Howler1107july

The Howler

Volume 16, No. 7 Issue No. 178

July 2011 Founded 1996

TAMARINDO COSTA RICA www.howlermag.com THE HOWLER Ced. Juridica: 3-101-331333

FEATURES

Publisher, editor and production David Mills

8 Dining Out

dmills@racsa.co.cr Tel: 2-653-0545

The recently-opened Septimo Cielo, in Brasilito, is serving delicious Italian meals prepared by Italians.

12 Liberia - Houses of Calle Real

CONTRIBUTORS ELLEN ZOE GOLDEN TONY OREZ TOM PEIFER JEFFREY WHITLOW MONICA RIASCOS KAY DODGE

JEANNE CALLAHAN JESSE BISHOP MARY BYERLY CYNTHIA CHARPENTIER NICK HOLT

Howler advertising

The Howler offers a wide range of advertising sizes and formats to suit all needs. Contact David Mills • dmills@racsa.co.cr

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14 Around Town

Openings, closings, parties, music. The Gold Coast has it all, and barhoppin’ David is in the groove.

15 Surf Report

Deadline for August: July 15

Size

Our nearest large city is full of history and tradition, including a street of Spanish colonial-style houses converted to hotels and restaurants.

Dimensions (cms) Width Height 9.4 9.4 19.2 6.3 9.4 19.2 19.2

x x x x x x x

6.15 12.70 6.15 25.80 25.80 12.70 25.80

Price $ 75 120

Keeping it in the family! In the Gran Final Circuit Nacional Jacó’s Luis Vindas took the championship while sister Lisbeth won the Women’s.

16 From Ice to Fire

A Swiss cyclist continues his epic trip from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.

This month he travels through Central America, ending in Tamarindo.

17 Powering up for More Pura Vida

Despite its claims to be an environmental model, Costa Rica awards oil exploration rights to a U.S. oil company.

30 Surviving Costa Rica

Writer’s Block! Our columnist is forced to drag in a load of small unassociated topics to fill his editor’s word requirement.

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DEPARTMENTS 5 Doctor’s Orders

28 July Forecasts

10 CD Review

29 Parents’ Corner

11 Book Review

32 Sun & Moon

20 Slice of Life

32 Rain Gauge

24 Fitness Training

33 Word Puzzle

26 Yoga

35 Tide Chart

All comments, articles and advertising in this publication are the opinion of their authors, and do not reflect the opinion of Howler Management.

www.tamarindobeach.net

www.tamarindohomepage.com

Cover Caption: Casa del Papel in Calle Real, Liberia Cover design and photo: David Mills

Doctor’s Orders Jeffrey Whitlow, M.D.

A

bout seven years ago, I started to have severe stomach pain. I had always had problems with heartburn after meals since I was thirty or so, and I used to keep a large bottle of multi-flavored Tums in my medicine cabinet. But this pain was more severe, and it was even occurring when I had an empty stomach. Being a doctor, I knew that I was developing an ulcer. I had treated hundreds of ulcer patients over the years, so I knew what to prescribe for my own problem.

I have never liked to take medicine, so I put off the inevitable as long as possible. But the pain became so severe that I had finally decided to take the plunge.

As a coincidence, I had started reading a magazine called Nexus several months before my pain became severe. (www.nexusmagazine.com). It has always been difficult for me to find interesting books and magazines to read. Because Nexus doesn’t take advertisements from major corporations, it has a much wider latitude to address controversial subjects than the average magazine, such as Newsweek or Time. It always has very interesting articles about politics and health (along with some off-the-wall stuff about UFOs and the like!). It just so happened that I came across an article that really caught my attention. The first line of the article was a mind-blower, as it stated that only man and his pets eat cooked food.

I had never even thought of that! The article went on to talk about the consequences of eating cooked food, and how those consequences could be avoided. That information is the same information that I have been sharing with all of you for the past year concerning digestive enzyme supplements.

So I made up my mind to try the enzymes, and my heartburn and stomach pain stopped immediately. I have never taken an antacid tablet again since that day. To understand why, I will have to teach you a little bit more about how the stomach functions. Most people think of the stomach as a sack that sits at the end of the esophagus. They believe that the food drops into the stomach and is churned up with the stomach acid and thus digested. In fact, the process is a bit more complex than that, in that the stomach divides itself into three sections. The first section is the section closest to the end of the esophagus and is termed the “pre-stomach”. In animals that eat raw food, the food sits in the pre-stomach for some time and essentially digests itself due to the action of the enzymes that reside in the food. For instance, when you see an anaconda swallow a large animal, that animal might sit in the snake’s pre-stomach for up to a week before it moves further into the snake’s digestive system.

In animals that eat cooked food, the food sits in the pre-stomach for a while also. However, since the enzymes contained in the food that would normally aid in its digestion are destroyed during the cooking process, the food is not processed normally. Instead, the bacteria that normally reside in the stomach ferment the food, resulting in the formation of foul-smelling gases and acid. This process is aggravated if the person drinks soda pop or soft drinks with their meals, as that gives the bacteria even more sugar to ferment. The lining of the pre-stomach and lower esophagus is thinner than that of the main stomach, so the acid is very irritating, and pain and “heartburn” result. So the cure for heartburn and ulcers is simple, use a digestive enzyme supplement with every meal, cut out soda pop and soft drinks, and cut down on your sugar intake.

Next month, we will continue this discussion, as we will focus on the causes and cures for migraine headaches.

B

ritain has officially warned tourists that Costa Rica may not be a safe destination. Minister of State Jeremy Browne said that “Violent crime against tourists is increasing. The recent increase in the number of foreign nationals missing in Costa Rica is also worrying.”

The warning comes in response to a letter from the family of Michael Dixon, a British journalist who went missing in Tamarindo a couple of years ago. The case received publicity in a recent BBC documentary.

“There is a common misperception that Costa Rica is a safe place to go on holiday,” said David Dixon, brother of the missing man. “While it is a beautiful country, travelers need to be aware of the increasing number of tourist disappearances and exercise a much greater degree of caution.”

The minister added that eight foreigners (including one British national) have gone missing in the last two years in Costa Rica, with some related to criminal activity.

Isn’t there crime in other tourist countries? Don’t people go missing in other countries?

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The Tower Saga continues. After some determined effort by Tamarindo residents, the Municipalidad de Santa Cruz put a short hold on the permits which allow the cell phone company to build the tower. It is claimed that the documents were full of inaccuracies.

For instance, the size of the construction was given as 63 square meters, but the real size is 240 square meters (63 meters is the height of the tower!). The soil use is residential; the tower is commercial; the construction size violates the distance requirements to neighbouring lots, etc.

The subject property was leased to Claro by a local real estate company which obviously cares much less about its neighbours’ quality of life than about money.

