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A.M.
Costa Rica
Your daily English-language news source Monday through Friday |
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Published December 21, 2017
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A.M. Costa Rica's Second News Page |
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Published December 21, 2017
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| Legislators submit bill to develop the film-making industry | |
 By AM Costa Rica staff
On Tuesday, lawmakers from various
legislative factions officially submitted the bill
called Law of Cinematography and Audiovisual.
This bill seeks to promote cinematographic and audiovisual activity in a systemic way throughout its creative-productive cycle - from production, distribution and exhibition, to the conservation and diffusion of the cinematographic collection. Among the proposals, the Costa Rican Center for Cinematographic Production would be renamed as the Costa Rican Film and Audiovisual Center (CRCA), to make its scope more comprehensive and include new media formats. This entity would be in charge of a national council, which would include representatives from animation, documentaries, film and television fields, along with the exhibition and film distribution sector. "This is a first step toward giving support and integration to the country's audiovisual sector; a sector that must have the legal and budgetary instruments to continue developing as an industry and generating employment," said the legislator Marcela Guerrero, of the Citizen's Action Party. |
 Medea courtesy
photo
The Costa Rican film industry has had a
steep growth in the last 10 years. This year's
best national movie prize was awarded to Medea, in
the Costa Rican International Film Festival.
The bill would also reform the Tax on Public Spectacles (IEP), so that the current duty of 6% of the price of a ticket would apply to all cinemas in the country, and not only those located the capital of each province. In addition, the bill seeks the creation of a specific tax of 6% on any kind of audiovisual product rental. The tax will be redistributed as follows: 40% to the National Theater of Costa Rica, 22% to the National Theater Company, 8% to the Costa Rican Art Museum, 8% to the National Institute of Music and 22% for the Film and Audiovisual Center. |
| Costa Rica remains silent
regarding the Honduras political crisis |
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By AM Costa Rica staff Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel
Gonzalez said the country evaluates with
"prudence" the "complicated" situation in
Honduras after the elections on November 26, in
which Juan Orlando Hernández was declared the
winner while the opposition labels him as a
"fraud."
"It is a very complicated issue. We have had to act, as we have always done, with absolute prudence, waiting on more information. There have been contradictions between what one report said and another also said," explained González. He addressed the subject after a press conference about the yearly report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The situation in Honduras is very tense since Juan Orlando Hernandez was declared the elected president by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Sunday. The candidate of the Alliance of Opposition of Honduras, Salvador Nasralla, has said the elections were a fraud and he does not accept the re-election of Hernández. The Foreign Minister of Costa Rica added that his ministry is working on analyzing the recently issued preliminary report of the Organization of American States and awaits the results of a meeting between Nasralla with the secretary general of the organization, Luis Almagro. |
 Salvador Nasralla, the loosing candidate
according to the Honduran Electoral Authorities.
"We have to act with prudence; it is a Central American country, a brother country, to which we have great appreciation. The situation is confusing and we must ponder everything that is available to us. We hope that in the next few days we can announce our final position on the electoral process in that country," said González. |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| The fight to reduce the digital illiteracy | |
By A.M Costa Rica staff A total of
1,303 seniors benefited from the 65 digital
literacy courses that the National Library
offered in 2017.
The last graduations of the year were recently celebrated, and 384 students received their certificates. The purpose of the program was to reduce the digital gap in the elderly and to give greater visibility to this population. According to the National Library, digital literacy courses began in 2015 with small groups. Thanks to the donation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT), there are currently 25 computers for the use of the students and the general public. During the courses the students received training in basic principles of computing, word processing, navigation, searching for information on the Internet, use of electronic mail, the Sinabi Portal and virtual services. Training was also offered in the use of mobile devices that included: taking photographs, messaging, email for mobile devices and social networks. Basic English courses were offered with the aim of reinforcing the computing ones because many of the commands are in that language. "These courses are important because it is a population that has much to contribute to the Costa Rican society and through technology they are helped to continue contributing. For us it is extremely satisfying to know that we are collaborating so that these people continue to take advantage of all these resources," said Laura Rodríguez, director of the National Library. "The participants are very responsible. It is a very persevering population and they leave happy. They have a very great interest in learning and training more. In addition, the relatives have been very participative and have given a lot of support," said Rodriguez. The director pointed out the importance of the feedback that exists between the elderly and younger people, as well as the growth that this type of experience generates for both. The graduations happened at the time the Vice Ministry of Telecommunications and the Center for Research in Communication of the Universidad de Costa Rica presented the study, "An Approach to the Digital Gender Gap in Costa Rica," an exploratory analysis of the evolution and characterization of the Digital Gender Gap (BDG) ) in Costa Rica. |
Culture Ministry
photo
A group of
seniors during their graduation in basic
computing at the National Library, in San José.
Their
results show how, despite the closing of the
digital gap between men and women in recent
years, asymmetries persist according to
the sex of the head of the household.
