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Goodbye toad: The Holdridge's toad ( Incilius holdridgei ) is a Costa Rican rainforest amphibian species declared extinct on the latest “Red List” issued this week by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The toad, not seen since 1986, is thought to be a recent victim of chitridiomycosis, a fungal disease that has caused widespread declines in amphibians around the world. |
Photo courtesy of Wayne Van Devender/IUCN |
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| Live TT chat with Costa Rica’s telecom services chief Friday |
Join us Friday at 9:30 a.m. to ask Adolfo Arias, director of telecommunication services at the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), about cell phone service and what's to come. Just login Friday at www.ticotimes.net/chat. |
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| Saprissa face D.C. United tomorrow |
| U.S. soccer team D.C. United may be coming to Costa Rica only 16-players-strong for round 2 against Deportivo Saprissa tomorrow at 8 p.m., according to Washingtonpost.com. |
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| Journalists decry violence at press association conference in Spain |
| MADRID – Journalists this week decried increasing attacks on reporters that threaten the free press in the Americas. |
| See More... |
| Quepos powwows with Ft. Lauderdale about safety |
| A delegation from Quepos, on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast, is headed this weekend to the U.S. city Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to raise money for law enforcement in the Central American beach town. |
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| Clean hotels, eateries to get ‘Seal of Quality’ in Costa Rica |
| The Health Ministry and the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute have extended their Sello de Calidad (Seal of Quality) sanitation program to include hotels, restaurants and recreation centers in an effort to make Costa Rican businesses cleaner. |
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Powder Puffs Add Showy
Touch to Patios, Fence Lines |
The powder puffs of the Mimosaceae family are a group of exotic flowering shrubs and small trees found in Costa Rica. They are often confused with the bottlebrush trees recently featured in this column (TT, July 18). |
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| Saprissa face D.C. United tomorrow |
By Alex Leff
Tico Times Staff | aleff@ticotimes.net |
U.S. soccer team D.C. United may be coming to Costa Rica only 16-players-strong for round 2 against Deportivo Saprissa tomorrow at 8 p.m., according to Washingtonpost.com.
A likely gap in D.C.'s roster is Marcelo Gallardo, who faces sitting out the rest of the season after injuring his knee Saturday during United's 3-0 loss to Chivas USA.
Saprissa can count on some holes of its own. Five of its finest, including Celso Borges and Alonso Solís, are occupied with the national team, la Sele, according to Saprissa's press secretary, Pablo García.
Despite the San José team's 2-0 victory over United in Washington, D.C. last month in their opening CONCACAF Champions League game, Saprissa players are still wary of what's coming.
“It's going to be a tough game,” said Saprissa's Randall Porras, even though “we already beat them once (and) we know how they play,” according to the team's Web site. |
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Journalists decry violence at
press association conference in Spain |
By Abby Daniell
Tico Times Staff | adaniell@ticotimes.net |
MADRID – Journalists this week decried increasing attacks on reporters that threaten the free press in the Americas.
Eight journalists have been killed during the past six months in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela. The press also is suffering from increased verbal attacks intended to discredit them, and governments' withdrawing advertising from media that are critical, according to reports at the 63rd meeting of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) attended by 500 delegates.
Singled out for abusing press freedoms was Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, whose government uses direct and indirect forms of pressure against the news media by encouraging attacks against journalist, bringing court cases against journalists and using government advertising as a way to reward or punish news organizations.
IAPA passed a resolution urging the group's president to send a special mission to Nicaragua to investigate the freedom of expression there.
On a positive note, however, several countries have approved greater freedom of information laws. |
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| Quepos powwows with Ft. Lauderdale about safety |
By Christopher Wayne
Special to The Tico Times | editorial@ticotimes.net |
A delegation from Quepos, on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast, is headed this weekend to the U.S. city Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to raise money for law enforcement in the Central American beach town.
The group, from the Quepos Sister Cities International chapter, aims to raise awareness of Quepos' policing and water rescue needs and to solicit assistance, ranging from education to cash.
“These events are part of numerous programs this year that we are organizing to make Quepos and Manual Antonio a better place for all people,” said Harry Bodaan, the Sister Cities International coordinator.
By visiting Fort Lauderdale agencies such as the city, the Police Department, the Fire Department and the Ocean Rescue Department, Quepos officials have become more familiar with budgets, organizational charts, environmental impact and many other programs, Bodaan said.
“We feel proud the (effort) has helped lay the groundwork and was able to open many eyes of our city leadership and in some cases, changed the mind of city council members and those who were against these projects in the very beginning,” said Bodaan.
He said the visits to Fort Lauderdale helped to “drastically” change the course of the new chamber of commerce by setting specific mission statements that were more business friendly and create an environment in which the private sector works more closely with the local government and central government in San José.
