El Residente 2011-05

Editorial Note: May has arrived, and of course rainy season will be fast on its heels. In this issue however, we have some more recipes for you to try out while you are hiding indoors. But as we all know it won’t rain forever, and so we are also bringing some new adventures.

We are happy to have joined forces with CANATUR (The Camara National de Turismo) who will be bringing us a series of articles on different areas of Costa Rica, and the sites of interest you may enjoy there. We feel this will be a benefit for the members to maybe learn or hear about new places around the Country they are not aware of.

So we hope you try out, and enjoy, some of the different options that we will be bringing you in this and future issues.

- Ryan Piercy

Please be aware of the new price for the CCSS medical, contact the office for details if you did not receive notification.

This magazine has been published every two months for fifteen years as the official communications media of the ARCR. Our organization provides service to thousands of foreigners who have chosen Costa Rica to reside for short periods or for permanent residence.

Since 1984 the ARCR has been offering reliable SERVICES, INFORMATION and ADVOCACY to Costa Rica’s foreign residents.

We have the experience and ability to help you with your residency application, immigration, business and financial management, real estate purchases and rentals, property management, insurance, pet importation and much more.

If you wish to place an ad in El Residente, please contact the ARCR main office. Goods & services offered are paid advertisments.

Neither ARCR Administracion nor El Residente research the companies and take no responsibility for the quality of such goods and services.

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Presidents Re epo ort

by The Board

about the world class National Symphony Orchestra, the Melico Salazar Theatre performances, the visiting Opera and Ballet companies, and the performances at the National Stadium.

Just to mention it, there have been more cases now of Immigration officials here looking at passports on entry, and if WOW! It seems that the more mature I get, the faster you are coming and going every three the time goes by. With all the problems in so many months, may inform you that you only other countries now, I hope more have you have have 60 days, 30 days, or even less time for this stay. Also, registered with your embassy here. if there is a denuncia filed against you as a perpetual tourist, or you’re involved in a serious accident, the police may When a new widow calls the U.S. Embassy and tells them feel you are a flight risk and confiscate your passport, and that her husband who just passed away was a veteran, they you may even be escorted to jail. I personally know of an tell her to call me to arrange for a burial team to attend the incident where this happened. funeral mass and the funeral. A few months ago I got a call from a widow at 9 am and was told that the funeral was at 11: If you enjoy an American Style Picnic, then you should check 30 am that day. Four members of the Costa Rica detachment out the Memorial Day Picnic that will be held on May 30th, of the Marine Corps League and I managed to be there on full details later in the magazine. Hope to see you there! time. We feel that it is very important to give all veterans this last honor. Now that the American Legion Posts, Veterans of Mel Goldberg Foreign Wars Post, and the Marine Corps League have burial ---------------------------------------flags for immediate use (thanks to Ms. McEntee, Head of the Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy) we can be ready Association of Residents of Costa Rica in a few hours.

Wise to Register,

I work with many widows of U.S. Veterans. Most don’t speak English and don’t know much about their late husband’s bank accounts here and in the U.S.A., his pensions, his DD-214, his life insurance policies, nor his last minute wishes- cremation, ashes sent to the US or kept here, or burial at sea… I have done three here. Men, please try to complete all your vital information so that many problems will be avoided if your wife or children are left alone. Your lawyer, best friend and children should have this information available also. I have too often heard “… he left me with $700 in the bank, a 20-year old car, no money for food for me and my children, and the rent is two months overdue…”

When I speak with visitors to Costa Rica I find that most of them are sent to hotels outside of San Jose, are picked up in the morning and taken somewhere in the country, and returned to the hotel at night. They never get into San Jose.

It’s a shame because they lose the opportunity to see many treasures of Costa Rica, such as the National Theatre, The Gold Museum, The Numismatic Museum, The Museum of Costa Rican Art, the Jade Museum (one of the best in the world), the Pre-Columbian Museum, the National Museum, and twenty others, not all in San Jose. Visitors may not know

FIRST FRIDAY LUNCH The first Friday of each month finds a group of ARCR members and staff sharing lunch and good conversation at Beso’s Restaurant in Sabana Sur. Beginning around 1:00 PM members gather in the restaurant. You will find it about 3 blocks West of McDonald’s near the ARCR office. All are welcome! Please order seperately as you arrive.

MONTHLY NEWCOMERS SEMINAR Join us on the LAST THURSDAY / FRIDAY of ANY MONTH (except December) to find out more about what it is like to live in Costa Rica, and how to go about getting things done here. We invite professionals from each field to share their knowledge and expertise with you. Hear what they have to say and ask them the questions you have not found the answer to. Email seminar@casacanada.org for more details.

HAPPY HOUR The Happy Hour will now be held each month following the Seminar, set to be at Fogo Brasil located in Sabana Este. This is specifically 4 blocks North of the ARCR offices. All are welcome!

Bocas provided for by the ARCR will be available for everyone... (cash bar).

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Cover Shot If you have a real passion for the flavor of Costa Rica, then you must try Maracuyá, which provides an interesting taste with a touch of bitterness. You will see this yellow passion fruit available all over the country, and in various forms from juices, to drinks, or just fresh picked for you to enjoy.

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The Cuchara Ricca

by Celina Carazo Garnier

In The Fruit Bowl: Maracuyá Maracuyá is a fruit that is round or oval in shape, about 4 to 10 cm in diameter. Inside it contains numerous small seeds covered by a gelatinous membrane which contains the juice.

The plant of the maracuyá pertains to the family of Passiflora, passion fruits, species which are native to the tropical regions of the Americas. There are two varieties, the purple and the yellow, the latter more well known in our country. The Process the maracuyá pulp to extract the juice and strain maracuyá is also known by the name Passion Fruit, due to it. Mix the gelatin in the water and warm to dissolve it the shape of its flower, which has the appearance of a crown completely. Pour the condensed milk into the mixer, made of thorns. and start to mix adding one egg yolk at a time. Add the maracuyá juice as you continue to mix. Next add the The plant of the maracuyá grows well from sea level up to dissolved gelatin to the mixture. Now beat the three egg about 1000 meters in altitude, requiring more than eight whites until soft peaks form, then add into the mixture. Pour hours of light to induce flowering, and a temperature between the entire mixture into a Pyrex, and refrigerate for at least 21 and 32C. The first harvest occurs one year after planting, 3 hours. Cut into squares, and Chantilly cream & a cherry and the majority of the ripened fruit will detach and fall to the may be added for adornment if desired. ground. The collection of the fruit should be done quickly to prevent them from rotting. The fruit has a thick skin, inedible Galletas de Maracuyá for us, but rich in protein, and together with the seeds is used 1 stick butter (115g) for the feeding of livestock.

1/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons maracuyá juice Each plant produces about 400 to 500 fruits per year.

1 ½ cups flour The maracuyá has a sweet & sour flavor. It is about 80% Powdered sugar water, and provides important quantities of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamins A & C. This fruit can be eaten raw Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add in the with its seeds which not only provides the nutrients already maracuyá juice, then the flour and continue mixing. Roll the mentioned, but also an important quantity of fiber which mixture flat on a floured surface. Cut dough with cutters into stimulates the large intestine and facilitates the elimination desired shapes. Preheat oven to 200 C (350 F) then bake of the body’s waste. This also favors a lower absorption for approximately 20 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar of cholesterol which helps to prevent elevated levels of the over the cookies once cooled. same in the blood stream.

