PUSC, There it Is: The leadership of the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), following a dismal showing in last February's presidential elections and a drastic drop in mayoral wins in December's municipal elections, has decided to make a small change in the party's name – by dropping the word “ partido, ” or “party,” and moving from “PUSC” to “USC.” Party president Luis Fishman told The Tico Times yesterday that one of the reasons for the change was that the old name sounded too much like “pus,” and that he doesn't care whether the party's five Legislative Assembly members agree with the change or not.

A swarm of bees yesterday attacked a group of 40-50 coffee pickers working in Tres Rios, east of San José, according to Red Cross spokesman Marcos Alfaro.

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

A U.S. ship yesterday rescued 57 Peruvians and Ecuadorians lost at sea 70 nautical miles from the Osa Peninsula, in the Southern Zone, according to Public Security Ministry spokesman Guillermo Solano.

The migrants, among them five people under age 18, were headed to the United States when their guide, or coyote, abandoned them. They were “practically shipwrecked” when a U.S. frigate navigating the waters spotted their boat, Solano said.

At press time, the Costa Rican Coast Guard was bringing the boat and its passengers to the Pacific port of Caldera. Solano said he was unsure where the 57 migrants would be taken from there.

This case resembles others that have occurred during the past several months, Solano said. In October 2006, 128 Peruvian and Chinese citizens were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard workers from a broken-down wooden boat off the coast of Costa Rica. Police believe they were the victims of a human trafficking operation who had accepted a free trip to the United States in exchange for working for 20 years and turning over most of their earnings.

Tourists on their way to beaches, volcanoes, national parks and other popular Costa Rican attractions will have new road signs to help them find their destinations, thanks to a joint project by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The ¢300 million ($582,524) project will put 1,300 new signs along national roads to point drivers to service stations, airports, ports, ferries, beaches, national parks and other frequently visited spots. Part of these funds will be used by ICT to buy materials for the signs, and MOPT will use the rest to design and install them.

The new signs indicating hotels, parks, surf breaks and other attractions will be brown to help distinguish them from the often-outdated green signs now decorating the countries highways. Others, in blue, will assist tourists in locating hospitals, airports, and ferry and bus terminals.

These signs will comply with Central American norms and will indicate the direction, route number and distance to each location indicated. MOPT will also work with ICT to take down signs that contradict the new signs, the statement said

During a press conference yesterday, Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides said the project is absolutely essential to a country so dependent on tourism.

“No longer can we have tourists getting lost on their way to our beaches and parks. People who visit this country must be able to get to their destinations safely, and on their own,” Benavides said.

The new signs will be posted throughout the northwestern Guanacaste province, along the Pacific coast, from San José to the Caribbean port city of Limón and around the Caribbean province, according to a statement from ICT and MOPT.

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

A swarm of bees yesterday attacked a group of 40-50 coffee pickers working in Tres Rios, east of San José, according to Red Cross spokesman Marcos Alfaro.

About 10 of these workers, including three children, were stung numerous times and were taken to clinics in Zapote, east of San José, and Tres Rios. Another six workers were treated by Red Cross workers on the plantation; however, none were seriously harmed.

Firefighters are now inspecting the area to clear away dangerous bee hives, Alfaro said.