date Tue, May 10, 2011 at 12:49 PM
subject Re: Benz
mailed-by gmail.com
signed-by gmail.com
hide details 12:49 PM (1 hour ago)
Greetings,,,
If you deliver the car to port Mantee,It will cost $1070....this is
inside container all the way into San Jose.This price includes all
docs and stamps to leave the U.S.At this end you have Port
charges,Mobilization fees,bill of lading,and tranlastion of bill of
lading fee,which run another $300 to $450.......To process the
car,,Put in national regestiry,machambo,tags,title will run you about
$775.......and the duty is as follows,,,,,,take the kelly blue book
price,divide that in 1/2,,,then add 1/3 of the shipping cost,,,,,that
is about what the duty will be,,,,,,
Any other questions let me know,,,there are 2 boats a week out of the
port for here,,the entire process will take 21 days.
Regards,
Jimmy
Michael Copeland founded Rock Costa Rica after falling in love with the Lake Arenal area and moving there from Northern California’s Bay Area. He developed a deep affection and respect for the Tico people and for the Costa Rican philosophy of pura vida (“the pure life”) – a philosophy characterized by strong community spirit, perseverance, resilience in overcoming difficulties, enjoying life slowly and celebrating good fortune.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
environmentally sustainable agricultural
La Gran Vista Agricultural Ecological Farm near El Valle de General is a non-profit project that aims to spread awareness of environmentally sustainable agricultural methods to other farmers in the region.
The 12 acre farm is intended to provide an example of a farm that operates in a sustainable manner, removing the need to clear new areas of forest. The farm also aims to show others how the following methods can be employed successfully:
organic farming
soil regeneration and conservation
natural herbicides
natural pesticides
worm composting
biogas production
The 12 acre farm is intended to provide an example of a farm that operates in a sustainable manner, removing the need to clear new areas of forest. The farm also aims to show others how the following methods can be employed successfully:
organic farming
soil regeneration and conservation
natural herbicides
natural pesticides
worm composting
biogas production
Lake Arenal
Another location which is far more mysterious in origin can be found near the shores of Lake Arenal. Known for the majestic volcano that stands sentinel over the valley, Arenal became the focus of one Payson Sheets, an archeologist from the University of Colorado. Using NASA remote sensing technology, Sheets discovered the existence of remote footpaths both around and under the current Lake Arenal during these aerial surveys in 1985.
These footpaths, some dating back to 500 B.C., lifted a curtain on the life and culture of the ancients who used them as part of their daily existence. Sheets and other behavioral archeologists theorized that wandering bands may have lived around the volcano as early as 10,000 B.C. although a permanent settlement probably did not become established until around 2000 B.C.
These early settlers would move away during eruptions and then return to their crops and settlement when Arenal grew quiet. Much like the citizens of Guayabo, these lake residents vanished around 1400 B.C. The belief is that a plague, not the Volcano, is what ended their days.
These footpaths, some dating back to 500 B.C., lifted a curtain on the life and culture of the ancients who used them as part of their daily existence. Sheets and other behavioral archeologists theorized that wandering bands may have lived around the volcano as early as 10,000 B.C. although a permanent settlement probably did not become established until around 2000 B.C.
These early settlers would move away during eruptions and then return to their crops and settlement when Arenal grew quiet. Much like the citizens of Guayabo, these lake residents vanished around 1400 B.C. The belief is that a plague, not the Volcano, is what ended their days.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Two decrees spur household electrical generation
The Chinchilla administration has asked electrical distributors to come up with pilot plans so that customers can generate their own power and market the excess.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, known as ICE, has such a pilot project but the other electrical distributors, including the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz, have not embraced the idea.
The request from the central administration was in the form of two decrees issued March 15 and published just before Easter in the La Gazeta official newspaper. The significance of the decrees was largely overlooked, according to industry sources.
"Their impact is potentially huge, but I fear this potential will only be realized if the population of the country, and the electricity consumers of the distribution companies, are aware, concerned and get involved," said Jim Ryan of ASI Power & Telemetry, S.A. in Liberia.
