 |
 |
Costa Rica Your daily |
 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
|
|
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, June 3, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 108 | |||||||||
 |
| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
 |
 Click HERE for
great
hotel discounts
|
|
U.S. boat captain
detained
here in Lake Huron case By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The immigration police captured a U.S. boat captain who was convicted of sinking a boat in Lake Huron. The man is Thomas Wayne Duffiney, 60, formerly of Cheboygan, Michigan. He had been living in Miramar where he was detained. The immigration police said that he entered the country on a tourist visa last December and that his visa had expired. He was convicted in April 2009 on several charges stemming from sinking the boat, according to news files. One count includes dumping chemical wastes. Duffiney faces at least three years in prison and fines. Duffiney currently is in the Immigration Detention Center in Hatillo. New Trabajo minister pulls visas for 100 Chinese workers By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The minister of Trabajo has pulled the work visas of some 100 Chinese workers who were going to enter the country. The minister, Sandra Piszk, said she acted in coordination with Mario Zamora, the former immigration director who is now viceminister of Gobernación. The visas had been authorized by the Departamento de Migraciones Laborales of the Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social last January. The workers were sought by Anhui Foreign Economic Construction, the firm building the new national stadium. The decision is believed based on complaints from local contractors that Costa Rican workers should be used. Presidential Web page goes online in Zapote By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Nearly a month into the new administration, Casa Presidencial has come out with a new Web page. The Web page contains a full list of the president's cabinet and links to a number of agencies and Costa Rica's 22 ministries. The announcement noted that the Presidencia is operating in Facebook to give news releases and Twitter for short announcements. Casa Presidencial also is using Flickr to publish photos and USTREAM and Youtube for live transmissions and videos. Man caught with gun in Escazú pharmacy By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Taxi drivers at the Centro Comercial Paco in Escazú alerted police Tuesday to what they thought was a robbery in progress at the Fischel drug store there. When Escazú municipal police arrived they found a man in the store who happened to be carrying a .38-caliber pistol on his person. Police said the man claimed the gun was non-functional and that he was taking it to be repaired. Police did not accept that story, particularly when a man waiting for the suspect fled in his car when police arrived. The man was turned over to prosecutors. Same-sex vote criticized By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Defensoría de los Habitantes has taken exception to a plan to hold a national referendum on the legality of civil unions between persons of the same sex. The Defensoría suggested that holding a referendum on a human rights issue might face constitutional problems. The referendum, if it is held, would be in December. Obama wants Senate to pass climate bill By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for the passage of a comprehensive energy and climate bill and for the country to "fully embrace a clean energy future." In a speech he is to deliver in Pennsylvania today, Obama says there may not be enough votes in the Senate to pass the climate legislation now, but he intends to find the support in the coming months. The House of Representatives has already passed an energy and climate bill. Obama also criticizes opposition Republicans for what he calls their failed economic policies of the past, and for not helping in his efforts to improve the economy and implement health insurance reform. He says Republicans "sat on the sidelines and shouted from the bleachers" as he sought to implement the reforms. For their part, Republicans have accused Obama and his fellow Democrats of extravagant spending policies that have driven up the debt.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
 |
| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, June 3, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 108 | |||||||||
| There's plenty to learn from those Latin soap operas |
||
|
By Christopher Howard*
Special to A.M. Costa Rica Spanish can be melodramatic. A telenovela or novela is a Spanish language soap opera. Telenovelas seem to be the opiate of the masses in Latin America. The first telenovelas were produced in Brazil, Cuba and Mexico in the 1950s. The most popular ones last about an hour and appear Monday through Friday evenings (7 to 10 p.m.) on most Spanish TV networks. In Spanish-speaking countries major television stations show at least four to six novelas per day. One series will typically run for seven to 14 months. Spanish soap operas are even becoming popular in other countries where they are dubbed into different languages. The first global telenovela was "Los Ricos También Lloran" ("The Rich Cry Too", Mexico, 1979), which was exported to Russia, China, the United States and other countries. The final show (desenlace) of a novela typically features a wedding between the two leads, some horrible death or fate for the villain and redemption for the bad guys who were less evil than the villain. The good people are always rewarded in novelas. Telenovelas have a sociological