Maracuya Cocktail The juice of the fruit is obtained by putting all the pulp into ½ cup chilled maracuyá juice a strainer to retain the seeds as the pulp is mashed. As a 600 ml chilled Ginger ale result we have a very thick juice so it is advisable to mix it ¼ cup sugar (or to taste) with other fruit juices, milk, yoghurt, or simply water. The pulp Costa Rican Guaro can be utilized for making marmalade, sweet & sour sauces, deserts, and cocktails such as those we are offering on this Process the pulp of the maracuyá, and strain. Add in ginger occasion. ale and sugar, mix well and chill.

To serve: Prepare an 8 oz glass with ice, and pour in 1 The maracyá fruit can be found in the local farmers markets to 1 ½ oz Guaro, or preferred liquor (gin or vodka). Add (ferias del agricultor), supermarkets, and at CENADA (Centro maracuyá mix, and decorate with a slice of lemon.

Nacional de Abastecimiento) at a cost of approximately 800 --------------Colones per Kilo.

Esponjado de Maracuyá 1 can condensed milk (395g) 3 eggs separated ¾ cup maracuyá juice (approx. 4 fruits) 1 tablespoon flavorless gelatin ¼ cup water

El Residente

Celina Carazo Garnier is a Dietitian, graduated in Argentina, and with 30 years experience in the field. She worked in the Clinica Biblica, the University of Costa Rica, and was head of the Department of Nutrition for the Ministry of Health in Costa Rica.

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May- June, 2011

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Children Are Ou ur Future

by Cyndi Mayer

Earth University: Teaching the World Sustainable Agriculture The University Costa Rica believes in the benefits of educating its people.

It also believes in education to benefit the world and is demonstrating this belief at a unique campus in Guacimo, Limon Province. Here exists a program that may save us, i.e. the entire world, from possible irreversible environmental disaster. It has very high ideals, very high hopes and a very high success rate. Take a tour of this campus as I did, and your head may spin because of all the different programs, ongoing projects, and the enthusiasm and hard work of every person - students, professors, and administration alike.

The campus is the location of EARTH University: Escuela de Agricultura de la Region Tropical Humeda (EARTH); or the School of Agriculture of the Humid Tropical Region.

The university is an international, non-profit, private institution dedicated to sustainable agriculture and resource management, offering a four-year degree in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resource Management.

The idea of creating a school to teach people from around the world the principles and techniques of sustainable agriculture was conceived in the early 1980’s by a group of forward thinking Costa Ricans who saw a need for an environmental conscience in agrarian societies. The core focus of this vision would be teaching students how to grow food in a manner that is both cost effective and sustainable to the land, using the ecosystem to its fullest rather than introducing practices that deplete it.

For example, raptors would be encouraged to reside in or near the fields to provide small animal pest control. Certain plants might be cultivated around the crops to support the presence of beneficial insects. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides would be minimized, preventing the issues of runoff as well as reducing costs. The students would bring this sustainable practice home to their own countries along with the skills to implement these ideals and principles at all levels of business and government. Within this main vision was a sub-part: its objectives would be accomplished with a social conscience at a grass roots level. In other words, the heart of the program would be that this training and knowledge would be offered to farmers and others who would do the work, not businessmen in offices and it would be offered to ALL countries including the poorest.

Honoring its belief in the value of education, Costa Rica

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passed a law in 1986 that granted EARTH University its international status, opening the door for support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Costa Rican government, the Kellogg Foundation and USAID together supported the establishment of the campus in Guacimo. The first building was constructed in 1989 on the 8154 acre campus and the “pioneer” class began with 60 men and women in March 1990. Total student body now is maintained at close to 400.

Celebrating 20 years of students and learning in spring of 2010, EARTH continues to implement its uniquely innovative and successful educational model.

Heart and Soul My visit to the campus began with an overview of the philosophy and academic model of EARTH. Beyond a course or two as part of a general curriculum, I think few educational facilities anywhere include the emphasis on instilling ethical and social values as are taught in this program. Here, that emphasis is vital in order to prepare these students for the challenges they will face as leaders of change. These values are integrated with the scientific and technical knowledge and the entrepreneurial skills that will be necessary to implement the changes in business practices in order to achieve earth-friendly, sustainable agriculture in their own countries. EARTH is unique in Latin America as the only university to seek positive environmental change through an educational degree.

Since the 1930’s, the corporate world view has been that business and profits trump care of the environment and that conservation of the environment impedes corporate development.

On campus and in the surrounding communities, students practice a view that differs from the current world business model. At EARTH the belief is we of the world can have strong and socially responsible businesses and do it within a sustainable environmental framework. The principles taught students range from biodiversity conservation and sustainable development to social consciousness, respect, tolerance and human development. EARTH’s mission, vision, and key pillars all speak to the total integration of their values.

The optimism of the University is reflected by its logo, a graceful arrangement of four flower petals- one for each year of the program. Each blossoming petal stands taller and stronger than the petal to its left, signifying the tremendous amount of learning and growth packed into the EARTH program. “Learn by doing” is a motto of many universities and at EARTH, the motto is adhered to as firmly as at any other. Students are required to engage in both classroom study and field work commencing in the first year. The ratio of classroom hours to physical field hours is determined by whether the student is at first year, sophomore, junior or senior level. At the end of their third year, students participate in a 15-week internship in their own country or elsewhere, as well as a project involving them in the local community surrounding the campus. Through this local interaction, the students gain experience in social aid and the communities (schools, fincas and small business) gain Continued on page 7...

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sector, or own their own businesses. For example, EARTH alumni in Costa Rica formed a company to sell bio-digesters.

Recently, they helped a major grower of bananas become more environmentally responsible. Their company sold to and installed the bio-digesters for the grower, enabling this very large operation to generate its own green power.

help with their unique issues.

As I learned about the academic model, I learned about the admission process. Every year, hundreds of men and women, some already farmers, are recruited from many different countries and compete for 100-112 positions.

These students undergo a rigorous selection and admission process. I saw some of the questions they must answer to address their desire to promote change, their environmental and social awareness, and their commitment and general vocation. Although the number of qualified applicants greatly exceeds the space available, the class size is not increased.

Maintaining the smaller classes maximizes the student to teacher ratio and maintains the level of excellence and uniqueness. To date, attending students have been selected from 29 countries in the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Indonesia.

One of the wonders of this university is that students are not selected based on their ability to pay or their level of formal education. Many selected are from economically disadvantaged regions but as long as they are dedicated to their studies, EARTH has a scholarship program funded by corporate and individual donations that allows these students to earn their degree. About half of the student body is on full scholarship, others (~30%) are on partial scholarships, and the remaining students pay a full tuition.

The scholarship program takes the financial aspect out of the selection process, so those candidates most committed are admitted and ultimately effect the most environmental change. If new students lack certain academic skills, they attend the Academic Preparation Program which strengthens areas such as math, science, and study techniques over two months prior to the start of the academic year. Also, since they will be attending classes and interacting with others in a Spanish speaking country, if needed, they are taught Spanish.

“Learn by doing” in action I visited several ongoing research projects that are in full swing on campus. As part of their field/lab requirements, students can choose projects that directly address challenges facing nearby communities. They can work with a community member or by themselves to find viable, practical solutions. One project I saw addresses growing food in a small footprint like the limited garden spaces of a city dwelling or even an office terraza. As more people move away from farms and pack into towns and cities, they have less space for growing anything green. I learned the periurban module provides solutions, even for areas as small as an outdoor balcony. Small planter boxes and horizontal or vertical hanging planters filled with a rice hull mixture (a growth substrate that substitutes as soil) facilitate organic gardening for fresh vegetables in very little space.