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At the other end of town, residents are organizing to try to have the ICE tower, erected a few months ago, taken down. Buena suerte!

Inspired Insults He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.

William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

Dining Out David Mills

O

K, now, who doesn’t like Italian food? Pretty much everybody loves it, with its many delicious pasta and pizza dishes, plus a wide range of pork products – prosciutto, maiale, mortadella, bologna, pancetta, capicolli, salami – all different and all delicious. Cheeses by the hundred, great seafood and steaks, divine desserts...

Septimo Cielo opened a couple of months ago in Brasilito under the ownership of Daniele Antonieli from Venezia, where he ran a restaurant for twenty years.

Daniele’s chef is his wife Michela, and she loves to cook with an artistic flair.

waiter Ernesto.

The restaurant has a nice ambience and was comfortable and dry on a very rainy night, and we were well looked after by

The pasta menu has sixteen dishes of various shapes of pasta and sauces. Pizza, of course; there are nineteen of them.

Salads include fresh garden; caprese; tuna with avocado and olives; parmesan chicken; mixed veggies. We shared a nizzarda (nicoise), a work of art with tomato, eggs, tuna, anchovies, olive, basil and garlic. Delicious and enough for two.

The fish selection included marlin in crosta (en croute); Mediterranean swordfish; shrimps with prosciutto or with apple or garlic; my companion chose the pargo septima cielo, breaded snapper with capers and olives, and was delighted with her selection.

Meat selection is heavy on beef, with mixed grill; broiled sirloin and New York steaks; pancetta; filet with gorgonzola; chicken dishes. I couldn’t resist the porterhouse done medium rare. It was large, delicious, tender and perfectly broiled, with fries and ratatouille.

Italians love their desserts, and the menu has apple tart; tiramisu; orange yoghurt; ice cream and sorbet; banana; hazlenut and pineapple pies.

Septimo Cielo is 200 meters from Brasilito Beach along the road to Flamingo. All credit cards accepted; free internet; open 4 to 10 p.m., closed Wednesday. Facebook: septimo cielo. Tel: 2654-5670.

Do You Know What Cepia Makes Real?

M

any people let us know they do not actually know precisely what CEPIA does in relation to social development work.

So we decided to inform you shortly about almost all the actions that were undertaken by our three staff members, volunteers and Board of Directors for the last six months: School supplies were distributed to hundreds of children at the beginning of the school year. The children of the orphanage in Santa Cruz enjoyed a great day trip. A playground was installed at the Nutrition Centre of Huacas. Thirty teenagers at high social risk are receiving continuous education and support. Fifteen weekly classes have formed the first semester of our after-school program thanks to dedicated volunteers. Hundreds of children enjoyed movie nights on giant screen in their villages. Six women are trained in manicure, facial and pedicure in collaboration with the Do Good Now organization.

CEPIA supported the logistics of the new Huacas synthetic field.

Sixty teenagers and adults participate in Alphabetization, Informatics, English and Craft in collaboration with CINDEA. The groundbreaking of the Skate Park at the Villarreal High School took place. The river and village of Huacas received a strong clean-up June 3rd. Our staff participates monthly in the local networks for Child Protection.

Hundreds of children and teenagers received workshops about assertive communication and drug prevention. All the directors of the public schools participate in our English course in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Our psychologist offered 188 attention sessions. All the donations of materials and clothes are distributed to disadvantaged schools and families.

We hope you understand how this work contributes to the positive development of the area, because when you take care of the youth, you strengthen the safety inside the community and the economy!

When you look at the terrible situation in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala among others - situation we could find in Costa Rica if we do not take this seriously - the only way out is to empower our youth through education, sports, arts and culture, health care and social cohesion strategies. Because if we do believe only in police force to resolve this...

You are part of your community! You can strengthen safety and happiness around you by supporting CEPIA, donating time, money or materials. We need you! www.cepiacostarica.org

Special this Month! $1.90 per square meter

CD Review Blues Masters and their Students Tony Orez

S

ince its inception eighteen years ago, Putumayo Music has blazed a reputation for being outside the box. These are the guys who invented the term “World Music”, offering compilation discs of music by musicians from the same country or region or from all over the globe, playing a similar style of music. With more than one hundred albums under their belt, Putumayo has now ventured into a new genre (for them), entitled simply “Rhythm and Blues”. The album is a collection of classic R&B songs performed alternately by legends and by novices, rising stars of the current R&B revival. And the formula works like a charm.

The album opens with R&B goddess Lavelle White singing “I’ve Never Found a Man to Love”, a song popularized by Esther Phillips and a great launching pad for this project. Lavelle began her career in Houston in the late ‘50s alongside such luminaries as Bobby “Blue” Bland, Junior Parker, Albert Collins and Big Mama Thornton. The song was co-written by Eddie Floyd and Booker T. Jones and is a wonderful vehicle to showcase Lavelle’s soulful voice.

First up for the novices in this compilation is Londoner James Hunter performing “’Til Your Fool Comes Home”, accompanied on piano by New Orleans renaissance man Allen Toussaint. After playing London clubs for years, Hunter got his break when Van Morrison saw him perform, helped him get a recording deal and even performed on James’ first album. This particular song displays Hunter’s adept guitar phrasing. Other impressive cuts by the new wave of R&B artists include “Sweet Feeling” by the sax-driven Cracked Ice, and the Gospel tinged “’Cuz I’m Here” by Ruthie Foster, who really belts the tune out.

I got goosebumps the first time I listened to the trio Sam Moore, Keb’ Mo and Angie Stone doing “Wang Dang Doodle”. I thought it took a lot of guts to record the signature song of two blues legends: Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf. But they definitely pulled it off. But then, Moore is half of the iconic duo Sam & Dave, Angie is entrenched in the new R&B movement and Keb’ Mo is, well, he’s Keb’ Mo. It’s a nice example of the R&B torch being passed from one generation to the next.

Other standout numbers on the disc include the final two on this compilation: Rockie Charles doing “Before I Find the Right Girl for Me”, and Irma Thomas singing the John Fogerty song “River Is Waiting”. The self-proclaimed “President of Soul”, singer/songwriter/guitarist Rockie Charles has been a mainstay in the New Orleans music scene for more than forty years, backing such luminaries as Earl King as well as leading his own band, The Gauges. His contribution to this CD is from his newest album, “Born for You’. Irma Thomas has been recording for more than a half-century and she’s seen it all: dubbed “The Soul Queen of New Orleans” in the Sixties, she had a resurgence in the Eighties and received a Grammy in 2006 for her album “After the Rain”. This selection is from her follow-up album, “Simply Grand” and it simply is.

It’s nice to see Putumayo spread its wings and regale its listeners with such a treasure trove of musical gems and new blood. I can’t wait for their “Rhythm and Blues, Vol 2” disc!

