El Residente 2012_11

El Residente A Publica on of ARCR Administracion S.A.

November - December 2012

November/December2012

ARCR Administracion S.A. Apdo. 1191-1007 Centro Colon San JosĂŠ, Costa Rica 1 (www.arcr.net)

Contents: President’s Message................. 3

Editor’s Note The last edi on of this year also brings us the last new currency note for Costa Rica, and just in me for Christmas shopping. We hope you have enjoyed this year’s focus, and we are now working on changes for the new year.

Wild Side of Costa Rica............ 4 - Ryan Piercy

Legal Update, Evic on............ 7 - Allan Garro N.

Learning the Language............. 8

Which brings me to another topic, the El Residente is now holding its first ever wri ng contest, and there will be a cash prize to go with it. Details can be found in this issue’s ARCR Update, and we already have received a number of entries, so don’t delay. Next years readers should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

- Chris Howard

The New Currency................... 9 Discount Program News.......... 11 Club Corner.............................. 12 A Day in the Life...................... 14

Also of par cular interest to some will be the immigra on fines and new traffic fines, so be aware out there!

I just had the (mis)fortune of experiencing this service firsthand. Hope it will be the last.

In closing, the writers, staff & Board of the ARCR, as well as myself, would like to wish you all a very happy and healthy Holiday Season, no ma er where your travels may take you.

Ryan Piercy

- Allen Dickenson

ARCR Update........................... 18 Novel News............................. 20 Dollars & Sense....................... 22 - Alan Weeks

Business Directory................... 26

This magazine has been published every two months since 1995 as the official communica ons media of the ARCR. Our organiza on provides service to thousands of foreigners who have chosen Costa Rica to reside for short periods or for permanent residence.

Contact Informa on: Published by: Email:

ARCR Administra on info@arcr.net www.arcr.net Ed tor in Chief: Ryan Piercy Adver sing, Publicity: Cindy Solano Office Hours:

Monday- Friday, 9 am to 5 pm CRC me GMT-6

Address:

#101 Casa Canada, Av 4 Calle 40 San José, Costa Rica Tel: 506-2233-8068 Fax: 506-2255-0051

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 1191-1007 Centro Colon San José, Costa Rica

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 applica on, immigra on, business and financial management, real estate purchases and rentals, property management, insurance, pet importa on and much more.

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

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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President’s Message

by Mel Goldberg The Final Word My term of President of our associa on has come to an end and this will be my last le er as a representa ve of the Board of Directors. I sincerely hope that you have benefi ed from some of the things I have men oned. I ask you all to welcome my successor, Terry Wise, and wish him the best of luck in the coming term.

Here’s a p: If you rent a condo, apartment, or house, make sure that you know the complete and correct account numbers for the u lity services – and check them against your bills. Recently I thought my electrical bills had seemed higher than usual. When I looked into it, I discovered was that I had been paying someone else’s bill and they were paying mine, which was much lower.

Some members may not know that ARCR offers an extensive discount program. There are over 140 sponsors in categories ranging from Accommoda ons to Pet Supplies to Professional Services listed in our new directory, which is available for the asking. But a be er way to find all the offers, changes, and recent addi ons, is to check the ARCR website (www.arcr.net) Look down the le side of the page for “Member Discounts” and click on it.

Speaking of discounts, you may be surprised to learn that a great number of Costa Rican businesses will give a discount if you ask for it and have the proper iden fica on. Some give discounts to all ARCR members, others ask to see your “Cuidadano de Oro” (Gold Card) or a Cedula, which shows you are over 65. What advantages do those documents get you? Well, an example is that I had to have fingerprints taken last month. When I showed them my Cedula I was moved to the head of the line and the whole process took about 30 minutes vs. the normal 3-5 hours.

A er reading a Le er to the Editor from the U.S. Embassy in the Tico Times a few weeks ago, I was confused. The le er said that persons needing informa on or help with Social Security did not need an appointment. When I checked with the Embassy they clarified the statement by saying that, if the issue is an emergency, they would seen without an appointment. I hope that clears things up for others who were as confused as I.

Several months ago I met a Tico physician who is a U.S. Military veteran. He told me he had received several le ers, which he thought were from the American Legion, solici ng dona ons. I have belonged to the Legion seven years and have never received such a le er. When I checked into it I discovered that the le ers were from another group, the “Disabled Veterans Na onal Founda on” which has raised over fi y million dollars using direct mail.

This reminds me of a solicita on I once received some years ago. When I checked with the group to which the dona ons were supposedly being made, I discovered that they were guaranteed at least 10% of what was collected; the “solicitors” got the other 90%. The lesson here is that one needs to be careful when they are approached for dona ons that do not come directly from the organiza on for whom the plea is being made.

The Costa Rica Marine Corps League has just received a dona on of property. It is to be sold and the proceeds will be used for con nued charitable ac vi es of the League.

These include an orphanage with ten children and a home for 42 foster children. If anyone would like to make any type of contribu on to this home, contact me or the Marine Corps League.

All members should be aware that if they receive a check for a large amount, they may have difficul es deposi ng it in a Costa Rican bank account. About a year ago a Tica wife of a U.S. Military veteran applied for her deceased husband’s pension. She recently received a U.S. Treasury check for over $10,000. When she tried to deposit it in her local account the bank would not accept it; they were concerned it was drug money. She is currently trying to resolve the situa on.

I apologize to those who may have tried to reach me at the phone number published in the last issue; the correct number is 8870-6756. Please feel free to call me if I can be of assistance.

Also, some members who have been trying to contact Polini for the discount have not received a reply to their email, so be er to call them, they have three people who can speak English. Telephone 2223-4333 or 2223-4155.

In closing, on behalf the en re Board of Directors for your associa on, I want wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, a very Merry Christmas / Chanukah, and a healthy New Year.

Cover: Blue Morpho Bu erfly (Morpho peleides limpida) The spectacularly colored Blue morpho can be found from Mexico to Venezuela, but is especially plen ful here in Costa Rica. The structure of their wings causes them to sparkle cobalt blue in the sunlight, though they have no pigment, and can be seen from 1/2 kilometer distance. The underside consists of various designs of brown incorpora ng several black circles or “eyes” and their en re life cycle is a mere 115 days, of which just 21 are spent as a bu erfly. They are large amongst their cousins, measuring between 64 and 78 mm, and are truly jewels of the rainforest.

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Wild Side LXX Ryan Piercy A Cry in the Dark While many creatures are popular, and mul tudes more are fascina ng, there are far fewer that have achieved legendary status. The Whip-poor-will is one such creature, a member of the Nightjar family (Caprimulgidae) which has achieved that status.

Difficult to spot, the Whip-poor-will is far easier to encounter in the night by their unique call, as are all their fellow nightjars.

Nightjars are a mid-sized nocturnal bird, some mes called goatsuckers from a mistaken belief they actually suck the milk from goats. Costa Rica is home to ten of the sixty-seven species in this family, including the Whip-or-wills and Chuck-will’s-widow, who are rare winter visitors.