The university’s integrated animal farm proves a family on a finca (farm) can start with as few as four pigs, eight chickens or two cows, and via a bio-digester, end up with fuel gas for cooking. On campus, the biogas production process starts in the pig stable area where the waste from individual pens is washed with water into a trough and carried into a huge plastic “sleeve”. Here, methane-producing bacteria break down the waste products, producing methane gas. The biogas is collected in the sleeve under low pressure for storage. On campus, this gas is compressed and burned in a natural gas generator to convert it to electricity. On a finca, it would be burned directly at a cooking burner. Depending on the size of the bio-digester, and the number of animals contributing to it, the amount of generated gas could provide a family fuel for many hours of cooking. On campus, the left over bio-digested waste goes through a series of three ponds and the result is waste-free effluent water. On an individual finca, the bio-digested waste can ultimately be used as a spray-on fertilizer and is especially effective as a foliage spray. Thus, this system can generate fuel for the family AND prevent animal waste from contaminating the environment. As this is not a commercial enterprise for the university, EARTH makes these bio-digesters available Continued on page 8...

Upon completion of the four year program, the majority of the graduates return to their home countries. They carry with them the knowledge, skills, and ability to implement the changes necessary to help their countries make positive environmental and social change and better their country’s position in today’s global society. In 16 graduating classes, EARTH has awarded degrees to almost 1400 current professionals from 25 countries. These graduates now work in non-government organizations, government, the private

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cooperative to market EARTH-brand sustainable coffee which is sold on campus.

EARTH-brand cheese is also on sale at the campus.

EARTH produces EARTH-brand yogurt and grows EARTH-brand bananas, both available in Auto Mercado supermarkets, a major grocery chain in San Jose.

EARTH-brand bananas and pineapples are exported to Whole Foods Markets in the United States.

EARTH contracts with a paper plant that uses discarded banana stalks to produce top quality paper for niche markets.

There are many, many “good causes” in the world, all worthy for any smaller finca at a nominal cost and will provide the of donations; but for me, making our planet healthy is a top workforce for installation. priority. If we have no healthy place to live, all the other causes really don’t matter. And EARTH has many fun and Basic research is also part of the university. Currently, satisfying ways to contribute. students and professors are searching for a method to • Plant a tree: To celebrate the 20th anniversary, produce 100% organic bananas in the higher humidity of on the 5th of June 2010 (World Environment Day) the Caribbean slopes. In another project, EARTH and EARTH coordinated a world-wide tree planting event the University of Florida are examining green sugar cane in 26 countries where alumni live. This year the goal production. Still another project began with collecting rain was 200,000 trees and more than 1,195,000 trees forest plants, fungi and marine sponges in collaboration were planted. with the National Biodiversity Institute (INBio) in Costa Rica.

• Attend a concert: A fun fund raiser was a wonderful This collection effort was directed toward a possible cure of concert in August 2010 in San Jose at the Teatro Chagas disease (parasitic infection transmitted by a single Nacional. bug bite). Now, 510 extracts from the collected specimens • Enjoy food: Every year the students invite the public are being prepared and so far 163 extracts have exhibited onto campus to experience an organized fund raiser relevant anti-parasitic activity. featuring traditional dishes from their home countries, which the students prepare themselves. Several The university is carbon negative and monitors its carbon thousand people know that this feria is a delicious impact through its own carbon neutral program. The amount reason to visit the campus and attend every year. of carbon fixation by agriculture and the surrounding forests • Buy and enjoy EARTH-brand products: Here in of the campus is ten times greater than what the campus Costa Rica, the bananas are export quality. If you produces. Stated another way, the surrounding plant life live in Costa Rica, you are also able to buy EARTHutilizes ten times more carbon from the air than the campus brand yogurt. Encourage family and friends in the emits into the air. Since 2008, several times per year, United States to buy pineapples and bananas from EARTH holds “A Day without Cars” which further reduces Whole Foods Markets. their carbon footprint.

The university offers bird tours- half or full day - on the The school is active in other areas also. Two professors, campus in primary and secondary forest. During one Carlos Montoya and Ricardo Russo conceived and directed afternoon bird tour I took in the fields, the group observed a a project that resulted in a comprehensive lab/activity book Laughing Falcon, tityras and several types of tanagers. We that is geared to the primary school level. It outlines short saw more than 35 different species. activities to introduce school-age children to the wonders of the environment around us and the importance of its It also offers half day or full workshops on a variety of preservation. Many EARTH students, colleagues and others environmental topics such as peri-urban agriculture (food contributed to the book. Also, school leaders and teachers in production in limited spaces such as houses, offices, etc.), the community of Guacimo had vital input. composting (a microbial solution to aid composting will be available on campus early in 2011) and recycling. For further My tour culminated in a walk into the forest. I found it information on tours and workshops, you may contact: amazing that the forest was so peaceful yet so full of life.

The wild almond trees (a favorite of the Great Green Macaws Carlos A. Araya Q. on the Pacific) seemed to reach forever into vivid blue sky. It Director of Development, A.I. was a beautiful and relaxing hike.

Universidad EARTH Tel. (506) 2713.0498 Fruits of the labor Email: caaraya@earth.ac.cr Currently, the university has a number of small commercial operations to supplement its independent sources of For additional information funding. about the university and • Under the leadership of an EARTH alumnus, the associated programs, visit: university has begun a partnership with a coffee http://www.earth-usa.

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Members outin ngs

by Mel Goldberg

Memorial Day in Costa Rica The American Legion Post 10 of Escazu will hold its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at 11 am on Monday May 30th. It will be held at the cemetery in San Antonio de Escazu, where the post owns three mausoleums with seven U.S. veterans Corps League will sponsor an American-style picnic from 1 buried there. pm to 5 pm following the ceremony. The site will be at the Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on Villa Amira, on the old road from Escazu to Santa Ana, on the the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, left just past the gas station before you have to turn right to it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military enter Santa Ana. service. First enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War, it was extended The cost is ¢6,000 per person. Hot dogs, hamburgers, after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all potato salad and baked beans will be served. There will be a cash bar for beverages. wars.

Begun as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the Civil War, by the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not.

Among other projects the post helps to outfit local public school children whose parents cannot afford to provide the required books, backpack, uniform and shoes, as well as other local charities.

Everyone, not just U.S. Citizens, is invited to attend the The Post and the Costa Rica Detachment of the Marine ceremony and the picnic. Contact Mel at 2288-0454.

May- June, 2011

9

Learning The Language

by Christopher Howard

Something is Fishy Costa Rica has two coasts, so there is plenty of seafood available everywhere in the country. Corvina (sea bass) is the most commonly served fish and is prepared in a number of ways, including as ceviche (bits of fresh raw fish marinated in lime juice with onions, peppers and spices). Chucheca is a popular bivalve mollusk and dish from Costa Rica’s Puntarenas area. The people who live in Puntarenas are called puntarenenses or in slang, chuchequeros. Chucheca is also a vulgar term that refers to the vaginal part of a woman’s body in Costa Rica.

Bass – Corvina Clams – Almejas Cod – Bacalao Crab – Cangrejo Crayfish – Langostino (fresh water) Eel – Anguila Fin – Aletas Fish – Pez (live), pescado (dead) Fish store – Pescadería Fishing line – Sedal Fishing pole – Caña de pescar Gills – Agallas Haddock – Róbalo Hook – Gancho, anzuelo Lobster – Langosta Mackerel – Macerela Net – La red Octopus – Pulpo

Oysters – Ostiones / Ostras Rainbow bass – Guapote Red snapper – Huachinango Salmon – Salmón Sardines – Sardinas Scales – Escamas (skin) Seafood restaurant – Marisquería School of fish – Banco de mariscos Shark – Tiburón Shrimps Camarones Sportsfishing – La pesca deportiva Sole – Lenguado Sword fish – Pez espada Squid – Calamares To cast – Tirar Trout – Trucha Tuna – Atún

Biting – Los peces están picando – The fish are biting To fish – Pescar or ir de pesca. Pescar can also mean to "catch a cold."