For example, between 2010 and 2016, the computer access gap between men and women was reduced by 3%, however, a gap of 4% points persists. The study also shows that cultural gender stereotypes continue to influence the use of digital technology by women in activities more related to family life and less to professional life. The use of Internet for activities related to the world of health care is 4.1 percent higher in women, contrary to what happens in the use of the Internet for content production, where the gap between men and women is 6.8% The methodological approach followed covered three main areas: the digital access gap, the digital use gap and the digital divide and professionalization. These were analyzed in a cross-section with a series of variables economic factors suggested by the empirical evidence, such as income, educational level and the zone and region of residence. |
 
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Road work suspended due to holidays starting Saturday |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The work on the
Circumvalación highway going
from La Uruca to the Los Anonos
sector will be suspended in order to
slow down the traffic flow.
This was confirmed by the National Road Council. The work will resume Wednesday, January 3 with the closure of access and exit ramps that allow communication between the Circumvalación and General Cañas highway. The director of Traffic Engineering of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), Junior Araya, explained that a more fluid transit is expected once the work is concluded. Araya recognizes an increase in the traffic jams caused by these works and argued that any action on road infrastructure carries consequences. In addition, he assures drivers that the worst part is already over. |
 AM Costa Rica archive
photo
Construction will
resume on January 3, 2018.
The MOPT representative stated that the repair and upgrade of the 2.9 kilometers of highway should have a useful life of 15 years for the investment of ¢3,000 million. |
218-8/25/17
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A.M. Costa Rica Fifth news page |
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| A quarter of
all earthquakes in Costa Rica take place in the Central Pacific Region |
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By A.M. Costa Rica staff As of today 2,574
earthquakes have shaken up the country, but
out of those, only 205 were actually felt by
the population, according to data released
by the National Seismological Network.
The data also shows that 25% had the Central Pacific as an epicenter, including the one that occurred in Playa Jacó on November 12 and had a magnitude of 6.3 The Pacific zone is very active in terms of seismicity, mainly due to subduction phenomena between plates, explained Leopolt Linkimert, researcher of the Seismological Network. He said that in the specific case of the Jacó earthquake, the quake had a magnitude never before reported in the area, but added that it fortunately did not cause major damage. The records of the National Seismological Network reflect that in 2016 there were 4,594 earthquakes and only 210 of them were felt by the population. |
AM Costa Rica archive
photo
Jacó
Beach, epicenter of the Nov. 12th earthquake.
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By the staff and contributors at A.M. Costa Rica & James J. Brodell (editor)A.M. Costa Rica celebrates its 16th anniversary with a compilation of classic news reports geared to the needs of foreigners living here and those elsewhere with personal or business interests in this vacation paradise. Each seeks to tell something new or original about the vacation and retirement mecca. Read a sample and purchase the book HERE! |
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 The Trouble with Cash
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Life is a
Tropical Garden
By Victoria Torley A quirky look at gardening in the
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Email: victoriatorley1@gmail.com. Order this book here: CLICK HERE |
 The Dark Side
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Revenge in the Vacation Paradise
By James J. Brodell. Retired baseball player Jack Patterson becomes suspicious after his younger sister dies in a Pacific Ocean rip tide while on vacation in Costa Rica. Jack has to go there to find answers to troubling questions. But soon he is hijacked by a gang of avengers led by an icy Costa Rican-American woman who carries twin pistols strapped to her chest. Jack soon helps uncover a web of corruption and greed . Read a sample and purchase the book HERE! |
 Guide to Costa Rican
Spanish
(English and Spanish Edition) This one-of-a-kind
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speaker. The book is now available for sale on
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 Bohemian
Road
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"Makin'
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A.M. Costa Rica Sixth News Page |
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Published December 21,
2017
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Food |
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Exporting sector celebrates annual growth |
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By AM
Costa Rica staff
Costa Rica exports will
close 2017 with an 8% growth. The increase
has been driven primarily by its main
trading partners, the United States and the
European Union.
Trade increases that truly stand out are shipments to China and the rest of Asia, which grew 63% and 41%, respectively. This is highlighted in the report “Estimates of Trade Trends in Latin America and the Caribbean” released by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). According to the study, Costa Rica was the only Central American economy that recorded significant positive growth from exports through the Special Regimes of Commerce, which grew by 11% and accounted for two thirds of the total expansion. The areas that contributed most to the increase in external sales were those of medicine and orthopedic instruments and devices. Estimates of exports from Latin America and the Caribbean to December 2017 were made with data available as of December 4, 2017 and were based on the assumption that the commercial trends observed during the year would continue until the end of 2017. |
 AM Costa Rica wire
services photo
China and the rest of Asia also showed
important growth as buyers.
The figures of the IDB coincide to a large extent with those of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer), which registered $8.090 billion more compared to the results of last year. This would be the best growth figure of the last six years. |
Live
the dream!
Several profitable businesses, including a regional radio station, are for sale in Costa Rica. Certain purchases can provide the new owner with residency as well as a great lifestyle. So live your dream while making a profit. Contact: manager@crbusiness.biz.
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