“The ICE pilot program for net-metering which was introduced last year is a superb example of how a program can be constructed and implemented to support small-scale renewable energy generation," he said. "It would be ideal if the other distributors would take the ICE pilot program contract and program regulations and merely change the name of the company from ICE to Distributor X. In fact last year ICE offered their technical and program support to any Distributors willing to adopt their model program – none accepted ICE’s offer ”
Six months ago the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad invited its customers to produce their own electricity and send the surplus to the national grid. The company restricted the offer to those generating systems that use renewable and clean sources, such as wind, solar, methane, and water. The inflow and outflow of electricity is measured as it comes and goes from the national grid, and the customer is credited with any electricity sent into the grid.
The few readers who took the energy company up on its offer reported that employees were helpful and anxious to make the connections.
Other readers complained that their electrical distributors were not allowing these types of connections. In addition to the Compañía Nacional, they are Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia S. A. and Servicio Eléctrico Municipal de Cartago. These firms were named in the decree signed by President Laura Chinchilla and Teofilo de la Torre, minister of Ambienta, Energía y Telecomunicaciones.
The decrees give the firms three months to come up with a plan.
There is one catch to the current program of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. No money is returned to the homeowner who produces the electricity. Instead the company awards credits against future electrical use.
The Chinchilla decrees, however, gave the price regulator, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos, two months to come up with tariffs that would promote individual production of electrical power.
The president also asked the electrical institute to come up with as quickly as possible new financing options that would accelerate the development of this type of power generation.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad said six months ago that it expected to generate about 5 megawatts from customers. The Chinchilla decrees mention 20 megawatts. Costa Rican laws are believed to allow the household production of 30 megawatts. Although exact figures depend on usage, a megawatt usually is defined as enough electricity to power 1,000 homes.
Said Ryan:
“Renewable energy generation of all sizes, both large and small, is important for the economic future of Costa Rica and all developed countries. And if we want fewer dams built on our rivers and fewer overhead transmission lines in our communities, then we must also consider installing our own small generation systems to take some of the load off of ICE and the distributors for generating and distributing power. But to have that option, we must now get consumers energized enough to help drag the distributors into the present and future reality.”
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, known as ICE, has such a pilot project but the other electrical distributors, including the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz, have not embraced the idea.
The request from the central administration was in the form of two decrees issued March 15 and published just before Easter in the La Gazeta official newspaper. The significance of the decrees was largely overlooked, according to industry sources.
"Their impact is potentially huge, but I fear this potential will only be realized if the population of the country, and the electricity consumers of the distribution companies, are aware, concerned and get involved," said Jim Ryan of ASI Power & Telemetry, S.A. in Liberia.
“The ICE pilot program for net-metering which was introduced last year is a superb example of how a program can be constructed and implemented to support small-scale renewable energy generation," he said. "It would be ideal if the other distributors would take the ICE pilot program contract and program regulations and merely change the name of the company from ICE to Distributor X. In fact last year ICE offered their technical and program support to any Distributors willing to adopt their model program – none accepted ICE’s offer ”
Six months ago the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad invited its customers to produce their own electricity and send the surplus to the national grid. The company restricted the offer to those generating systems that use renewable and clean sources, such as wind, solar, methane, and water. The inflow and outflow of electricity is measured as it comes and goes from the national grid, and the customer is credited with any electricity sent into the grid.
The few readers who took the energy company up on its offer reported that employees were helpful and anxious to make the connections.
Other readers complained that their electrical distributors were not allowing these types of connections. In addition to the Compañía Nacional, they are Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia S. A. and Servicio Eléctrico Municipal de Cartago. These firms were named in the decree signed by President Laura Chinchilla and Teofilo de la Torre, minister of Ambienta, Energía y Telecomunicaciones.
The decrees give the firms three months to come up with a plan.