José pescó un resfriado. Joe caught a cold.

Pescar can also mean "to catch" in the following sense.

Tengo que pescar a Juan antes de que salga. I have to catch John before he leaves.

Whole fish - Pescado entero which is served in many seafood restaurants

Here is your Costa Rican expression (tiquismo) for this week: Pescar en río revuelto – to fish in troubled waters.

Para hablar y comer pescado, hay que tener mucho cuidado – Be careful what you say.

Pez gordo – literally a fat fish but used to mean an important person or "Big Shot".

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May- June, 2011

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Wild Side LXI

by Ryan Piercy

Eagle Eye One of my absolute favorite species, the eagle, is a stupendous creature that has inspired legends, has headed the greatest of armies, been the symbol of nations, and represents freedom and strength. They are mighty creatures, and the largest of the birds of prey, with broad wings enabling them to soar easily over long distances. Unfortunately they are at risk, even the few Neotropical species found here in Costa Rica.

There are some truly large specimens to be found here in the country. The Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, can reach 30” in height, weighing up to three kg. This dark eagle is mostly slate-gray overall, but has a wide white band on its rather short tail. Its wings are broad and it has a robust body.

This eagle is an uncommon resident on the Caribbean slope, usually between 2000 and 5600 ft., preferring heavy forest and mountain areas. Being such a dark bird, it is difficult to distinguish, and often confused with other species, especially the Great Black-Hawk.

Harpia harpyja, known locally as the Aguilucho, is indeed a large creature. It is the largest raptor in the Americas, and ranked amongst at least the top three largest birds of prey in the world. A Harpy Eagle can reach up to 40” in length, at 4.5 to 5.5 kilos. Females are larger than males, and can weigh in at as much as nine kilos. Their heads are dark gray, with black back and wings, and mainly white underneath.

Harpy Eagles are an extremely fast predator, clocked up to 80 kph, and have been known to carry prey weighing over three quarters of its own body weight. At 5” long its talons, as long as a grizzly bears claw, can exert extreme pressure on its prey. They will normally stay under the canopy, making them harder to spot, and will swoop down to snatch up prey, including large rodents, opossum, monkeys, and especially sloths! In fact one study shows that nearly 80% of their diet may be these large mammals.

While the Solitary Eagle nests on a high rocky area, both the Crested and Harpy Eagles will build their nests in the fork of a large tree, generally very high up in the canopy of the forest.

Like many eagles, two eggs are laid, but almost always only one of the young survives. This is apparently due to the fact that the larger, more dominant chick frequently kills the Much easier to distinguish, though harder to find, is the younger one when hatched, and the adults don’t intervene. I Crested Eagle, Morphnus guianensis. This species is slightly guess that predatory instinct kicks in right at birth. (Being the larger, reaching 34”, and also three kg. It has a very long tail younger brother, I am happy I was not born an eagle!) and, of course, a pointed crest. The colors of this eagle are also black over the back and wings, but much of its chest Of course eagles are also renowned for their sight, and and underparts are white. The head starts off a pale gray, but can see a mile to a mile and a half away, and their vision darkens as the bird matures. The Crested Eagle can also is about six times sharper than a human’s. They could be seen on the Caribbean slopes, but has also been spotted probably identify a rabbit moving at a mile distance. It on the Pacific side in the past. They prefer humid lowland is really unfortunate they can’t use this feature to help forests, and even semi-open territory, possibly for hunting. them avoid humans, who are the greatest threat to their They will usually perch in the high canopy, and will even threatened existence. Hunting, and loss of habitat, may soar above it, probably in search of prey which may include signify numbered days for these majestic creatures, and they snakes, frogs and even small mammals. The Crested Eagle may follow some of their namesakes, the Harpies, into the is smaller than our next specimen, although it tends to pages of mythology… resemble them in appearance; the magnificent Harpy Eagle.

May- June, 2011

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A Day In The Life e

by Allen Dickinson

The Fuller Brush Man. Remember the Fuller Brush man? I guess you’d have to be of a certain age for that. I remember him as a door-to-door salesman who came to my house about once a month in the ‘40s and 50’s selling mainly high-quality cleaning products, including about a million different types of brushes; a specific brush for every cleaning possibility. My mother, like many housewives of the time, bought most of her home cleaning supplies from these gentlemen. (BTW, The Fuller Brush Company still exists and manufactures cleaning items, although they have expanded into other areas. They now sell their products through major US retail stores and over the Internet. Their web address is: http://www.fuller.com/.)

In those days there were all kinds of door-to-door salesmen

cleaning products packaged in recycled soda bottles with xerox printed labels. More than once a guy selling brushes has come by, and every Friday the man selling seafood stops and blows his horn to see if I want any. In the mornings there is the vendor on a bicycle pulling a small trailer filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Then there’s the guy with the yellow van that’s filled with knock-off perfumes, cheap clothes, and other “necessities” who stops by once a week. Oh, and I can’t forget the ice cream man pushing a hand cart who passes by regularly ringing his bell. If they all came at the same time the line would be a block long.

If I need something and someone hasn’t knocked at my door offering it for a while, all it takes is a trip to Escazu and I can find persons, either standing beside the road or congregated around the plaza, often selling what I need. There’s pipa (coconut milk) in plastic baggies (obviously packaged in someone’s kitchen), pens, eggs, lottery tickets, fruit and vegetables, and any number of other things available from carts, pickups, or just strolling vendors.

What is amazing to me are the prices; five hundred colones for a “name-brand” toothbrush, three-mil for a one-litre bottle of fresh, pure honey; a hundred colones for a BIC Stick pen (less if I buy six or more); and two kilos of fresh Corvina fillets for four mil.

Most often the peddlers that knock on my door have only a few of whatever they are selling because it’s all they can afford to purchase for stock. I do try to buy some of the things I need from them, not just because their prices are good, but because I know they need the business. Oh sure, I’m aware that the toothbrushes are counterfeit, the perfume is a bogus imitation, and the cleaning brushes are cheap copies made in China. But the honey is delicious, the fruits and vegetables fresh, the fish succulent, and the toothbrushes do clean my teeth.

selling things: encyclopedias, Bibles, vacuum cleaners, and lots of other stuff people needed or wanted. There was also the regular home delivery of milk, bakery products, vegetables, and a host of other things including newspapers.

Of those, maybe only newspaper home delivery has survived, and only in some areas. But, sixty years ago, one hardly needed to leave the house to have many of the things they needed.

When I was very little (four or five years old) my grandfather had a bakery route. He had this neat panel truck with racks and shelves in the back and I remember begging to ride with him (so I could talk him out of a few doughnuts.) From that I acquired a life-long love for bakery goods. In my early teenage years I had a newspaper route. At the time, that was a standard way for boys to make a few dollars and learn some practical business lessons. I hated the part where I went to the door, collecting from subscribers every month. Later I was part of a team selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door.

But, I digress. Here in Costa Rica the concept of the doorto-door salesman still flourishes. Rarely a day goes by when someone doesn’t come to my house hawking everything from single toothbrushes to children’s coloring books to homemade

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My Grandfather made pretty good money from his bread route, which he covered five days a week. But the people who come by my house here aren’t getting rich – they are usually walking, going from house to house trying to sell enough to survive. When a little old lady shows up at my door selling packets of chewing gum for two hundred colones, or a guy on a bicycle wants to sell me some ballpoint pens, I buy, knowing they are not making a ton of money – they probably have a family at home who depends on the sales made today for the food they eat tonight.

