"The year is 2050 and alien space travelers witness the terrible destruction and suffering that planet earth has undergone from climate change and environmental destruction at the hands of its most dominant species - humans. These travelers return to the present day to warn young people about the kind of society that awaits them if action is not taken to save the planet." The above may soun...

Upon returning from her trip to New York City and the United Nations General Assembly, President Laura Chinchilla announced that she accepted the resignation of yet another public official over tax irregularities revealed by investigative journalists from La Nacion. The President's announcement was made at 10:40 pm upon landing at the Juan Santamaria International Airport. La Nacion broke the s...

There was a time, not long ago, that things were looking up for our wild feline species. In 2009, digital news daily Costa Rica Hoy reported that the population count of mammals in the Corcovado National Park was gaining density. This increase included ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), known in Costa Rica as manigordos (fat paw). In 2003, researchers from the International Institute of Wildlife Man...

Author’s Note: This is the sixth item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star. BAC San Jose, also known as BAC Credomatic, has launched an initiative whereby ...

A day after former Minister of the Treasury Fernando Herrero and his wife resigned from their respective positions as public official and presidential aide over a property tax controversy, media outlets are reporting that the Director of Tax Collection has ordered an investigation into the private business dealings of the power couple. The downward spiral for the former Minister and his wife st...

Costa Rica is known as one of the happiest countries in the world, a fact that has been widely publicized and even adopted by the national tourism board (ICT)  in an effort to attract even more visitors to our nation. This happiness has been attributed to our commitment to environmental protection, and it is inferred from self-reporting among Ticos; but when it comes to more personal matters of op...

At the Criminal Court of the Treasury on Friday, a judge ordered the immediate suspension of an immigration officer who was detained on suspicion of having accepted bribes in exchange for immigration stamps. The officer, who was only identified by his last name of Valerio, was assigned to the immigration office in Sixaola near the border with Panama. According to an article by journalist David ...

On Tuesday, April 3rd, classical music lovers will be treated to a free concert at the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San Jose. The repertoire today will include Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B Minor (the Unfinished Symphony) and The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others. The Manuel Maria Gutierrez Symphonic Orchestra (OSMMG or MaMaGu in Spanish) is an ensemble f...

Juan Carlos Sanabria is the current Director of the School of Architecture at VERITAS University. He is also one of 146 architectural design professionals who form part of the distinguished alumni of Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, known as the AA. The school, founded in 1847 in London, is the oldest and most prestigious independent institution of higher learning for ar...

Richard "El Pirata" Abrams is a true waterman who was trained by the legendary big wave surfer Dempsey Holder and master surf photographer Tom Keck. As a lifeguard, he watched over swimmers and surfers at Imperial Beach in Southern California for 18 years. He came to Playa Dominical to retire and enjoy his golden years in peace. According to a press release published by Surfline, Richard Abrams...

UPDATED January 2017 In the past, the vast majority of tourists and persons seeking to retire in Costa Rica were much older than they are now. Back then, there was only the famous pensionado plan (now defunct) designed to attract retirees from the States. The requirements were minimal and had many benefits, including free car import provisions and even a special license plate for pensionados. ...

SAN JOSE – Fernando Herrero, the besieged Minister of the Treasury and Chief Revenue Collector, resigned from his position earlier this afternoon. According to an official press release issued by Casa Presidencial in Zapote, the Minister tendered his resignation in an effort to ensure that ongoing Fiscal Reform efforts do not end up being eclipsed by his alleged tax evasion. In his resignation ...

These are some of the comments made earlier today by our President while in New York. Prior to her arrival to the United Nations General Assembly, it was widely speculated that President Laura Chinchilla would focus on issues related to drug trafficking, but in her interview with Spanish news agency EFE, she talked about happiness: "We think that adding other factors such as welfare, qualit...

According to an investigative report written by journalist Carlos Arguedas and published in today's edition of La Nacion, prosecutors are having a hard time moving forward with their accusations against 10 individuals who seemingly went from rags to riches overnight. Mauricio Boraschi, commissioner of the national anti-drug task force, confirmed to La Nacion that his office has all the personal...