component because they reflect many real life situations and issues in Latin America. Narconovelas are a new phenomenon that have come from Colombia. Recent productions like "El Capo," "Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso" and "El Cartel de los Sapos" are social commentaries about real life problems that presently plague Colombia. Some have criticized the wave of Colombian soap operas for glamorizing the life of drug lords and for selling the drug culture as a risk-free entree into the high life. The novela is also a valuable learning tool. In the April 10 La Nación there was an article about the benefits of watching soap operas for native Spanish speakers. According to Jorge Ignacio Covarrubias, the secretary of North American Academy of the Spanish Language, telenovelas enrich and spread the Spanish language. They help increase the viewer’s vocabulary, teach new ways of saying things and improve channels of communication. Novelas also benefit non-native Spanish speakers who learn dialog in a real life context and build their vocabulary, especially idiomatic expressions. This method is free, fun, and not boring. One thing is for sure. If a student is serious about learning the Spanish language, telenovelas are one of the better vehicles. Once someone has a basic Spanish vocabulary he or she should be able to get the gist of what the characters are talking about in any soap opera. By watching telenovelas students will be exposed to how the language is really spoken and not boring textbook Spanish. The ear for the language will also improve. The more soap operas someone watches the better he or she will speak Spanish. Novelas are very melodramatic and visual. The facial expressions are more exaggerated than other kinds of programming, giving visual clues about the content. When the hero physically throws the bad guy out of the house and says, Lárgate! ("Get your butt out of here!"), viewers know he’s not asking him out for a beer! Dialog is surprisingly easy to understand when accompanied by action. Telenovelas is one of several Spanish magazines where fans can read to keep up on all of the gossip about Spanish soap operas. In case they miss an episode of a favorite novela, there are Internet sites that summarize the daily plots. Novela-related vocabulary: Actor - actor Actor de reparto – member of the supporting cast Actriz –actress Argumento or trama – the plot of a movie or soap opera Culebrón – another name for a soap opera. Culebrones ("long snakes") got their name because of the convoluted plots. Desenlace – ending Episodio – episode Estelarizando or estelarizada por – starring . . . . |
Final feliz – happy ending or denenlace feliz Final triste – sad ending or desenlace triste Galán – leading man Héroe – hero Hora estelar –prime time Novela – a Spanish soap opera Novel por entregas – a serial Novelero/a – a person who watches a lot of novelas Personaje – character in a novela Protagonista – person who has the leading role Refrito – a remake of a previous novela Televidentes – those who watch television Villano/a or malo/a de la telenovela – bad guy or bad gal. * Christopher Howard, who has a master's degree in linguistics and Spanish, is the author/publisher of the 16th edition of the perennial bestselling "The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica," "Guide to Real Estate in Costa Rica" and the one-of-a-kind "Official Guide to Costa Rican Spanish." He also is a relocation and retirement expert who conducts custom and group retirement/relocation tours every month. For information: www.liveincostarica.com. Articles similar to the above may be found at www.costaricaspanish.net. |
|
| Former foreign minister is first casualty of Chinchilla
regime |
|
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The foreign minister in the Arias administration was forced to resign as the country's ambassador to the United Nations Tuesday. The individual is Bruno Stagno, who helped orchestrate cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of the People's Republic of China and establishing ties with a number of Mideast nations. Stagno was viewed as a potential presidential candidate and certainly someone who would be involved in politics here for years. He sent a letter to President Laura Chinchilla that said he was leaving the post irrevocably. Casa Presidencial released a statement on the short letter. |
Stagno has been accused of
appointing himself to the U.N. post in the
waning days of the Arias administration. That may not be exactly true,
but as foreign minster he did shuffle another diplomat out of that post
so he could be appointed. The actual appointment was by the Consejo de Gobierno, the cabinet of Óscar Arias Sánchez, a few days before Ms. Chinchilla took over. She had designated Stagno for the job but had not yet become president. There was no explanation why speed was necessary. The disclosure of the unusual arrangement was by La Nación, which said Jorge Urbina, the U.N. ambassador, transferred to an existent post so Stagno could take the job. Both Arias and Stagno had a lengthy list of priorities for service at the U.N. Neither has commented on the controversy. |
| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica fourth news page |
 |
||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| San José, Costa Rica, Thursday, June 3, 2010, Vol. 10, No. 108 | |||||||||
 |
xx |
 |
| Scientist takes samples of the
mud, rocks and sulphur expelled by the eruptions at Volcán
Poás. |
 Observatorio Vulcanológico y
Sismológico de Costa Rica photo
|
| Bubbling lake at Volcán
Poás packs an acidic punch |
||
