Creative minds will gather for three days in La Antigua Aduana building in San José, Costa Rica from March 10th to March 12th for the seventh edition of the International Design Festival (FID17). This year the event will have the presence of regarded world leaders in the areas of graphic design, photography, architecture, publicity and product design; Zosen and Mina Hamada visual artists who fo...

A little-known Salvador Dali portrait of his sister, a work out of the public eye for nearly a century, was sold at auction Thursday in London for 1.8 million pounds ($2.2 million). "Figure in Profile," sold at the Bonhams auction house's Impressionist and Modern Art Sale, is among a diverse range of portraits the prominent 20th-century Surrealist artist painted in the 1920s with Anna Maria Dal...

The third edition of the event Dîner en Blanc, Costa Rica will take place Saturday, March 18, the location of course still remainssecret and will be disclosed to the attending audience as the date approaches. The traditional Dîner en Blanc was started by François Pasquier in 1988 in Paris, and since then has spread through different cities all around the globe; Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan, Toky...

“El Viejo”, in English “The Old Man” is located in Filadelfia, Guanacaste, at it involves 5000 acres of Wildlife Refuge, recognized as such since 2008. This old-style “hacienda” is a real “sabanero” home, which strives to offer tourists a rich cultural experience as well as great adventure tours. With Costa Rican style rodeos, traditional dances, masquerades, and of course typical Costa Rican f...

The Costa Rica National Museum, the Contemporary Art and Design Museum, the Calderón Guardia Museum and the Center of National Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Youth are part of the cultural offer of the first Art City Tour of 2017 to take place this Thursday, February 9th. The Art City Tour is promoted under the slogan “Por amor a Chepe” (For love of “Chepe”, Chepe being the colloquial t...

Toronto, Jan. 30 — Canadian police on Monday charged a 27-year-old Canadian student, Alexandre Bissonnette, with six counts of first degree murder and five counts of attempted murder for the shooting attack on the weekend at a mosque in Quebec City. Police believe Bissonnette, who was arrested a few hours after the attack on the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, is the only suspect in the case. ...

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- Child marriage will likely soon be illegal in Trinidad and Tobago. The Miscellaneous Provisions Marriage Bill, which Trinidad and Tobago's attorney general presented in the country's senate nearly ten days ago, has passed -- even with four opposition senators (including a woman) and one independent choosing to abstain. All that remains, as the bill proceeds to the House ...

Forget pallbearers - in Taiwan, fifty exotic female dancers were hired to exhibit their moves on top of luxury vehicles in an unusual, and steamy way to see a Taiwanese politician off to the afterlife, said international reports. The son of the deceased Chiayi county politician, Tung Hsiang, organized the procession, as he spoke of his father’s excitement for life to the Oriental Daily News. ...

The International Festival of the Arts 2017 will be taking place June 29th through July 9th, 2017, and for this year’s edition the Artistic and Cultural Production Center, part of the Ministy of Culture and Youth has opened the period for reception of proposals for participation in the XV edition of the International Art Festival (FIA 17). The FIA is the biggest cultural and artistic even in Co...

As we enjoy the last few hours of 2016 and we wait to welcome this 2017 in the beautiful country of Costa Rica, many reflect on the past 12 months and make a balance of what it was like, this also helps us establish new resolutions for the time ahead, many seek a new love, success at work, to live a healthier life, or make more money, others want to travel or begin a new project; and to achieve th...

If this is your first-time spending Christmas in Costa Rica you will certainly love the excellent weather conditions this time a year, downside to this season in Costa Rica, like in any other, is that traffic gets worse than usual in San Jose in the days leading to Christmas and after Christmas the beaches can get really crowded. Costa Ricans celebrate Christmas much like other countries in Ame...

Costa Rica had its traditional Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light or Parade of Light) this Saturday, December 18 with the participation of 14 floats and 15 bands and the presence of the national cyclist Andrey Amador who was this year’s honorary guest. Floats parade, bands, masquerades, live music and fireworks were part of a beautiful December night that thousands of Costa Rican families en...

By Wendy Anders Costa Rican 'corrida de toro', Flickr Commons Along with tamales, ronpope (spiced rum), and school vacations, December and January also bring typical bullfights or “corridas de toros” to many small towns across Costa Rica, and with them, divided opinions and strong feelings. A recent survey by the National University in Heredia, Costa Rica found that 46.4 percent of Costa...