On my paper route was a doughnut shop and sometimes all the money I collected didn’t make it home with me.

Somehow, I don’t think the Costa Rican vendors that appear at my door have that problem.

Allen Dickinson is a member of ARCR. After serving 23 years in the US Navy he settled in Pensacola, Florida, where he resided for 24 years. In 2006 he retired from operating his own licensed mortgage brokerage business and relocated to Costa Rica. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the State of New York and a Master of Arts degree from the University of West Florida. He can be reached via email at: humphree@bellsouth.net.

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Connection by the Women’s Club of CR

A Red Eyed Frog What do the Women’s Club of Costa Rica (WCCR) and ICE, the national power and light company, have in common?

Nothing at all, you might guess.... until you know about the new kölbi cell phone and prepaid phone card system, currently being advertised all over the country. in “Children Are Our Future” in the September/October issue of El Residente.

The Cabécar, unlike other indigenous groups in Costa Rica, have remained alone, until now, without creating any arts or crafts to attract visitors to their area. They live in isolated homes and have problems with poor nutrition. They gather fruits and vegetables that grow wild in the area and hunt with primitive weapons. They are lovely in appearance and happy in demeanor. I asked an individual from the group who has close relationships with people if we should leave them alone. He replied that it is inevitable that they will not remain isolated, and that we need to assist the children in being able to move into the current world in a positive, rather than a negative or exploitative, manner. Gail Nystrom’s Humanitarian Foundation has also been working with the Cabécar people a little farther down the river. They have begun to produce small stick figures made of tree bark which are available for sale at Galeria Namu on avenida 7, between streets 5 and 7 in San Jose.

Kölbi is a word from the indigenous Cabécar language. I know this because the WCCR has just obtained two of the three remaining Cabécar to Spanish/Spanish to Cabécar dictionaries available on the market. In Cabécar the word kölbi means “a medium sized frog that goes to the top of the trees to sing”. How appropriate for a cell phone system.

ICE’s logo for the system is a stylized green frog with red In November, 2010, I attended the annual Edunov@ eyes. This week I attended a local festival in the small conference held by the Omar Dengo Foundation to keep mountain town of Orosi and found an ICE booth as well as educators up to date on the latest technologies and their Continued on page 17... independent vendors selling green frog key chains and cell phone decorations. I am now the owner of a frog decoration for my own new cell phone.

Who are the Cabécar, you might wonder? The Cabécar people predate the Spanish in Costa Rica. They are the largest and most isolated of the indigenous groups.

Members of the WCCR have made two visits to this group, taking children’s books, laminas of the solar system, plants and animals, and a telescope, which were donated in July of 2010 to Escuela Paso Marcos. The school, which is the only Cabécar school, is located in the Simiriñak Territorio Indegina Chirripó on Rio Pacuare, a remote area in the Talmanca Mountains. The nearest familiar town is Turialba.

Visits to the school are complicated and involve a hike through lovely terrain. You can read all about the two visits

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educational application. At the conference I learned about the use of cell phones to connect schools in different locations working collaboratively on projects involving the study of plants and animals and different cultures. Photographs and data collected can be shared and analyzed by each group of students. I spoke to Eduardo Monge, Project Development and International Relations Officer at Omar Dengo, about the CabĂŠcar students at Paso Marcos. He said that the Omar Dengo Foundation would be interested in working with the group if additional financing could be arranged. He then sent me the information they already had available on their data base.

The Women’s Club of Costa Rica is currently arranging for additional copies of the CabÊcar to Spanish/Spanish to CabÊcar Dictionary to provide to Adolfo Acuùa, Director of Paso Marcos, with dictionaries to use with the children in their classes. Gail Nystrom has also expressed an interest in having copies for her group of workers to use in learning the language. Perhaps ICE, as part of its nationwide publicity campaign, could be persuaded to donate cell phones and prepaid cards to use in collaboration with the Omar Dengo Foundation. We will see.

in CabĂŠcar on the banks of the Rio Pacuare as they walk to school, then settling down to learn Spanish in their classrooms, using the WCCR donation of dictionaries.

Think about what you can do to help and contact Martha Rollins at martha_rollins@yahoo.com or Pat MacKinnan, at patwccr@gmail.com.

The next time you see a billboard with a green frog with red For more information about the Woman’s Club of Costa eyes advertising the kÜlbi prepaid cards, think about the Rica, please refer to the Club Corner page of El Residente CabÊcar origin of the word, and of fifty children chattering magazine or go to the WCCR website at www.wccr.org.

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MEMORIAL DAY PICNIC Everyone is WELCOME! Sponsored by the American Legion Post 10 CR and the Costa Rica Detachment of the Marine Corps League.

Monday, May 30th, 2011. 1 PM-5 PM ¢6,000 per person at the VILLA AMIRA located on the old road from Escazu to Santa Ana Tickets available at Stan’s Irish Pub in Zapote and Kay’s Gringo Postres in Atenas. Post 10 will also be at the ARCR offices with tickets on May 19 from 10 am til noon, and May 24th from 1-3 pm. Call Mel Goldberg at 22880454 or 8870-6756, or Bill Enell at 8812-0126.

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May- June, 2011

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four productions a year offering a choice of modern, classic, serious, and farcical plays. The group’s monthly social meetings are held in the theatre on the first Monday of the month from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. and everyone is welcome. Membership: Student C2,500, Adult: C5000, Family: C8000. Also, earn your Wings, become an LTG Angel. For more information Call the LTG Box Office 8858-1446 or www.littletheatregroup.org

Alcoholics Anonymous Groups meet daily throughout the country; times and places change frequently. Call for up-to-date information.

San José 2222-1880 (Anchor club, also serves Narcotics Anonymous) Av 6 Calle 1, 2nd floor Maryland Building.

Heredia (Laura) 2267-7466, Puerto Viejo Limon 2750-0080, Zancudo 2776-0012, Tamarindo 2653-0897, Flamingo (Don) 26544902, Manuel Antonio (Jennifer) 2777-1548, Jacó (Nancy) 2637-8824, Zoo Group Escazu 2293-4322.

Al-Anon Meetings Al-Anon Family Group is for all family and friends of Alcoholics. Meetings are at the International Baptist Church, 2nd floor, Saturday morning 10:30, located on the pista toward Santa Ana between the Multiplaza and Guachepelin exits. For information in English, please call Ken 2288-0317 and Rosemary 8993-1762; For Spanish please call Christine 8840-4658 American Legion Post 10- Escazu Post 10, The oldest and largest American Legion Post in Costa Rica, meets at 12 noon on the first Wednesday of each month at Club Cubano in Guachipelin. For information and map, please call Mel Goldberg at 2288-0454 or 8870-6756, or John Moran at 2232-1680.

American Legion Post 12- Golfito Meetings are held 4 pm 1st Tuesday every month at Banana Bay Marina. The Golfito GOVETS have been helping Southern Costa Rica for over 20 years. Contact Pat at walkergold@yahoo.com or 2775-2809.

American Legion Post 16- Heredia All veterans are welcome. Meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at Hotel America in Heredia at 12 noon.

Contact Post Commander Jim Young or Post Adjutant Ken Johnson at 2591-1695.