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The warning "Don't go near the water" probably never contained as much truth as when it is applied to the lake in the caldera of Volcán Poás. Scientists at the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica say that the temperature of the lake is now 53 C. That's about 127 degrees F. But the lake also is sporting a pH of zero. That means it is super acidic, even more than the gastric acid in the human stomach. The pH scale ranges from zero to 14 with seven being neutral. The scale is roughly the mathematical log of dissolved hydrogen ions. The lake is heavy with sulphur, which creates the superacidic condition. |
The area under the
lake sports temperatures in the 600 C range, perhaps
1112 F. That is a big reason why the water in the lake is evaporating,
said the scientists. In two years the lake level has dropped 20 meters
or about 66 feet. Tourists can see more of the structure under the lake now due to the lower levels. But they want to make sure they are not splashed with the highly acidic water. The volcano erupted six times in May. The last was Saturday. The eruption was contained within the caldera but it was a good show for visitors. The last eruption was the strongest, the scientists said. It threw rock and mud out of the lake onto the internal walls of the caldera. |
|
| Transport ministry begins to get tough
with Caldera operator |
||
|
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The transport ministry wants to see a plan of action within two days from the Autopista del Sol concession holder. After a week of apparent uncertainty, the ministry agreed with President Laura Chinchilla that the safety of citizens needs to be secured. The Defensoría de los Habitantes also urged the Consejo Nacional de Concesiones and the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes to act. The Defensoría was the public agency that had the earliest criticism of the highway, the San José to Caldera toll road. It was urging action even before two motorcyclists crashed into a boulder more than a week ago with fatal results. The public works minister, Francisco Jiménez, had a |
meeting Wednesday
with the president and appears to have received his marching orders
then. The public mood about the highway seems to have changed after two technical organizations said they found flaws in the design and execution of the highway. There is a 12-kilometer section between Ciudad Colón and Orotina where rocks are likely to fall on motorists. The organizations were the Laboratorio Nacional de Materiales y Modelos Estructurales of the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos. Jiménez said that among other things, the ministry will evaluate the possibility of taking more land so the steep cliffs that shed the rocks can be cut back. The Defensoría urged the state to take a hard line and demand all the changes to make the highway safer. |
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica fifth news page |
|||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica sixth news page |
|||||||||
| Home |
Tourism |
Calendar |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About us |
|
|
|
|||||||||
Latin American news Please reload page if feed does not appear promptly |
while helping youngsters By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Retired Americans seeking useful ways to spend their time find that tutoring children not only helps the students, but may also reduce their own risk of developing dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. The Experience Corps is a national program that pairs people over 55 with students from low-income families. Research suggests helping students problem solve and read may actually improve areas of the brain, such as frontal lobes, in older Americans. Experience Corps' 2000 volunteers tutor and mentor elementary students in 23 cities across the country. "What I have seen is a lot of kids take off because they do have the one-on-one attention," says Kathleen Kaye, who has participated in the program for over three years. "And they are up to grade level if not beyond as a result of having been in the program." Ms. Kaye said she feels that she gets back more than she gives. Irving Wilson echoes Kaye's feeling. He's been in the program for seven years. Recent research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland indicates that the volunteers do benefit from their efforts. "By volunteering through this particular program, Experience Corps, what it may be showing preliminary is that volunteering and exercising your brain to help problem solving and to help children read may actually be improving the areas of brain such as frontal lobes," says Michelle Carlson, associate director of the Center on Aging and Health at Johns Hopkins. Driving tests times expanded By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The educational arm of the transport ministry has extended the daily time for driving tests by two hours at the Paso Ancho facility. Now the times are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Officials plan to maintain the additional hours until July 30 to take care of the built up demand for driving tests, they said. They estimate that they can handle 144 exams a day. Those who need to take the test have to make an appointment and show up with a 5,000 colon receipt. That is about $9.30. Expats with a valid foreign license do not have to take the written or driving exams here if they can present the license. |
| Latin American news feeds are disabled on
archived pages.
|
|
| Home |
Tourism |
Place
classified ad |
Classifieds |
Entertainment |
Real
estate |
Rentals |
Sports |
About
us |
|
| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