Most of the local nightjars average about 8-12” in length, and perch on the ground, usually in leaf-li ered areas, where they are extremely difficult to detect; their plumage, a blend of browns, gray, black, and buff, gives them an incredibly good natural camouflage. They most o en inhabit woodlands and open country, and hunt at night for their feast of insects and moths.

nighthawks: the Short-tailed, Common, and the Lesser. Each of these smaller cousins have chevrontype pa erns; the Short-tailed a brownish-black, while the other two are white-black. Nighthawks are more diurnal and are o en ac ve before nigh all. They fly con nuously as they scoop up insects, some making constant loud calls as they circle around. Some species have been named for their specific call.

The same thing can be said for the Eastern Whip-poorwill, with its very dis nc ve call, and the very similar Chuck-will’s-widow, whose call is similar but lower and slower. These two are difficult to tell from one another, and even differ only slightly from the Pauraque as they have no white on the wings. The Chuck-will’s-widow are uncommon migrant visitors in the winter months and the most difficult to encounter. Of all the nightjars, and in fact many birds altogether, the Whip-poor-will is the most literate, though I don’t mean it can read.

By literate I mean that the Whip-poor-will’s call has become symbolic of rural America and has been featured in many stories and poems. H.P. Lovecra ’s The Dunwich Horror, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by W. Irving are two such stories. The American Indians have a belief that their call is an omen of death. Locally, however, there is no similar belief as the Costa Rican Whip-poor-will and its migrant cousin remain very silent within these borders. So locals will have to be content with the more than fi y songs that have been wri en about, or include in the lyrics, the words Whip-poorwill.

“The roses have faded, there’s frost at my door / The birds in the morning don’t sing anymore.

The grass in the valley is star ng to die, and out in the darkness the whippoorwills cry.”

Of the species here, an encounter with a Common Pauraque is most likely, due to their abundance countrywide at al tudes up to 1700 meters. They are amongst the larger of the species at 11” and 56 grams.

During the day they will rest in shady ground, and at night they hunt insects, making short flights in a circular range. Their color is gray-brown or tawny vermiculated, with black streaks, and white on the throat, tail and wing ps.

Also common, but in more specific ranges, are three El Residente

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November - December 2012

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El Residente

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Legal Update

by Allan Garro N. Evic ons without Court Orders are Possible.

The term Evic on can be defined as the ac on of expelling a person from land, a building, a house, etc., by legal process as well as the ac on of recovering a property by virtue of superior legal tle. This word immediately brings to mind the necessity of a legal process in Court to get a decree permi ng the evic on.

The most common examples of evic ons in Costa Rica are for tenants who get expelled for nonpayment of rent, or when, a er a long dispute of a land tle, a Judge determines the land must be given back to the legi mate proprietor who does not have possession.

The common denominator in both examples is the existence of a judicial process. The ques on that comes to mind is: Are there any evic ons that can be performed without a Court process? The answer is YES. They are called Administra ve Evic ons and are performed by the Evic ons Department of the Ministry of Security. On August 31st, 2012 a new set of rules on how to apply and handle these procedures were published in the official Gaze e, supposedly to make the rules simpler and to expedite processes submi ed a er that date.

Here are some examples of where an Administra ve Evic on can be requested: •

• •

• • •

•

When a person finds that someone his invading his or her property. This also applies when the property invasion occurred within the last 2 weeks.

In case of occupa on by mere tolerance. This is the case when a person lends another person a house to live without paying rent.

Houses and premises rented to tourists for short periods of me or seasons. Such places need to be classified as being of touris c interest by ICT. The rent of parking spaces for vehicles.

The rent of adver sing space.

Places granted to employees during a labor rela onship. Some mes farm workers are supplied with a place to live while they work for the employer. The same is true of Condo Projects with guards or administrators. Once the business rela onship ends they are supposed to leave the premises.

When a person builds a maximum of two

November - December 2012

•

apartments or premises that have a common entrance with the owner’s house on the same property where he or she lives, the minimum 3 year rental term does not apply. The proprietor can terminate the rela onship by providing 1 months’ no ce to vacate the rented premises.

On a Trust Contract where the Trustee is required to grant the property to a person different than the one having current possession. This is a very common scenario in leases where the Debtor agrees to place the property in a Guaranty Trust where in case of default the property goes to auc on.

When the above condi ons are met then an administra ve Evic on can be requested from the Evic ons Department of the Ministry of Security. It is necessary to file a request describing the facts clearly, offering the necessary proof and showing that the claim is legi mate, for example by presen ng a Registry Cer fica on of the property that shows that the pe oner is the registered proprietor. Once the pe on has been submi ed, the department will perform a preliminary evalua on of the case, and if they agree with the proof of the claimant then an evic on order is prepared to no fy the other party who is currently in possession of the property.

Once the respondent is no fied of the evic on order, they have 3 days to appeal by presen ng valid proof to refute the applicant’s request. If this no fica on is not challenged within three days, the evic on will be executed immediately. If the order is challenged, but the submi ed proof is not valid, then the objec on will be dismissed and the evic on will be executed. Only when valid evidence is presented will the evic on order be revoked and the Ministry of Security will refer par es to li ga on in a Court of Law. Even though the newly published rules establish an expedited process, the reality is that it will usually take a few weeks or months, depending on the case. However, an administra ve evic on will s ll take much less me than a judicial process. The most important thing is to make sure the pe on is eligible for this procedure rather than going through a judicial process.

ALLAN GARRO N. A orney at Law allan@garrolaw.com www.garrolaw.com

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Learning the Language

by Chris Howard ... Except in an Excep on...

In Spanish masculine nouns use “el” and “los” well feminine nouns use “la” and “las” normally. However some Feminine Nouns require the definite ar cle “el” in the singular and “las” in the plural. The subs tu on of “el” for “la” takes place only when it comes immediately before a singular noun that begins with a stressed “a-”or “ha-”.

El acta/las actas – minutes of a mee ng El agua/las aguas – water(s) El águila/las águilas – eagle(s) El ala/las alas – wing(s) or the brim(s) of a hat El alba/las albas – dawn(s) El alma/las almas – soul(s), spirit(s) El alza/las alzas – a rise (prices, etc.)

El ancla/las anclas – anchor(s) El arca/las arcas (the ark) El área/las áreas – area(s) El arma/las armas – arm (guns, etc.)

El arpa/las arpas – harp(s) El asa/las asas – handle(s) El asma (asthma) El aspa/las aspas – blade(s) of a windmill or blade(s) of a propeller El asta/las astas – flagstaff or mast El aula/las aulas – classroom(s) El haba/las habas – lima bean(s) El hacha/las hachas – axe(s) El hada/las Hadas – fairy(s) El hambre (hunger) El hampa/las hampas – underworld (crime) El haya/Las hayas – beech tree(s) If they are modified by adjec ves that follow the noun, the regular rules apply to the adjec ves: - el agua purificada (purified water) If a word intervenes between the definite ar cle and the noun, la is used: - la pura agua (pure water) Tiquismos (Costa Rican expressions) of the week: Echar al agua – To tell on someone. The verbs delatar, soplar or cantar are also used.

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Take Note of the New Currency 50000 Colones The primary image on the new purple note is the visage of Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno, who was three mes President of the Republic (1910 to 1914, 1924 to 1928, and 1932 to 1936.)

Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno was born February 6, 1859, to his mother Esmeralda Oreamuno Gu érrez, and father, two- me president of Costa Rica, Jesús María Ciriaco Jiménez Zamora (1863 to 1866, and 1868 to 1870.) He later graduated from the University of Santo Tomás and became one of the most well known lawyers in Costa Rican history.