By Wendy Anders The new payment service offered by Banco de Costa Rica, called Tucán, photo Facebook. Costa Rica’s left-leaning Citizen Action Party (PAC) legislator, Javier Cambronero, denounced a new advertising campaign by the state-owned Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) as sexist, and demanded they withdraw the publicity, reported Elperiodicocr.com, a Costa Rican digital news source yesterday....

Sao Paulo, Dec. 6 — Colombian singer Shakira said here Tuesday that the task of being a mother has been the most difficult one in her life, admitting that combining motherhood with her professional career is a "daily challenge." Shakira with her eldest son in early 2015, source Facebook. "I don't know how I do it. I imagine that, like all women in the world, we're crazy. It's a daily challe...

CANNON BALL, N.D., Dec. 4 — After weeks of growing protests, the federal government announced Sunday it will not issue a permit for the construction of a stretch of the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. Protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline have amassed up to 5,000 people from all over the US and the world, source Facebook. The Army Corps of Engineers said it will not give an easemen...

The Nutcracker has become a highly-anticipated event every December in Costa Rica. The famous presentations of this classic ballet will extend from December 2 to December 11, this time at the Melico Salazar Theater (traditionally this show has taken place at the National Theatre). A show specially designed to be enjoyed by the entire family, is directed by Patricia Carreras and former first dan...

Though maintaining consistent schedules is challenging for many parents, a new study shows it can benefit children in the long run. Pixabay Commons The collaborative study, led by University at Albany psychologist Jennifer Weil Malatras, found that individuals who grow up with predictable, daily routines are less likely to have time management or attention problems as adults. Researchers...

Shops are bursting with toys, mince pies are on the menu and radios are blasting out Christmas tunes—so it's time for another festive favourite: lying to children. Millions of parents convince their kids Father Christmas is real—but this lie may be damaging, according to psychologist Christopher Boyle and mental health researcher Kathy McKay. They also suggest parents may not be motivated by...

Upala and Bagaces are the two communities in Costa Rica that were more strongly hit by Otto Hurricane, the heavy rain and strong wind, washed away in just a few hours everything some families possessed. Houses, cars, businesses… gone. The photos and videos of the areas show the devastation left behind by this phenomenon of nature. The impotence of the emergency services, and the population in ...

Every country has its culture, its traditions, and its people, and this last element can make a big difference in your impression of a country or in your overall experience, but it is very hard to learn all about the residents of country and their way of living if you are visiting for just a few days, and certainly knowing a few things about a country’s citizens is not only part of the experience,...

December comes this year with a full agenda of entertainment in Costa Rica. The Municipality of San Jose, already confirmed the 21st edition of the now traditional Festival de la Luz (Parade of Light) which this year will take place Saturday, December 17 starting at 6 p.m. The Festival de la Luz will have the participation of 14 decorated floats, 15 bands and several cheer-leading groups, in 20...

The “Plaza de la Cultura” (Culture Plaza) in the Central Avenue of San José will reopen on Monday, November 14 after 7 months. The famous plaza in downtown San Jose was closed back in April of this year, with the purpose of remodeling the area and doing maintenance work to some infrastructure in the underground building where the Central Bank Museums are located. The construction worked invo...

Cienfuegos, Cuba, Nov. 1 — Cuba is about to become the country with the oldest population in Latin America and the ninth-oldest in the world by 2050. It faces the double challenge of boosting the birth rate and caring for senior citizens, who account for more than 20 percent of the island's 11.1 million people. Elder care center in Cuba, from Facebook. Cienfuegos, one of the provinces most ...

By Wendy Anders Youth in Costa Rica, photo for illustrative purposes. The most recent data for adolescent mental health in Costa Rica paint a troublesome picture. An April 2014 study of 3,372 students from 32 public and private high schools in the greater San José metropolitan area shows that one in ten reported having been a victim of violence, and 13 percent had had suicidal thoughts. ...

There is a large number of art traffickers in Costa Rica, the clandestine network of art dealers has suppliers from Turrialba, Guapiles and Guanacaste who provide them with authentic native art pieces from different eras, including and especially pre-Columbian pieces, at a cheap rate, the traffickers then sell them for much more to private collectors in other countries, some disguised as replicas,...

Costa Rica is also home to great artists in different fields. This country has great painters, and in view of the different international art exhibits that will be displayed in Costa Rica in this next few months it is important that some of his national talent is also recognized and remembered: Maternidad (Maternity) Oil Painting by Francisco Amighetti (Costa Rica) Francisco “Paco” Amighett...