There is one catch to the current program of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad. No money is returned to the homeowner who produces the electricity. Instead the company awards credits against future electrical use.
The Chinchilla decrees, however, gave the price regulator, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos, two months to come up with tariffs that would promote individual production of electrical power.
The president also asked the electrical institute to come up with as quickly as possible new financing options that would accelerate the development of this type of power generation.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad said six months ago that it expected to generate about 5 megawatts from customers. The Chinchilla decrees mention 20 megawatts. Costa Rican laws are believed to allow the household production of 30 megawatts. Although exact figures depend on usage, a megawatt usually is defined as enough electricity to power 1,000 homes.
Said Ryan:
“Renewable energy generation of all sizes, both large and small, is important for the economic future of Costa Rica and all developed countries. And if we want fewer dams built on our rivers and fewer overhead transmission lines in our communities, then we must also consider installing our own small generation systems to take some of the load off of ICE and the distributors for generating and distributing power. But to have that option, we must now get consumers energized enough to help drag the distributors into the present and future reality.”
New system provides those legal documents online
There is nothing more frustrating in Costa Rica than to go to a bank, government agency or some store for a company purchase and the clerk asks: “Do you have a personería jurídica?”
The personería juridical is a legal document used in most Latin American countries to prove legal capacity or legal representation, mostly for companies, but there are certificaciones de poder, certifications of power — that are basically the same thing.
In the past, the only way to get one of these documents was to go to an attorney and pay him or her around $20. The attorney would print one on their fancy legal paper. A couple of years ago, the Registro Nacional allowed people to go directly to its offices and get a similar document for around 1,300 colons or $2.75 at the current exchange rate. A big difference from $20.
However, most people hate standing in the lines at the Registro Nacional and end up sending a messenger or using a messenger service. In the end this turns out costing about the same.
Now there is something new. And, most importantly it works, and it works great. The Registro Nacional has started something called the Registro Nacional Digital – the digital national registry.
Amazing, the digital system does work and it is easy to use if one can use a computer.
Here is the rundown for anyone needing a personería juridica and a multitude of other documents provided by the system:
Direct your browser here (http://www.rnpdigital.go.cr). In the middle of the page to on the right there is a box that states “Obtenga Certificaciones Digitales 24 horas del dia 7 dias a la semana.” This translates to “Get Digital Certifications 24 hours a day 7 days a week.”
Click on that box. On the top left there is a box that states “Registrarse por primera vez.” This translates into “Register for the first time.” The registration is a breeze. One is asked for only basic information, first name, last name, telephone number, email and a password. Once one registers, the system will send an email almost instantly. The test registration email for this article took 15 seconds to arrive.
There it is, no more fees to lawyers or long lines at the Registro Nacional. One can get mercantile and property information, personería juridicas, and believe it or not even catastros plat maps.
The system uses a very basic cart layout. The price for most documents is 2,500 colons plus tax or 2,798.50 which translates into $5.65 at today’s exchange rate. Some items are a bit more expensive. Compared to paying a lawyer or sending a messenger to get the documents one needs at the Registro National, the system is convenient and saves money.
The system can be used for more than one item at a time, too. All payments are done by credit. card. The shopping cart keeps a running total of purchases and does the math
Documents obtained at the Registro Nacional Digital are good for 15 days. They are provided in the worldwide PDF (portable document format) file system. Once the document is downloaded onto a computer, it is also sent to the email of record so it can be used over and over again.
This means the same document can be used for a variety of business without buying it again during the 15 days. This in itself is a real money saver.
The recipient can verify the document. The document provided by the Registro Nacional Digital has a key-code number that looks something like this “RNPDIGITAL- 123456-2011.”
Anyone questioning the document can access the same Web site and go to the section on the top right hand side of the page and click on “verificación de certificaciones” – vertification of certifications. The person questioning the document puts in the key-code number and the same exact document appears.
The world is turning quickly into a digital and live in the cloud world. Costa Rica is keeping up. The country is now also working hard on a new system called the Poder Judicial Digital, the digital judicial power. In a preliminary look, the system looks almost as good as the Registro Nacional Digital.
