San Jose Blog

Semana Santa, this time around might actually make people stay at home…

As reported by the national financial authorities, our economy has retracted about 4.5% when compared to the January period of 2008. This would mean in practical terms that our country hasn’t faced so threatening a premise in about 17 long years.

The Costa Rican motto has always implied the carefree –if not going too far and wishing call it careless instead!- character of its people, but while having heard nationals who reside in California explain how it was impossible for them to find a job there and turning back home to make 4 or more times LESS income in similar activities make me somewhat weary.

The national employment market has already become burdened by the national rate of unoccupied peoples and yet, an international influx grows to make the final cut even larger. The circumstances thus that have made Ticos in the past refrain from exploiting in vanities while during Holy Week would seem now not to strike the religious but their pocket consciences instead.

Calm and provisioning is widely advised and I find this directly coincides with the regular seasonal diet: canned tuna, reluctance for red meats, fasting and chiverre marmalade. Austerity means thus now more than it did last year, and maybe, just maybe we’ll find the roads to our beaches less congested this year during Resurrection Sunday.

Equality of Opportunities Law… more like “In case you mind, you can do something about it” Law

Just as it was witnessed by public protest at the Manuel Benavides and Castella Schools, the factual action offered by the governmental institutions to aid in the integration of the challenged and handicapped in Costa Rica still has a long way to go, and this doesn’t simply strike the area of public services but also and more gravely: their possibility to make a decent living.

A recent study has shown how IN REALITY, the chances the aforementioned citizens have to score a job and gain the honorable means to make decent living are utterly scarce, if only accidental and charitable in public measure.

Still many bus companies refuse to implement the addition of wheelchair support and construction works –especially of the small commercial impact zone- continue to neglect the laws that force for the inclusion of special access lanes to their entry gates. The phenomena well covers the entirety of our country in a similar fashion and the event of actually finding the requirements properly applied particularly in public sites makes for permanent remembrance and admiration.

The problem can easily be justified by the little attention paid by the responsible agencies to mandate and survey the provisioning of the lawful decree; as well as in the general public disregard for the same measures. Where tourism demands ever more strongly for our infrastructure to comply with the demands of a varied list of backgrounds and circumstances it seems laughable such healthy and necessary arrangements remain unattended.

Plants make for fine pageant

During last Saturday’s “Fiesta de Formas y Colores” a collection of over 1500 plants made for eye candy to a large number of visitors delighted with the 38th consecutive national orchid show.

The event took place in the “Antigua Aduana” building in the La California ever-cultural neighborhood. While mostly attracting local elder citizens, children were also part of the fascinated entourage of witnesses.

This event is annually hosted by the ACO (Costa Rican Association of Orchideology) and has done so since 1972 in a recurrent basis. It was intended to also coincide with the eve of celebration of the National Flower: La Guaria Morada.

As hundreds of orchid specimens coming from all over the country come together under one roof, a sort of contest is also held to determine with a blue ribbon –while qualities such as blossom quantity, color, form and texture considered- which particular one deserves the first prize; red and yellow ribbons are granted to second and third respectively.

Transitarte shines

This time around the “Summer’s Festival” (Festival de Verano) hosted by the CENAC has coincided with the Transitarte “On the road” styled precession of cultural activities.

For the 6th time, the free and alternative natured Transitarte activities are filling the public spaces of San Jose to delight the passersby crowds and managing to gain their full attention. While the CENAC is ever busy featuring dance, concerts and this year’s special expo “Instrumentos del Mundo” (Instruments of the World) the outside landscape is filled with artistic demonstrations such as that crafted by national textile artist Carlos Vargas, who has laid in “Cabuya” fiber swings the works of national Maleku natives.

San Jose will continue to showcase a varied line of activities for the remainder of the season, make sure to pay your visit and demonstrate your support.

Please visit the Ministry’s “Agenda Cultural” site at http://www.mcjdcr.go.cr/boletines/Agenda%20Cultural/Agenda_cultura.html for references on other such related events.

NSO remains without official conductor

Despite Chosei Komatsu having resigned since December of last year to the important post of National Symphony Orchestra’s director and conductor, the Culture Ministry is yet to find his proper replacement.

The NSO has officially opened its 2009 season with a complex presentation which includes Dvorak’s Symphony #9, Rossini’s William Tell Overture and Grieg’s Concerto in A Minor. Komatsu will continue to lead as long as long as his position remains unfilled as he has declared to understand the Orchestra cannot be left unattended.

According to the news casts, 5 different postulants are being considered but no official decision has been made, and it is likely the situation will remain as such for some time.

It has also been announced that Japanese violinist Midori will be arriving in Costa Rica to perform around June of the present year; as well as perform small gigs before Costa Rican children to promote the study of music. Komatsu has called Midori a “personal friend” and has expressed excitement over the musical collaboration.
‘

New political scandal rocks presidential desk

For the second time this year, a public servant –as government officials are regularly called- has been linked to a shameful illicit association. Roberto Dobles, now former Minister of the Environment, Energy and Tele-communications has been asked to resign by President Arias due to evidence that linked him to a mining concession that was granted to relatives of the aforementioned.

