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...]
Net Neutrality For Costa Rica – Throttling Bandwidth Usages and Charging For It.
04/09/2010 by 1 Comment
If you've ever wondered why it takes so long to download or load certain Webpages or other files to your computers - it's all determined by the bandwidth of the connection between your computer and your and/or others Internet Service Providers (IPS). Bandwidth is a rate of data transfer that is measured in bits per second (bps). Your ISP makes its money by renting little "chunks" of that … [Read more...]
Costa Rican’s U.S. Expats May Be Paying Twice For Health Care
03/24/2010 by 7 Comments
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...]
Costa Rica’s New Traffic Laws – Loopholes and Problems
03/19/2010 by 3 Comments
It has been a hell of month with the new traffic laws that took place March 1st to local drivers and the Costa Rican newspapers have been filled with it. The changes were to lighten penalties and lower fines, but in reality due to the numerous loopholes, the Transit Police are applying their own version of the law that has amounted to higher fines in some cases. Or, as one 'chatter in a … [Read more...]
Electrified Fences Growing In Popularity – Costa Rica Security
03/16/2010 by 1 Comment
When I was a kid, I went dove hunting with my dad and his friends, who also brought along their sons. As we were walking the fields, we came upon a fence with a sign, WARNING ELECTRIC FENCE. One of the older sons, pointed to me, "Yeah, kid, go touch that fence" with the warning sign, " it's just a fake sign ... see the bird sitting on the wire." Being naive at the time, I touched it and … [Read more...]
New Insurance Program Starts March 1, 2010 – Expats Have to Pay for Caja Policy
02/28/2010 by 6 Comments
Starting Monday, a new requirement for foreign residents (expats or permanent residents), must show proof of insurance from the government Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. Often cited as a reason for the country’s stability over recent decades, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social is the safety net for health care and pensions. Permanent residents are foreigners who can legally … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Toyota Recalls – Rental Cars and For Sale
02/10/2010 by 1 Comment
Toyota has announced it will conduct another recall of 133,000 vehicles to update software in the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system (ABS). Toyota's global recall ballooned to 8.5 million cars and trucks including 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems; the latest embarrassing safety lapse at the world’s largest automaker. Toyota is one of the preferred vehicles to … [Read more...]
Laura Chinchilla Wins – Costa Rica’s First Woman President
02/08/2010 by 2 Comments
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...]
Qatar’s Investment In Costa Rica – Emir’s Arrivial
01/22/2010 by 2 Comments
With China investing heavily in Costa Rica in the last few years, it appears that the Middle East country of Qatar may be taking an investment interest in Costa Rica also. The ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, is now in Costa Rica and staying at, The Four Seasons on the Papagayo peninsula. The hotel's ownership is heavily Saudi Arabian and it is the place for those with Muslim … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Copyright Protection – Government Involvement
01/04/2010 by Leave a Comment
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...]
Villalobos Investors Suing Costa Rica Government Over Ponzi Scam
12/19/2009 by 18 Comments
Since about 1984 I have pretty much followed the infamous Villalobos brother’s Ponzi scheme of high investment returns who defrauded clients–mostly American and Canadian retirees–out of $400 million in a 20-odd-year unregulated loan scheme that started in the late 1980s. They promised interest rates of 3% per month on a minimum investment of $10,000. Villalobos moved money through shell … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Gas Prices Keep Rising – Again In January
12/13/2009 by 1 Comment
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 José … [Read more...]
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