Characteris cs of Costa Rican Fi y Mil Bill: Size: Substrate: Predominant Color: Mo f: Personage:

Ecosystem: Featured Species:

160 x 67 mm 100% co on fiber paper Purple The Supreme Court Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno (1859- 1945) Cloud Forest Morpho Bu erfly Parasol Mushroom Bromeliad

During his second term in office he created the Na onal Insurance Bank (now known as INS), the School of Agriculture, and founded the Ministry of Health. He also began the electrifica on of the Pacific railway system. A er his second term he stepped away from the poli cal scene for four years.

He was again elected President in 1932. During this last term in office he concentrated on the country’s infrastructure and educa onal system. He built several large buildings for school housing, improved and built new roads throughout the country, and constructed an aqueduct system that started in the central valley and flowed into the Pacific Ocean

A typical Costa Rican liberal, he did not want his homeland to be an all-powerful State and fought to maintain civil liber es. He believed in law and educa on, always defended the persecuted, and held the thesis of a respec ul separa on between Church and State. As well as being elected as President of the Republic, he also held the two other highest public offices in the government: President of the Cons tu onal Congress, and President of the Supreme Court.

Shortly a er assuming power in 1910, the province of Cartago was hit by a powerful earthquake which destroyed most of the city and killed hundreds. He was instrumental in the city’s rebuilding. Among his many accomplishments are encouraging the construc on of public buildings, highways, bridges, pipes, and the pier at Puntarenas. Another notable aspect of his first term was the consolida on of the country’s external debt, a great part of which was owed to France.

November - December 2012

Shortly before dying he asked to be buried without official pomp and with absolute simplicity. He said before he died: “When my life ends I do not desire honors over my body; I do not want speeches over my tomb; and instead of the notes of lament of the Fatherland, I prefer the sound of the generous and good land that I both loved and admired, falling on my remains, giving me asylum and eternal oblivion”.

He passed in San José on the 4th of January 1945, at 86 years of age. Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno was declared Meritorious of the Na on in 1942. He was essen al to Costa Rican history; his thumb print is profound and his talent and extremely powerful personality will exceed the passage of all me.

Also featured on the bill are images of the Cloud Forest, Blue Morpho Bu erfly, Parasol Mushroom, and the Bromeliad.

Guide: Osvaldo Valerín Ramírez.

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El Residente

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Discount Program News

by ARCR

Car Rental/ Alquiler de Autos:

12) Uvita 13) Alajuela, Rio Segundo

Alamo Rent-a-car www.alamocostarica.com alamocostarica@grupoanc.com Disc. 20% code arcr 1) Main Office, Ave 18, C 11 y 13 Tel. 2233-7733 2) Paseo Colón Tel. 22214700 3) Aurola Holiday Inn Tel. 2233-6957 4) International Airport Tel. 2441-1260 5) Alajuela Tel. 2443-2901 6) Liberia Tel. 2668-1111 7) Tamarindo Beach Tel. 2653-0727 8) La Fortuna de San Carlos Tel. 2479-9722

Transportes San Juan Handicap Taxi Tel. 8778-9378 Disc. 10%

Some Other Discounts Here are some more of the discount offers that members can find on discounts.arcrmembers.net

Automotive/Autos: A/C Automotriz Purdy Motor Paseo Colon 100S Check/ repairs air conditioning Tel. 2222-6581 Disc. 10% cash Car-Doc 1) La Uruca, 100 South of the Sava Dealer Tel. 2256-0000 2) Curridabat, 450 North of the Ford Dealer Tel. 2271-4000 Auto mechanics, diagnostic, Repairs, emissions, advanced Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card

Beauty Care/Belleza: Bel Amour Salon 50m South of ARCR manrivarrs@hotmail.com Tel. 8890-1490 or 8579-9947 Disc. 15% cash Centro Belleza Rebeca Mall Real Cariari Tel. 2293-5611 Disc. 10% Creativa Studio Salon Boulevard, Rohrmoser Jennyra31@yahoo.com Tel. 8738-2157 Disc. 15% Peluqueria Hector Sanchez Rohrmoser, in front of Plaza Mayor, casa blanca bellezahecsa@gmail.com Tel. 2290-0023 Disc. 15% cash 5% c.card

November - December 2012

Mapache Rent a car custumerservice@mapache.co.cr 1) Paseo Colon Tel. 2586-6376 2) San Sebastian Tel. 2586-6310 3) Alajuela Tel. 2586-6380 4) La Fortuna Tel. 2586-6395 5) Liberia Tel. 2586-6386 6) Tamarindo Tel. 2586-6391 Disc. 15% National Car Rental www.nationalcentroamerica.com Disc. 20% code arcr reservations@grupoanc.com or book through their website use the code ‘arcr’ 1) San Jose, Airport 2) San Jose, La Sabana 3) San Jose, Plaza Viquez 4) San Jose, Hotel Marriott 5) Liberia Airport 6) Nosara 7) Guanacaste Four Seasons 8) Peñas Blancas 9) Manuel Antonio 10) Los Sueños Marriott 11) Puntarenas, Marina Herradura

DiningBars & Restaurants: Antojitos Rohrmoser Pavas, 200 West of Cemaco Tel. 2231-5564 Mexican Disc. 10% Chancay Restaurantes 1) Plaza: Antares 2225-4046 2) Itskazu 2588-2318 3) Rubi 2239-8934 Peruvian Restaurants Disc. 10% Cascos Ligeros 1 Block west Castro’s Bar Barrio Mexico International Tel. 2121-4074 Disc. 5% El Barco de los Mariscos San Rafael de Heredia Tel. 2237-1556 Seafood Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card Finca Huetares Atenas Tel. 2446-4147 Restaurant, sp/en/fr/gm Disc. 15% JR Ribs Barrio Amon San Jose Tel. 2223-0523 American, BBQ, Country, Texas Disc. 10% Lukas San Jose, El Pueblo Tel. 2233-2309 24 hour Rest. & popular night spot Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card

Palacio Imperial Pavas, 300 West of the US Embassy Tel. 2231-1050 Chinese & delivery Disc. 10% cash Papapez San José, El Pueblo Tel. 2233-2309 Seafood Restaurant Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card Raisanbin Restaurant C.Comercial del Sur Tel. 2227-7075 Caribbean Food Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card Restaurant Hotels Escazu, The Muse at Beacon Grand View at Grand Tara Tel. 2228-3110 International Disc. 15% Rest. Mama’s Place 1 block east Club Union, Sj mamasplacecr@gmail.com Tel. 2223-2270 Italian & International Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card Soda Tapia Sabana, Lindora,Alajuela,Heredia www.sodatapia.com Tel. 2256-9456 Soda & Rest.

Disc. 10% Tony Roma’s Trejos Montealegre, Escazú Tel. 2288-0800 Ribs & More Disc. 10% Villa Bonita Pavas, 100 West of Bomba Favorita in front of Sylvania Tel. 2232-9855 / 2220-2477 Chinese & delivery Disc. 10% cash 5% c.card

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Alcoholics Anonymous Groups meet daily throughout the country; mes and places change frequently. Call for up-to-date informa on. San José 2222-1880 (Anchor club, also serves Narco cs 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) 2654- 4902, Manuel Antonio (Jennifer) 2777-1548, Jacó (Nancy) 2637-8824, Zoo Group Escazu 2293-4322. Grecia (Jay) 2494-0578. Southern Zone, mee ngs in English & Spanish, 8634-9241.

