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Creative Moves: The 24th Graciela Moreno Choreography Festival kicks off today with a Gala performance by four groups of dancers at 8 p.m. at the National Theater in San José. This year's festival pays homage to Uruguayan choreographer Cristina Gigirey with performances by 31 choreographers through Sunday. |
| Photo courtesy of the Culture Ministry. |
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San Pedro Open-Air Art Fair Canceled |
A December tradition appears to be in jeopardy after the Municipality of Montes de Oca, east of San José, recently denied the planners of this year's Outdoor Art Festival the permits necessary to hold the event, scheduled to begin yesterday and run through Sunday. |
| See More... |
Boston Scientific to Expand in Costa Rica |
A medical supply company operating in Costa Rica yesterday announced a $35 million expansion of its operations here. |
| See More... |
Bridge Designed to Relieve Traffic Jams in Escazú |
A new bridge aimed at improving traffic flow around the busy Multiplaza shopping center in the western suburb of Escazú was broken in by drivers this week. |
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Marijuana Plantation Busted in Mora |
After searching for four hours yesterday, National Police found 117 marijuana plants on a finca near Picagres in the canton of Mora, northwest of San José. |
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Tico Times Hosting Online Chat Friday |
Join us Friday at 10 a.m. for our next online chat with Tico Times columnist Kate Galante. She'll answer readers' questions about the Spanish language, cross-cultural matters and English education in Costa Rica. Go to www.ticotimes.net/chat to log on and participate. |
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Seed Saving a Rewarding Endeavor |
Every time we save seeds from the plants we grow, we carry on an ancient tradition that connects us to nature's circle of life. The conservation of seeds also has an ecological aspect, as it helps to preserve the wonderful species of plants that sustain us on the planet.
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San Pedro Open-Air Art Fair Canceled
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By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net
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A December tradition appears to be in jeopardy after the Municipality of Montes de Oca, east of San José, recently denied the planners of this year's Outdoor Art Festival the permits necessary to hold the event, scheduled to begin yesterday and run through Sunday.
For the past 11 years, this festival showcasing the work of sculptors, painters and other creative minds has drawn crowds to Plaza Roosevelt, behind the Outlet Mall in San Pedro.
The event's planners have always solicited permits from the Montes de Oca Municipal Council, but this year the council told them to simplify matters by going through Mayor Fernando Trejos, said organizer Mario Martín.
The permits concern logistics such as traffic, bathrooms, parking and Red Cross attendants on hand for the thousands who turn out.
Organizers Martín and Ulises Castillo gave Trejos the papers necessary to obtain the permit Oct. 22, and the mayor verbally granted them permission to go ahead with the fair, Martín said.
However, shortly after, a group of San Pedro neighbors presented a letter to the municipality complaining about the noise and traffic caused by the five-day event and requesting that it be canceled.
The mayor turned around on Nov. 16 and told organizers they would need to get permission from the Municipal Council after all, according to Martín.
Trejos told the daily La Nación the fair was canceled after the council decided not to grant the organizers permission because they requested it too late and did not provide the required information.
Martín and Castillo had to notify the approximately 450 artists scheduled to have stands this year not to come.
However, they plan to meet with the Municipal Council Monday and present the requirements requested in hopes of rescheduling the fair for Dec. 12-16.
“We all depend on their answer,” Martín said, explaining that many artists work toward this lucrative event all year. |
Boston Scientific to Expand in Costa Rica
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A medical supply company operating in Costa Rica yesterday announced a $35 million expansion of its operations here.
The expansion will take place over the next three years, and by 2011 the company – Boston Scientific Corporation – expects to have doubled the size of its Costa Rican work force to 2,400.
The company opened its first production plant in Costa Rica in 2004 with an investment of $11 million. The plant, located in the Global Park free zone industrial park in Heredia, north of San José, employs 1,200 people.
The company manufactures surgical forceps and all of its “snares” (tiny loops used to nip off polyps during minimally invasive surgical procedures) in the Costa Rica plant. Annually, Boston Scientific is responsible for about $50 million of exports from Costa Rica.
The expansion of Boston Scientific Costa Rica will take place in the new Coyol industrial park in Alajuela, northwest of San José.
By the time it opens, Costa Rica will be Boston Scientific's only manufacturer of snares and biopsy forceps, meaning 80% of those products in the world will come from the Costa Rican plants, according to a press release.
Boston Scientific Corporation is one of the largest medical supply companies in the world, with $8 billion in annual sales, 37 manufacturing centers and 29,000 employees.
The company is the second to announce a large investment in the Coyol industrial park. Last month, German car parts manufacturer Continental AG announced it would be investing $60 million in a factory located there.