Coffee was first introduced in Costa Rica in the year 1808 when the governor Tomás de Acosta took a risk and started a coffee plantation. Costa Rica was the first Central American country to get involved in this fast growing industry and with this the culture of coffee became part of Costa Rica’s history. Costa Rica had perfect conditions for the “Gold Grain”, rich volcanic soil, a dry and a ra...

It is October, the month when Halloween takes over along with its spooky stories, tales, movies and costume parties. Even though this is not a Costa Rican celebration, many enjoy decorating their houses, kids (and even some adults) love dressing up, after all we all enjoy a good scary story. Costa Rica holds its own when it comes to spooky stories, myths and urban legends, which are part of it...

Things to do in Costa Rica this weekend: Saturday, October 8 If you like opera, Eugene O’Neill Theater located in the main branch of Centro Cultural in San Pedro, will kick off their Live Opera season Saturday, October 8 at 10 a.m. from The Metropolitan Opera (MetLive in HD), with the play Tristan und Isolde, and opera in three acts by German Richard Wagner and based largely on the romance b...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5  -- Apple enthusiasts quickly exhausted stock of a scented candle designed to smell like a new Mac computer. The "New Mac Candle" created by Twelve South, an online retailer specializing in Apple accessories, sold out from their online store within 24 hours. According to the product description, the $24 candle was Hand Poured in Charleston, SC using 100 percent Soy Wax and...

How many of you are familiar with Costa Rican musicians? Costa Rica if you should know, has many talented musicians, from ballads to heavy metal to tropical music, all genres are covered, and here at The Costa Rica Star we thought it’d be a good idea to introduce to you some of those Costa Rican musicians and let you pick your favorites. To begin, we picked an artist that has been singing since...

By Jack Donnelly Mexican cuisine is one of the great culinary influences in the world today, along with Chinese, Italian, and others. Tacos, burritos, nachos, refried beans (an unfortunate mistranslation we will never get back: it should be well fried beans), pico de gallo, and many other Mexican dishes are found the world over. Costa Rica is no exception and, as in other countries, Ticos have ...

Photo by Jack Donnelly By Jack Donnelly Costa Rica is famous for many things as a tourist destination: beaches, national parks teeming with wildlife, zip lining, rafting, volcanoes, etc. Yet, so many of the country’s subdued treasures are often overlooked. Among these attractions are a few very nice archaeological sites. There are no sites to rival Teotihuacán, Copán, or Machu Picchu. St...

Cartoon by Clay Jones A court on Friday suspended the ban on Islamic burkini swimming costumes imposed by a French Riviera town in a ruling likely to set a precedent to be followed in France's other beaches. France's Council of State, the country's top administrative court, lifted the ban in the Cote d'Azur town of Villeneuve-Loubet. The ruling was expected to be adopted by 30 other muni...

By Mariluz Parga and Sandra Andraka, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation Incidental capture of sea turtles is a well-known impact of longline and other fisheries worldwide and one of several significant causes of the decrease in sea turtle populations. While effective alternatives to reduce incidental capture are studied and put in place, identifying methods to increase an animal’s ...

Wikimedia Commons Social networks users have expressed their outrage on Wednesday in support of two women on the beaches in Nice and Cannes, who were confronted by French police and made to remove some of their clothing as part of a controversial ban of the burkini, the full-body swimsuit. U.K. newspapers published pictures on Tuesday night of one of the two women being surrounded by four m...

Adding a sexy, healthy spin to our familiar breakfast menu of pancakes, eggs and cereal is now easier than ever with Costa Rica's "gallo pinto." A recent study published by Nutrition Journal found that the pairing of any type of beans with rice can help stop unhealthy blood sugar spikes in adults with type 2 diabetes. With 25.8 million people in the U.S. living with this condition, Costa Rican "ga...

Cartoon by Clay Jones Since the 18th century, news readers have found some of the most incisive, acerbic and brutally honest commentary about current affairs in the form of political (editorial) cartoons. Regrettably, political cartoons in the 21st century have been in a state of demise that many believe is related to the death of printed newspapers; however, the death of editorial cartoons...

Wikimedia Commons French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday he supported the ban issued in several parts of the country against the burkini, but ruled out government legislation on the matter. Valls said in an interview with La Provence newspaper that general laws dictating clothes are not a solution. The Prime Minister's comments arrive in the wake of an all-out beach brawl i...