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Back-to-school blues: Joan González, right, yesterday at his first day of school in San Nicolás de Tolentino High School in Cartago, east of San José. He and fellow classmates had to attend classes in a church because their school has not yet been built. Nearly 1 million students started school yesterday after summer vacation. |
Ronald Reyes | Tico Times |
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| Costa Rica's first heart-lung transplant patient dies |
Mairen Alvarez, who made history last month as the first adult to undergo a heart-and-lung transplant in Costa Rica, has died from infection, doctors said. She was 21. |
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| National Oil Refinery requests cut in fuel prices |
A drop in international fuel prices has prompted the National Oil Refinery (RECOPE) to request a cut in the price of gas and diesel in Costa Rica. The request came only days before a price increase – itself requested on Jan. 11 – went into effect. |
| See More... |
| Limón police sweep nets firearms, drugs |
Police seized 15 firearms and more than 600 grams of marijuana during sweeps in Costa Rica's Caribbean Limón province last weekend. |
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| Costa Rican production 'El Camino' premières at Berlin's film fest |
The Costa Rican film “El Camino” (“The Way”) premièred yesterday at the Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin. |
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| Sex Ed. class with laughs by theater group Abya Yala |
The independent theater group Abya Yala returns next weekend with “ ¿Sexo? Sí, gracias por preguntar ” (“Sex? Yes, Thanks for Asking”), an adaptation of a comedy by Italian funnyman and Nobel laureate Dario Fo. The company will give performances Friday through Sunday at Giratablas Theater, in San José's Barrio La California. |
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Plants at a Glance:
Scallions & Chives |
Common name: Scallion / chive
Spanish name: Cebollina / cebollín
Latin name: Allium cepa var. aggregatum / A. schoenoprasum
Family: Liliaceae
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| Costa Rica's first heart-lung transplant patient dies |
By Alex Leff
Tico Times Staff | aleff@ticotimes.net |
| Mairen Alvarez, who made history last month as the first adult to undergo a heart-and-lung transplant in Costa Rica, has died from infection, doctors said. She was 21.
She died Sunday at 8:14 a.m. after suffering from septic shock from a severe bacterial infection, Luis Paulino Hernández, director of San José's Calderón Guardia Hospital, told The Tico Times yesterday.
Her passing occurred despite successful multiple operations, Hernández said. “The surgery was a success. Mairen was with us one month and during that time she regained consciousness, began eating and breathing by herself. Her heart was working well,” he said.
Alvarez sought the multiple transplants after she was diagnosed with lung distress that affected the right side of her heart.
A 23-year-old road accident victim in early January became her organ donor.
It was the second heart transplant -- and the first heart-lungs transplant -- in the country, Hernández said. And it seemed to be a great success, until late last week.
“The patient's clinical condition began to worsen last Friday, which forced us to use antibiotic medicine to fight the infection,” the hospital director said. “Regrettably, because of her suppressed immune system, a common condition in (transplant) patients, it was difficult to save her.”
Despite the loss, Hernández made a call for people to consider becoming organ donors. “The problem of transplants will continue and we hope that Costa Ricans donate their organs because there are patients suffering from illnesses that can only be cured by an organ transplant,” he said.
He added that three patients await heart transplants, and two are on the list for heart and lungs transplants. |
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| National Oil Refinery requests cut in fuel prices |
A drop in international fuel prices has prompted the National Oil Refinery (RECOPE) to request a cut in the price of gas and diesel in Costa Rica. The request came only days before a price increase – itself requested on Jan. 11 – went into effect.
According to a release from RECOPE, new prices for super, regular and diesel would be set at ¢559.988 ($1.13), ¢548.241 ($1.11) and ¢508.756 ($1.03) per liter, respectively, after price cuts of ¢13.012 ($0.03), ¢11.759 ($0.02), and ¢15.756 ($0.03).
The price cuts would go into effect once they are approved by the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP), which usually takes 30 days.
The price cut marks a slight relief from skyrocketing fuel prices, which in the last 12 months have gone up between 20% and 50%. |
-Tico Times |
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| Limón police sweep nets firearms, drugs |
Police seized 15 firearms and more than 600 grams of marijuana during sweeps in Costa Rica's Caribbean Limón province last weekend.
The sweeps have become a trend in recent weeks – Guanacaste province was targeted last week – as authorities fight back against increasing crime rates and the public perception of insecurity.
According to a press release, police also arrested 16 people in the country illegally. They said 11 were Nicaraguan and the remaining five were from India, Poland and Venezuela. All will be deported.
Most of the confiscated drugs consisted of one 500-gram brick of compressed marijuana.
Seized firearms included a homemade shotgun and a.22-caliber pistol.
As a result of the operation, one casino bar in Cieneguita was shut down because management allowed a minor to drink and was running slot machines without permits.
The sweep focused on Limón, Cieneguita, Moín, Santa Rosa, Bananito, Cahuita, Siquirres and Puerto Viejo. |
-Tico Times |
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Costa Rican production 'El Camino'
premières at Berlin's film fest |
The Costa Rican film “ El Camino ” (“The Way”) premièred yesterday at the Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin.
