February 20, 2008

Lunar eclipse: These photographs of two lunar eclipses in 2003 show variations on the moon's color wheel known as the Danjon Scale. If clouds don't veil the show, tonight could see a “coppery” moon, according to the National Science and Technology Center, in the last total lunar eclipse of the decade.

Photo courtesy of Tom Ruen

Feelings on Fidel: Guillermo Vargas, 33, who works for the municipality of San José, said power would stay in the Castro family after the ailing Cuban leader announced his resignation yesterday, ending an era in Cuban politics.

Harmony Reforma | Tico Times

The news yesterday that Fidel Castro is stepping down as Head of State of Cuba has been a front-page story around the world. However, some governments, such as Costa Rica's, downplayed the significance of his departure.

The Oscar Arias administration, which does not maintain official diplomatic ties with Cuba, said, “There will not be any substantial change that will allow the establishment of a western democracy in Cuba until Fidel is dead,” said Arias, according to newswire EFE.

In an official statement, Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry said “the political retirement of the president of Cuba is being followed with interest by the ministry.” However it went on to say that the announcement “does not provide evidence to any significant change.”

The statement also said that this country is “continuing to support the people of Cuba's desires for democracy, just as it reiterates its opposition to the economic blockade that has harmed and caused suffering to the Cuban people.”

However expected it was, the gravity of the news was felt the world over from the moment it emerged yesterday morning.

In a statement posted on the Web site of Cuban-government controlled newspaper Granma, Castro said, “I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief.

“It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion that I am not in a physical condition to offer,” he said.

His replacement will be decided at a meeting of the newly elected parliament on Sunday.

The announcement is not especially surprising as Castro had recently hinted at his decision, declaring it was his duty “ not to cling to positions, much less to stand in the way of younger persons.”

Shoppers in downtown San José showed mixed reaction to the news. Some confessed that they were either unaware or not interested. For others, the move was broadly welcomed.

Alejandra Oconotrillo, a 25-year-old student, said, “I think it is good. I think there will be more democracy, more freedom and liberty with Raúl in charge. Communism is finished so something needs to change in Cuba.”
	Alejandra Oconotrillo says, “more freedom with Raúl.”
	Harmony Reforma | Tico Times

Sonia Marta García, 71, agreed. “It is good that he has retired. Now they can move toward democracy, moving away from the communist regime and freeing themselves from poverty. Fidel Castro resigning is very important for freedom in Cuba after years of dictatorship. Guillermo Vargas, 33, who works for the municipality of San José, sounded a more cautious note. “It [power] will just pass on to his brother. There will be no change as the power of the president will stay in the family.”
	Sonia Marta García says, “now they can move toward democracy.”
	Harmony Reforma | Tico Times

Francisco Quesada says, “wait a few months to see what happens.”

Harmony Reforma | Tico Times

Francisco Quesada, 70, said it was too early to make a judgment on the importance of the announcement. “It is too early to say what will happen. The family will stay in power so we need to wait a few months to see what happens, to see if Cuba stays the same or if it changes.”

His friend Gaston, 74, agreed, but added that he thought that in Costa Rica, “there is some resentment of Cuba,” given Cuba's support for militant groups in Latin America during the Cold War.

The charismatic 81-year-old leader, who has ruled the Caribbean island for 49 years, is a key figure in 20th century history – particularly given his influence and Cuba's strategic importance in the context of the Cold War. The presence of an openly communist state so close to the United States almost led the world to nuclear war during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Despite several U.S.-backed assassination attempts and a trade embargo, Castro has outlasted nine U.S. presidents.

However, Castro has not been seen in public since July 2006, when he ceded power to his brother Raúl on medical grounds. Although Castro's health is a state secret, it is widely known he underwent surgery for intestinal and digestive problems, probably diverticulitis.

Costa Ricans could see a ‘coppery'
lunar eclipse – weather permitting

By Alex Leff
Tico Times Staff | aleff@ticotimes.net

Skygazers could be in for a treat tonight when the last total lunar eclipse of the decade occurs, but the weather might spoil the spectacle.