Book Review Italian Shoes to the Rescue Tony Orez

A

n aging, retired surgeon lives in self-imposed exile on a tiny northern Swedish island for a dozen years in the summer home bequeathed him by his grandparents and seems to be enjoying the hermit life he’s created for himself, his cat and his dog. It is winter and death looms like a predator, ever patient, always the victor. On the day of the winter solstice, he spots an unlikely visage: an elderly woman approaching over the frozen sea, aided by a walker. Using his binoculars, he recognizes the visitor as Harriet, the one true love in his life, the woman he inexplicably abandoned forty years earlier.

That’s the opening premise of the novel “Italian Shoes” by Swedish author Henning Mankell. I was hooked. The writing is superb, true literature. Mankell paints pictures with his words. His foreshadowing is always there, like a nervous twitch, reminding the reader about “the major catastrophe that had taken place” to put the main character in his current situation, “burdened with a memory that plagues me constantly”. Reading the novel, I felt like the fairytale character Hansel, being lured morsel by morsel deeper into the forest of the story. The ex-lover arrives with a simple request for him to take her to a black, heavily wooded lake he had spoken to her about many times when they were together. As it turns out, it is her dying request, as she has been diagnosed with terminal, inoperable cancer. And the story really takes off from there, full of surprises, both happy and sad. But it is the journey supplied by the wordsmith Mankell that is the true adventure.

Henning Mankell is a popular, prolific Swedish author, renowned in the Scandinavian countries and relatively unknown to the rest of the world. All of that may soon be changing though, thanks to the worldwide infatuation with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, who credited Mankell as a mentor and inspiration. It was great literary exposure for Henning Mankell, who has lived a notable life. He has written more than thirty novels; is married to Ingmar Bergman’s daughter, Eva; was an active protester against the Viet Nam War, South African apartheid and Portugal’s colonial war in Mozambique; and recently donated fifteen million Swedish kronor to SOS Children’s Villages for an orphanage in Mozambique. Mankell’s most popular novels have been a series about a detective by the name of Kurt Wallander, but “Italian Shoes” is not a part of this series and at times I wondered if it might be a bit autobiographical, since it deals in large part about an aging man assessing his life’s accomplishments. I recently read an interview with Mankell entitled “Growing old with Kurt Wallander”, which only fueled my theory about the autobiographical aspects of “Italian Shoes”. Nonetheless, the writing is lyrical and the story drifts and weaves along, coming to a fitting port at the end of the stream.

I can’t wait to read my second Henning Mankell novel!

Liberia

Traditional Homes in Calle Real Just one hour’s drive from Tamarindo, Liberia is your one-stop destination for a day out, on your own or with the family. Drop your car off for servicing or repairs, lunch at one of the many restaurants; do some shopping; relax at a movie; then drive home. Or, for extra enjoyment, stay over at one of several good hotels and have a night out on the town.

Liberia is fast becoming a centre for medical services, with its new hospital, many clinics and dental offices, and a host of well-trained specialists and surgeons. Coming soon to the area are a CIMA retirement community and a hospital from Clinica Biblica.

In addition to medical services, Liberia is a good jumping-off centre for tourists, who arrive by the thousand at the Daniel Oduber International Airport a few miles away. It boasts a wide range of hotels from cheap to luxury; modern shopping malls, supermarkets and stores of all kinds; a cinema complex; good restaurants, sodas and fast food outlets; and a bustling nightlife. It is close to many Pacific beaches; the animal park Africa Mia; the volcano resorts in the mountains; and is handy for the three-monthly trip to Nicaragua required by many extranjeros.

Liberia is known as La Ciudad Blanca – The White City – from the use of local rock called toba in construction. Some roads just outside the city on the north side are made of this white mineral, and you can see where it has been scraped away for use in construction of many buildings.

Liberians are very aware of, and proud of, their history, much of which is based on the cattle culture. Liberia sits on the old trail – Calle Real - connecting the whole of Central America, and was once a hacienda where cattle drivers would rest themselves and their herds.

Some local cafes display collections of old photographs depicting events in the city’s, or the country’s, history. One such photograph shows the Junta – Pepe Figueres, President Otilio Ulate, Daniel Oduber and others - which ran the country after the 1948 revolution, planning the strategy for the country’s defence.

Many old buildings have been preserved or restored, particularly in the area of Calle Real, which runs east off the main street near the park. Here are many mansions in the Spanish Colonial style with living quarters surrounding a central courtyard with plants, statues and, sometimes, a pool or fountain. Many of these edifices have been declared Casas Historicas, and have been converted into hotels, cafés and restaurants.

Each is still known by the family who lived there for generations.

There are benches outside the houses where the neighbours sit and socialize in the evenings.

Casa del Papel, our cover photo, on Calle Real two blocks from the main street, is unique in that its exterior is completely papered with photographs, old newspapers and documents showing the history, social life and culture of Guanacaste. It was converted two months ago into a hotel with a fine restaurant that features seafood and broiled meats. It is a quiet oasis, a five-minute walk from downtown Liberia, where the guest can relax in the beautiful interior gardens, a pool and Jacuzzi. Contact Pablo Sancho at 2666-0626.

Hotel Liberia, also in Calle Real, was the first hotel in the area. It offers good rooms at very reasonable prices, aimed at backpackers. Pronto Pizza in the hotel was the first pizza house in Liberia.

Casa Zuñiga-Clachar is now Café Liberia, featured in The Howler in December, 2010. It is a vegetarian/gourmet café which offers courses on various musical instruments, plus painting and theatre. Www. cafeliberia.com.

There are many more cultural attractions in Liberia. We hope to feature more in future editions of The Howler.

Air Berlin will begin flights to Liberia’s Daniel Oduber airport Nov. 12, the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo said recently.

The flight from Dusseldorf will stop also in Cancún, México.

Ekipo Hotel in Liberia is an equipment provider for hotels, restaurants and bars. See ad on page 3.

Alcoholics Anonymous Schedule of Meetings

The fiesta planned for Tamarindo in July has been cancelled, for various reasons.

Tuesdays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open) Fridays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm (open)

Another cancellation: the Robert August Surf ‘n’ Surf has been cancelled as Robert has to be back in the States at that time for medical attention.

Tamarindo

Gold Coast Learning Center just celebrated its first Graduation Day, three students passing to further studies: Lucila Riascos, Luca Pilurzu and Walter Augustine Jr.

Flamingo

Location: Hitching Post Plaza Unit 2, Brasilito Contact: Don H. at 2-654-4902

Saturday: 10:30-11:30 - Open General Meeting Monday: 5:30 Open Meeting Thursday: 6:30-7:30 - Open Meeting Location: Behind Restaurant La Caracola Contact: Ellen - 2-653-0897

Like Italian food? Septimo Cielo has recently opened in Brasilito, serving excellent Italian food prepared by Italians.

