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| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 16 | |||||||||
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| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
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Our reader's opinion
Freedom is what is neededto make an economy function Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The most recent Index of Economic Freedom was released last week grading and comparing about 160 countries all over the world. The purpose of this annual study produced by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal is to rank most of the countries of the world from the easiest in which to do business to the most difficult. Each country is scored using the following 10 different criterion: 1.Business Freedom 2.Fiscal Freedom 3.Trade Freedom 4.Freedom from government 5.Monetary Freedom 6.Investment Freedom 7.Financial Freedom 8.Property Rights 9.Freedom from corruption 10.Labor Freedom The country ranked as No. 1 or the easiest in which to conduct business was again Hong Kong with the U.S. coming in as No. 4. The worse country was without surprise North Korea at 157. Costa Rica came in a disappointing 51 — worse than Mexico’s 49. There are a couple of things of great importance here that should be pointed out. First is that even though Costa Rica and the other Central American Free Trade Agreement countries are seeking economic progress through a free trade agreement, economic progress (freedom) is not assured with only a written document. It also requires a major modification of the existing laws and systems to allow the economic seeds to flourish. Mexico is a perfect example of this with North American Free Trade Agreement. The internal economic growth which produces jobs, security and wealth for its people has been slow to gain traction in Mexico because of the poor report card grades it received in the above 10 categories. President Fox failed over and over during his six years in office to get the necessary laws changed through a congress controlled by the old dinosaur Revolutionario Institutional party. All of the changes Fox tried to bring about pertained to one or all of the above categories to allow future economic growth. Consequently very little job growth took place during his tenure and tens of thousands seeking a job to feed their families illegally invaded the U.S. looking for work. Costa Rica is facing the same decisions today with the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Even though a free trade agreement is passed, it will not bring the economic benefits that are possible without internal changes in the above categories. The second most important correlation to come from the report is that the four left-leaning countries of Latin America gaining so much press lately with newly installed socialist presidents each have the following scores. Venezuela, 144; Bolivia, 112, and Ecuador, 108. And then there is Cuba burning up the tracks at a dismal, oppressive 156 ranking next to North Korea. The recent hot rhetoric of the newly installed socialist presidents in these countries never passes up an opportunity to blame the United States and capitalism for their poor economic condition. The truth is that it’s their own failure in the above categories that continues their march down a well-worn road to economic failure for the poor they profess to protect. The study shows a strong correlation between the level of economic freedom enjoyed in a country and the prosperity of its people. More information about this study can be found HERE! Phil Mattingly
La Paz, México
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| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 16 | |||||||||
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| Tourism
institute will spring for road signs for country |
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By José Pablo Ramírez Vindas
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff The government has tapped the tourism institute for 300 million colons, some $580,000, to hang 1,300 new signs around the country. The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo will give the money to the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transporte. Employees of the ministry will do work with 195 million colons for materials and hang the signs for 111 million more, according to an agreement signed Monday. The first step will put signs in Guanacaste on the Nicoya Peninsula, the highway between Barranca and Peñas Blancas; Route 32, the San José-Limón highway; national highways on the Caribbean, and around national parks. Although many of the signs are what you would expect on highways, officials have created a special coffee-colored series for tourist sites. Some 225 such signs will be placed. Many of the signs will just provide pointers to towns and cities along with the estimated number of kilometers to get there. In addition to national parks, the coffee-colored signs also will be near forest reserves, nature reserves and control points. Costa Rica traditionally has been lacking on road signs, and tourists as well as residents have a hard time getting around. The project only needs approval of the Contraloría General de la República. The agreement was signed by Carlos Ricardo Benavides, minister of Turismo and Karla González, minister of Obras Públicas. Officials said they also were considering a plan where hotels and other tourist-related firms can purchase highway signage to attract visitors. |
 A.M. Costa Rica photos/José
Pablo Ramírez Vindas
Signs for tourism sites will have
distinctive coffee color
 Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, minister of the Presidencia, displays proposed directional signs to Ms. González and Benavidas. |
| Arias to inaugurate
administrative building for Colegio Universitario de Alajuela |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
President Óscar Arias Sánchez is inaugurating a new adminstrative services building for the Colegio Universitario de Alajuela at 3 p.m. today. Opening of the new building will free up classroom space and allow for a higher student enrollment, said the Costa Rican government. Construction of the site cost over 280 million colons |
(about $542,000) and occupies an
area of 1,400 cubic meters (about 49,000
cubic feet). Funding for the project was a collaboration the
school's
money and a loan from the Banco Popular and Desarrollo Comunal. The first floor of the two-story facility will host the offices of registration, finances, student loans, technical aid. Above will be the offices of the adminstrative directors, executive council, deans office, marketing and finance, as well as the legal counsel. |
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Real Cuban cigars for sale.