An Uncle of his was listed as vicepresident of Agricultura Mecanizada Chapernal, company which was allowed to exploit the rock and gravel resources available in the Arajuez River area. Even his wife was found to be member of the conglomerate of shady associates that dealt in the endless chain of ownerships created to conceal the illegal grant.

Arias –second cousin to Dobles- has declared his disgust over the event and defended the integrity of the ex-functionary. Channel 7 –as ever poignant- had firstly exposed the matter to public scrutiny and now the P.A.C. has called for official investigation.

The Ministry has now fallen in the hands of Jorge Rodriguez who served as vice-minister to Dobles, and it is likely he will also suffer scrutiny for similar effects. The long list of corruption related affairs in the process of discovery for this office has awakened the anger of such environment protection agencies as FECON (Costa Rican Federation of Conservationism) who declared they would parade before the Ministry to show their happiness over the dismissal.

U.S. Vice President will visit Costa Rica

In less than two weeks time Joe Biden is expected to arrive in Costa Rica as part of his first and relevant Latin American tour. Firstly he will visit Chile where he intends to take part in the Conference held there to discuss issues of governance.

With a renovated agenda in mind, the US Obama-lead White House has begun a new campaign to rekindle the friendship with the region. Costa Rica also serves as strategic ally for North-American interests due to its conservationist and energy efficiency policies–which are now priority to the Oval Office-.

Many other subjects will be discussed during Biden’s visit: The International Crisis, Continental political polarity, Education and the soon to be held 5th Summit of the Americas.

Security special measures are being prepared for the important event.

Private Zoo celebrates first giraffe birth in isthmus

Liberia’s Africa Mia Zoo has announced the successful birth of a baby giraffe, weighting nearly 50 kilos, Roxi –as the newcomer female giraffe specimen has been named- came to this world at 1:43 p.m. on Sunday March 8th.

According to the zoo’s veterinarian, this is the first time such thing has occurred in Central America, while another giraffe by the name of Amapola has also been reported pregnant.

This particular species is expected to reach between 5 and 6 meters in height and weight between 900 and 1400 kilos.

Africa Mia (as Meryl Streep’s 1985 “Out of Africa” movie has been known is Spanish) was the name chosen by businessman Mario Sotela to bestow upon his biological reserve situated in the province of Guanacaste; with a climate and geography similar to that of the African semi-dry steppes, animals from the far away continent enjoy a natural environment that much resembles their original habitat.

A guide to the Outsourcing employee in Costa Rica

As the era of lightly controlled good paying gigs in our country has faded somewhat in recent years, and the prerogative of utmost professionalism is now rule to most companies –and since I am myself –ever so redundantly- subject to such affairs, I wished make a note on those always so relevant factors that aid in the chances one has to score these relatively simple yet complex jobs.

Many companies now reside in our country, lending CS services to companies in the United States primarily, and even though it is considered that a decent level of English should suffice in the obtaining of such working possibilities, a few technicalities skip the eye of the average researcher.

I am sure many of you who are acquainted with the Outsourcing industry would agree, immense smarts are not really the rule, but some experiences present in most of our common middle class Costa Rican upbringing can definitely work to our advantage.

1-Hooking up your Nintendo or VHS to your Television as a child, and I don’t mean the fact that now even specialists in the Pedagogy field agree that the skills learnt while manipulating electronic devices and playing with them contributed to our Fine-motor skills; instead, I refer to the inherent memory attained by endlessly plugging and unplugging the wires on the back of our TV sets. Companies as Time Warner hold large accounts with local companies searching for people to aid their clients in connecting such basic devices. Knowledge in technical language such as, what a socket is, imput-output; all come in handy when asked to describe the process in your interview.

2-Those movies involving the stock market and normally casting those heavy Italian accent actors; simply because the hard pitching, high end sales experience gained from such “melodic” conversation making can train you to sell just about anything. Sales jobs are scarce, but if juiced properly can score you a fine four-wheeler.

3-The proper-mannered lunches at grandma’s house –hopefully your grandma wasn’t just a regular Tamal-cooking gentle woman, but one of those Hierarchy-conscious ladies that managed to keep all pervasive and complicated family relations at bay/n’sync. This sure would have prepared you to deal with any work situation where you’ll find that on top of you exists more than one person. Public Relations, No tardiness and presentation are key here.

And finally, don’t overrate your interviews, the more confident and prepared you seem the better chances you’ve got in having people in charge consider you for such regularly simple jobs, and even if they don’t, probably you’ll find a similar option in the building up front (assuming you’re already within one of the many Oficentros in this country). Good luck and good hunt!.

The Heredia Train has shipped!

After many delays and suspicion of failure in completion, it appears the 4 train cars –of a Trolley Bus style- have shipped from Spain to finally fit the San Jose-Heredia path, thus fulfilling the transportation dreams of so many people that daily deal with the inadequacy of the existing overpopulated roads.

According to the Costa Rican Institute of Railroads, the service is expected to begin operations by the end of the present month.