Featured in “Dining Out” on page 8.

This column offers anybody the opportunity to promote their new business, parties, events, etc. And it’s FREE! But you have to tell me. E-mail to dmills@racsa.co.cr.

Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.

Yogi Berra

Surf Report

W

ith the national surf championship already locked up by Luis Vindas in May, the drama of the Gran Finals Circuito Nacional de Surf Oceans by Daystar 2011 was left to the Women’s category. It did not disappoint.

Going into the date, it was billed as a head-to-head contest between the youngster from the United States, Jordan Hundley, the Women’s ranking leader who had won two dates. She was going up against the eight-time Costa Rican National Women’s champion Lisbeth Vindas, who was ranked #2, but had also won two dates of the Circuito this year. Hundley merely needed to place second to win. Lisbeth needed to win the date and for Hundley to fall out of second.

The action started on Friday when things moved in Lisbeth’s favor: Hundley didn’t pass the day, and was out of the Gran Finals! It was left to Vindas’ own devices to win her ninth championship.

The last challenge standing in her way was the spoiler Nataly Bernold, another National Women’s champion. But indeed, in the finals head, Vindas (photo) pulled it out and won the trophy for the Gran Finals and claimed the record-breaking ninth Costa Rica National Women’s Surf Championship.

“I can’t believe it. It was difficult, but things were accommodating and occurred the way they were supposed to, that is the important thing,” Lisbeth said. “Today I feel very happy because of the positive vibes of the people who wanted me to win, and that helped so much and was the best thing to me.”

The final heat pitted Lisbeth against Venezuelan Flavia Fernández, who was her main threat during the first ten minutes, while Ana Herrera from Quepos added the pressure toward the closing minutes. Nevertheless, Vindas improved her points little by little and with three minutes to go added a 7.54 to beat Herrera’s 6.73 and Fernández’ 4.10.

With this win, Vindas earned three victories in this year’s Circuito out of five dates. Her brother Luis was the best surfer of the year, and for that reason he is the national champion of 2011. But Jair Pérez (Jacó) was the best surfer of the Gran Finals, once again surfing aggressively and skilled enough to pull out a trophy.

With 13.73 in the finals, he overcame the 12.20 of Juan Carlos Naranjo (Jacó), 12.10 of Gilbert Brown (Puerto Viejo) and 9.82 of Jordan Hernandez (Limón). Hernandez had the potential to win, but interference toward Brown penalized him.

Pérez did what he always does in a final: Look for lefts that allow him to use his backside where he hits strong and progressive, and in less

Story: Ellen Zoe Golden

than five minutes he made a series that way. He dedicated the remaining time looking for rights to innovate and be able to take the risk and add more to it than he already had.

Even as Pérez made the points, it was Naranjo who stole the show, as he returned to the finals with flamboyance after three years away due to an injury.

For the first time ever at a Circuito date, the winners received cash awards. Pérez won $800, Naranjo $500, Brown $300 and Hernandez $100.

As always, young talent prevailed at this date. Most noted was the 11-year-old Leilani McGonagle from Pavones who won the Junior Women’s, Grommet Girls and Mini-Grommet Girls category. This accomplishment equaled the record set by another spectacular surfer— Carlos Muñoz in 2009—three categories in the same date.

National Champions for the Circuito Nacional de Surf Oceans

by DayStar 2011 and the Circuito Metropolitano: Open: Junior: Boys: Grommet: Mini-Grommet: Open – Fem: Junior: Grommet: Mini-Grommet: Longboard: Open Metropolitano: Open Femenino: Junior Metrop.

Masters: Grand Masters: Novatos: Bodyboard:

Luis Vindas (Jacó) Anthony Fillingim (Santa Teresa) Noe Mar McGonagle (Pavones) Bruno Carvalho (Jacó) Leonardo Calvo (Barranca) Lisbeth Vindas (Jacó) Jordan Hundley (EE.UU.) Leilani McGonagle (Pavones) Leilani McGonagle (Pavones) Anthony Flores (Jacó) Felipe Pozuelo (San José) Kristel Stanley (San José) Daniel Pozuelo (San José) Alvaro Solano (Jacó) Craig “Tequila” Schieber (Puerto Viejo) Carlos Gallegos (San José) Felipe Fernández (Venezuela)

Tag Team (Juego por equipos) – $500: Jair Pérez, Anthony Fillingim, Carlos Muñoz, Noe Mar McGonagle y Jordan Hundley.

Expression Session – ($400): Anthony Fillingim.

At first glance it would seem that the Costa Rican National Junior Surfing team really struggled at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship presented by Movistar Punta Hermosa, Peru, at the end of May. After all, placing twelve among twenty-seven nations might not seem as great an accomplishment as in the past when teams from this country have placed in the Top 10.

However, it’s important to remember that this team was new and young and most of them were competing in the international arena for (continued page 23)

Tales of Guanacaste Part II

E

xploring Costa Rica thirty years ago was a adventure few of us will forget. Thirty-two US and Costa Rican high-school students and four teacher chaperones traveled the country border to border in a then-old 40-passenger school bus - and other unique forms of transport.

In Part I, we left the rag-tag travelers walking up Nosara beach after jumping out of pangas from the aging freight boat and wading to the beach with their belongings – dry clothes, cameras, and personal needs held over their heads, provisions for a three-night stay at a beach house situated on a cliff overlooking breathtaking Pacific beaches, owned by the director of the Costa Rica Academy, our hosts for the Schoolto-School program. Thirty-eight students and teachers would divvy up space in the two-bedroom beach house, one of a group owned by foreigners. Mattresses were taken off box springs, couches claimed, and a few found safe spaces under the kitchen table. We were here at the beach; that was all that mattered.

Our itinerary included a hike down the beach to a cave, only accessible at low tide, that we entered by walking out into the crashing surf. Everyone finally got into the large cave, and we were told by our guide to stop our chattering and listen. Of course we heard the surf, but there was a different kind of chattering, and what we thought was water dripping off the high ceiling. When the guide shone his flashlight onto the ceiling, some were amazed, others screamed, for the ceiling was covered by bats chirping and releasing more of their droppings in response to the screaming girls. The thousands of bats, which normally are quiet during the day and stream out of the cave a sunset to feed at night, were putting on a show for the intruders.

As we left the cave we took a dip in the surf to wash off any bat droppings. We returned to the beach house and shared one of our most common lunches – tuna fish sandwiches, platters of fresh fruit and natural drinks also made from local fruit. On the thirty-day adventure, the cost of food per day when we were on the road was just $1.85 per person. Obviously, we consumed lots of sandwiches, gallo pinto and casados.