Bird Watching Club The Birding Club of Costa Rica sponsors monthly trips to observe local and migrant birds in various areas of the country. For more information contact us at 2282-5365 or at costaricabirding@hotmail.com Canadian Club The Canadian Club of Costa Rica welcomes all to join us for our monthly luncheons, and at our special annual events, like our upcoming CANADA DAY to be held June 25th 2011. For information visit our website: www.canadianclubcr.com Democrats Abroad Democrats Abroad meets on the last Saturday of every month at the Aurola Holiday Inn, San Jose. Contact Nelleke Bruyn, 2279-3553, e-mail cr.democratsabroad@yahoo.com. Join Democrats Abroad at www.democratsabroad.org. Register to vote absentee at VoteFromAbroad.org!

Little Theatre Group LTG is the oldest continuously running English-language theatre in Central or South America. The group currently puts on a minimum of

May- June, 2011

Marine Corps League Meets the 2nd Saturday of the month, Int’l Baptist Church, in Guachipelen. Call Bill Enell at 8812-0126.

Newcomer’s Club Newcomers Club of Costa Rica (for women) meets the first Tuesday of every month, September through May. September meeting will be an interest fair. Contact: 2416-1111 costaricaporo @yahoo.com or http://www.newcomersclubofcostarica.com PC Club of Costa Rica This computer Club meets on the third Saturday of each month at Pan American school, in Belen, 830 to 11:30 am 2 months Free Trial for newcomers. For information call Chuck Jennings.

Phone 2266-0123 www.pcclub.net Republican’s Abroad The Republicans Abroad of Costa Rica meets the second Tuesday of each month. Contact Francis 2203-6131, or fax 2282-2150.

Radio control Sailing Club Meets at Sabana Park Lake. For information contact Walter Bibb.

Wwbbsurf40@yahoo.com Wine Club of Costa Rica Please mark your calendars The wine club usually meets at 1 P.M. on the last Sunday of each month. Join us to tantalize your taste buds and expand your education.

For more information on upcoming events please contact us Phone 2279-8927, 2257-2223 Women’s Club of Costa Rica On Saturday, May 14th 2011, the Women’s Club is proud to present “A Night at the Museum”. This fundraiser will take place at the Museo de Arte Costarricense in the Sabana Park, benefiting the club’s Scholarship Program. Tours, wine, music, and fantastic auctions between 7 and 10 pm, with an entry price of ¢20,000.

Everyone is invited, and more information can be obtained at fundraising@wccr.org.

WCCR monthly meetings with guest speakers are held the second Wednesday of each month, as well as regular luncheons, teas, and many interest groups. Guests are welcome and further information can be found at www.wccr.org Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (open to men too) Bilingual group meets in Heredia on the first Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the clinic of Mireya Gonzalez. We work on peace and human rights issues. Call Mitzi 2433-7078 or write peacewomen@gmail.com Young Expats of Costa Rica Some Expatriates under the age of 40, and currently living in Costa Rica, have formed a new social club to be coordinated through their website This club will help younger expatriates living in, or moving to, Costa Rica meet other expats in their age group for; friendship, romance, travel and activity partners, and professional networking. www.YoungExpatsOfCostaRica.org Veterans of Foreign Wars: Post 11207 Meetings are held at 12 noon, the first Tuesday of every month, at Club Colonial Casino on the second floor. All members are welcome and veterans who served overseas may join. For info please email the post at vfw112072003@yahoo.com.

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Travel Journa al Luis Alonso Quiros- Canatu ur

Fall in Love with the Country in One Day One of the privileges of Costa Rica is its biodiversity, natural wealth and variety of options that tourists can enjoy in a the opportunity to meet their treasures, from a superb aerial single day, falling completely enamored with the country in tour through ultra-light over Punta Uvita area. seconds.

Guanacaste is known as the largest region of the Costa In its extension of 51.100 km2, Costa Rica stands out for the Rican folk. Its beauty is manifold, from its beaches to its diversity of environments for the enjoyment, entertainment traditions, is the ideal place to enjoy the excellent choice of and relaxation. The beaches in the Caribbean and Pacific rodeo, admire horses and bulls riding by brave men, named coasts and mountains are the perfect setting to practice of "sabaneros". adrenaline-filled activities and adventures and excitement of Each region of the country offers a different color, the Costa mountain tours.

Rica Caribbean is unique, enjoy the visit to the area and discover the nature that in the Tortuguero channels, or live an exciting day of fierce, fighting to sport fishing Barra del Colorado.

Along the Costa Rican territory, visitors can enjoy the entertainment options and learn where they are, turning the visit to the country in to an experience out of the routine. That is why visitors can take tours of one day for bird watching; learn about biodiversity, flora and fauna of our environment, history and heritage of our ancestors or rural tourism, where you will learn techniques to take care of ornamental plants or agricultural products in different regions of Costa Rica.

The one day tours are a good option for those who like to see the country in a short time, moreover, you can enjoy the gastronomic culture of Costa Rica, enjoying breakfast with the Gallo Pinto, cheese tortillas or lunch with the typical ‘Casados'.

In a short summary of tourism menu of Costa Rica, the adventure can begins at the Central Valley. Its proximity to the capital facilitates makes easy to go to Cartago province, in Orosi you can enjoy attractions adventures like rafting on the Rio Palomo, Tapanti National Park tours or to the coffee tour. If you like more adrenaline, the excitement is further Costa Rica is a small country, but just in size, its treasures to the North, in Pacayas of Alvarado, where the activities of are untold. Enjoy them with the best complement: the warmth abseiling, rope park, ATV tours, safaris and more, await you, and good deal of the Costa Rica’s people. always surrounded by all nature.

The adventure moves to the Northern Plains, specifically to La Fortuna, where the Arenal volcano, the highest decorum for a region is just the beginning, here you can practice rowing through fun rapids, make an impressive journey into the rain forest and admire the scenery and lush waterfalls and fauna.

The South Pacific region of Costa Rica is a captivating; Ballena Marine Park is proof of that, so that the visitors have

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May- June, 2011

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Dollars & $en nse e

greenhouse gases. Coal burning and mining also cause several other kinds of air and water pollution, creating serious health and environmental risks.

(e) Chronic Illness Linked To Coal-Mining Pollution, Studies Show

by Alan Weeks Pollution from coal mining may have a negative impact on public health in mining communities, according to data analyzed.

Residents of coal-mining communities have long complained Some ‘Inconvenient Truths’ of impaired health and in these places chronic illnesses, such as COPD, Emphysema, and Bronchitis, were reported to be U.S. President Obama cites “destructive” Canadian much higher.

oil-sands, hints at withholding approval of Keystone 2.

Pipeline.

This media headline on April 6th seemed to be a gross exaggeration, based on my own past reviews, and the issue was selected for further examination. However, before presenting my case, it needs to be understood that, in my opinion, all forms of “real” pollution are bad and responsible efforts must be continued to clean up all sources of it.

OIL-SANDS “POLLUTION” CLAIM REVIEWED

One “Inconvenient Truth” is that dirty coal power plants in the U.S. pollute 250 times as much. The following picture illustrates that U.S. coal plants do have a far greater carbon footprint. In fact, although Americans make up just 4 percent of the world’s population, the U.S. produces 25 percent of the carbon dioxide “pollution” from fossil-fuel burning -- by far the largest share of any country.

The announcement itself had an immediate negative impact on stock prices of many industry-related companies.

However, of much more importance is that this controversial stance could have very serious long term ramifications both on the majority of Americans as well as on the US economy.

Moreover, a number of “Inconvenient Truths” will be reviewed in order to compare the claim that the Canadian oil-sands are “destructive,” relative to similar happenings in the USA. Let us start with some well-known U.S. pollution problems under the caption: 1.

“THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK”

(a) Pollution from Driving Cars & Trucks Driving a private car is a typical citizen’s most air polluting activity. Car exhaust is toxic at ground level, and has adverse effects on the health of car users and all innocent bystanders. Cities have become islands of toxic chemicals from the unrestrained use of vehicles burning fossil fuels. The negative effects of these emissions are at a maximum when stuck in a traffic jam surrounded by cars with their engines idling, poisoning everyone.

3. DAMAGE FROM OIL-SANDS When one compares the “damage” done by oil-sands production to the land, water, air, or even to the bird kills, the “destruction” is shown to be much smaller than from a number of U.S. energy sources. For example:

(a) Just over 160 square miles of land have been disturbed in the Alberta oil-sand region. In the U.S., surface mining alone (b) Pollution from Refining Oil has affected 20 times as much land area. And, there are many Oil refineries convert crude oil to useful products like gasoline. reports of similar or worse land, air, and water pollution.

However, they are a major source of air, water, and land pollution. This pollution can cause serious health hazards like (b) Moreover, the oil-sands tailing ponds cover only 19 asthma, leukemia, cancer, and even birth defects. square miles and much more effective methods are being employed to minimize bird kills. (c) Environmental Damage from Coal Mining Coal mining and coal-fired power plants are considered to be On this sensitive topic of bird kills, a recent Wall Street dirty industries. The mining industry has enormous impacts on Journal article quoted Michael Fry, President of the American the environment and on local communities. The adverse effects Bird Conservancy, who estimated: “U.S. wind turbines kill of coal mining include conversion of vast swaths of land into between 75,000 and 275,000 birds per year.” desolate wastelands; habitat loss and species extinction; polluted waterways and air, resulting in negative health A summary note in this Journal article stated: “When the impacts on local communities. rate of bird kills was measured, per kilowatt hour, windmills were 445 times deadlier than the oil-sands.” (d) Pollution from Coal Mining and Coal-Fired Power 4. CLIMATE MODELS GO COLD Plants There are numerous damaging environmental impacts of coal, Another “Inconvenient Truth” is that the climate models from both coal-fired power plants and coal mining. These include Continued on page 23... significant emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, which are

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Because I accept the evidence presented in an article with this title by Dr. David Evans, published on April 8th in the Toronto, Financial Post, as well as agreeing with the opinions expressed, much of it is being reprinted below. The impressive scientific credentials of Dr. Evans as well as his extensive involvement with “greenhouse gas” emissions are shown at the end of the article.

this point, official ‘climate science’ stopped being a science.

In science, empirical evidence always trumps theory, no matter how much you are in love with the theory. If theory and evidence disagree, real scientists scrap the theory. But official ‘climate science’ ignored crucial weather balloon and other subsequent evidence that backed it up, and clung to their carbon dioxide theory -that just happens to keep them in well-paying jobs with lavish research grants, and gives great power to their political masters.

“The debate about global warming has reached ridiculous proportions and is full of micro-thin half-truths and misunderstandings. I am a scientist who was on the carbon gravy train, understands the evidence, was once an alarmist, but am now a skeptic. Watching this issue unfold has been amusing but, lately, worrying. This issue is tearing society apart, making fools out of our politicians.

“There are now several independent pieces of evidence showing that the earth responds to the warming due to extra carbon dioxide by dampening the warming. Every long-lived natural system behaves this way, counteracting any disturbance. Otherwise the system would be unstable.

The climate system is no exception, and now we can prove it.

“Let’s set a few things straight. The whole idea that carbon dioxide is the main cause of the recent global warming is based on a guess that was proved false by empirical evidence during the 1990s. But the gravy train was too big, with too many jobs, industries, trading profits, political careers, and the possibility of world government and total control riding on the outcome.

“One way they conceal the truth is in the way they measure temperature. The official thermometers are often located in the warm exhaust of air conditioning outlets, over hot tarmac at airports, at waste-water plants getting warmth from decomposing sewage, or in hot cities choked with cars and buildings. Unsurprisingly, nearly 90% of official thermometers surveyed in the U.S. violate the requirement they not be close to an artificial heating source.

have proven to be wrong.

“So rather than admit they were wrong, governments, and “Global temperature is also measured by satellites, which their compliant climate scientists, now outrageously maintain measure nearly the whole planet 24/7 without bias. The the fiction that carbon dioxide is a dangerous pollutant. satellites say the hottest recent year was 1998; and that since “Let’s be perfectly clear. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, 2001 the global temperature has levelled off. and other things being equal, the more of it in the air, the warmer “The Earth has been in a warming trend since the depth the planet. But, the issue is not whether carbon dioxide warms of the Little Ice Age around 1680. Human emissions of carbon the planet, but how much. dioxide were negligible before 1850 and have nearly all come “Most scientists, on both sides, also agree on how much a after the Second World War, so human carbon dioxide cannot given increase in the level of carbon dioxide alone raises the possibly have caused the trend. Within the trend, an oscillation planet’s temperature. These calculations come from laboratory causes alternating global warming and cooling for 25 to 30 years experiments; the basic physics have been well known for a in each direction. We have just finished a warming phase, so expect mild global cooling for the next two decades. century. The disagreement comes about what happens next.

“The planet reacts to that extra carbon dioxide. Most critically, the extra warmth causes more water to evaporate from the oceans. But does the water hang around and increase the height of moist air in the atmosphere, or does it simply create more clouds and rain? Back in 1980, when the carbon dioxide theory started, no one knew. The alarmists guessed that it would increase the height of moist air around the planet, which would warm the planet even further, because the moist air is also a greenhouse gas.

“We are now at an extraordinary juncture. Official ‘climate science,’ which is funded and directed entirely by governments, continues to promote a theory based on a guess about moist air; that is now a known falsehood.

“The key issue is that even if we stopped emitting all carbon dioxide tomorrow, and went back to the Stone Age, our sacrifices would make the planet in 2050 a mere 0.0015 degrees cooler!

“Finally, to those who still believe the planet is in danger from “This is the core idea of every official climate model: For each bit of warming due to carbon dioxide, they claim it ends up our carbon dioxide emissions: Sorry, but you’ve been had.” causing 3 bits of warming due to the extra moist air. Thus, the - David Evans consulted full-time for the Australian Greenhouse climate models amplify the warming by a factor of 3.

Office (now the Department of Climate Change) from 1999 to “Weather balloons had been measuring the atmosphere since 2005, and part-time 2008 to 2010, modelling Australia’s carbon the 1960s, many thousands of them every year. The climate in plants, debris, mulch, soils, and forestry and agricultural models all predict that as the planet warms, a hot spot of moist products. He is a mathematician and engineer, with six air will develop over the tropics about 10 kilometres up, as the university degrees, including a PhD from Stanford University in layer of moist air expands upwards into the cool dry air above. electrical engineering. The comments above were made to the During the warming of the late 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, the Anti-Carbon-Tax Rally in Perth, Australia, on March 23, 2011. weather balloons found no hot spot. None at all! Not even a small one. This evidence proves that the climate models 5. CAUSES OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE are fundamentally flawed; that they greatly overestimate As already presented, the “Inconvenient Truth” is the the temperature increases due to carbon dioxide. widespread assumption that the cause of climate change “This evidence first became clear around the mid-1990s. At Continued on page 24...

