Biden my time until the next quake

For anyone keeping up on the news, yes, there have been a couple earthquakes in the last two days in Costa Rica. But they were centered down off the southern Pacific coast, and while I felt some rumbling, there was no damage. I hope, however, since I'm heading that way this weekend, that things calm down for a few days!

Posting will be light here since I'm heading down to the Osa Peninsula with the parents. In the meantime, here's part of my story about U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Costa Rica later this month:

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden will be visiting Costa Rica later this month, the Casa Presidencial announced Thursday.

Biden, the first member of the Barack Obama administration to visit Latin America, will stop by Costa Rica March 29 and 30, after participating in The Progressive Leaders Forum in Viña del Mar, Chile, on March 27 and 28.

Chile and Costa Rica are the only two Latin American countries currently on Biden's itinerary, according to news reports.

In a statement released Thursday, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias hailed the visit as a mark of increased engagement with Latin America on the part of the White House.

“The visit of Vice President Biden is a clear sign of renewed interest of the U.S. government with its closest partners and neighbors,” Arias said.

Biden, 66, is a seasoned hand in U.S. foreign policy, having previously served in the Senate, where he was chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. As a senator, Biden voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which Arias had lobbied hard to pass in Costa Rica, citing a lack of labor or environmental standards.

Biden will be accompanied by his wife, Jill, and is the highest-level visitor from the United States since then-President Bill Clinton came to Costa Rica in May 1997.

Note: the Casa Presidencial is basically the Tico equivalent of the White House.