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-Tico Times
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Bridge Designed to Relieve Traffic Jams in Escazú |
By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net
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A new bridge aimed at improving traffic flow around the busy Multiplaza shopping center in the western suburb of Escazú was broken in by drivers this week.
Representatives of Grupo Roble, the company that financed the $500,000 project, inaugurated the bridge Monday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The goal of the project is to create another way to access Multiplaza, easing traffic congestion around the rotunda connecting the mall and the highway, according to a statement from Grupo Roble, which owns Multiplaza as well as the nearby Hotel Real Intercontinental and Plaza Roble corporate center.
The bridge connects the east side of Multiplaza with Office Depot. From that store's parking lot, drivers can access the highway rather than having to go through the congested rotunda on the other side of the mall, explained Grupo Roble spokeswoman Paula Sánchez.
Statistics from the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) show that an average of 80,000 vehicles pass through this area during peak traffic hours every day.
Grupo Roble covered the costs of the project, while Office Depot donated land to the Escazú Municipality. The two-lane bridge allows for traffic to flow in both directions and has a sidewalk for pedestrians.
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Marijuana Plantation Busted in Mora
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After searching for four hours yesterday, National Police found 117 marijuana plants on a finca near Picagres in the canton of Mora, northwest of San José.
Police began searching the finca after receiving calls from citizens and discovered the plants, some of which measure one to two meters tall, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.
Police also found containers and other equipment for harvesting and packing the plants.
The property belongs to a man identified by the last name Ramírez. He was arrested and the plants were confiscated for investigation by the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ).
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-Tico Times
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Seed Saving a Rewarding Endeavor
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Every time we save seeds from the plants we grow, we carry on an ancient tradition that connects us to nature's circle of life. The conservation of seeds also has an ecological aspect, as it helps to preserve the wonderful species of plants that sustain us on the planet.
Seed saving can be the ultimate game for the tropical gardener. It's a fascinating and worthwhile endeavor, but requires patience and a keen watch on your plants to be successful. You can save seeds from many vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers grown at home. The following information will help you to perfect the art of seed saving.
Standard seed varieties or heirloom seeds, as they are often called, are the best for seed saving. These are nonhybrid seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation because they are hardy and genetically stable.
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| Full Circle with Nature: Saving seeds is a time-honored gardening tradition that helps to preserve plant species. |
| Ed Bernhardt | Tico Times |
Seeds collected from hybrid plants, however, won't produce the same plants in the next generation. That's because they revert back to their crossed parents. With hybrid seeds you have to buy new seeds each year, whereas with heirloom seeds you can save your own seeds year after year.
Annual plants that are easy to reproduce from seed include corn, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, peanuts, grains, squash, cucumbers and melons, as well as many herbs and flowers.
Perennial plants that can be reproduced from seeds include fruit trees (except for mangos, avocados and citrus, which are best when grafted), native rain-forest trees, ornamental shrubs and vines.
Pollination is another factor, determining how true to seed your plants will be in the next generation. Because of their flower structure, certain plants, especially squashes, melons and corn, are open-pollinated, generally cross-pollinated by bees that travel from one plant to the next. Seeds from these types of plants are not always true strains of the parent and may show considerable variation.
If you're trying to maintain specific traits of open-pollinated plants, grow only one variety at a time to get a pure strain. Plants with self-pollinating flowers, however, maintain their particular traits in the next generation. Lettuces, tomatoes, beans and peanuts are good examples.
Biennial plants, such as carrots, beets, cabbage and onions, require freezing temperatures to stimulate their biological clocks to trigger seed production. Because of this phenomenon, these types of plants are difficult to reproduce by seed in the tropics.
When you collect seeds, keep the following points in mind. Select one or two of the best plants early in their development for the purpose of collecting seeds. It's often useful to mark these plants with a stake, so they are not harvested or disturbed during their growth. Fertilize and water them well, just like the other plants.
Collect seed capsules when they are mature and dry. Separate and clean the seeds well, and then dry them for several days at a temperature no more than 50 degrees Celsius. Store your seeds in airtight containers, preferably in the refrigerator. Corn and other grain seeds can be frozen in airtight containers for 48 hours to eliminate insect eggs and larva.
I hope you'll try your hand at seed saving. You'll find December in Costa Rica an ideal time to start a garden – and a chance to go full circle with nature.
For more on tropical gardening, visit www.the newdawncenter.info. We have seeds to share with you, as well as books and classes on gardening. We'll try to answer gardening questions at thenewdawncenter@yahoo.com
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