Al-Anon Mee ngs Al-Anon Family Group is for all family and friends of Alcoholics.

Mee ngs are at the Interna onal Bap st Church, 2nd floor, Saturday morning 10:30, located on the pista toward Santa Ana between the Mul plaza and Guachepelin exits. For informa on in English, please call Ken 2288-0317 and Rosemary 8993-1762; For Spanish please call Chris ne 8840-4658. Also in Grecia on Tuesdays at noon (English), contact Cheryl at 2444-1515.

American Legion Post 10- Escazu 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 informa on and map, go to the website at amlegioncr10.com/met_loc.html, or call John Moran at 2232-1680.

American Legion Post 12- Golfito Mee ngs 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 O’Connell at walkergold@yahoo.com or 8919-8947, or Mel Goldberg at 8870-6756.

American Legion Post 16- Goicochea Mee ngs are the second Wednesday of the month in the Hotel of the Hospital Clinica Catolica. Lunch at 11:30 and the mee ngs at 12: 30 Contact Jim Young at 2524-1265.

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 informa on contact us at costaricabirding@hotmail.com Canadian Club The Canadian Club of Costa Rica welcomes everyone to join us for our monthly luncheons, and at our special annual events, like our Canada Day Celebra on, no passport required. For informa on visit our website: www.canadianclubcr.com Democrats Abroad Democrats Abroad meets on the last Saturday of every month at theAurola 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!

Li le Theatre Group LTG is the oldest con nuously running English-language theatre in Central or South America. The group currently puts on a minimum of four produc ons a year offering a choice of modern, classic, serious, and farcical plays. The group’s monthly social mee ngs 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 informa on Call the LTG Box Office 8858-1446 or www.li letheatregroup.org

El Residente

Marine Corps League Meets at 11am the 2nd Saturday of every month, at Tres Hermanas Rest. big bull statue in front. On service road opposite Hospital Mexico on the autopista. 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 mee ng will be an interest fair. Contact: 2416-1111 costaricaporo@yahoo.com or h p://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. Two months Free Trial for newcomers. For informa on call Chuck Jennings.

Phone 2266-0123 www.pcclub.net Republican’s Abroad Republicans Abroad meets the third Monday of the month at 11:00 am at Beso’s Restaurant in Sabana Sur. Contact Dick Macauley at 2439-2897 or dickmacauley@yahoo.com.

Radio control Sailing Club Meets at Sabana Park Lake. For informa on 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 educa on. For more informa on on upcoming events please contact us. Phone 2279-8927, 2257-2223 Women’s Club of Costa Rica In 2010 The Women’s Club celebrated 70 years of philanthropy in Costa Rica. Current programs focus on educa on, primarily through scholarships and development of school libraries for children. It is one of the oldest, con nuously opera ng service organiza ons in Costa Rica. WCCR membership numbers 250 English-speaking women, represen ng 25 countries of the world, drawn together by the mo o: Friendship through Service. WCCR monthly mee ngs 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 informa on can be found at www.wccr.org Women’s Interna onal 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 ac vity partners, and professional networking. www.YoungExpatsOfCostaRica.org Veterans of Foreign Wars: Post 11207 No-host lunch at 12 noon in the Club Colonial Casino dining area, mee ng at 1:30 pm on the second floor. All members are welcome plus veterans who served overseas may join. Call Bob Sempell at 2588-1475.

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A Day in the Life

by Allen Dickenson

angst and, OMG!

Things I Forgot.

Directly related to that, and maybe one of the biggest things I failed to foresee, was BOYS. When my wife and I began our rela onship over five years ago, the oldest girl was barely 13 and boys were not yet on the horizon.

Time, love (or maybe just simple stupidity) blinded me to the eventuality that someday those girls would be a rac ve teenagers who would draw boys like flies to honey. I should have known that it was inevitable that boys would become an all-consuming preoccupa on for them, but I forgot. And when it happened, the transi on wasn’t just one girl, then another. No, not in my house.

It was a group explosion. Now, at the ages of 18, 17, 15, and (and to some yet-to-be-fully-unleashed-extent, the 12 year old) have all have succumbed to siren call of their hormones – all at the same me. Can you spell H-E-A-D-A-C-H-E?

This isn’t what I had Planned!

I came to Costa Rica with the idea I would re re to spend my declining years in solitary peace, quiet, and tranquility. I had sufficient resources to live comfortably and planned on doing simple things like reading, wri ng, and enjoying the sunny warm climate of a tropical paradise. That was all I had in mind. Honest!

Ah, but life has its twists – I should have known that idyllic life I envisioned wasn’t going to be my fate; with absolutely no inten on to do so, I fell in love with a local woman. And it’s all been seriously different ever since.

Not in a bad way, mind you, but my life is certainly not what I had an cipated.

I thought a permanent rela onship would be nothing but a simple, posi ve addi on to the life I had planned.

A beau ful woman and some disciplined and wellmannered children I could love, mentor, and provide with a good life. Theore cally, the peace and tranquility I foresaw would reign with just a few minor altera ons.

Ha! How wrong can on person be? Some mes my mind boggles at my own mind!

In my defense, I guess being a formerly married man with children grown and gone for some me, and living alone for fourteen years, caused me to experience some sort of memory lapse. I had forgo en all those li le details about married life, and especially about what’s needed to raise kids. It didn’t take long, however, before I was reminded that sharing a house and life with a wife in her mid-thir es, three teenage girls, another younger female child trying to emulate her older sisters, and one small boy, was quite different than living alone!

For instance, I had forgo en about the drama. A watchword with teenagers everywhere, DRAMA! was one thing I quickly relearned about. And there’s more.

What was new was that if you are a Tica female, and you can’t add a healthy dose of high drama to any situa on, it just isn’t worth talking about. And Ticas love to talk.

Therefore, there is not any situa on to which lots and lots of drama can’t be added. Throw in some teenage El Residente

Somehow, it s ll comes as a surprise when I walk downstairs and find a gaggle of strange boys si ng around my living room. Though these young men are generally polite and well mannered, there is no point in learning their names, or even their faces, because my girls at least have the good sense to “rotate the crop.” They do so with such frequency, however, that the landscape changes almost daily. That, to me, is a good sign – it signals that they are having fun and not prematurely locking themselves into some future emo onal disaster. But the numbers!

There’s a lot of other, more mundane things I had forgo en about too. For instance there’s the toilet paper situa on. I spend what seems to me to be an inordinate amount of money keeping the house supplied in toilet paper. Personally (despite the evidence I can see in the waste cans next to the toilets) I can’t even begin to imagine where it all goes. A 1,000 sheet roll-a-day seems to be the norm. Simple math says that, even coun ng myself, each person uses about 142 sheets a day. How can anyone do that? Oh yeah, females. I forgot.

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Shoes are another thing. How anybody can need new shoes as much as my kids do is something else beyond my ken. School shoes, play shoes, walking shoes, the right color shoes, short boots, tall boots, sandals, flip-flops . . . I es mate that in a year I spend about a million dollars on new shoes. “New shoes? What happened to the ones I bought you last week? Oh, that was your sister? Yes, I can see your toes hanging out.