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is man-made; is false! In an article with the above title, further evidence was provided: Climate change is controlled primarily by cyclical eccentricities in Earth’s rotation and orbit, as well as by variations in the sun’s energy output. Other excerpts from the article are: (a) “Greenhouse gases” in Earth’s atmosphere also influence Earth’s temperature, but in a much smaller way. Human additions to total greenhouse gases play a still smaller role, contributing about 0.2% - 0.3% to Earth’s greenhouse effect. (b) Earth’s climate was in a cool period from A.D. 1400 to about A.D. 1860, dubbed the “Little Ice Age.” This period was characterized by harsh winters, shorter growing seasons, and a drier climate. The decline in global temperature was a modest 1/2o C, but the effects of this global cooling cycle were more pronounced in the higher latitudes. The Little Ice Age has been blamed for a host of human suffering including crop failures and the demise of the medieval Viking colonies in Greenland. (c) Today we enjoy global temperatures which have warmed back to levels of the so called “Medieval Warm Period” which existed from approximately A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1350.

6. ARE THE POLAR ICE CAPS MELTING? The following is a quote from a February 2010 article with this title. “The entire polar ice cap ... could be completely ice free within the next five to seven years.” So claimed global-warming magnate Al Gore at last December’s UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

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From other articles on the subject, the following was found: (a) The Earth’s polar ice caps have changed dramatically over the last 12,000 years. Seasonal variations of the ice caps take place due to varied solar energy absorption as the planet or moon revolves around the sun. Additionally, in geologic time scales, the ice caps may grow or shrink due to climate variations. (b) Data collections at the University of Illinois confirm summer sea ice in the Arctic reached a 30-year minimum in 2007. But, they also prove the largely unreported fact that summer sea ice spread in the Antarctic reached a 30year maximum the same year. Researchers agree about the summer sea ice spread.

This is another relatively unreported “Inconvenient Truth.”

KEY FACTS ON U.S. OIL (a) U.S. oil consumption is approximately 21 million barrels per day, of which the majority is now imported. (b)70% of U.S. oil consumption is in the transportation sector, of which two thirds is for auto gasoline fuel. (c) It has been a deliberate Obama program of restricting domestic fossil-fuel production to make “green energy” more attractive and necessary. This is in keeping with a presidential campaign promise, and a statement that energy prices would “necessarily skyrocket” on his energy agenda. (d) In September 2008, before Dr. Chu was appointed U.S. Energy Secretary, it was reported in the Wall Street Journal that he said, as a means of reducing consumption of fossil fuels; Continued on page 25...

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“Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe” [then averaging about $8/gallon].

IMPACT ON THE U.S. CONSUMER & ECONOMY Significant increases in the cost of fuel have already been shown to: (a) Increase the percentage of total disposable income that U.S. consumers spend on gasoline for transportation. (b) Increase the cost to transport food and fuel across the country. (c) Decrease the amount available to spend on all other items.

The U.S. is still dependent for 70% of its economic growth on Consumer Spending. Therefore, as more of the American peoples’ disposable income is “eaten up” by the escalating costs of food and fuel, the more it will slow the U.S. economy.

And, the retail sector of the economy would seem likely to be impacted the hardest.

CURRENT & FUTURE U.S. OIL SOURCES The top countries that the U.S. now imports most of its petroleum fuel from are as follows: 1. Canada It might surprise many to learn that America’s largest oil supplier is not located in the Middle East. It is actually Canada, which supplies the United States with more than 2.8 million barrels of the 11 million barrels of petroleum it imports each day. A new pipeline from Alberta could supply an additional 1.1 million barrels.

Canadian Industry and Provincial leaders have already reacted to this pronouncement by the U.S. President. Some are saying “there is no choice now for the oil-sands but to develop alternate markets ... It makes no sense to develop just one market.” And, a “Pipeline-on-Rails” means to transport the bitumen from the Alberta oil-sands to the West Coast already exists. Furthermore, there are other major projects underway to transport Canadian oil to the Pacific Coast to meet the growing demand in Asia.

Hence, the question is not whether the oil-sands should be used – they will be! The key question is whether the U.S. will seize the opportunity to benefit from Canada’s abundant and secure supply.

On a final note, it is quite possible that the President’s blatant and grossly misleading pronouncements could even provide impetus to develop the remaining facilities needed to ship the bitumen to Asian markets.

2. Mexico Mexico is still the second largest supplier of oil to the U.S. However, the U.S. EIA forecasted in its International Energy Outlook 2010 that Mexico could become a net importer by 2015 ... “As one of the largest oil exporters to the United States, this has important implications for future U.S. supplies”, the EIA stated.

3. Saudi Arabia The following title is a very descriptive one: Shifting Sands: Saudi Arabia’s Oil Moves East to China Published April 05, 2011 in Arabic Knowledge@Wharton A key component of China’s strategy to guarantee

May- June, 2011

access to Persian Gulf oil is the special relations it has cultivated with Saudi Arabia. The Chinese need Saudi Arabia as a stable, established oil producer— all the more so today as turmoil across the Middle East continues. And, the Saudis need China’s burgeoning demand for oil in light of the decreasing demand among consumers in developed markets.

4. Venezuela Venezuela currently supplies 10% of U.S. oil imports.

Meanwhile, China is actively positioning itself with investments to supply its ever growing oil “thirst” with Latin America oil.

Already this year, the Chinese have secured an oil supply of nearly 600,000 barrels per day from Latin America and they are set to purchase far more in the near future. According to the Energy Tribune, the Chinese secured deals throughout Latin America in 2010 worth at least $65 billion in stakes of projects that could eventually produce over 1.3 million barrels of crude oil a day.

Most of China’s Latin American oil investments have been with Venezuela; now a significant supplier to the U.S. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has declared his support for selling all Venezuelan oil to China, thereby stopping oil exports to the U.S. “All the oil that China needs for the rest of this century is underneath Venezuelan soil,” stated Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez last December.

Therefore, as the author of this piece remarked, the U.S. appears to be “walking blindly” into a situation where 10% of its oil imports from this nearby source could be re-directed to China.

CONCLUSIONS 1. It would appear that U.S. has embarked on an energy policy that is “turning off” its major foreign oil suppliers, with no apparent practical plan to replace the huge amount of oil necessary to “fuel” its own transportation needs for at least the next decade.

2. High oil prices in the past have pushed the U.S. into recession. It should be no different this time because the Consumer Spending-based U.S. economy would now seem to be even more vulnerable to having high oil prices cause another recession. And if, as expected, the retail sector is the hardest hit, this could cause significant new job losses.

Finally, while it may seem farfetched to many, the current U.S. energy policy conjures up an image to me that seems best expressed by the Quixotic phrase “tilting at windmills.”

And “walking blindly” may turn out to be more than just a catchy phrase. After all, as oil supplies shrink and prices rise, walking will be healthier than driving a car, and is non-polluting except, of course, for the carbon dioxide exhaled. Isn’t that great!

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer.

Because so much of the information used the article was derived in haste through Internet searching, few references are available but can be easily found using the quoted captions.

For this reason, as well as the fact this is such a controversial subject, Readers are strongly encouraged not to put blind faith in the above but to do their own “homework” and then use common sense.

Presented by Alan Weeks E-mail: imccr2002@yahoo.com

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Holidays of Costa Rica May 1st (ARCR closed 2nd) ‘Labour Day’ June 29th ‘St. Peter & Paul’ July 25th (ARCR closed) ‘Guanacaste Day’ ******************** A Touch of Wisdom “Save for a rainy day.”

Aesop (620-560 BC) “The journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step.”

Chinese proverb “Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age but they die young.”

Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934) ******************** A quick smile...

News: 3 Chimps escaped from the zoo... 1 was caught watching tv... another playing football and the third one was caught reading this txt message.

God made man and then rested. God made women and then no one rested.

The longest sentence known to man: “I do.”

Crime doesn’t pay...Does that mean my job is a crime?

Why were males created before females?

Cos you always need a rough draft before the final copy.

May- June, 2011

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