientists can come together and conduct their...

SAN JOSE – Global technology leaders Hewlett Packard (HP) and Intel have teamed up to bring the world the newest concept in personal mobile computing. The companies, which are two of Costa Rica's largest employers, will be officially unveiling the HP Ultrabook at the Play store in Escazu on Wednesday, March 28th at 9:00 am. The buzz surrounding the HP Ultrabooks began last year when Intel annou...

The iPhone 4S craze among Tico lovers of Apple's most iconic device has unleashed a price war among the three major wireless carriers in Costa Rica. It is clear that former communications monopoly ICE is leading the battle, although the first salvo was quietly launched by Claro about a week ago. What is clear about the war is that smartphone consumers are bearing the brunt of the hostilities. I...

RPP Noticias, a major news broadcaster in Peru, has announced that the Executive Branch of the South American country has approved a legislative measure that will prohibit all physical aggression against children and adolescents. With this historical approval, Peru will join Costa Rica, Uruguay and Venezuela in Latin America as countries where corporal punishment of children is a serious crimi...

From May 7th to 13th, beautiful representatives from the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America will participate in a series of presentations and pageant events in San Jose, Aguas Zarcas, Sarchi, and tourist hotspots of our Pacific Coast. The contestants will charm audiences to promote tourism to their respective nations in competition for the crown of Reina Internacional de los Mares ...

In the inaugural days of our National Stadium, Gustavo Adolfo Esquivel Quiros -a Tico attorney and football fan- was really excited when he heard that one of his football idols would come to play in Costa Rica. When his idol did not play as expected, he sued the National Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL) and won. According to Diario Extra, the damages awarded to Esquivel are in the amount of 23...

In the early 80’s, Costa was an entirely different place than it now is. With a population only approaching the two and a half million mark, there was hardly any congestion at all, no traffic problems, no real crime and certainly no violence. Back in those days, from San Isidro del General to Dominical was a three and a half hour trip just to get there, and if the trip were by bus, the passeng...

Getting around and finding your way in Costa Rica can be a frustrating exercise in orienteering, and that's just on foot. When it comes to dealing with traffic in our poorly-kept roads, Tico drivers do the best they can to fight traffic and get to their destinations in a reasonable time. The highway infrastructure and the corresponding traffic signaling scheme is improving, albeit at a very...

Marcela Castro Wedel is a physiotherapist and certified instructor of the Pilates and yoga disciplines. She is also a dog trainer who believes that doga, the practice of yoga with a canine companion, is a discipline that carries even more benefits than traditional yoga. Doga combines a series of yoga poses and breathing exercises that humans can perform along with canines. The idea is for both ...

Carolina Trigueros is a young fashion designer who loves to play with geometric shapes and colors. Her signature style is ultra-feminine; she is partial to fabrics that are soft and that gracefully hug the natural contour of the female figure. Color is very important to Carolina, which is why she was selected as one of the designers behind the 2012 Color Fashion Tour, sponsored by Grupo Kat...

Costa Rica was the first country to announce her intention to become a carbon-neutral country by the year 2021. We are ten years away from achieving that noble goal, and the progress that has been made thus far at the community and private levels outshines the efforts by the government. While some experts have criticized public officials for dragging their feet in this matter, other analysts a...

Correos de Costa Rica recently completed its formulation of numbered postal codes for the entire country. The system is now similar to the ZIP+4 utilized by the United States Postal System. The switch to a numbered code system comes after a century and a half of operation by our postal service without needing one. The new system is codified by province, canton and district. For example, if some...

The rise of the middle and upper classes in various Latin American nations, like Costa Rica, is translating into positive news for pets. Economic prosperity means that business is booming for the pet food and supplies industry. Upscale pet hotels and grooming spas for dogs may have once been dismissed as staples of the excesses of Western industrialized nations, but they are now cropping up in ...

As part of an extensive itinerary of visits to foreign sovereign states, President Laura Chinchilla will arrive at the Vatican to meet with Pope Benedict XVI, who is currently visiting Mexico. According to digital news daily El Pais, our President's next visits include Guatemala, where she will meet with Central American leaders looking for a solution to reduce consumption of controlled substan...

A study of 100 beaches in Costa Rica from 1996 to 2011 by the National Water Laboratory indicates that 91 percent of all beaches enjoy great water quality in terms of the presence of fecal coliform organisms. The study, which was published in La Nacion, involved 6,847 water samples collected in different bodies of water along both of our coasts, and it was checked against historical data from the ...