The Bertelsmann Foundation is a highly respected German non-profit organization that focuses on research related to global socioeconomic and political stability. Bertelsmann recently published its BTI 2012 Political and Economic Transformation Index, a comprehensive report that looks at how democracy and socially-responsible market economy measures are developing in 128 countries around the world....

According to The Wall Street Journal, Hollywood star Mel Gibson has once again decided to test the waters of the luxury real estate market. His impressive Hacienda Dorada in Nicoya, with its seven bedrooms, two guest homes and 500 acres of pristine land in Playa Barrigona is currently listed with Plantacion Properties of Escazu and Christie's International Real Estate of Palm Beach. Mel Gib...

On a recent issue of American Ethnologist, the Scientific Journal of the American Ethnological Society, Thomas W. Pearson takes an extensive look at some communities in Costa Rica that have chosen to adopt ordinances and municipal codes that prevent the planting of transgenics, or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). On his article titled Transgenic-free territories in Costa Rica: Networks, p...

In a civil case against the government of Costa Rica, the First Chamber of the Supreme Court has issued an order to pay 30 million colones (about $60,000) to the surviving relatives of a man who died in a traffic accident caused by poor road conditions. Sala Primera (our First Chamber) is a high court that reviews cases files against the Executive Branch, the Presidential Cabinet, and many othe...

The Costa Rica chapter of the online activist collective Anonymous is calling on Ticos to join them in a virtual protest against Fiscal Reform. Just days after the proposed law was approved by legislators in the National Assembly, Anonymous Costa Rica announced Operacion Plan Fiscal. The controversial Fiscal Reform Plan won the first round of voting at the National Assembly on March 15th, and o...

Abiel is the name of a friendly robot that an inventor named Walter built for his twin grandchildren David and Elisa. He is the star of Grandpa's Robot, a 3-D computer animated television series created by Morpho, an animation studio based in San Jose. Yesterday, Abiel took a break from being a playmate to David and Elisa to travel to Hyderabad, India. Abiel's mission was to accompany Anabe...

The headline from the leading sports news daily Al Dia managed to encapsulate the sentiment of Tico football fans last night: "It's a good thing it was just a friendly match." The showdown between the national teams of Costa Rica and Jamaica, respectively known to their fans as La Sele and the Reggae Boyz, was noticeably difficult for both teams. Jamaica concentrated very effectively on defense...

UPDATED: Go here for the most up to date information on the Beer Festival at Avenida Escazu. Beer lovers in Costa Rica are no longer limited to the commercial offerings of the Florida Ice & Farm S.A. and expensive imports at the store. On Saturday, April 21st, the first ever Microbrewery and Craft Beer Festival will take place in Avenida Escazu (map), featuring the best Costa Rica has t...

The Kingdom of Bhutan is located high in the Himalayas, surrounded by the two giants of economic development in Asia: China and India. This tiny nation has come to the attention of the international community in the last few years due to its bucolic way of life and its predominantly Buddhist ideology. Bhutan does not have a particularly high Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the Kingdom is prob...

A top UN official has suggested to his own South American nation to look to Costa Rica as an example to follow in terms of biodiversity conservation and environmental protection. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias recently joined the United Nations after accepting an appointment to the position as Chief of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Immediately upon taking charge, Dias made strong s...

In a candid interview with award-winning journalist Any Perez, President Laura Chinchilla made a few statements that came across as both refreshing and strong. Our President has been fighting off results of independent surveys that show her approval ratings among Ticos have taken a dive. On her most recent in-depth interview in La Nacion, our President comes across as a woman who has learned quite...

Our shiny new National Stadium, a generous gift bestowed upon us by the People's Republic of China, may look perfect in the eyes of all Ticos, but upon closer inspection the perfection begins to fade away. Such is the sentiment of Diario Extra, a popular newspaper that obtained a copy of an official document that details at least ten deficiencies in our National Stadium that have not been solved a...

The next leader of the Libertarian Movement in Costa Rica sees a lot of ideology behind the planned Coastal Territories and Communities Law (Spanish acronym: Tecocos). In an interview with digital newspaper El Pais, Carlos Gongora explained that Tecocos is about "an ideological and fundamental principle of the libertarians, which comes down to respect for private property. It is based on a concept...