At this time the Pacific Ridley turtles were just starting to come in to nest. The beaches of Nosara and Ostional were the famous nesting grounds for these impressive turtles. Along this stretch of beach usually there were single females arriving, while a bit later in the season Ostional beach would boast thousands of turtles arriving to lay their eggs – the famous “arribada or arrival”. Rather than 40 people wandering the beach in the dark, it was suggested that two teams of two students each would scout the beach, walking 15 minutes down the beach in both ways and 15 minutes back. To make it fun, we all put the equivalent of $1 in colones (15 at that time) in a hat and the first team that found a turtle would gain the prize. The rest of the group would wait, playing cards and writing in their journals, until a turtle was spotted.

It only took two groups before one of the students in Team 3 came shouting up the hill “turtle, turtle!” There was a light rain as we all prepared to dash down the beach to the north. Most of us had our (continued page 21)

Powering Up for More Pura Vida

Tom Peifer

We should start teaching energetics in the first grade—Eugene P. Odum

T

he struggles over Costa Rica’s ‘true self’ were played out in the bold print of newspaper headlines this past month.

As we all know, the country both loves, and cashes in on, presenting a ‘greener than thou’ face to the world. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

A sizeable portion of the country is in national parks. We have perhaps the most biodiversity per square kilometer on the planet, a super-high percentage of sustainably generated electricity, forward-thinking policies on ‘payments for ecological goods and services’ and quite a bit more.

As concern about global climate change ‘heated up’ a few years back, the Arias administration set the goal of being the first country to achieve ‘carbon neutrality’ by the year 2021, a PR coup of the highest order.

But, in the words of the physicist Richard P. Feynman, “Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.” And, sure enough, as La Nación recently screamed in bold-face type on the front page: Costa Rica is far from achieving its goal of becoming carbon neutral. Chief among the reasons of course is that Costa Rica, like the rest of the world, is addicted to, dependent on and unable to move rapidly away from, internal combustion vehicles in the transport sector.

And, for those who didn’t study energetics in the first grade, the burning of fossil fuels releases the CO2 taken out of our atmosphere long ago by green plants as they did us the favor of altering our atmosphere...to a nice breathable blend of oxygen, rather than the unlivable, CO2-rich atmospheres of our neighbors in space, Mars and Venus.

Worse still, Costa Rica imports all of its petroleum, with the expected effects on balance of payments. Price increases and expected volatility only serve to increase the jittery nerves and constant complaints from stressed out consumers and cautious foreign investors.

With that crude reality in mind, after ten years of challenges in the courts, the government is declaring an end to the legal wrangling, thus clearing the path for US-based Mallon Oil to begin twenty years of oil and gas exploration. (Gold Coast residents take heart; Marine Exploration Block # 27 appears to end just a bit north of Punta Guiones, south of Nosara.)

Needless to say, the Tico proponents of the ‘drill, baby, drill” solution have assured that the home-grown production capacity is enough or more to satisfy domestic demand and help to fill government coffers to boot.

Conspicuous by its absence was any reference as to how domestic petroleum production would affect the country’s stated goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2021. Far beyond the debate about whether our beaches should have tar balls and our pelicans and turtles should smother in slime is the ‘bigger picture’.

Dr. Fatih Birol, Chief Economist at the IEA, the agency that released the emissions data, obviously learned energetics somewhere along the

way, “This significant increase in CO2 emissions and the locking in of future emissions due to infrastructure investments represent a serious setback to our hopes of limiting the global rise in temperature to no more than 2oC.” Dr. Birol displays that rare gift among economists, the ability to look ahead, and to see where all this mania over fossil fuel-based growth has us collectively headed. The political decisions and financial investments made in the present result in “the locking in of future emissions”, and, perhaps more important, postpone the bitter medicine of making the transition to something very different from carbon burning-business as usual.

No laughing matter, as a report for the US Department of Energy put it starkly. The longer we wait, the more likely “ ...the transition will be catastrophic, unlike anything which has ever before happened to mankind.”

Even as the residents of the Gulf Coast of the US strive to put their lives back in order after the BP platform disaster, it is still almost impossible to find a politician with the glandular fortitude to step up and ‘just say no’ to petroleum as the energy source for our collective future—in the US or in Costa Rica.

Given the political vacuum, in Costa Rica the stage is set for a rerun of the epic environmental battle sagas that have occurred repeatedly in the past. The actors have begun to step back into the limelight: PAC, the center-left political party with a strong position on environmental issues and Oil Watch, which successfully led the efforts to halt exploratory drilling off the Caribbean coast in Limón.

The plot will be familiar to many viewers from the US. A cynic might argue that we’re watching a classic NIMBY remake (that’s: ‘Not In My Back Yard’) folks. Past episodes in the US managed to include scenes from coast to coast. From no oil drilling off LA, to dumping toxic junk in the Indian reservations out in the deserts, through Cancer Alley along the Mississippi River where all the poor folks live and all the plastics get made. Media superstar and liberal superhero, the late Ted Kennedy even got into the act in Cape Cod where he bitterly opposed a proposed offshore wind farm that threatened the million dollar views and cushy resort ambience of the family enclave on Nantucket Sound.

One could easily argue that the Costa Rican rendition of the NIMBY storyline should paint a vivid—if not blatantly hypocritical—contrast between the enjoyment of a petroleum-based transport system with scant concern for the collateral damage inflicted over decades upon the once pristine Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, the source of the precious ‘black gold’ that powers the Pura Vida economy. (continued page 32)

From Ice

Epic story of a bicycle ride from

Last month our cyclists rode through Mexico to the Guatemala border.

This month they travel Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua before arriving in Costa Rica - and Tamarindo.

Guatemala We entered Guatemala at Frontera Corozal in Tecnica. This village is not even shown in ‘Google maps’ which indicate that you will go really through the jungle.

Sleeping in the midst of this jungle village the first thing I learned by experience was what the expression “cock-crow” really meant. Back home in Switzerland a village has got perhaps 3 to 4 roosters whose crowing you can hardly hear, but here you are woken up by about a hundred of them. Imagine the noise!

A day ride over gravel roads gave us a first impression of Guatemala.

The countryside with its jungle was nice, the villages quite poor but the people very friendly so that we felt safe. The Spanish language sounded to us less clear than it was in Mexico, and the quality and diversity of the food worse - even though to our surprise, the prices were higher.

Since we entered Central America, my recumbent bike is not only an attraction but provokes people even to point at me and to laugh. The top was when I was asked if I was a cripple. A side trip to Tikal was totally worthwhile. The ancient ruins in the reddish evening illumination sticking out from a wide area of rain forest are still an impressive witness of ancient times. When I was there silence covered the woods but the many and huge pyramids seemed as if they were still speaking.

After a detour to Belize we entered Guatemala again at the Caribbean Sea at Puerto Barios.

The road up to Guatemala City was definitely the worst of the whole tour since the beginning of our journey as there is so much heavy traffic and the drivers of any means of transport are normally driving crazily. We had several severe situations. It culminated when I was forced on the ground by a truck and had to hang on the side rail.