All this progress in Costa Rica is a bit frightening. It seems to be working. There is still one area that needs some serious help, the tax department. That Web site is still cryptic and does not work well most of the time. Their system to file tax returns using EDDI still does not work with Windows 7.
The personería juridical is a legal document used in most Latin American countries to prove legal capacity or legal representation, mostly for companies, but there are certificaciones de poder, certifications of power — that are basically the same thing.
In the past, the only way to get one of these documents was to go to an attorney and pay him or her around $20. The attorney would print one on their fancy legal paper. A couple of years ago, the Registro Nacional allowed people to go directly to its offices and get a similar document for around 1,300 colons or $2.75 at the current exchange rate. A big difference from $20.
However, most people hate standing in the lines at the Registro Nacional and end up sending a messenger or using a messenger service. In the end this turns out costing about the same.
Now there is something new. And, most importantly it works, and it works great. The Registro Nacional has started something called the Registro Nacional Digital – the digital national registry.
Amazing, the digital system does work and it is easy to use if one can use a computer.
Here is the rundown for anyone needing a personería juridica and a multitude of other documents provided by the system:
Direct your browser here (http://www.rnpdigital.go.cr). In the middle of the page to on the right there is a box that states “Obtenga Certificaciones Digitales 24 horas del dia 7 dias a la semana.” This translates to “Get Digital Certifications 24 hours a day 7 days a week.”
Click on that box. On the top left there is a box that states “Registrarse por primera vez.” This translates into “Register for the first time.” The registration is a breeze. One is asked for only basic information, first name, last name, telephone number, email and a password. Once one registers, the system will send an email almost instantly. The test registration email for this article took 15 seconds to arrive.
There it is, no more fees to lawyers or long lines at the Registro Nacional. One can get mercantile and property information, personería juridicas, and believe it or not even catastros plat maps.
The system uses a very basic cart layout. The price for most documents is 2,500 colons plus tax or 2,798.50 which translates into $5.65 at today’s exchange rate. Some items are a bit more expensive. Compared to paying a lawyer or sending a messenger to get the documents one needs at the Registro National, the system is convenient and saves money.
The system can be used for more than one item at a time, too. All payments are done by credit. card. The shopping cart keeps a running total of purchases and does the math
Documents obtained at the Registro Nacional Digital are good for 15 days. They are provided in the worldwide PDF (portable document format) file system. Once the document is downloaded onto a computer, it is also sent to the email of record so it can be used over and over again.
This means the same document can be used for a variety of business without buying it again during the 15 days. This in itself is a real money saver.
The recipient can verify the document. The document provided by the Registro Nacional Digital has a key-code number that looks something like this “RNPDIGITAL- 123456-2011.”
Anyone questioning the document can access the same Web site and go to the section on the top right hand side of the page and click on “verificación de certificaciones” – vertification of certifications. The person questioning the document puts in the key-code number and the same exact document appears.
The world is turning quickly into a digital and live in the cloud world. Costa Rica is keeping up. The country is now also working hard on a new system called the Poder Judicial Digital, the digital judicial power. In a preliminary look, the system looks almost as good as the Registro Nacional Digital.
All this progress in Costa Rica is a bit frightening. It seems to be working. There is still one area that needs some serious help, the tax department. That Web site is still cryptic and does not work well most of the time. Their system to file tax returns using EDDI still does not work with Windows 7.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Fire Ants Form Rafts To Survive Floods
Why, if a fire ant alone in water drowns, while it can survive and float for days when in a group? Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, have found that fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) create a kind of raft water resistant when floods to save the colony.
This is a tortilla-shaped structure, and almost half of the colony is submerged to keep afloat the rest, as explained in an article published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
To see how these highly invasive insects react to an emergency working together, the team led by David Hu threw between 500and 8000 ants to water. They noted that quickly gathered, clutching each other with their jaws and claws to form the structure.