Can’t you put off this growing thing a few months?”

all the diets and exercise machines adver sed on TV actually worked like the infomercials said, there would be no obesity problem. But somehow my Ticas haven’t go en that sophis cated. As hard as I try, they s ll believe that every ad for a new toothpaste is literally the truth and that I have to buy some so their teeth will shine like a star gone nova. Gawd, the money I spend on the newest, latest, greatest personal products!

The same goes for clothes. I have shirts that are only four or five years old and are s ll in great shape. So what if my friends have seen me wearing them all numerous mes? Not one of them has ever commented, “Hey, haven’t I seen you wear that shirt before?” So why is it necessary for them to need a new ou it so o en?

There’s a comprehension gap there someplace. Oh yeah, females again.

Want to know the precise cost of hair gel, beauty soaps, body creams, etc? I know because I purchase replacements, in the “large economy size” for those things at least once a month. It seems like I buy enough of those items to keep a small army with so skin, slicked back hair, and smelling sweet for at least a year.

And hand soap? I think they eat the bars whole.

Which brings up something else: Most of we North Americans have become at least semi-immune to Madison Avenue’s manipula ons. For instance, we realize that if all the adver sing claims for improved devices that give a closer shave which have been touted over the past fi y years were true, we men would only have to shave about once every three months. Or, if November - December 2012

Then there’s the music. This has got to simply be an age / genera on issue. I didn’t grow up in the Big Band era; I am a Rock and Roll child and love the melodious music of the ‘60s, and ‘70’s. Despite what my parents said about R&R, I do value the importance of melody, harmony, and lyrics. Heavy beat and monotone verbiage doesn’t float my boat. I, like my parents, have a hard me accep ng that music has evolved because what I hear (over and over) isn’t music to my ears. The bad thing is that the genera onal difference applies to my wife as well – she likes that crap. But, on the plus side, I take some solace in the fact that she bridges the genera ons and appreciates what I consider music too.

But that ain’t what gets played most.

This isn’t really a problem unless we are in the car and I make a stop. I’ll go into a store and come back to find some gawd-awful something blaring from the speakers. Thankfully I have a bu on preset for the local 15

teeth will be whiter than a polar bear’s bu . Have you ever seen . . . ? OK, OK, never mind, I’ll get some.”

It is beyond my comprehension why it is important for teenagers to share everything, every hour of the day, either verbally or in text. Somehow I missed something somewhere along the way. At least I can maintain some control via the pre-paid cell phone strategy; “What? You burned through that one-mil of me I bought you a two days ago? Sorry, it will be a couple of more days un l I can buy you anymore.”

oldies sta on. It’s just that when I hit it and return to something with a melody, the collec ve reac on of the others in the car makes me feel like a curmudgeon. An OLD curmudgeon.

And volume? That’s a constant issue. Thank the gawds there is a volume control on radios and TVs I can make them ac vate! All I have to do is make myself heard above the noise. I know I have a hearing loss and like things a li le on the loud side, but there is loud and there is LOUD! Next there is the telephone (I’m thinking mainly cellular here.) I admit I have one and use it for necessary conversa ons. “You forgot to put toothpaste on the list? OK dear, I’ll get some. That brand? But it’s double the price of the regular stuff! Yes, I know, they say your

Oh, and there’s one other thing; I live with locusts! I had forgo en how kids, especially teenagers, are always hungry! I can’t buy enough food. And I can forget buying myself something special, like an expensive package of imported Keebler’s Chocolate Chip cookies with the idea I’ll snack on a few later. Unless I eat them all between the store and the front door, I can just forget them. A lock box seems selfish, but I can’t think of anything else.

So there it is. Like many others, my life has turned out much differently than I an cipated when I came to Costa Rica. I expected to make some cultural changes, to learn a new language, eat different foods, etc. But life never works out like we plan. And this is ba er. The kids keep me young (or at least I think I am younger) and I’m not vegeta ng. They say an ac ve mind helps prolong life, and at this rate I’ll live to be one-hundred and fi y! By then I may be deaf, but my teeth will sparkle.

Allen Dickinson is a member of ARCR. A er serving 23 years in the US Navy he se led in Pensacola, Florida, where he resided for 24 years. In 2006 he re red from opera ng his own licensed mortgage brokerage business and relocated to Costa Rica. He holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of New York and a Master’s Degree from the University of West Florida. He can be reached via email at: allen@humphree.net.

El Residente

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November - December 2012

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ARCR Update WANTED! Your Stories.

The New Traffic Law is just FINE! El Residente is conduc ng a contest; we are looking for stories of people’s experiences here in Costa Rica.

Aspiring writer? Have a Blog? Wri en le ers to folks back home? Got a short unpublished piece you wrote that you didn’t know what to do with? Send it in!

Humorous, tragic, or just stories about daily experiences are all acceptable. Length should be 1,000 words or less.

You don’t need to be an excellent writer. Just tell us your tale and we’ll make sure it’s well told. (All submissions published will be subject to edi ng for length and content to meet space requirements.)

There is no limit on the number of submissions, so if you have more than one story to tell, send them all in (separately, please.)

El Residente will award the winner a cash prize. All submissions become the property of ARCR which may publish them at their discre on.

Achieve fame, fortune, and possible immortality! Send in your work NOW while you are thinking of it!

All entries should be submi ed in MS Word format, via email, to Ryan Piercy at: rpiercy@casacanada.net.

Please use “CONTEST” as the subject line. Deadline for submission is December 15, 2012.

RULES: We don’t need no s nkin’ rules! Well, maybe one: Eligible entries should be 1000 words or less, related to living in or visi ng Costa Rica, do not include profanity, and received via email in MS Word format by El Residente before December 15th 2012. See, easy!

Only 1 one rule.

Overstaying Your Visa For tourists out there, overstaying just got pricier. The new law called for $100 per month overstayed on your visa, but the fine has not been applied, un l now.

As of September reports have confirmed that some foreigners are having to pay the fine now when leaving.

Addi onally it has also been reported that Tourists who leave with a due Traffic Fine will also not be allowed reentry un l paying said fine. See below...

El Residente

... for MOPT anyhow. That stands for the Minesterio de Obras Publicas y Transportes, who have a new series of fines to apply, along with points for your license.

So now its really me to be on the lookout for those flashing lights up ahead, even if you are a tourist!

Infraction Failure to use seatbelt Talking on cell phone U-turn where not permitted Failure to respect plate restriction Driving 20 km/h or more in excess of limit Driving 40 km/h or more in excess of limit Failure to keep distance from vehicle in front Failure to respect Stop light or sign Passing on the right side on roads with two-way traffic Driving on the beach Driving without headlights between 6 pm and 6 am Drivers who transport and dispose of trash in public Improper use of a horn Having damaged light sor wipers Circulating without a windshield Using loudspeakers without permission Use rotating lights without permission Motorcyclist or cyclist not wearing a reflective vest Not using a helmet (motorcyclist or cyclist) Driving with expired marchamo Driving without RTV

Points 4 6

Fine ¢94.000 ¢280.000

6

¢280.000 ¢20.000 ¢47.000

4

¢189.000 ¢20.000

4

¢189.000

6

¢180.000 ¢47.000

4

¢94.000

¢20.000 ¢20.000 ¢20.000 ¢20.000 ¢20.000 ¢20.000 ¢47.000 4

¢94.000 ¢47.000 ¢47.000

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Failure to pay toll Driving without a license inscribed Driving with a suspended license Driving with an expired license Offering public transport without license Those with a foreign license failing to drive with local license after 90 days Failure to show your license Circulating without fire extinguisher, two triangles and a reflective vest

November - December 2012

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6

¢20.000 ¢280.000 and vehicle is removed from circulation ¢280.000 and vehicle is removed from circulation

6

¢280.000

6

¢280.000

4

¢94.000

¢47.000

¢20.000

Driving without carrying vehicle documents Driving drunk with 0.5 & 0.74 grams of alcohol per liter of blood

¢20.000 6

¢280.000

Driving drunk with above 0.75 grams of alcohol per liter of blood

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¢280.000 Judge can sentence 1 to 3 years prison. 2 year suspension and vehicle impounded.

