For a while now, I have been following what I consider three very important legal cases in Costa Rica. At first it appeared this week that the Costa Rica government has taken its first steps to help prevent ID thief, may not be so. As more and more Costa Rican's surf the internet, get involved in online transactions and personal matters like buying property, getting a drivers license etc, they … [Read more...]
The Costa Rican Supreme Court (Sala IV) ruled last Friday that a small Canadian mining company can proceed with its open-pit gold mine, striking down complaints from environmental groups that the project was destroying virgin forest. "After reviewing the official studies we did not find that this mining project will negatively affect the environment. So the project will go ahead," Vanlly … [Read more...]
This week an event took place that may became a disappointment in what the future of Costa Rica's society and culture may be. A few weeks ago we wrote about how the new Traffic Laws were causing problems with its loopholes and in some cases corruption (bribes) when an online chatter wrote, how an illegal passing cost her $100 to an open palm traffic policeman. It appears we were not the … [Read more...]
With the passing and the presidential signing of the U.S. Health Care Reform bill and assuming that it does become a law (13 states filed lawsuits in the US, stating it was unconstitutional) Costa Rica expats may have a serious problem. They may be forced to carry health insurance in both the U.S. and Costa Rica, I guess you can say a form of double taxation. According to the health bill, ALL … [Read more...]
Around early 1980s a friend wanted to open up a fresh fish exporting business in Puntarenas. He found a packing house and cannery, got some investors and was ready to start exporting fresh Dorado and canned tuna. One of the things that were puzzling to him was Costa Rica fishermen were catching sharks in their long lines and gill nets. Shark at the time was a worthless meat so they were either … [Read more...]
In the last few years Costa Rica economy has really sucked with very few signs of recovery. That recovery worsen by Americas uneasiness with the current Presidential democratic administration mucho-trillion dollars tax, health and stimulus bill that will be absorbed by U.S. taxpayers. To put it bluntly, Costa Rica Tourism which was already suffering became in greater peril when Americans … [Read more...]
As millions were watching the New Orleans Saints betting the Indianapolis Colts, during Sunday's Superbowl, Costa Rica presidential candidate, Laura Chinchilla won the nation's presidency Sunday with a landslide victory in which she prevailed in each of the country's seven provinces. She is Costa Rica's first woman president. Thousands of Chinchilla’s supporters took to the streets to … [Read more...]
Sometime ago we wrote about how San Jose is cracking down on street vendors. The biggest complains were, hassling of customers in front of stores, illegal aliens, and the big one, selling of pirated CDs and DVDs and counterfeit products like designer clothes. For some time now Costa Rica has been under fire for their lack of enforcement of pirated software, movies and music, even if the … [Read more...]
For a country that is almost a stones throw from Venezuela , (major oil producer) it would seem the poor Costa Rican would get a break in gasoline. No such luck! About 4 times this year the poor people have seen major gas increases. In fact back in July, a group of 60 commercial tractor trailers backed up the streets between El Coyol de Alajuela and Paseo Colón, on the western side of San … [Read more...]
Attending a business meeting in Santa Ana a few weeks ago, one of the associates of a client rant and raved about his dealings with the U.S. Consulate at the San José embassy US Embassy. He was Costa Rican, his wife was American and they had two children. All they wanted was to visit the U.S for a few weeks to see her parents. The kids had no problem (the duel citizenship thing) but he was … [Read more...]
When I was in Jaco last week, the town was gearing up for an intense coast-to-coast bike across Costa Rica's rugged terrain known to all as La Ruta de los Conquistadores. To date, more than one decade later, “La Ruta” is considered to be the most difficult Mountain Bike multi-day race on the planet. However, this Costa Rica's coast-to-coast bike race which is suppose to begin in Jacó … [Read more...]
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U.S. Pedophile Released From Costa Rica Prison 15 Years Early
Updated on 5/27/10 - TicoTimes Editors note: Joe Baker has a Facebook account, please NO THREATS, but might want to let him know how you feel.... Update on 8/18/10 - After many complaints, Mr. Bakers account at Facebook was deleted. In June 1999 Costa Rica passed a law against the sexual exploitation of minors. "With this law, we say to foreigners who want to come here to abuse our … [Read more...]