Eleven injuries and hundreds of damaged homes make up the toll of the powerful earthquake that rocked Mexico during lunch time yesterday. The final magnitude reading of the earthquake by seismologists in Mexico was 7.8 Richter. The epicenter was near Ometepec, a region that lacks major urban centers. Unfortunately, the homes affected by the earthquake are mostly located in low-income areas....

In Sala Cuarta (Constitutional Hall) yesterday, the magistrates lifted the order preventing the signing by the Executive Branch of file 17371, the future “Ley General de Control del Tabaco y sus Efectos Nocivos en la Salud” (the Tobacco Control Law). President Laura Chinchilla expressed her satisfaction with the decision by Constitutional Hall, which paves the way for signature, publishing and imp...

The 43rd global conference of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was held in San Jose just a few days ago, and it was a momentous occasion not just for Costa Rica as a host country clearly desiring to become a significant force in Information Technology in Latin America, but also for everyone who makes a living on the Internet. The conference got underway with a...

Drivers who have been ticketed for driving behind the wheel of souped-up cars with modifications to the engine, injection or emissions do not have to pay any fines at this time. Sala Cuarta (Constitutional Hall) has been reviewing a series of complaints against sections of Article 132 of the controversial Transit Law. Drivers have the chance to appeal the infraction and free themselves from having...

In a previous Reader's Mail article published on The Costa Rica Star, we answered a question regarding the importation of wine and other products for the purpose of tasting and sampling. On that article, we mentioned that the famed California winemaker Kerry Damskey was studying the possibility of choosing a high-altitude region to grow quality grapes. According to wine industry journal Decanter, ...

At the recent annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank, Treasury Minister Fernando Herrero Acosta announced that Costa Rica is planning to issue a new round of sovereign debt. Financial media outlets Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported on the story, citing a minimum figure of $500 million, although the proposed yield and maturity date are still unknown. One thing that Fe...

The National Seismologic Network (RSN in Spanish) and the Observatory of Volcanic and Seismic Activity in Costa Rica (OVSICORI) have issued reports of an earthquake just before 2:00 pm with an epicenter inland from the Gulf of Nicoya, 1 kilometer north of Costa de Pajaros. According to the OVSICORI, the quake was felt in parts of Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Jaco Beach, and the occidental region of...

From now until March 20th at 6:00 pm, readers of The Costa Rica Star have a chance to get creative with messages left on our Facebook wall and win two weekend tickets to the 2012 Festival Imperial. There are many reasons to participate, like TV on the Radio, the beautiful and talented ladies who will grace the stages, the onstage antics of Gogol Bordello and Cypress Hill, and many more. Ele...

The majestic ARC Gloria, a sailing school for officer candidates in the Colombian Navy, made a friendly visit to the port of Limon over the weekend. According to newspaper La Prensa Libre, the frigate's mission in Limon was to strengthen ties between the Costa Rica and Colombia, the closest South American neighbor -geographically speaking. The Gloria's home port is Cartagena de Indias. She not ...

Should Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army be captured alive and brought to justice, his actions may be reviewed and his fate decided by a judge from Costa Rica. Elizabeth Odio Benito, our former Vice-President, is currently sitting in the International Criminal Court (ICC), and her wisdom in the sentencing against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo has established a precedent tha...

Alia Cardinale Villalobos was the first woman to cross the finish line at the 2012 Santiago Triathlon Pan American Cup in Piedra Roja, Chile. The Tica's victory was downright and clear, as her finish time was 2:07:58, while the second and third places in the elite triathlon were 2:10:53 and 2:10:32, respectively earned by Brazilian and South Korean competitors. Alia was born in Ciudad Quesada a...

National labor unions are expected to meet with President Laura Chinchilla later today to deliver an ultimatum. The unions want the government to approve a reasonable and equitable salary increase or face massive labor strikes that will not only involve public workers, but may also count with the support and solidarity of the private sector. This is the third formal meeting between the public e...

SAN JOSE – The annual gallo pinto fair held at Paseo Colon earlier today managed to attract more people than the Calle 13 concert on Friday night at the nearby La Sabana metropolitan park. The culinary activity, which showcases the most representative folkloric dish in Costa Rica, was part of the "Smoke-Free Sundays" initiative that the Municipality of San Jose is promoting each year. During ea...

At the beginning of 2012, the U.S. dollar (USD) was on track to recover ground lost against the humble Costa Rica colon (CRC) by a healthy margin. Economists and foreign currency analysts still expect a gradual increase on part of the USD against the CRC thanks to several factors; including the certainty that several measures of the Fiscal Reform plan will be implemented in the next few months, an...

