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Escazú snake-out: A photo of the 8-foot boa constrictor that coiled up around the engine of Jan Romeu's sport utility vehicle (as reported in the latest issue of The Tico Times) in San Rafael de Escazú, west of San José. After a group removal project, Romeu finally drove the boa – this time in a canvas sack – out to her country house to set it free. Read The Tico Times' print or digital edition for more on Romeu's reptilian discovery upon her return home from a short vacation. |
Photo courtesy of Jan Romeu. |
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| Maradona's ‘Showbol' a no-show in Costa Rica |
Diego Maradona, once the Michael Jordan of soccer, will not be bringing his “Showbol” program as planned for March 1 to San José's Ricardo Saprissa stadium, the event's organizer Novaterra said. |
| See More... |
Nicaragua to probe Costa Rican farming
practices over San Juan River dispute |
| Nicaragua's National Assembly is looking to create a special commission to investigate reports that Costa Rican farmers' dredging waters that flow into the San Juan River are lowering the river's level, with potentially drastic effects, legislators say. |
| See More... |
| Remains of pre-Columbian settlement found in Nicaragua |
| A group of 14 students, lecturers and archeologists from a Nicaraguan university have found what they believe to be a "pre-Columbian settlement" in the area of the Laguna de Nejapa, 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Managua. |
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| More Tico lovers prefer moving in over marrying |
| Couples in Costa Rica are increasingly opting out of, or waiting longer for, marriage, according to recently released statistics on the population. |
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| Ti Plant Looks Good, Brings Luck |
Here's a hardy ornamental for the home garden that rates high on the eco-garden list. I'm referring to the ti plant (Cordyline terminalis), which is highly esteemed for its foliage with striking hues of red, yellow, green and blue.
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| Maradona's ‘Showbol' a no-show in Costa Rica |
Diego Maradona, once the Michael Jordan of soccer, will not be bringing his “Showbol” program as planned for March 1 to San José's Ricardo Saprissa stadium, the event's organizer Novaterra said.
Novaterra did not give details as to why the show by Argentina's most celebrated, and controversial soccer player had been cancelled, although it said the admission fee – between $8 and $80 – will be returned to fans that purchased tickets for the event, according to newswire ACAN-EFE.
Hospital visits planned for celebrity “Showbolers” to spend time with child cancer patients have been cancelled, too, the wire reported.
Maradona, 47, became famous for his goal-scoring with such clubs as Argentina's Boca Junior's, Spain's FC Barcelona and Italy's SSC Napoli. His fame was later overshadowed by his failing doping tests, but fans still love him the world over. Maradona has had a stadium named after him and has become a television host in his home country, as well as the subject of a documentary by renowned Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica.
In May 2007, the soccer legend appeared on Argentinean television and declared he had quit drinking and had not used drugs for two and a half years.
“Showbol,” an indoor, seven-on-seven soccer event that pits past stars from Argentina against retired celebrity players from whichever home team the show happens to visit, has already scored big with fans in many countries in Latin America and Europe. Costa Rica, for now, will have to wait. |
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Nicaragua to probe Costa Rican farming
practices over San Juan River dispute |
By Blake Schmidt
Nica Times Staff | bschmidt@ticotimes.net
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Nicaragua's National Assembly is looking to create a special commission to investigate reports that Costa Rican farmers' dredging waters that flow into the San Juan River are lowering the river's level, with potentially drastic effects, legislators say.
Carlos Garc í a, president of the assembly's Environmental Commission, says the special commission would bring together Nicaraguan officials from the Tourism Institute, defense and foreign policy representatives, and environmentalists on a possible tour to the river.
“We want to see the veracity of the information we're receiving,” Garc í a said, referring to recent reports from liberal legislator Maximino Rodríguez that dredging in waters that feed into the San Juan have caused lower water levels in the San Juan, which, in turn, have affected the river's flora and fauna and navigability. Rodríguez received the information from aides who recently visited the river.
Additionally, the commission would also look into possibilities that the pesticides from Costa Rican rice, banana and citrus farms have contaminated the river, and also that environmental damage has been caused by mines near the border.
The San Juan River has been a magnet of controversy for centuries. During the colonial era, it was sought after by governments and pirates alike as a transportation route from the Caribbean to the Pacific, and inspired dreams of a trans-Oceanic canal since before Panama capitalized on the idea.
Read this Friday's print or digital edition of The Nica Time's, an eight-page publication of The Tico Times, for more on this story.
