Reserve 6 nights and get your 7th All inclusive night for absolutely free… Restrictions apply; contact Recreo at: 1-877-268-2911 or visit us on the Internet: http://www.recreocostarica.com…. And now for the Sweet part of the story…..

No More US Tariffs On Sugar Imports From Costa Rica

On Monday June 14th, 2010, the United States announced the lifting of tariffs on sugar imports from Costa Rica, lifting the last barrier in the regional free trade deal, the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) or  Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) locally.

Costa Rica was the last country in Central America to join the free trade deal in January 2009 and then seeing its legislature drag its feet in implementing reforms required under the agreement.

And it was that delay that prompted the US to suspend tariff-free sugar imports this past January.

Costa Rica’s sugar industry that exports on average between 130.000 and 140.000 tonnes of sugar a year, estimates losses from the US decision at up us$1 million dollars.

Last April, Costa Rica’s legislature finally approved the last reform needed, the toughening of copyright laws to protect intellectual property rights.

Now that the US restrictions are lifted, Costa Rica can sell up to 13.800 tonnes of sugar to the United States without duties, said the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Ministry.

CAFTA groups five Central American Countries – Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

Individuals wanting to experience rainforests, volcanoes, mountain ranges and all the other sites of Costa Rica during USAO’s trip to the country in May need to finalize their plans soon. The deadline for enrollment is Jan. 28.

The trip is scheduled May 18-26 and will be of particular interest to individuals interested in culture, diverse ecosystems and exotic plant and animal life, said Dr. Stephen Weber, professor of music at USAO and trip leader. The trip is open to members of the community as well as USAO students.

Students and individuals under 23 should plan to pay around $1,800 for the trip. For people over 23, the cost is around $2,100. Trip costs include airfare, all meals, hotels, ground transportation and entrance to all sites on the tour.

“The trip includes visits to National Parks, rainforests, volcanoes, mountain ranges, canopy tours, wildlife refuges and Pacific coast beaches,” Weber said. “In addition to all the fascinating sights on the tour, participants will get to plant a tree in the Costa Rican rainforest, experience Costa Rican folk music and art and even interact with children at a Costa Rican school.”

The tour is organized and operated by Education First Company, which provides an educational approach to travel abroad experiences. “These trips, sponsored by USAO, provide our students with excellent opportunities to experience other cultures, to further their knowledge of other parts of the world, and to interact with our alums and members of the community that travel with us,” Weber said.

“Hmmm. You think it’s a coincidence? Costa Rica is one of the very few countries to have abolished its army, and it’s also arguably the happiest nation on earth.

There are several ways of measuring happiness in countries, all inexact, but this pearl of Central America does stunningly well by whatever system is used. For example, the World Database of Happiness, compiled by a Dutch sociologist on the basis of answers to surveys by Gallup and others, lists Costa Rica in the top spot out of 148 nations.

That’s because Costa Ricans, asked to rate their own happiness on a 10-point scale, average 8.5. Denmark is next at 8.3, the United States ranks 20th at 7.4 and Togo and Tanzania bring up the caboose at 2.6.

Scholars also calculate happiness by determining “happy life years.” This figure results from merging average self-reported happiness, as above, with life expectancy. Using this system, Costa Rica again easily tops the list. The United States is 19th, and Zimbabwe comes in last.

A third approach is the “happy planet index,” devised by the New Economics Foundation, a liberal think tank. This combines happiness and longevity but adjusts for environmental impact — such as the carbon that countries spew.

Here again, Costa Rica wins the day, for achieving contentment and longevity in an environmentally sustainable way. The Dominican Republic ranks second, the United States 114th (because of its huge ecological footprint) and Zimbabwe is last.

Maybe Costa Rican contentment has something to do with the chance to explore dazzling beaches on both sides of the country, when one isn’t admiring the sloths in the jungle (sloths truly are slothful, I discovered; they are the tortoises of the trees). Costa Rica has done an unusually good job preserving nature, and it’s surely easier to be happy while basking in sunshine and greenery than while shivering up north and suffering “nature deficit disorder.”

After dragging my 12-year-old daughter through Honduran slums and Nicaraguan villages on this trip, she was delighted to see a Costa Rican beach and stroll through a national park. Among her favorite animals now: iguanas and sloths.

(Note to boss: Maybe we should have a columnist based in Costa Rica?)

What sets Costa Rica apart is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education. Increased schooling created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that have raged elsewhere in Central America. Education also boosted the economy, enabling the country to become a major exporter of computer chips and improving English-language skills so as to attract American eco-tourists.

I’m not antimilitary. But the evidence is strong that education is often a far better investment than artillery.

In Costa Rica, rising education levels also fostered impressive gender equality so that it ranks higher than the United States in the World Economic Forum gender gap index. This allows Costa Rica to use its female population more productively than is true in most of the region. Likewise, education nurtured improvements in health care, with life expectancy now about the same as in the United States — a bit longer in some data sets, a bit shorter in others.

Rising education levels also led the country to preserve its lush environment as an economic asset. Costa Rica is an ecological pioneer, introducing a carbon tax in 1997. The Environmental Performance Index, a collaboration of Yale and Columbia Universities, ranks Costa Rica at No. 5 in the world, the best outside Europe.

This emphasis on the environment hasn’t sabotaged Costa Rica’s economy but has bolstered it. Indeed, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that is seeing migration from the United States: Yankees are moving here to enjoy a low-cost retirement. My hunch is that in 25 years, we’ll see large numbers of English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast.

Latin countries generally do well in happiness surveys. Mexico and Colombia rank higher than the United States in self-reported contentment. Perhaps one reason is a cultural emphasis on family and friends, on social capital over financial capital — but then again, Mexicans sometimes slip into the United States, presumably in pursuit of both happiness and assets.

Cross-country comparisons of happiness are controversial and uncertain. But what does seem quite clear is that Costa Rica’s national decision to invest in education rather than arms has paid rich dividends. Maybe the lesson for the United States is that we should devote fewer resources to shoring up foreign armies and more to bolstering schools both at home and abroad.

In the meantime, I encourage you to conduct your own research in Costa Rica, exploring those magnificent beaches or admiring those slothful sloths. It’ll surely make you happy.”

To see the article go to: www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html

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For more information please go to www.recreocostarica.com

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• A women’s retreat
• Complete mind/body cleanse
• Additional guidance with yoga/integrative nutrition expert Latham Thomas
• Daily activities include yoga, horseback riding, kayaking, mountain biking, ziplining, hiking, swimming and more
• Menu options include Latham’s culinary treats for marrying raw food to Costa Rican cuisine
• Lodging, meals, airport transportation

FIVE DAYS FOUR NIGHTS

Cost: $1750 plus tax for a private room.
Or the ~ing pair package: by bringing a friend and sharing a room the companion rate is $1550

For more information visit www.addmoreing.com
or www.recreocostarica.com

In an effort to encourage attendance generally and to stimulate in the children an interest in attending school beyond the compulsory 6th grade level, Virtue Foundation has donated a library of educationally stimulating books, activity kits, CD players and other curriculum enriching materials and supplies in both English and Spanish that also can be utilized for after-school activities. Teachers’ manuals were provided to maximize the educational impact of the books and materials. The library was created with a view toward providing a variety of resources that would stimulate and enrich the curriculum and educational environment as well as provide the children with the necessary skills that would enable and encourage them to pursue their education beyond the primary school level.

www.bolanosbayfoundation.org

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