When we chased down to Antigua we got finally to see the typical picture of Guatemala, the multiple wooded volcanoes. What a difference! Suddenly you are surrounded by volcanoes and ride into one of the nicest colonial towns of Central America after you have just passed the ugliest place, Guatemala City. Right when we arrived we met Matt, the Canadian whom I had met in the beginning of the tour in Alaska. How special to catch up again after eight months. He became our new companion.

El Salvador Riding Salvador’s coastal highway is quite a welcome change in comparison to other roads of Central America. In many places there are huge trees along the road providing shadow.

to Fire

Alaska to Tierra del Fuego Story: Christoph Mueller Edited: David Mills During a normal day this is the perfect surrounding for riding when the sun is burning, the temperature is high and the humidity is immense. Normally we made sure that we started to ride in the morning before sunrise to avoid moving during the hottest times of the day.

Salvador has not had a lot of tourism in the past few decades which makes a foreigner in a way special to the people here. Often we were asked how we liked their country and felt mostly welcomed. It is remarkable how many young men talk to you in English and tell you that they had worked in the USA for some time.

Riding through Salvador is great although you are warned to stay off side roads and not to ride after sunset. The prices for food are just awesome.

Everywhere along the road you can buy the national meal “pupusa” which is made of beans and cheese in dough with salad and so you can get fed for only two US dollars. We admit during the five days we spent in this country we did not eat much more than Pupusas. We loved them so much.

As Matt, my companion since San Francisco, was about to meet his parents in Costa Rica he went ahead alone so that he would reach them in time. I went on with the other Matt, the Canadian friend.

Honduras Beforehand we had heard a lot about the sullen conditions in Honduras and therefore decided to cross it within two days only.

We are used to hearing occasionally someone yell “gringo”, but as soon as we crossed the borderline to Honduras the voices changed and there was a lot more yelling. We felt neither welcome nor fine but felt rejected being allocated to the species “gringo”.

Once we were stopped by a motorcyclist who thought we were Americans. He talked with us in a bad way as if it was obvious that we were Americans. Assuring him we were not he did not believe it, only after an extended conversation he finally did and changed his manner a bit.

The 140km we rode within some 24 hours gave us an impression of a poor people in a dry countryside. In addition, there were five police check points in this distance. However we were not asked for money as we had been told by other cyclists.

It happened a lot that the children ran towards the road when they saw us approaching, yelling “gringo” and begging for money,

(continued (continued page22) 24) page

Barbara’s Pet Stories Rambo

T

here once was a mouse - or rather, there is a mouse, as he is still alive...his name is Rambo.

He lives in a nice house in Surfside. The owner of this house, Bill, is an animal lover. So he and his wife Amy made a cute little set for him: a tiny mouse-house, a little bit of grass and a mini palm tree as a garden, a small water and food bowl...

And Rambo loves his “people”; he dances and makes tricks in front of them, while they are having a cool soft drink sitting in the comfortable chairs next to their swimming pool. Life is good !

Then it happens: one late afternoon Rambo did not show up for the sunset. Bill and Amy were worried...where is he? The little house was empty, the food was not touched...Amy started to cry...”Oh , my Rambo, where are you ? Rambo, Rambo...dear”.

All of a sudden Bill heard a noise : a snake, a boa, was lying next to Rambo’s house. It looked like she was waiting for Rambo to come home...she moved her head slowly as she heard that Rambo was coming closer...Bill and Amy were aware. Bill grabbed a stick... then Rambo came around the corner, he was late as he had been out for a longer time than he should in the bushes, “Ahrrrr!” he screamed as he saw the snake, and ran away with his little feet, the snake ran after him and Bill ran after the snake.

Some seconds later Amy heard noises coming out of the bush, Bill yelling, Rambo squeaking and a curse again from Bill, then he came back with a big smile on his face: Mouse Rambo was sitting in his hand! They both had scared the snake away.

Bill sat down next to Amy, with Rambo in his hand. His little heart was still shaking so fast...Amy ran into the kitchen and came back with a glass of cold water for Bill and a little piece of cheese for Rambo!

Now Rambo has a big smile in his face, he is so happy, that his “people” rescued him from getting eaten by the snake. And he learned a lesson: now he is more aware when he leaves his property.

A Slice of Life Silver Village David Mills

C

oming back from the bathroom and about to get back into bed, I looked out of the window and stopped dead. Silver!

Under a full moon the whole village was silver. I pressed my hand on the window pane to see if winter had suddenly arrived overnight, but it was the usual temperature. Wiping my eyes, I looked again. It was still silver. The trees, fields, even the sleeping cattle, were silver.

“Mum, Dad!” I yelled. “The whole place is silver. Look outside.”

“Oh, my god!” exclaimed my mother. “What is it, Bill?”

“Damned if I know,” answered my dad.

At seven years old, I always believed that our little Welsh village was a fairyland, but tonight it was a silver fairyland. I ran outside into the front garden and knelt down to look at the silver. Rather than a whole sheet of glistening fabric, as it appeared to be, it was composed of thousands, maybe millions, of thin strips of silver foil, like the stuff we put on the tree at Christmas. But so much that every outside surface was covered.

“It’s lametta.” I shouted, “Lots and lots of lametta. Someone has thrown lametta over the whole village.” I remembered the name from the coloured boxes the Christmas stuff came in that we draped over the tree. Then I picked some up, and it wasn’t lametta. It was much lighter; lametta was heavier, with some lead ingredient to make it hang properly off the tree branches.

My dad worked at the local bakery. At lunchtime he came home and told us he’d been chatting with an army guy on a Bren-gun detachment in the village. He guessed that, whatever it was, it had been dropped by aircraft. There was no other way that amount of foil could have been deposited overnight over such a large area.

Probably true, agreed my dad. Our remote village was often used by the Royal Air Force for testing new devices. We had once seen a four-engined bomber fly over making a weird whistling sound. Even weirder was the fact that the two inner engines had no propellers, and the outer two had propellers but they were not turning!

In the fullness of time the truth came out. It was, indeed, an airdropped device, a new British invention called “Window” (chaff to the Americans) and was for use to confuse enemy radar. But that night it gave me a life-long memory.

Does anyone have a “Slice of Life” to share with the readers?

Humorous, weird, interesting, whatever...

Send it to dmills@racsa.co.cr or call 2653-0545.

Tales of Guanacaste...

Tales of Guanacaste... (from page 16) bathing suits on and tossed on a poncho, taking just a flashlight, afraid to get camera gear wet. Flash pictures were not allowed and the guide had red film over the flashlights to observe the egg-laying process. We were a sight - 39 barefoot observers running across the small river just north of the beach house, with ponchos flying and flashlights searching their path in the moonless night. It took just eight minutes to reach the student left to mark the spot.