Driving more than 120 kilometers per hour

6

¢280.000

6

¢280.000 Judge can sentence 1 to 3 years prison. 2 year suspension and vehicle impounded.

Driving more than 150 kilometers per hour

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Novel News A President for Eden Author: Albert A. Correia “I started it around noon . . . it grabbed me and I couldn’t stop un l I finished it . . what a great read!!!”

beau ful Elizabeth Trujillo calling the shots, based on orders she receives during clandes ne midnight phone calls, Juan moves ever closer to winning the February, 2018, elec on. If he can reach forty percent, he can avoid an April run-off between himself and the next leading vote-ge er.

Murder, an a empted drug cartel takeover, and a ques onable “overland canal” make for a presiden al campaign that’s even more conten ous than usual.

Then, a terrorist a ack in the midst of a Christmas parade creates panic throughout Costa Rica and all police personnel are put on terrorism alert. That leaves only Xavier Zuñiga, an overweight federal officer, a visi ng CIA desk man, and George Washington Columbus, a San José businessman who was once secretly in the drug trade, to find out why all Costa Rican drug dealers are being murdered. And why El Mar llo, a notorious South American cartel hit man and organizer, has slipped covertly into the country.

The boldest move in the history of presiden al poli cs shakes up the final days of the elec on. Then, a lastminute maneuver by one of the candidates makes it impossible to determine the winner un l every vote is counted.

The new novel is the third in “The Eden Trilogy” series.

The first book, EVEN IN EDEN, was reviewed by El Residente in the March/April, 2008 edi on.

That’s how Gary Davis, author of Costa Rica on the CUSP, reacted to the new Costa Rica novel, A PRESIDENT FOR EDEN. The field of candidates is shaken up before the 2018 Costa Rica presiden al elec on campaign even begins when a empts are made on the lives of the two leading contenders. With the favorite, Orlando Sánchez, out of the race, his wife, Gwyneth Grosvenor Markham, runs in his place.

A PRESIDENT FOR EDEN is available on the publisher’s website, Booktango.com, and also on Barnes and Noble.com, Kobo.com, SquibD.com, Sony.com, Apple iBooks, Books on Board.com and Amazon.com

Because Gwyneth opposes the health care plan he and Orlando came up with, Juan López López, switches par es so he can run against her. Despite having almost being killed because he was planning on running, Dr. Gerardo Granados decides he has to stay in the race to oppose Juan’s health care plan.

Juan shoots to the top of the polls when his party comes up with a plan that would put the Panama Canal out of business, bringing billions of dollars to Costa Rica. With El Residente

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November - December 2012

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Dollars & $ense

by Alan Weeks Case for Human Ingenuity This is the 40th anniversary of the release of the book “The Limits to Growth” from the Club of Rome, which used computer models to predict that world popula on growth and economic expansion would cause the Earth to “overshoot” its carrying capacity of finite resources, and eventually lead to overpopula on, mass starva on, smog disasters, pes cide-induced cancers, oceans devoid of fish, massive species ex nc on, and significant reduc ons in life expectancy, among other inevitable calami es, disasters, and catastrophes.

As George Will (1) explained in a recent column (“Why Doom Has Not Materialized”), “We were supposed to be pre y much ex nct by now, or at least miserable. We are neither.”

He then asks, “So, what went wrong?” And responds that “The modelers missed something — human ingenuity in discovering, extrac ng, and innova ng, which did not just appear a er 1972.”

Another proponent of the power of human ingenuity is Dylan Grice, (2) of SocGen. He believes that inves ng in commodi es for the long run is a bad idea and stated: “When you buy commodi es, you’re selling human ingenuity.”

Furthermore, “This faith in the human brain is just human excep onalism and is not jus fied either by our past disasters, the accumulated damage we have done to the planet, or the frozen-in-the-headlights response we are showing right now in the face of…” [future calamitous forecasts].

Jeremy Grantham, (3) on the other hand, started last year to explain why he believes the world is facing a “paradigm shi ” on commodi es. He has also offered a startlingly depressing outlook for the future of humanity.

Grantham concludes that the world has undergone a permanent “paradigm shi ” in which the number of people on Earth has finally and permanently outstripped the planet’s ability to support us.

Specifically, he says, the phenomenon of ever-more humans using a finite supply of natural resources cannot con nue forever, and the prices of metals, hydrocarbons (Oil), and food are now beginning to reflect that. In other words, Grantham says, “It is different this me”. He believes that the trend of the last 100 years, in which the prices of almost all major commodi es have steadily declined, is permanently over.

And from here on in, humans will be compe ng more, and paying more, for ever-scarcer resources.

mean disaster, Grantham says. One obvious play is to own “the stuff in the ground” (and the ground itself, as the boom in farmland prices illustrates). Another compelling play noted is to own companies and technologies that facilitate resource conserva on.

From a societal standpoint, he believes the news is far worse, in that, in his opinion, the planet can only sustainably support about 1.5 billion humans, versus the 7 billion on Earth right now and heading upward. Grantham asserts that for all of history except the last 200 years, the human popula on has been controlled via the limits of the food supply. And, he thinks that eventually the same force will come into play again.

This sounds very ominous. However, like Dylan Grice, I am very op mis c on behalf of mankind and believe that ingenuity will ul mately see us through this poten al natural resource, as well as a food crisis.

I am also in agreement with Bjorn Lomborg (4), a Danish academic and skep cal environmentalist who made a detailed cri que of the hyped theory that Global Warming is man-made, as well as with his conclusion that “Even though the Club of Rome’s school of thought has mercifully gone the way of other 1970s-era relics, such as pet rocks, the effects linger in popular and elite consciousness”.

“People get more excited about the fate of the Kyoto Protocol (aimed at figh ng global warming without China’s involvement) than the fate of the Doha Round (aimed at lowering trade barriers) — even though an expansion of trade would do hundreds or thousands of mes as much good as feeble limita ons of emissions, and do so more cheaply, quickly, and efficiently for the very people who are most vulnerable. It is past me to acknowledge that economic growth, for lack of a be er word, is good, and that what the world needs is more of it, not less.”

Feeding one’s own popula on, as well as helping to feed the world, is a role that governments need to be far more proac ve in order to make it happen.