Made by Tico-Chilean director Ishtar Yasir, the film tells the story of Saslaya, a Nicaraguan child, who, along with her brother, runs away from her grandfather, who has been sexually abusing her. The two children set off across the steppe, jungle and city in search of their mother, who had left them in the care of their grandfather years before.
The film strongly condemns the abuse suffered by thousands of Nicaraguan children, says Yasir, highlighting the “psychological trauma” suffered by victims, leading them “to fall continuously into the same vicious cycle.” Yasir also criticizes Costa Rica for being one of the countries of the world where sexual exploitation of children is most prevalent.
As the child of an Iraqi refugee and a Chilean exile, Yasir says she has always identified with “those who are obliged to abandon their homes for reasons beyond their control.” This raised her interest in the immigration of Nicaraguans to Costa Rica.
The film is dedicated to Nicaragua, as the majority of the filming took place there and nearly all the actors are Nicaraguans.
“El Camino” was shown in the “ International Forum of New Cinema ” section of the festival, which is considered to be the Berlinale's most experimental section. According to the festival Web site, “The Forum is a chance to discover highly original, often provocative and disturbing cinema.” |
-EFE |
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| Sex Ed. class with laughs by theater group Abya Yala |
The independent theater group Abya Yala returns next weekend with “ ¿Sexo? Sí, gracias por preguntar ” (“Sex? Yes, Thanks for Asking”), an adaptation of a comedy by Italian funnyman and Nobel laureate Dario Fo. The company will give performances Friday through Sunday at Giratablas Theater, in San José's Barrio La California.
But after the laughs, comes the class. A sex expert will be present to lead a session of questions and answers with the audience, all about you-know-what.
“Sex?” is part of Abya Yala's broader educational project, which brings topical theater works to Costa Rica's high schools and community centers.
The play first opened last year after the company carried out a study to adapt it for a Costa Rican audience, said a statement from the theater troupe, adding that it performed the work in front of a focus group of experts, teachers and students to test the waters before bringing “Sex?” to the stage.
Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 6 p.m. For reservations, call 253-6001. For more information on how to bring the play to your community, call 241-1519.
Teatro Giratablas is located in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Barrio La California. |
-Tico Times |
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| Plants at a Glance: Scallions & Chives |
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Common name: Scallion / chive
Spanish name: Cebollina / cebollín
Latin name: Allium cepa var. aggregatum / A. schoenoprasum
Family: Liliaceae
Geo-distribution: Scallions or green dividing onions originated in the Near East; settlers from the Old World introduced them to the neotropics. They are found growing in home gardens from low to high elevations in Costa Rica. Chives, a close relative to scallions, are also well distributed.
Botanical Description: The scallion is noted for its long (up to 60 centimeters), green, hollow leaves, typical of the onions, which arise from numerous bulbs in the soil. These bulbs continually divide as new offshoots. There are many varieties of scallions, some with a red or white paper-like skin surrounding the bulbs. The flowers range in color from violet to white. Chives also come in many varieties and can be distinguished by their smaller (30 cm) green leaves and bulbs.
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| Green Onion: Scallions grow best in rich, fertile soil and full sun. Eating fresh scallions is a good way to prevent many health problems. |
Ed Bernhardt | Tico Times |
Medicinal Uses: Scallions and onions, like garlic, have been used for centuries as both food and medicine. Eating fresh scallions is a good way to prevent health problems. They have been proven effective in reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol, and are known to be a strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agent.
Onion juice has been shown to inhibit numerous harmful microbes and fungi, including Candida albicans. Traditionally, fresh onion juice has been used to treat upper respiratory infections, including pneumonia, coughs, sore throats and bronchitis. Thrush or yeast infections are also treated with onion juice. Recent research demonstrates that onion juice is also beneficial in aiding asthma, arthritis, cancer, circulatory problems, colds, flu, infections, insomnia, liver disease, sinusitis and ulcers.
Preparation: Adding plenty of fresh onion greens to your diet is an excellent way to help prevent health problems. For treating coughs, colds and flu, blend or extract the juice of several scallions, strain, and mix with 15-30 milliliters of honey in a clean glass container. This is an excellent home remedy for treating children, since the honey hides the pungent taste of the onion juice. Dosage: One to six tablespoons per day. You will also find that blending scallions and orange juice together provides a helpful health drink. Fresh onion juice can also be applied orally on the tongue in cases of yeast infection.
Gardening Notes: Scallions and chives are much easier to grow than the bulb onions you buy at the store. Leading agricultural supply stores offer seeds for planting in flats or cups in prepared potting soil. Though the seeds are slow to germinate and grow, once they are well established they can be transplanted to garden beds or containers with rich, fertile soil located in a sunny area. Three months after planting, the onions will begin to produce new offshoots from the mother plant, which can provide a steady supply for replanting.
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