This year's Festival Imperial is heavier on the estrogen than in previous years, and that's a very good thing. While we wait for the lucky reader who will take home two free weekend tickets to the festival, here's a look at some of the female artists who will grace the stages at La Guacima speedway in Alajuela on Saturday, March 24th and Sunday, March 25th. The Great Wilderness – Costa Rica ...

Students of the Faculty of Industrial Design at the Institute of Technology in Costa Rica (TEC in Spanish) in Cartago are enjoying a new and unique laboratory facility. Eight intermodal containers, also known as conex boxes, that were once used for shipping have been smartly recycled into a new structure that will house four laboratory facilities for media, robotics, 3-D modeling, and Information ...

Tico track star Nery Brenes came back from Istanbul with a huge smile and a shiny gold medal to offer to his people. The current World Champion on the 400-meter category is very deserving of the clamor he is currently enjoying, and the effusiveness he has shown is solid proof. While Nery's incredible athleticism and hard work have certainly paid off, a series of articles in La Nacion indicate that...

The rivers Chachagua and Chachaguita are considered potential sources of hydroelectric power by national utility firms such as ICE, Fuerza y Luz and private co-ops. Members of the community in Chachagua in San Isidro de Penas Blancas are not in agreement. Earlier this week, hundreds of residents of Chachagua protested their displeasure at different plans to develop hydroelectric plants on their...

The free, open-air concert of Puerto Rican musical wonder group Calle 13 drew around 60,000 Ticos to La Sabana last night and set the stage for the rest of the 2012 International Festival of the Arts (FIA). Calle 13 managed to heat up the FIA, which will continue until March 25th. The night concert started with "Digo lo que pienso", followed by the mega-hit "Baile de los pobres." As is their si...

Respected British medical journal The Lancet recently published a comprehensive article about the three factors affecting our public health care system and how La Caja is dealing with them. The author of the article is David Boddiger, an experienced journalist who is also the editor of The Tico Times. In his detailed article, Boddiger cites the global economic crisis, along with careless spendi...

Warner Rojas, a mountain climber and adventurer, wants people in Costa Rica to follow him to the Himalayas as he becomes the first Tico to plant the flag at the summit of the Everest. Starting on March 27, Warner will begin broadcasting his voyage and arduous climb online and on television thanks to an array of digital broadcasting tools he will be carrying along. The special broadcast will beg...

For millions of people around the world who share some sort of cultural affinity with Irish culture, the Saint Patrick's Day celebration is a special time to rejoice. It has been part of the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church since the 15th century, and in Costa Rica it is celebrated as a religious feast day with a Mass service, although it isn't a holy day of obligation like it is in Irel...

Online digital newspaper Costa Rica Hoy recently reported on the efforts of Ticos to support the Kony 2012 movement, an Internet social media effort that has captured international headlines in recent days. Mario Murillo is one of the main supporters and coordinators of the Kony 2012 movement in Costa Rica. His wish is to not only raise awareness to the atrocities committed by the Ugandan rebel le...

A promising find by a group of Yale University researchers studying the properties of fungi in the Amazon rainforest was once a subject investigated by a young Tica college student for her Bachelor thesis. The map to the right of this article shows the biodiversity areas in Costa Rica where Angelica Acuna Gonzalez indicated the presence of pestalotiopsis microspora. Recent news regarding the am...

A legislator from the powerful National Liberation (PLN is Spanish) political party and our current Minister of Security may see their immunity stripped in order to answer to civil and criminal complaints. One case is that of Jorge Angulo Mora, a legislator who is facing charges of undue influence and financial extortion. The other case is that of Mario Zamora Cordero, our current Minister of Secu...

Alejandro Jimenez Gonzalez AKA Palidejo is a Tico businessman who is currently detained in Guatemala on charges of having masterminded a botched assassination that lead to the tragic demise of Facundo Cabral, a troubadour and messenger of peace and justice for the under-privileged in Latin America. The unfolding of the tragedy and the arrival of Jimenez in Guatemala is proof that life is often ...

One of the most exciting musical acts that will play at the Festival Imperial this year is TV on the Radio, a Brooklyn-based band that has been producing an interesting brand of indie rock. TV on the Radio may not be as popular as some of the other acts playing at Festival Imperial, such as Maroon Five and Bjork, but they are darlings of the finicky indie rock critic industry spearheaded by Pitchf...