If your license plates are faded or illegible, don’t paint them.  The inspection manual lists painted plates as a grave flaw which will cause your vehicle to fail the inspection.  This defect is becoming more and more common, in December 1667 vehicles were failed because the plates were repainted.

Plates must be legible, original and located in a visible place.  If your plates are illegible, you must take them to the National Registry for replacement. You must present a CONAVI document stating that you have no outstanding fines and pay 3000 colones per plate that needs to be replaced.

The US Embassy here has again denied a tourist visa to an 8 year old girl with terminal AIDS.  Marlone Ávila, Director of the Fundación Vida, tried to assist the girl with her dying wish to go to Disneyland.  " I took everything they asked, but the consul said that AIDS infected people may not enter the US and the only thing left to do would be to send a letter to Washington. I said, What? People with HIV can’t enter the country? And they said that that is the law.  Well, I think then they shouldn’t let people with HIV leave the country either, that’s pure discrimination, in my opinion."

The girl, who was infected by her parents and then abandoned by them, has the support of several companies who have paid for the trip and even a $1 million insurance policy.  While Ávila has faith that the Department of Homeland Security will grant a 4 day trip, the consul did tell her not to generate false expectations.     They study humanitarian cases closely, but the law prohibits the entry of people with AIDS.

NASA began this week the Costa Rica Aura Validation Experiment (CR-AVE) which will study climate changes and the recuperation of the Ozone Layer. The mission consists of 12 flights that began January 14th and will end February 12th. The objective is to validate data from the AURA satellite.

Jorge Andrés Díaz confirmed that the UFOs that many people have seen recently are balloons with sensors that are launched by the project. 

Oscar Arias declared on Tuesday that he didn’t see any need for Jose Maria Figueres to return to the country to answer questions about his involvment in the Alcatel - ICE corruption scandal.  Figueres received $ 900,000 in consulting fees from a firm hired by Alcatel to "increase market share" in Costa Rica’s telecommunications monopoly.

"José María doesn’t have to come back because he has not been accused of anything. I think he should come, but it has to be his decision.  Not when we force him to come on a given day. He has said he will come, but he wants to take his time because he doesn’t think it is the right moment and I respect that. " 

This is a drastic change of opinion for Arias, who in October of 2004 said that the actions of Jose Maria Figueres "are a betrayal of the ideals of the party and the inheritence of Don Pepe. I am going to ask the party structure to expel José María".

The other candidates finally agreed on something, that Arias is wrong to change his mind:

Ottón Solís, PAC Candidate:

He should come, he who owes nothing, fears nothing. I understand why Óscar fears the legislative commissions, because that was where they revealed the dirty money that financed his first campaign. 

Otto Guevara, Libertarian Candidate:

Arias first asked for his expulsion and then changed his mind, because now it doesn’t matter.  He doesn’t have a firm position against corruption or impunity and shows the typical conformity of a traditional politician.

Ricardo Toledo, PUSC Candidate:

Many of us have gone to the commission, but he doesn’t want Figueres to come because don Óscar is dictatorial; he doesn’t believe in the First Power of the Republic. He only sees them as useful fools who will vote for what he tells them to.

Antonio Álvarez, UPC Candidate:

It is nefarious and scandalous that an expresident and candidate recomends someone not to come and face the questioning. If this is the ethical level that the PLN continues at, then it is a terrible precedent for  the country. 

José Manuel Echandi, PUN Candidate:

The declarations of Arias are inconsistent. A few months ago he wanted heads to roll and now he defends him. This is pure desperation to get 40% of the vote and the support of the "figuerists" that aren’t very happy with him.

Although there is no smoking gun pointing to the responsible party, the Libertarian Movement has complained about dirty campaign tactics including destruction of signs, threatening e-mails, a campaign headquarters in San Carlos spray painted black, and even fake flyers expounding attacking PAC in the name of the party.

Peter Guevara, brother of the presidential candidate Otto Guevara, said "We don’t know who is responsible, but come to your own conclusion. Which party would benefit by putting those who are in second place to fight amongst themselves?" 

Ana Gabriela Alfaro, Vice-presidential candidate, admitted "there is no proof against any one.  They only want to make it appear that we are involved in dirty campaigning to make us look bad, particularly since we are growing. We only campaign fairly!"

The flyer in question calls PAC the "neo-communist party" and that it belongs to "Extreme Labor Unions", it appears to be signed by the Libertarian Movement.