Faith travel or religious tourism has gained popularity over the years. This is a type of cultural tourism whereby people visit other parts of the world in order to see how their own faith is practiced, or to learn about how society is affected by religion (or even the other way around). Costa Rica may be the only constitutionally Catholic country in Latin America, but Christianity and Cath...

While most Ticos take time off during Easter Week to relax and observe the religious holidays, members of Fuerza Publica will be busy making sure that order and safety prevail in Costa Rica. The official press release of Fuerza Publica for Easter Week gives an overview of its planned operations: 3,861 officers will be on duty nationwide 6 patrol aircraft will be used 315 patrol cars...

From May 9th to the 11th, the 2012 Tourism Expo (Expotur) will attract more than 300 representatives of the burgeoning tourism industry in Costa Rica and the region. This year's focus will not be so much on ecotourism, something that has been a prominent theme in previous expos. The tourism industry will dedicate this year's Expotur to advancing Costa Rica as a paradise for business meetings and c...

The office of the national prosecutor in Nicaragua has brought up Henry Farinas on charges of drug trafficking, involvement in organized crime and money laundering. Farinas was also identified as a one-time partner of Alejandro Jimenez Gonzalez, AKA "El Palidejo", a Tico businessman who is currently detained in Guatemala on charges of having masterminded a botched assassination that took the l...

The ghastly practice of dog fighting dates back to the early centuries of the First Millennium. It has been outlawed in many countries, and it is illegal in Costa Rica. Sadly, the clandestine culture surrounding dog fighting, particularly between breeds like the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier, has seeped into our country in the last few years. It is believed that d...

Author’s Note: This is the fifth item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star. In a previous article, The Costa Rica Star looked at The Economics of Organic a...

In Playa Hermosa yesterday, Noemar McGonagle was crowned the Quiksilver King of the Groms in Costa Rica for 2012. The 15-year old surfing prodigy had an easy day at the beach yesterday, according to sports news daily Al Dia. The Pavones native will now advance to the next round of the 2012 Quiksilver King of the Groms in Acapulco in July. Should young McGonagle take the crown in Acapulco as...

First Division champion Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) has not enjoyed a good summer tournament thus far, but earlier today the reigning team looked like a champ for 90 minutes. Playing at the fearsome "lair of the purple monster" (the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in Tibas), the LDA "manudos" looked very solid, particularly in the second half when they scored the only two goals of the game. C...

An underwater colossus the size of our Miravalles volcano is moving towards our Central Pacific coast and causing earthquakes as it gets closer to the shores of Costa Rica. Three articles written by Carlos Arguedas and published in La Nacion on Sunday mention the results of years of oceanic and seismic research that culminated in theories posited by scientists at our National Seismology Net...

If you are planning on visiting our imposing volcanoes during Easter Week, the National Council on Emergencies (CNE in Spanish) wants you to take exercise extra caution. There are currently  five active volcanoes in Costa Rica now, and some have been acting up lately. The seismic and volcanic research departments at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the National University (UNA) are ke...

Author’s Note: This is the fourth item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star. EARTH University is a unique private institute of higher learning with campuse...

The financial news media is abuzz with the latest massive security breach of a computer system containing sensitive credit and debit account information. A security analyst at Gartner, one of the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, reported on March 30th that she heard "the crime was perpetrated by a Central American gang that broke into the company’s system by...

The picture accompanying this article shows Costa Rica rendered in Google Maps' new Quest view. Google Maps Quest was released on April 1st, 2012 as a cartridge for the 8-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). According to a software engineer at Google: "Our engineering team in Japan understood the importance of maps on retro game systems. With the power of Google's immense data center...

Real estate investors take note: Purchasing a new home in Las Heliconias makes more sense than a short sale or foreclosure in the United States. Puntarenas, Costa Rica – April 1, 2012. Las Heliconias is a new, one-of-a-kind residential project located just 250 yards (229 meters) from Playa Agujas in the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, right on the edge of the Carara National Park. Playa Ag...