Accompanying Bodaan on the first visit this month will be Quepos Mayor Oscar Monge, City Council President Luis Ch á vez, and volunteers Cornelio Mesen, Charlie Berghammer and Rosalie Maas.
The second delegation will go to Florida Oct. 29 to Nov. 3 to attend the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 2008.
Bodaan said the boat show will give Quepos city and business leaders a chance to see the magnitude and scope of economic benefits that the planned Quepos marina could bring to the area. The benefits could be similar to those the Los Suenos Marina further north has brought to the communities of Jacó and Herradura, but, “hopefully, without the negative effects impact on area security.” |
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Clean hotels, eateries to get
‘Seal of Quality’ in Costa Rica |
By Elizabeth Goodwin
Tico Times Staff | editorial@ticotimes.net |
The Health Ministry and the Costa Rican Water and Sewer Institute have extended their Sello de Calidad (Seal of Quality) sanitation program to include hotels, restaurants and recreation centers in an effort to make Costa Rican businesses cleaner.
Participating businesses agree to have their water and general sanitation services inspected in exchange for a green flag with the “seal of quality” logo on it for those who pass the test.
“We want all the health standards of a developed country,” Health Minister María Louisa Avila said. “Water is a human right and we don't want to abuse the resource.”
Each flag has one to five stars on it, which indicate the business' level of sanitation and commitment to environmental sustainability. One star signifies a restaurant complies with at least 90 percent of the program's basic requirements of sanitary waste disposal and bathrooms, employee hand-washing and potable water. Businesses receive more stars for recycling, reforesting or posting a sign that encourages their customers to wash their hands. Restaurants and hotels pay for their own inspection and for the banner they receive if they pass.
At the program's kick-off on Monday, 23 hotels and restaurants enrolled, including the La Princesa Marina, a chain restaurant that closed in April after fecal matter in the restaurant's water source sickened some patrons. Approved businesses will receive their flag next September.
Avila urged consumers to help create a culture that values sanitary conditions. If a restaurant looks dirty, don't go there anymore, she said.
The Seal of Quality program was first started in 2002 to ensure the cleanliness of the country's drinking water by enforcing stronger oversight over quality tests and preventing contamination at the water's source. |
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Powder Puffs Add Showy
Touch to Patios, Fence Lines |
The powder puffs of the Mimosaceae family are a group of exotic flowering shrubs and small trees found in Costa Rica. They are often confused with the bottlebrush trees recently featured in this column (TT, July 18). The flowers have a certain similarity, but, upon closer observation, you'll note that the powder puffs are actually flowering heads of brightly colored stamens, compared to the flowering spikes of stamens found on bottlebrushes.
So much for technicalities – both are exquisite ornamentals that can bring charm and beauty to the landscaping around your home. They are also hardy plants that require little care and no watering in the dry season, which makes them a perfect choice for an “eco” home garden.
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| Powder Puffs: Pink and white Calliandra surinamensis, top, and bright red C. haematocephala, bottom, are among the varieties found in Costa Rica. |
Ed Bernhardt | Tico Times |
The powder puffs belong to the genus Calliandra, which has some 200 species. About a half dozen popular species can be found in Costa Rica and are readily available at leading nurseries. Most frequently they are referred to as caliandras in Spanish. These shrubs usually have lush, pinnate foliage with sprawling branches that often require trimming to keep them compact. Their flowers may be red, pink, white or scarlet. They are frequently used as a privacy barrier along fence lines, though it's also common to see them as freestanding specimens.
Some of the popular species here are: C. haematocephala, originally from Bolivia, with bright red flowers; C. emarginata, a native of Mexico, with scarlet flowers; C. surinamensis, native to Suriname and northern Brazil, with pink and white flowers; and C. tweedii, another native of Brazil, with scarlet flowers.
Propagation is commonly done with woody stem cuttings taken from mature specimens. Cuttings require careful attention and regular misting or watering to root successfully. Once they are well rooted, they can be transplanted to larger pots or planted directly in their permanent sites.
As a privacy barrier, they are planted 1.5 meters apart. For freestanding specimens, give each plant at least four meters of space between other plants or buildings. Sunny sites are preferred for better flowering, though they will tolerate broken sunlight.
Powder puffs grow in most regions of the country, but don't tolerate the salty sea breezes near the beach. Applications of organic soluble fertilizers, such as compost tea, helps keep them growing and flowering well. Pruning once or twice a year helps maintain neater, more compact shrubs. The flowers and leafy stems make a nice addition to floral arrangements.
Without a doubt, these hardy plants can add a showy presence to your patio or fence lines.
For more on tropical gardening in Costa Rica, visit www.thenewdawncenter.info or e-mail thenewdawncenter@yahoo.com.
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