Churchill Cohibas and Churchill Romeo & Julietas. Bought last month. Still fresh, authentication stickers in place. Limited quantities. In San José. Best offer. cigarsincostarica@hotmail.com |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 16 | |||||||||
| Free
trade foes warned to recognize constitutional order |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The central government is warning anti-free trade protesters that they better not resort to violence while in the Asamblea Legislative a bloc of 38 deputies, a two-thirds majority, is preparing a fast track for the treaty and related legislation. Rodrigo Arias Sánchez, the minister of the Presidencia, said Monday that protesters must respect the constitutional order of the state. He was responding to press reports that anti-free trade demonstrators would be using everything they have to block approval of the measure. Rodrigo Arias said the government would not allow road blockades or other efforts to paralyze the country. Universidad de Costa Rica students have blocked major roadways in the past. However, Rodrigo Arias said he was confident that one announced march would be peaceful because Ottón Solís would be leading it. Solís is the former presidential candidate for the Partido Acción Ciudadana who lost a close election to the brother of Rodrigo Arias. He is highly respected and has met with Óscar Arias Sánchez on the trade treaty, although he opposes it. |
The
efforts in the legislature involve making a change in regulations. A
committee has been asked to review the procedural change and report
back in two days. Pro-treaty lawmakers also have created special
committees to conduct
the obligatory review of parallel legislation related to the trade
treaty. A spokesperson for the majority bloc said that the changes will not affect the right of other lawmakers to make amendments or the right of a legislative deputy to discuss the measure fully. The 17 members of the Partido Acción Ciudadana disagree, and there is talk of a Sala IV constitutional court appeal. In addition, amendments are not allowed on treaties. The majority bloc is seeking to approve the free trade treaty in February after discussing it in 20 or more legislative sessions. The special committees are expected to expedite the measures to get them to the floor. The Partido Acción Ciudadana will not just stand by. They may not be able to block a favorable 38-19 vote on the treaty, but they already showed last week that they are prepared to walk out to prevent a quorum, although failing to show will cost each lawmaker money. |
| Power
cut is planned in the southern section of San José this morning |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz will be turning off power to south San José today at 7:30 a.m. The work is expected to last until 4 p.m.. There are government offices in the area, including the . |
main headquarters of the Ministerio
de Obras Pública y Transportes.
That agency said that most of its offices, including the driver's
license bureau, would be functioning normally. The ministry officials are expecting the power to be fully restored by Wednesday. |
| Air
travelers better have their passports handy to enter the United States |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Starting today, air travelers with passports from the United States, Canada, Mexico or Bermuda will be required to show those documents in order to enter the United States when arriving from any part of the Western Hemisphere. Before now, other forms of identification, such as drivers licenses, were accepted. |
The rule change was suggested by the
bipartisan commission
investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and passed into
law by the U.S. Congress. U.S. officials say that next year Americans traveling in the Western Hemisphere by land or sea could be required to present a valid American passport to get back into the United States. |
| Boatload
of illegal immigrants will come to Costa Rica to be returned home |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some 57 more would-be illegal immigrants to the United States have been found on the high seas. Immigration officials here said that the individuals were abandoned by the men they paid $4,000 each to bring them to the United States. |
A U.S. warship encountered the craft
Sunday, and the Servicio Nacional
de Guardacostas is bringing them ashore. Eventually the boat occupants,
Peruvians and Ecuadorians, will be taken to San José to be
returned home. Some now require
medical attention. The boat occupants were expected to be on Costa Rican soil Monday night but this could not be verified. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 16 | ||||||
| National
sports competition kicks off with chants and songs |
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By Noel Dekking
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff The openning ceremony of the 27th annual Juegos Deportivos Nacionales had some 3,000 young athletes packed into the Gimnasio Nacional at Parque La Sabana. It was as though competition had already started Monday night during the inauguration of the youth national sport games, as regional representatives decked out in track suits of their team colors waved flags, whistled and chanted songs back and forth to see who could show the most enthusiasm. President Óscar Arias Sánchez was on hand to deliver one of the opening speeches. In it, he encouraged the audience by saying that overcoming adversity and challenges is important in sport as it is in life, and that making the strongest effort possible is what really counts. His speech was followed by a number of young dancer and gymnastic club presentations. For the next six days the Costa Rican athletes have the opportunity to make such an effort and to compete against other regional representatives in one of the 15 disciplines. Some of the popular sports include soccer, track, basketball, baseball. volleyball, tennis, ping pong, mountain biking, and weightlifting. A schedule is HERE! The event is organized by the Instituto Costarricense del Deporte y la Recreación. This year a government contribution of 371 million colons (about $715,000) was needed to ensure the games could be held. Arias said that the sporting event is important for Costa Rica and is one of the stepping stones in the dream of making it to the Olympics, a statement that was greeted with applause. |
 A.M. Costa Rica photos/Noel Dekking
Regional sports team sings one of their chants at the 27th
annual Juegos Deportivos Nacionales. The competition for the
loudest team was a draw between Limón and Puntarenas. Gymnasts perform for audience of athletes
and officials
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