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Remains of pre-Columbian
settlement found in Nicaragua |
A group of 14 students, lecturers and archeologists from a Nicaraguan university have found what they believe to be a "pre-Columbian settlement" in the area of the Laguna de Nejapa, 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Managua.
But the group of researchers is facing difficulties establishing the age of the settlement, due to a lack of funds, as well as problems performing laboratory tests on the items they have unearthed at the site.
The dig, which is set to conclude on Jan. 31, is being conducted by a group from the Research Center of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, with the coordination of professor Sagrario Balladares.
Archeology professor Leonardo Lechado told reporters that in the area, the team had found pieces of ceramic containers, parts of a pre-Columbian house, animal bones, firepits and burned animal remains.
Lechado said that they have also found stone and earth structures created in polygonal shapes, which indicate the type of food consumed by the inhabitants of the zone during the pre-Columbian period.
The sources said that the group is carrying out its excavations with a budget near $2,600, which is insufficient for the work required.
Even so, the researchers are prepared to venture that the settlement could date from as early as the ninth century.
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-EFE
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| More Tico lovers prefer moving in over marrying |
Couples in Costa Rica are increasingly opting out of, or waiting longer for, marriage, according to recently released statistics on the population.
For the third year in a row, said the study by the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC), figures from 2007 show that adult couples under 30 prefer to live with their partner in an unmarried couple – called unión libre in Spanish, or “free union” – rather than tie the knot.
Some 20% more of these young adults last year chose free unions over marriage. Meanwhile, 70% of Costa Ricans under 30 were unmarried.
The choice to forego or postpone marriage is “modern” and “reflects an ideological rejection of institutional interference into people's lives,” Teresa Castro, researcher from the Population Center at the University of Costa Rica, told the daily La Nación.
“This resistance is a sign of women gaining autonomy,” she added.
Further studies by the Population Center indicate that Central American unmarried, live-in relationships last an average of three to four years less than marriages, but that more than 40% of the former group stay together longer than 10 years.
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-ACAN-EFE
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| Ti Plant Looks Good, Brings Luck |
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Here's a hardy ornamental for the home garden that rates high on the eco-garden list. I'm referring to the ti plant (Cordyline terminalis), which is highly esteemed for its foliage with striking hues of red, yellow, green and blue.
Many nurseries in Costa Rica use the name ti, though it's also popularly called caña india. This name is used for many of the dracaenas, which are close relatives to the ti plant. However, ti plants have distinctive stems with clasping petioles that cling to the trunk of the plant. Borne on long panicles among the leaves, the pastel flowers look like small, violet and yellow lilies and have a pleasant fragrance and appearance. These plants have a tendency to form an upright shrub, though older specimens become gangly and bend toward the ground.
Ti plants are most often used to enhance a tropical landscaping effect. They are best set in foundation arrangements or large pots, as single standing specimens or under larger trees, as they are very shade-tolerant. In fact, their colors are enhanced in shady habitats.
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| Landscape Star: Ti plants are prized for their striking red and green foliage. |
Ed Bernhardt | Tico Times |
It's interesting to note that the ti plant originated in eastern Asia and the Polynesian Islands. It has deep cultural roots in Hawaii, where it's known as ki and is planted around homes to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. The plant's leaves are also used for thatching, rain gear, clothing, wrapping for food and fodder for livestock, and the roots for food and beverages.
Renowned botanist Henry Pittier, who classified many of Costa Rica's plants in 1908, did not include the ti plant, which leads me to believe this plant was a rather late arrival to the country. Perhaps it arrived decades later with the banana companies.
Propagating ti plants is simple. Stem cuttings 10 to 20 centimeters long can be planted in pots or plastic nursery bags or even planted directly in the soil in their permanent sites. Kids enjoy the magic of starting plants from cuttings; you can use recycled plastic cups and gain a “three Rs” lesson all in one.
Ti plants do well in a wide range of soils, though rich, fertile loam encourages the best growth. They require no water in the dry season, nor chemical fertilizers or insecticides. All you need is compost, which is easily made at home from organic kitchen and yard waste. Compost can change hard, red clay soil into dark, soft brown soil, or sandy soil into a brown sandy loam.
Nurseries carry a wide variety of ti plants, but it's also fun to check around the neighborhood and beg a cutting or two from a neighbor – why, you can even trade at times. Who knows? It may even bring a little luck your way.
For more information on tropical gardening, visit www.thenewdawncenter.info or write thenewdawncenter@yahoo.com.
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