www.CostaRicaTicas.com

^didn't think of that... i guess i'm safe in cali too

really glad we have such astute public servants as janet on the job. man nothing gets by her

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

lol...yeah, as far being singled out as a gringo.....but there is the small problem of car bombs and stuff, not so common anymore, going off in front of police stations or military installations...

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

I voted yes - I just think that those that don't want to read it can skip it. I enjoy political debate provided people actually check their facts before opining. If the chatter becomes BS, then the forum will die on its own as people begin to ignore it.

Who knows, we all may actually learn about something about politics in CR as well - - this doesn't have to just cover USA.

article in todays paper

my question is, how can you tell when a government office, anywhere, is not working?



Friday Afternoon "Legal Holiday" In San José

Come Friday after lunch, San José and Alajuela shut down, as public institutions, public schools and colleges and municipal offices, all close for a legal holiday.

The decision to make Friday afternoon a legal holiday in San José and Alajuela was made at Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

The ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias, explained that the afternoon off is to free up the streets of San José and surrounding areas to allow for movement of international delegations in Costa Rica to attend the swearing in ceremony of Laura Chinchilla on Saturday.

The time off will also serve as an opportunity to complete their work around the Sabana park that will under the watchful eyes of authorities.

The time off applies only to public entities, but for sure many downtown businesses will close as well.

_________________
The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

Another article.

I would feel better fronting Cien to a crack whore and be more confident of receiving service than fronting Cien to a government, any government, agency.




Renewing tourist visa proves to be prolonged nightmare
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

North American expats who want to renew their tourism visit by paying $100 to immigration officials here better await the change in government.

A Swiss citizen who was used as a test case for A.M. Costa Rica is off to Nicaragua Sunday to renew his visit by a foreign trip. That is because after paying $100 and making three trips to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería he failed to get his visa renewed administratively.

The Swiss citizen, who was accompanied all the time by a Costa Rican reporter, received three different explanations, was told to make additional appointments and finally was told that he did not qualify for a renewal.

The director general of the immigration agency, Mario Zamora, has said that expats renewing a tourist visa should be easy. That was not what the Swiss citizen found.
In his first visit last week, an immigration employee told him to make a $100 deposit and return with an application filled out. On his second visit, a woman who identified herself as the head of the department told him that what he had been told on the first visit was all wrong.

On a third visit this week, the man was told that he did not qualify because his visa is for 90 days.

A close reading of the law says that visas can be extended administratively if they are for periods less than 90 days. This is believed to be a mistake in the law because it contradicts all that officials have been saying for two years. Nevertheless, it appears that immigration workers are now following that provision.

The situation is clouded because the immigration department has failed to produce regulations that interpret the law and provide detailed steps that are to be followed.

Immigration workers promised the Swiss citizen that the agency would refund his $100 made by bank deposit.

Later, the Swiss citizen started holding his breath and waiting for pigs to fly.

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

There seems to be solace in knowing that ineptitude and inefficiency flourish not only in large country government agencies, but in small countries as well. No wonder I feel so at home in CR.

well stay out of massage parlors then, that is a definate possibility

Anyone else have a "Problem" with this proposal...??

More of my hometown Chicago style...
" We know best... so shut up if you want your garbage collected or street plowed"

PIDD
========================

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... rudge-tax/

Editorial : FTC floats Drudge tax

Journalism can reinvent itself without government 'help'
By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

6:30 p.m., Friday, June 4, 2010
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking ways to "reinvent" journalism, and that's a cause for concern. According to a May 24 draft proposal, the agency thinks government should be at the center of a media overhaul. The bureaucracy sees it as a problem that the Internet has introduced a wealth of information options to consumers, forcing media companies to adapt and experiment to meet changing market needs. FTC's policy staff fears this new reality.

"There are reasons for concern that experimentation may not produce a robust and sustainable business model for commercial journalism," the report states. With no faith that the market will work things out for the better, government thinks it must come to the rescue.

The ideas being batted around to save the industry share a common theme: They are designed to empower bureaucrats, not consumers. For instance, one proposal would, "Allow news organizations to agree jointly on a mechanism to require news aggregators and others to pay for the use of online content, perhaps through the use of copyright licenses."

In other words, government policy would encourage a tax on websites like the Drudge Report, a must-read source for the news links of the day, so that the agency can redistribute the funds collected to various newspapers. Such a tax would hit other news aggregators, such as Digg, Fark and Reddit, which not only gather links, but provide a forum for a lively and entertaining discussion of the issues raised by the stories. Fostering a robust public-policy debate, not saving a particular business model, should be the goal of journalism in the first place.

The report also discusses the possibility of offering tax exemptions to news organizations, establishing an AmeriCorps for reporters and creating a national fund for local news organizations. The money for those benefits would come from a suite of new taxes. A 5 percent tax on consumer electronic devices such as iPads, Kindles and laptops that let consumers read the news could be used to encourage people to keep reading the dead-tree version of the news. Other taxes might be levied on the radio and television spectrum, advertising and cell phones.

The conflict of interest in having the government pay or contribute to a newsman's salary could not be more obvious. Reporters and columnists would have little incentive to offer critical analyses of tax increases that might mean a boost in the pocketbook. Once Congress has the power to fund the news, it can at any time attach "strings" designed to promote certain viewpoints - in the name of fairness, of course. Each year at budget time, the Fourth Estate would scramble to be worthy in the eyes of Capitol Hill for increased support. It is hardly a surprise that the heavily subsidized National Public Radio frequently presents issues in a way favorable to Washington's tax-and-spend agenda.

Self-respecting journalists must reject this tempting government bribe as the FTC brings its proposals to a round-table discussion scheduled for June 15. When it comes to the media, consumers lose most when government suppresses innovation in the name of "saving" old business models.

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" The future's uncertain and the END is always near...."

Only in that someone actually reads (and quotes!) the Washington Times...

mh

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mh

Not to be confused with the Washington Post.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Not EVER to be confused...but even this newspaper or even some scurrilous one is better than overt or covert control of the news by Government. At least now almost all biases in the press are obvious or can be easily sniffed out. You get more govt. shaping of the news and that is a recipe for disaster for what democracy we have left.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

a successful political forum is as simple as my signature, really. gentlemen adhere to my signature, a&&holes do not.

I thought the last President was a doofus but holy crap what a pathetic dipshit we have now

Oops sorry is this the political forum?

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

The present President is the supreme policy wonk when what we need is an alley-fighter like LBJ...who carried through the programs and policies that that pretty-boy wuss JFK could never get passed.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

NO WAY JOSE !!!!