According to the authors, the formation of air trapped under the rafts are likely to increase buoyancy and prevent the ants from the bottom layer from drowning. Gradually removing the ants from the top than the bottom found moved to keep the average thickness of the reservoir. According to the researchers, this cooperative behavior among ants could be based on coercion.
The red imported fire ant is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis. Although the red imported fire ant is native to South America, it has become a pest in the southern United States, Australia, Taiwan, Philippines, and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.
There are also reports of ant hills in Macau, the former Portuguese enclave that borders the province of Guangdong. RIFA are known to have a strong, painful, and persistent irritating sting that often leaves a pustule on the skin.
The Solenopsis invicta are found colonizing in many area of Costa Rica. The red imported fire ant are more aggressive than most native ant species and have a painful sting.
A person typically encounters them by inadvertently stepping into one of their mounds, which causes the ants to swarm up the person's legs, attacking en masse. The ants respond to pheromones that are released by the first ant to attack. The ants then sting in concert, often inflicting death on smaller animals by overloading their immune systems
The red imported fire ant compete successfully against other ants.
Red imported fire ants have both a pedicel and postpediole. In other words, they belong to a group of ants that have two humps between the thorax and abdomen. The workers have ten antennal segments terminating in a two-segmented club. It is often difficult to distinguish between the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta and some other species in the genus. A number of characters are used, but are not always consistent between the black imported fire ant (Solenopsis richteri) or hybrids between the two species. Positive identifications can be made using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to distinguish differences in the cuticular hydrocarbons.
Many scientists and agencies are attempting to develop methods to stop the spread of the red imported fire ant. Traditionally, control of the red imported fire ant has been achieved through pesticide use. Red imported fire ants have virtually no natural biological control agents in the United States, China, Philippines, or Australia. Current research is focused on introducing biological control agents from the red imported fire ant's native range.
This is a tortilla-shaped structure, and almost half of the colony is submerged to keep afloat the rest, as explained in an article published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
To see how these highly invasive insects react to an emergency working together, the team led by David Hu threw between 500and 8000 ants to water. They noted that quickly gathered, clutching each other with their jaws and claws to form the structure.
According to the authors, the formation of air trapped under the rafts are likely to increase buoyancy and prevent the ants from the bottom layer from drowning. Gradually removing the ants from the top than the bottom found moved to keep the average thickness of the reservoir. According to the researchers, this cooperative behavior among ants could be based on coercion.
The red imported fire ant is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis. Although the red imported fire ant is native to South America, it has become a pest in the southern United States, Australia, Taiwan, Philippines, and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.
There are also reports of ant hills in Macau, the former Portuguese enclave that borders the province of Guangdong. RIFA are known to have a strong, painful, and persistent irritating sting that often leaves a pustule on the skin.
The Solenopsis invicta are found colonizing in many area of Costa Rica. The red imported fire ant are more aggressive than most native ant species and have a painful sting.
A person typically encounters them by inadvertently stepping into one of their mounds, which causes the ants to swarm up the person's legs, attacking en masse. The ants respond to pheromones that are released by the first ant to attack. The ants then sting in concert, often inflicting death on smaller animals by overloading their immune systems
The red imported fire ant compete successfully against other ants.
Red imported fire ants have both a pedicel and postpediole. In other words, they belong to a group of ants that have two humps between the thorax and abdomen. The workers have ten antennal segments terminating in a two-segmented club. It is often difficult to distinguish between the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta and some other species in the genus. A number of characters are used, but are not always consistent between the black imported fire ant (Solenopsis richteri) or hybrids between the two species. Positive identifications can be made using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to distinguish differences in the cuticular hydrocarbons.
Many scientists and agencies are attempting to develop methods to stop the spread of the red imported fire ant. Traditionally, control of the red imported fire ant has been achieved through pesticide use. Red imported fire ants have virtually no natural biological control agents in the United States, China, Philippines, or Australia. Current research is focused on introducing biological control agents from the red imported fire ant's native range.
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