Most of the developed na ons are s ll ac vely blocking a empts to increase the produc on and trade of essen al food products. They need to start ac ng like leaders and help to feed the world’s needy people by elimina ng produc on and trade barriers on food, as New Zealand already has, and stop was ng corn and soy to make bio-fuel (par cularly now that there are be er fuel alterna ves and severe droughts are cu ng yields).

In addi on, both China and India need as a top na onal priority, to tap the ingenuity of their own people to develop sustainable, affordable, ways and means to provide at least enough of their own nutri onal food.

From an investment standpoint, this paradigm shi need not Why Not to Invest Long-Term in Commodi es

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Dylan Grice (2) believes that it is a mistake to invest in commodi es for the long term. He rejects the dire predic ons of doomsayers because he is of the opinion, and I agree, that their views do not take into account man’s ingenuity which, in Dylan’s opinion, explains why the long term return on commodi es is zero, as shown on the Chart below.

•

As global economic ac vity con nues to decline, demand is steadily declining. This is a defla onary trend that will drag down Equity (s ll 40% above the longterm norm) and Commodity valua ons much further.

INVESTORS BEWARE (a) Clampdown on Specula on There has been a lot of talk about the authori es being “hell-bent” on cracking down on commodity specula on and manipula on, but there is scant evidence of this happening.

What is s ll quite apparent is that the major Financial Houses, whose Managers control the Markets, con nue to ignore slumping global economic condi ons, weakening corporate profits, as well as the looming EU sovereign and banking crises.

The Surge in Commodi es Investments Financial advisors and investors have fallen in love with commodi es for at least three reasons: • They are considered an effec ve hedge against infla on.

• They are perceived to be an excellent diversifier in a tradi onal por olio due to the low historical correla on with bond and equity returns.

• And, they are seen as a play on the growing dominance of China & the emerging market economies.

The author (5) of the Absolute Return Le er first wrote about the rapid growth of financial investments in commodity markets over two years ago, and concluded that there was a strong link between the surging interest in commodi es from the financial community and the rise in commodity prices.

Commodi es certainly used to be a great diversifier, but that was before so many financial investors and speculators flocked into the space. Now, as investors look to gain exposure to emerging economies through commodi es, inves ng in this asset class has become a duplicated risk trade rather than a risk diversifier.

In addi on, based on the author’s recent analysis, he has decided to reverse his long-standing bullish view on oil prices and now believes we are approaching the end of the oil era. Some reasons why he thinks oil prices, as well as other commodi es, will go through significant correc ons over the next several years are: • Many investors will ul mately be disappointed by the lack of diversifica on this asset class offers • Governments and regulatory authori es have effec vely declared war on commodity speculators, it is hoped they are trying to clamp down on the ‘dark forces’ of commodity specula on.

To this, I am adding: • Far too much money (much of which is highly leveraged) has flooded into commodi es and is chasing far too li le value.

November - December 2012

One of the things the current market seems to have in common with the fall of 2007 is that the economy is undeniably slowing, while the stock market is rising. And, while “the tail risks are higher now”, money managers have “stayed in the game” and prices are likely to keep going up un l they crash, much as they did in October 2007.

This seems reminiscent of the infamous remark by the former Ci group CEO (6) that “One has to keep dancing while the music plays”. Whatever happens, happens - the fiscal cliff, a global recession, or a reordering of the Eurozone and its banks, (don’t kid yourself, it won’t go smoothly), or significant earnings disappointments -- the major Money Managers hope their 2012 bonuses will be in the bank, before the “plunge.” The ques on is whether you are going along with this “charade.” (b) Commodity Supply and Demand The supply of and demand for various commodi es appear to be changing quite rapidly around the world. However, Investors are being reminded that history is replete with examples of much money being made and lost during real or perceived periods of transi on.

Let’s update the current situa on and outlook for the “hard” commodi es before reviewing the poten al future of the “so ” commodi es, focusing par cularly on Oil & Natural Gas. Surging “hard” commodity purchases by China over the past few years supplied not just a growing domes c demand, but also rapidly growing inventories. However, China’s economic growth is slowing and is expected to decline a lot more. And, as China’s economy, out of necessity, is being rebalanced toward much more sustainable forms of growth, this will significantly lessen the demand for “hard” commodi es.

In addi on, with current inventory levels being far too high to support what growth in demand there should be over the next few years, it is expected that the Chinese could become net sellers, not buyers, of a number of the “hard”

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commodi es. All this, almost guarantees that the prices of “hard” commodi es will collapse.

OIL & NATURAL GAS Only four years ago, I wrote (7) the following with the sub- tle: THE DAUNTING CHALLENGES AHEAD • As Oil magnate, T. Boone Pickens stated recently: “America is in a hole and it’s ge ng deeper every day.

We import 70% of our oil at a cost of $700 billion a year; four mes the cost of the Iraq war”.

• The tripling in the price of oil from $30 a barrel in 2001 to more than $100 today has already created the largest transfer of wealth in human history.

• The idea that increasing domes c US oil supply and/or replacing oil with alterna ve renewable sources , plus conserva on, in sufficient me to avoid serious oil shortages, seems to be much more of a dream than a reality.

• Meanwhile, in rising economies, such as China, consumers are ravenous for the mobility and freedom that owning a vehicle provides. Given the es mate that 70 million people around the world are joining the middle class each year, it means many more people are using more oil.

My, how quickly things have changed!

Let’s start with the most exci ng technological breakthrough “made-in-the USA.”

“Tight” oil is the nomenclature for unconven onal oil resources extracted from “ ght” shale deposits by horizontal drilling and fracking technologies.

It is very important to realize that this revolu on did not come about through government planning or foresight, but through ingenuity and a combina on of individual risk-taking and private property. Another fact is that the new oil resources, which are coming on-stream now in the US, have been made possible by the small and mid-sized oil companies, which are more nimble and more suited to the ght, narrow boundaries of the new sources.

With oil now gushing out of the Bakken (North Dakota) and lots of poten al in the Eagle Ford (Texas) and twenty other shale oil plays, it appears that these will supply substan al produc on. However, there is much uncertainty regarding the total poten al from shale oil sources because the Bakken wells are showing rapid decline in produc on and plateau at very low rates.

With such steep declines, producers may have to invest heavily in new wells every two to three years just to keep produc on levels flat. Thus, to add three million barrels per day of produc on from fields across the U.S. could require $75-billion to $100-billion of capital spending every couple of years. How likely is this?

However, as one professional (9) recently stated: “In the energy business, constant change is the new normal.”

To put it crudely, the US economy has been “fracked up”.

Fracking is the extrac on technique that has enabled drillers to tap enormous new reserves of natural gas (NG) across the country, with the poten al to change the economics of everything from electricity to trucking. In addi on, North American oil produc on is “bouncing back”, driven by technological breakthroughs that have brought hard-to-reach sand and shale deposits into significant fuel sources.

(b) Oil Sands The first and s ll the major method of extrac ng bitumen from the oil sands is by open-pit mining. It is well known that development of the Canadian oil sands requires huge capital expenditures up front. However, the projects produce for 30 to 50 years and operate at lower levels of maintenance than does the produc on of “ ght” oil.

The Manha an Ins tute recently released a study (8), tled “Unleashing the North American Energy Colossus: Hydrocarbons Can Fuel Growth and Prosperity.” Here is an Execu ve Summary: “The US, Canada, and Mexico are awash in hydrocarbon resources: oil, natural gas, and coal. The total North American hydrocarbon resource base is more than four mes greater than all the resources extant in the Middle East.

