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Recent Comments:
Mandatory Car Rental Insurance: Watch Out For Bait-And-Switch Pricing {Gadling}
Feb 21st 2013 1:46PM Hi Dave,
As a tour operator specializing in Costa Rica, I have to tell you that the mandatory insurance is for real. The insurance company is owned by the government, and coverage is required for ANY vehicle on the road.
It isn't as sinister as it seems. This is mostly about liability for damage or injury that may occur while you are down there. Most US companies don't cover vehicles in foreign countries, and the credit card "coverage" that some want to use has loads of restrictions and conditions. It is unfair for the injured party to try to collect from a foreign entity. Hence the requirement.
But I agree that Thrifty should have been more up front. I guess they figured that they had you in a corner, and you would just give in.
We always make our clients aware of this charge, and include it in our quotes. That way there are no surprises when you arrive.
I hope you find this useful.
Pat Hewitt
Costa Rica Travel Exchange
www.SmartCostaRica.com
Detroit stadium or New York studio? The Silverdome sells for $583,000 {Daily Finance}
Nov 18th 2009 3:25PM I left the Detroit area for New Orleans 20 years ago. I have never looked back. Even in normal times, the local economy was a roller coaster ride. It was either boom or bust.
The unions have to take some blame as well. Someone willing to work a lot of overtime could make 70K to 80k plus. Even without overtime you could clear 50K, and have Cadillac healthcare, profit sharing, paid vacations, and a hell of a pension plan.
It isn't just the third world who will work for less. Build an auto plant here in Louisiana. Our people would work for a third less, and be thrilled for the opportunity.
The high wages that companies paid, scared off anyone thinking of bringing new business into the area. Detroit remained a one industry town. Now that the auto industry has tanked, they are feeling the effects.
I was raised in a UAW household (Dad was tool and die maker). I worked in union shops as a young man. I watched highly paid people spend the day trying to hide from the foreman, and then complain how the man was sticking it to them.
These were the same people that were collecting huge profit sharing checks at the end of the year. Money that could have been reinvested in infrastructure.
I am sorry to see my hometown in such dire straights. But I knew that this was an unsustainable model twenty years ago.
Bobby Jindal: It's OK to Want Obama to Fail {Politics Daily}
Mar 25th 2009 11:07AM As a New Orleans resident, I have to say I wish that Bobby would spend more time being the first Indian American governer, than on trying to be the first Indian American President. He is a fairly new governer, and hasn't really done anything. His tenure running our healthcare network was an utter failure. Now he is standing in the way of our Katrina recovery, so that he can show his party he is "fiscally responsible". I just wish he would finish the job he has NOT started here in his home state.
Budget Travel: Detroit {Gadling}
Jan 27th 2009 11:47AM You forgot one of the best attractions in the country, and it is only 15 minutes from Detroit Metro airport. Greenfield Village was built by Henry Ford, and is a collection historic buildings that he rescued from decay and moved here. The Wright Brothers bicycle shop, Edison's Menlo Park lab, the courthouse that a young Abe Lincoln practiced in, Noah Webster's house, and lots more are all here. Plus the Henry Ford Museum is a monument to the industrial revolution and beyond. Cars, planes, locomotives, massive steam engines, guns, machines of all kinds. This is an amazing and underrated place.
It takes a long day to see it all. But if you have a long layover in Detroit, it is a wonderful way to kill a couple of hours.
Vilsack Drops Out: Pickle More Popular {AOL Elections Blog}
Feb 23rd 2007 1:42PM That's a shame. From what I could see, Mr. Vilsak was a bright and thoughtful man. He has an interesting history and I thought that he would be a good president.
I am so tired of having to vote for the flavor of the month.
I don't think that Obama or Hillary are electible. So unless the Republicans put up a total loser, we are screwed again. When will the Democratic party learn?
Portable Ice Rink {Luxist}
Nov 9th 2006 5:04PM Now, if Hammacher Schlemmer could just come up with a mini Zamboni, they would really have something.
Britney and K-Fed's half-eaten food for sale on eBay {Slashfood}
Sep 6th 2006 7:58AM I once worked at a stereo store in Burbank, CA. John Travolta (pre Pulp Fiction) came in as a customer, and left his chewed gum in an ashtray. He was no sooner out the door, when the cashiers raced each other to retrieve it.
Hummer Perfume from Elizabeth Arden {Luxist}
Jul 25th 2006 5:43AM Funny. At least two bloggers have testified to the great smell of this cologne, and claim that their boyfriends are wearing it.
But the deal was just cut last week. There is no cologne yet, and there are no plans to release it in North America.
Kinda sounds like a Hummer mentality. "Oh yes. I have that already. It's really cool"