At an official ceremony held last week in Jaco Beach in the Garabito canton, Province of Puntarenas, the coastal resort town was confirmed as one of the host cities for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Jaco Beach is the second host location selected outside of the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area. There was an additional announcement made at the ceremony: the construction of a new st...

Kolbi wireless subscribers all over Costa Rica received the following text message from the quasi-governmental electric utility ICE today: It’s time we put a stop to energy waste. Join us today, March 31st at 8:30 pm in Earth Hour.  ICE, saving energy right by your side. The message is part of the worldwide event Earth Hour, organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).  Earth Hour star...

Over the last few days, online news daily Costa Rica Hoy has appealed to its readers to help Rebeca Flores Rivera, a two-year old girl with a delicate heart condition. Rebeca's heart has not been transporting the necessary amount of blood to her lungs since she was born. She was rushed to our Children's Hospital just four days after she was born and an emergency surgery was performed. The s...

On a hilltop in the Osa Peninsula, a magnificent home designed by Juan Robles of Robles Arquitectos sits majestically. Upon closer inspection of Casa Mecano, it is clear that the architectural design is a thoughtful exercise in sustainable planning and construction. Casa Mecano has been equipped with a series of bioclimatic mechanisms, meaning that the home adjusts to the particular climate...

An article published by International Living, a leading organization that provided information for people interested in real estate, retirement and relocation abroad, extols the charms and relative obscurity of our Zona Sur and calls it one of the World’s Best Real Estate Markets in 2012. On the list published by International Living, Costa Rica's southern zone placed third on a list of 27 ...

As we head into Easter, thousands of people are expected to crowd the beaches, rivers, lakes, and swimming pools of Costa Rica. The Red Cross has published a set of reminders for families who are planning to spend the next few hot summer days near the water. Most of the advice is common sense, and yet Red Cross volunteers find themselves busy each year responding to situations caused by fai...

Online digital newspaper La Fragua reports that former President Jose Maria Figueres has been named the Chief Executive Officer of the Carbon War Room, an entity founded by Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin business empire. According to the website of Virgin Unite, a corporate social responsibility foundation, the Carbon War Room was created by Sir Richard Branson and a group of po...

Author’s Note: This is the second item in a series of articles that touch on the subject of sustainable practices in Costa Rica. There is a high degree of innovation and street smarts involved in sustainability; if you happen to know of a good sustainability tip, please feel free to share it with The Costa Rica Star. An artificial ocean reef project in the sandy bottoms of Playa Hermosa in Guan...

Increased enforcement by Fuerza Publica earlier this week near our border with Panama has yielded a few instances of "contrabando horminga" (small-time smuggling) of tires and liquor. It is customary for Fuerza Publica to look out for smugglers around this time of the year. The increased enforcement takes place at Paso Canoas and the border cantons of Corredores, Coto Brus and Golfito. I...

Life in Costa Rica in the years immediately following her unfortunate Civil War was filled with national pride when the army was permanently abolished by means of a new Constitution. The funds saved on national defense were destined towards free public education. "More Teachers than Soldiers" was the Ticos' motto around that time. According to a news report appearing in La Nacion, there may...

Eduardo Ulibarri, Ambassador of our country's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, attended a high-level briefing in Minneapolis, MN earlier this week related to discuss the concept of peacekeeping forces that involve the contribution of civil society to the unarmed protection of civilians during periods of conflict. Costa Rica fully supports Nonviolent Peaceforces and is committed to t...

In the realm of Internet viral media, the sloths of Costa Rica have managed to retain supremacy thanks to their affable demeanor and overall cuteness. The latest sloth-related viral item currently making the rounds on the Internet involves a juvenile sloth that gatecrashed or photobombed his way (a Tico tour guide identified the sloth's male gender) into the picture frame of a youth volunteer grou...