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Author Archives: Jay Brodell
What do expats want? Well, here are suggestions
With just a year left in office for President Laura Chinchilla, expat business people are searching for someone, anyone, who can stimulate the economy and start using a little promotion to market the country to the world. With hundreds of … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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Expats and medical tourists should do their homework first
Never does the phrase “you get what you pay for” apply more strongly than in seeking medical care in Costa Rica. A medical tourist who looks only to price, is bound to have troubles. Some of them can be very … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
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Shaky valuation method to cost expats more on taxes
The unusual way that Costa Ricans appraise property is coming to haunt expats who own dwellings here. At a time when some properties are selling at give-away prices, the finance ministry has set new assessment values based on the rising … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
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This makes 11 years providing a unique, daily news report
A.M. Costa Rica celebrates its 11th birthday today. There are about 3,000 archived editions on the server that capture the surprises that Costa Rica has to offer. Many think that this newspaper is for foreigners who do not speak Spanish. … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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Long-distance magic brings another U.S. rover to Mars
This is not just a news story about a rover the size of an automobile being landed successfully on the surface of Mars. This is a story about how the United States can still do miracles. The rover, ‘Curiosity,’ landed … Continue reading
Posted in World News
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Today is 10th anniversary of day world changed for expats
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the law enforcement raid that radically changed the lives of expats in Costa Rica. As U.S. citizens were enjoying their July 4 picnic at the Cervercería Costa Rica picnic grounds in 2002 Costa Rican … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years has been a time of technical progress
The 60 years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign spans a period of human history like no other. Enormous technical advances took place at an unprecedented speed. Proof of this is the fact that there was not worldwide satellite television coverage when … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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Readers invited to express their political views
This is another presidential election year in the United States, and plenty of expats here have opinions on who should win. The choice is between the incumbent, Barack Obama, and the Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, although a reader wrote Wednesday … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
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Paul Watson cannot rely on promises by the executive branch
Paul Watson, the aggressive conservationist, is being asked to accept Costa Rica justice and return here to face allegations that he attempted to sink a Costa Rican fishing boat in Guatemalan waters. Watson is being assured by high government officials … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
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Amid ethics scandal, Mike Wallace managed to prevent fist fight
Mike Wallace generally came across as somewhat of a pitbull. But Wallace, known for his hard-hitting television interviews, was not one to fly off the handle. His producer did just that one evening in New York when he tried to … Continue reading
Posted in World News
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Scammer index suggests that the times are getting better
The appearance of English-speaking beggars this week may be a sign that the economy is recuperating. For the last several years, San José has not hosted the scammers, pickpockets and assorted bad sorts of years past. A case in point … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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Steady light in the city sky has to be the Planet Venus
Monday, unable to sleep, I was lying in bed looking out the window at the night sky. There were no stars to be seen, save one. A very large, unblinking bright ball was high above the volcano Poás. Obviously it … Continue reading
Posted in Friday Column
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The nanny state and citizens face the painful economic realities
As the economic realities sink in to the central government and lawmakers wrestle with revisions to a proposed value-added tax plan, the nation faces the possibility of unrest that has not been seen since the consideration of the free trade … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
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To have a new beginning, there must be an end to the old
Blue Periods are not confined to artists. Ordinary people can have them, and December is a good time to enjoy one. It is the end of good old 2011, which was so easy to remember and write on checks. Humans … Continue reading
Posted in Friday Column
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The U.S. always has been able to come back from disaster
Today is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Most who heard the startling news in the United States that Sunday afternoon are dead. Some died as a direct result of the sneak attack by the forces of … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
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U.S. out of step with Costa Rican reality on human trafficking
The U.S. ambassador said Wednesday that she is well aware that prostitution is legal in Costa Rica. She disputed a contrary statement attributed to her in a news story that appeared in the morning’s edition of A.M. Costa Rica. The … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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After 10 years of publishing, this is edition #2,571
A.M. Costa Rica today marks its 10th birthday of providing a free news service to expats here and those with an interest in this country everywhere. What the online newspaper is today is nothing that was envisioned 10 years ago. … Continue reading
Posted in Costa Rica News
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Even the backyard serves up unexpected bounties of food
It looks like we will be going bananas again. Banana daiquiri, banana splits, baked bananas, banana and Corn Flakes, chocolate covered frozen bananas on a stick. A couple of banana bushes in the back yard just will not quit. Chop … Continue reading
Posted in Food and Entertainment
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