She was an impressive turtle, digging a deep hole as she tossed sand out with her hind flippers. We could see her tracks coming out of the sea to the upper beach where she would deposit her eggs. Silently, we circled around her, watching in the eerie red light. The rain continued to come down in sheets. She seemed completely oblivious to us as the hole was dug deeper. We were like strange statues, as we watched her begin to drop her eggs into the deep hole. As the eggs and slippery liquid fell into the dark hole, we all began to count to ourselves. Finally, not really knowing how long we stood there, she finished - the count was 103 or 104. We agreed to disagree, as she began to cover the hole, working in circles around the impressing clutch of leathery eggs. After completely covering them she started to pat the sand down with her bottom shell.

After a few more circles, she began her slow return to the sea. Four of the guys, impatient with the slow process, picked her up, to the distress of the rest of us, and returned her to the surf where, adapting to her element, she quickly swam her way through the pounding surf to the open sea.

Talking among ourselves about the amazing thing we were lucky enough to observe, we slowly worked our way back to the beach house. But as we were almost there, the front of the hooded gang shouted, “We can’t get back!” The small stream we waded through was now a raging river blocking our way to the dry house on the cliff.

What to do? We now realized what the rope tied on both sides of the river was for, but it was useless when the river was this high.

The director of the school made an executive decision; we would have to get out of the rain and stay the night in the school house just down the beach, near to where we saw the turtle. This was just another adventure, we happily agreed, as we padded down the beach. The school was a typical rural grade school, concrete walls and floors and tin roof. Then we realized, as we settled in on the floor, our ponchos and wet bathing suits would not be much protection from the cold concrete. Trying to sleep was impossible. After a restless 30 minutes, the giggling began, first in one corner, then amongst the whole group.

No one could sleep, as our body heat was draining into the hard concrete floor. It was agreed (we were a happy group, enjoying even this inconvenience; after all we were in Costa Rica) that we would walk back to the raging river and wait for it to go down. Sitting on the sand next to the river, we commented on our wrinkly water-soaked fingers and our sleepless night. Finally were able to cross as the level of the river started to fall. Nothing would feel better than dry clothes and a nap before breakfast and our next adventure.

Nexy month: Part III - The plane crash and lobster.

(from page 19)

From Ice

food and clothes. In the beginning I was confused about this. Passing through a dangerous area a motorcyclist saw us and accompanied us because he knew about the people there and wanted to give us protection. This was very kind and left also a good aftertaste for which we are thankful.

Nicaragua How relaxed we felt when we finally reached Nicaraguan soil. Immediately the “gringo” yelling stopped. Hardly anymore did we hear it.

I very much enjoyed cruising Nicaragua. The roads are wide with a good shoulder, smooth and almost flat. The people are surprisingly friendly and a lot of them have to go to work by bike because the average family hasn’t got a car.

We experienced a funny situation the first evening: there was a police control checkpoint. Two policewomen made severe faces but we soon found out that they had stopped us only for interest. It made us laugh when we saw that the four of them, armed with shot guns, had to march out with simple bikes and didn’t even have a police car.

In León, another colonial town, I took the step to which I had felt driven already for some time: going on alone. It was good to have a companion and I could learn a lot from the others, but since the end of Mexico I observed that my inner growth was stopping. This does not exclude that I will meet again in the future with another person and ride again together for a while.

I enjoyed riding alone through Nicaragua a lot and appreciated every little conversation I had, especially when I met Swiss fellow countrymen, the people from BPN. BPN supports small enterprises in several states all over the world in financial and educational ways. By this trip they wanted to see the benefits of their work. I enjoyed very much getting to know them, especially when I found that some of them knew my former boss and other neighbours in Switzerland - how small is the world.

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Granada is a typical Central American colonial town with charm but you won’t see only the nice face: I haven’t yet found another town on this tour where I saw more children selling things or begging for money than here. I got the general impression that people are so poor that they even have to send their children to earn money for the family to survive.

I was allowed to sleep in the ferry station before shipping to Isla Ometepe: The security guard explained to me his view of how the social government’s system works: the government would buy the staple food from the people who produce it at a very low price, as there seems to be no option to sell it, and then the government would sell it again to the same people to process it but for double the price. His salary, he said, was US$150 a month, which seems to make sense as I had heard from a similar worker in Guatemala that he earned about a hundred dollars a month. (continued next page)

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(from previous page)

There is far less U.S influence in Nicaragua. I haven’t seen any McDonald or Starbucks anywhere in Nicaragua. Quite the contrary, ferries get names like Che Guevara.

I took the ferry to Isla Ometepe. Originally I had planned to spend a day, but in the end I spent almost four days because the island was so beautiful and the silence helped to relax: The island appears to be fifty years back in time. Life is more tranquilo, moves a little more slowly, not even all of the main roads are paved yet and the only work beside a little tourism is agriculture. Also this island is made up by banana plantations, jungle around the two volcanoes, people riding their bikes or horses and a lot of nice simple huts with their families living around their huts. Hiking to Volcano Maderas where I enjoyed the silence in the awesome jungle helped to distance me from all the traffic of a normal day passing on both sides while riding.

Costa Rica After the other countries of Central America I was so happy to arrive in Costa Rica, a big contrast to poor Nicaragua. Here I felt really safe riding alone in this wonderful country. I could at last relax and just enjoy the nature and the people. As I mentioned earlier, going it alone makes me feel more self-confident, independent and fearless. I am glad I am doing this trip as it is giving me a great chance to develop as a human being.

I was surprised at how many foreigners, North Americans and Europeans, are settling in this country, although some Costa Ricans feel that they are losing their identity. The pervasive phrase in the whole country is “pura vida”, reflecting an easy, laid-back attitude.

I felt very welcomed by many people, including some of my own countryfolk. I was allowed to sleep on a finca, in the back of a restaurant, in a holiday area along the Pacific Ocean and in a church.

Arriving in Tamarindo I remade the acquaintance of Donny and Christy Lalonde, a lovely couple whom I had met in Stewart, BC, where Donnie had lived many years earlier, and we spent some great times together.

In Tamarindo I was able to relax mentally and recover from the stress of riding through the other Central American states. I also felt happy knowing that I was about “half-way there” in my journey, at least geographically.

Next month: We leave the comfortable safety of Costa Rica and head for Panama, Colombia and the huge unknown expanse of South America.

Surf Report (from page 15) the first time. Sure, Carlos Muñoz struggled and placed #15 rather than Top 10, but Santa Teresa’s Anthony Fillingim, a novice on the global stage, reached #21. Another standout on the team was Leilani McGonagle.

“This is the principle of a process, with a very young selection, mainly in the girls, who in three or four years will bear the fruits of what we want,” said Diego Naranjo, the Costa Rican National Surf champion who traveled with the team as technical director and coach.