And the US alone is now the fastest-growing producer of oil and natural gas in the world.”

What was very interes ng to learn is that recent produc on forecasts (9) are for “recovery of raw bitumen using In-situ methods to surpass produc on from mining methods by 2015, a year earlier than previously forecast.” Most In-situ produc on uses steam-assisted gravity drainage technology (SAGD), where steam is injected through a horizontal well to melt the s cky bitumen and allow it to be produced from a parallel well. Of course, in-situ opera ons require very much smaller surface “footprints.”

“The shale revolu on could transform our economy,” says the president of research firm Energy Security Analysis (9) , who has been covering the industry for 25 years. “The poten al here is phenomenal.” Being very labor intensive, it has certainly become a huge job creator.

Companies have boosted produc on over the last decade from Alberta’s Oil sands, from 2.7million barrels/day in 2000 to 3.4m b/d last year. However, this increase is far less than forecast a decade ago.

Introducing New Technologies (a) Future Poten al of Non-Conven onal Oil Sources “Tight” Oil

El Residente

Now Canadian officials and companies are desperately seeking alterna ves to get the country’s nearly 200 billion barrels in oil reserves — almost equal to that of Saudi Arabia — to market from landlocked Alberta.

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However, the huge oil sands projects and proposed major new pipelines have a racted nay-sayers of all stripes. One recent ar cle (10) delved into the hyperbole and hypocrisy expounded about the oil sands by self-proclaimed “experts from Tinsel town.”

Indeed, like any major industrial project, extrac on of oil from the sands is not without trade-offs. [Let us not overlook the fact that gasoline-fuelled cars are major polluters that spew toxic fumes into our air.]

And, as one independent clerical observer (11) pointed out: “I have never been to any opera on where more a en on was paid to mi ga ng effects than to the principal enterprise.

Being toured around for the day, I had to remind myself that energy produc on was the whole point of the endeavour.

Aside from the actual bitumen extrac on plant, all the talk was about the environment, aboriginal rela ons, and community involvement. It’s almost as if an enormous social development project — recrea on centers, health clinics, mobile den stry units, school funding, investment in aboriginal enterprises, immigra on assistance, transla on services -- was the main task, with a lucra ve sideline in energy produc on to fund it all.”

“I understand why the oil sands are defensive, which is rather

November - December 2012

the proper response when being a acked. But, there should also be pride in the massive entrepreneurial, technical, and human achievement of harves ng the Earth’s bounty.”

“Many objec ons arise from a lack of compara ve sensibility.

While the gigan c mining pits are huge in size, the u er vastness of Alberta’s north dwarfs whatever impact the oil sands might have. And, the forests stretch out as far as even an airborne eye can see; a modest forest fire would impose a far greater footprint than the mines, des ned to be reclaimed, do.”

“It is true that an open pit mine is not a lovely thing, but then energy genera on is rarely aesthe cally pleasing. …...... “Or to make the point more generally, how is a mine in a remote part of Canada’s northern emp ness more despoiling than a huge sprawling auto plant on the shores of Lake Ontario in Canada’s most densely populated region?”

In Part 2, there will be updates on: Bio-fuels; CNG/LNG; & Renewables; as well as Technological Innova ons in 4G; 3D Prin ng; Robo cs; Bio-tech; Diagnos cs; and in Agriculture.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this ar cle are solely those of the writer. For more informa on and reference details, please contact Alan Weeks by e-mail: imccr2002@yahoo.com

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Exchange rate of the Costa Rican ¢ to the US Dollar April May June July August September

509.59 507.30 503.58 505.98 503.22 503.31

Basic Interest Rate '&+%#- 3511-8 31'%+#-+343 +/ 034# +%# 3+/%'

Ostomy -'#3' %0/4#%4 53 #4

052 3402' /5.$'2 02 %0/4#%4 052 #/#)'2 Wound Care &+2'%4-8 #4 02 (02 120('33+0/#- 3'26+%'3 %#-- 53 #4 52 '.#+- #&&2'33 +3 +/(0 #4-#/4+%#.'&+%#- %0. #/& 052 3402' +3 Incontinence %0/6'/+'/4-8 -0%#4'& /'#2 4*' 031+4#- # #49-+%# "' #-30 0:'2 *0.'

Dermacosmetics 6+3+4#4+0/ 3'26+%+'3 ( 805 #2' %0/%'2/'& #$054 35/$52/ 31043 12'.#452' #)+/) #/& '6'/ 3,+/ %#/%'2 +/ 034# +%# 1204'%4 80523'-( 7+4* 777 +(% 31#+/ %0. 120&5%403 *'-+0%#2' +3 4*' .034 #&6#/%'& /#452#- 1*040 +..5/01204'%4+0/ 35/3%2''/ +/ 4*' 702-& #/& 7#3 &'6'-01'& #4 #26#2& '&+%#- !%*00- ! #4 052 3402' 40 #-- #/& 4*'+2 (#.+-8 .'.$'23 52%*#3' #/& 2'%'+6' # &+3%05/4 0/ 8052 152%*#3'

AtlĂĄntica Medical Supply Company

April May June July August September

9.50 % 10.00 % 9.75 % 10.25 % 10.50 % 10.50 %

Exchange rate of other currencies to the US Dollar Giro Canadian Dollar Euro Swiss Franc Nicaraguan Cordoba Danish Krone Norwegian Kroner Swedish Krona Honduran Lempira Bri sh Pound Argen ne Peso Columbian Peso Mexican Peso Dominican Peso Brazilian Real Guatemalan Quetzal Korean Won Japanese Yen Venezuelan BolĂ­var Hong Kong Dollar Taiwan Dollar Bolivian Peso Chilean Peso Russian Rouble Peruvian Sol Polish Zloty Australian Dollar Chinese Yuan

1,54219 1.98340 1.28590 0.94060 23.82510 5.79680 5.73090 6.54870 19.65000 1.61370 4.38130 1,801.70000 12.86800 39.21500 2.03230 7.98250 1,111.38000 77.82000 4.29470 7.75390 29.31300 7.01000 473.91000 31.24610 2.59700 3.19920 1.03840 6.28470

Libor Rate 1 month 3 month 6 month 12 month Prime Rate

El Residente

0.21425 % 0.35850 % 0.63590 % 0.97300 % 3.25 %

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Holidays of Costa Rica Tuesday, Dec 25th Christmas Day- Na onal holiday ARCR Closed Dec 22nd -Jan 1st Tuesday, Jan 1st New Year’s Day - Na onal holiday ARCR Closed A Touch of Wisdom “Rather go to bed supperless than run in debt for a breakfast.”

- Ben Franklin (1706-1790) “The company makes the feast.”

- J. Warton (1653) “‘Tis easier to suppress the first desire, than to sa sfy all that follow it.”

- Ben Franklin (1706-1790) A Bit of Fun...

I wonder if you choke a smurf, what color does it turn?

Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re NOT out to get you.

You’re slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.

My Reality Check bounced.

Minds are like parachutes.

They work best when open.

Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will whiz on your computer.

Lightyears ahead! Just a phonecall away!

Very funny Scotty. Now beam up my clothes.

Do chickens think rubber humans are funny?

November - December 2012

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El Residente

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