“We're hoping to see the eclipse, weather permitting, because the weather has been really weird,” Alejandra León, executive director of Costa Rica's National Science and Technology Center (CIENTEC), said.

“It's awful, I don't know what's going on in February,” she said of this week's rainy and cloudy weather, a rarity for Costa Rican summers.

A full moon will appear at 5:33 p.m. and a partial eclipse is set to begin at 7:43 p.m., while the total eclipse will start at 9:01 p.m. and end at 9:51 p.m., according to the center.

An extra noticeable Saturn and the star Regulus are expected to add a shimmering spectacle on both sides of the eclipsed moon.

“Bring a telescope,” said Víctor Fung, member of the Costa Rican Astronomy Association, “to spot Saturn, just below the moon, and observe the ‘lord of the rings.'”

However, meteorologists predict cloudy and partly cloudy night skies through much of Costa Rica's Central Valley and Pacific and Caribbean coast.

But the sky will be clearer than it has been the last two days, according to Rebeca Morera, of the National Meteorological Institute (IMN).

In Morera's opinion, the northwestern province of Guanacaste could clear the sky's stage for the best lunar spectacle.

However, León and astronomy enthusiasts who signed up for her tour today are hoping that Punta Coral, away from the city lights in a private reserve of the Puntarenas province, will be the best place to see the show.

Last year there were two total lunar eclipses but Costa Ricans could only observe a slight part of them, according to León. The next one, said León, will not grace Central American skies until December 2010.

Lunar eclipses, with the Earth perfectly aligned between sun and moon, are safe to view with the naked eye.

Fung is excited. “A total eclipse of the moon is one of the most beautiful spectacles in the sky,” he said.

León agreed. “We think that (the moon) will get very coppery,” she said, adding that the color is easier to spot in videos or photographs than by the human eye.

León's explanation, complete with illustrations and charts mapping out the changes in color and shade of the moon, can be viewed on the CIENTEC's online bulletin at the Web site http://www.cientec.or.cr/mhonarc/boletincientec/doc/msg00565.shtml.

By Nick Wilkinson
Tico Times Staff | nwilkinson@ticotimes.net

Plans to auction off 230 tons of confiscated tuna can move forward after a judge struck down an order by the Puntarenas prosecutor's office to stop the sale.

Authorities, including the nongovernmental organization MarViva, seized the haul during the last week of January from the Tiuna, a boat flying Panamanian flags. The vessel was allegedly fishing in a marine-protected area near the Isla del Coco National Park, 550 kilometers (about 365 miles) off Costa Rica's Pacific coast.

Heiner Méndez, head of the Fisheries Institute's legal office, said the plan is to auction off the product and keep the funds generated in a separate account that can't be used or transferred until the criminal case against the fishermen is resolved.

Méndez said the current price of tuna is $2,200 per ton, which means the auction could generate up to $506,000.

Institute spokesman Otto Fonseca said his agency doesn't publish the sale but makes the sale known to various fish companies. He said the sale could be realized as early as this weekend.

The fishermen, if convicted, face fines of up to ¢7,500,000 (about $15,000).

Meanwhile, members of MarViva are urging the government to strike down harder on the fishers caught netting tuna from Panamanian ship.

“We're calling emphatically on the government not to allow this case to end in a simple conciliation,” the environmentalist group said in a statement addressed to President Oscar Arias early this week, according to newswire EFE.

An open European Union market and protection of its own is what Costa Rica will bargain for during the next round of negotiations on the Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America (AAEUCA).

Costa Rica released its national position on the negotiations Tuesday, in time for next week's negotiations in Brussels, Belgium.

This country's lead negotiator, Roberto Echandi, stressed that the document is only a starting point. It still has to be reconciled with the positions of the other Central American countries, which will be negotiating with the EU as a single entity.

Still, it gives a good indication of the goals of Costa Rica's negotiating team, which, at over 100 members strong, will be the largest the country has ever sent to such a negotiation.

“This treaty is key, considering how small our country is,” Echandi said, emphasizing Costa Rica's need to diversify its trade and political ties. “Small countries like us have to take advantage of the opportunity when large countries want to negotiate with us.”