“This team is the base of the next four World Surfing Games and I feel already that the seed has been planted for the next professionals of our country.”

Another young man of the Circuito is branching out and making a name for himself in the international surf world. In May, Noe Mar McGonagle (photo) of Pavones won the Latin American championship of the Quiksilver King of the Groms in Mazatlán, México. Having won this contest, he will now go to the world contest in France that will take place in October and feature 46 competitors from twenty-one countries.

This win is amazing because there is only one single competitor going to represent Latin America and it is a Tico.

He accomplished this task by going three rounds against surfers from El Salvador, Venezuela and elsewhere.

“All the rivals were strong, but the conditions of the contest were stronger. Thank God I managed to pass my heats and pass to the end,” said Noe Mar. With this win of King of the Groms Latin America, Noe Mar becomes a young Costa Rican champion who has devoted himself abroad: in 2010, Central American Surf Championship Junior title when he was fourteen, and twice winning a Championship for Boys in the United States.

“Each competition is an aid to my level and much more when you are competing with the best ones of each country. Equally, I must focus on myself and train very hard to do well and prepare for France, which is another at a worldwide level,” concluded Noe Mar about his upcoming King of the Groms date in October. He will be training with Diego Naranjo for that date. His sponsors: Hurley, Etnies, Oakley, crsurf.com and Patterson surfboards.

That’s all I’ve got. Looking forward to hearing what you think.

Keep those emails coming at EllenZoe@aol.com. Send your comments, information, errors or praise, because I can’t do this column without you, the real surfers.

23

Fitness Training Know Thy Shoulder

T Stop Cel Phone Robbery

H

ere is a very important tip which will help reduce the high incidence of cellular phone robberies. It allows the owner (ex-owner) to render the device unusable after it has been stolen. It will not return the phone to its rightful owner, but will certainly make the phone useless to the criminal, or anyone who buys it from him.

Every GSM cellular phone (those that contain a chip) has a unique internal identification code, the International Equipment Identification (IMEI) Code. Nobody but the owner can access this code.

To find your phone’s code: Dial *#606# Do not press “send”.

The code will be displayed on the screen. Write it down and store it in a secure place.

If the phone is stolen, call the operator and give the IMEI Code. The cell phone will be completely blocked. Even if the thief changes the chip or card, it cannot be used.

he shoulder is an amazing piece of machinery. It has the greatest range of motion of any joint in our body. Think about it for a second. Pushing, pulling, throwing, catching, carrying... I could go on; pretty much any functional upper body movement recruits one or many of the shoulder muscles. This enables us to do wonderful things like paddle on a surfboard for endless hours, hit a tennis ball over 100 mph, or lift a child above our head. It is a complex joint that needs to be mobile enough to move the hands and arms through a great range of motion, but also strong and stable to support heavier loads during pushing and pulling.

Any repetitive action will put tension on the shoulder joint, especially sports like surfing or tennis. This added tension can lead to muscular imbalances and create a greater risk of injury. Maintaining healthy shoulder muscles will greatly reduce this risk and have you playing and performing better on the court in or in the water.

While we tend to think of the deltoid (the largest of the shoulder muscles, with 3 distinct heads), we neglect the 4 muscles (Infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) that make up the rotator cuff and help stabilize the shoulder joint. Increasing strength in our deltoids and adding stability to our rotator cuffs will put us in the best position to paddle longer, play harder, and avoid injury.

A great way to build both the strength and stability of the shoulder muscles is the side plank. This movement not only engages the shoulder stabilizers, but also activates and strengthens the obliques (an important core muscle that allows for powerful rotation).

Start as pictured above. Make sure to keep your hips nice and high and maintain proper alignment.

You will probably never recover the phone, but at least you will enjoy the knowledge that it can never be used. If every cell phone owner did this, the theft of these items would obviously stop, or be seriously reduced. The market for stolen cell phones would die.

Try to hold this 30 seconds on each side. Repeat build more strength, you can progress into a pictured here. This is a very challenging pose.

20 seconds on each side. Repeat 3 times.

For further information, go to:

Add this to your normal strength gram and you’ll be enjoying healthy, shoulders. Let me know with feedback check out my new website with tons of training tips, videos, and my group fitness class schedule.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Equipment_Identity

Spread the Word!

The difference between involvement and commitment is best seen in bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved; the pig was committed.

Martina Navratilova

3 times. As you full side plank as Try to hold for exercise prostrong and

Nick Holt is the owner/founder of Nick Holt Fitness, a full service personal training outfit specializing in surf fitness and general well being.

Nick offers surf inspired yoga classes, beach boot camp classes and one on one personal training - contact Nick Holt for more information. www.nickholtfitness, ncholt7@gmail.com or 8748-0126

WHAT ARE WE DOING COSTA RICA? Cynthia Osborne Charpentier

The Caja Social Health Service I am asking people what they think of the work of the Caja.

“My uncle was waiting at Ebais at 4 a.m., and he didn’t get an appointment” - Mario.

Everybody is always complaining about Caja.

Ebais: They arrange all appointments to people who might die, those that need immediate attention. Maybe they get it in three months, but people have to go to a specialist, even though they pay to the Caja. This is not right; these are people of low resources.

A person can go to any Ebais, but what if there’s not room? They only see a few patients each day.

My neighbor needed a reference from Ebais to go to Liberia Hospital for Dermatology. They said no. He needs a reference to go to Liberia to make an appointment again.

As the only place we can go to, the Ebais should be ready to help people right away (or when they need to).

“Here in Costa Rica there are doctors that have titles for payments, not for the work. That’s not fair” - D. “To a patient in Santa Cruz, they gave him incorrect medication. He died.

And now who is guilty?” - Costarrican, 20 years old, Santa Cruz neighbor.

“The dermatologist comes in to Tamarindo one day a month. It’s cheaper to go to Liberia, although I spend money to go to Liberia. I have to call Dr. Ivan Mendez, the doctor in Villarreal, and ask him to make me an appointment” - D. Ebais opens at 8 a.m., before the secretaries, but the doctor is always late.

Why you have to be there at 4 a.m. if you don’t have an appointment? Or pay outside to a private doctor even if you pay Caja.

“In the Ebais in Matapalo the woman was hurt on her hands. But they said no, we only take six patients, the lady had to go home” - Facundo.

“Today, I am going to see only six patients, and the others go home” – Doctor at Ebais Brasilito.

“I think that is good for people that have an emergency, but otherwise you can not trust the Caja. The Ebais gives a very poor service” - Fabian Arias.

“Caja is the worst health care system I’ve ever seen. You have to stand in a long line to get an appointment to stand in another long line to make an appointment to see a doctor. That appointment might be in three months or it might be a year. Than when the day comes the doctor might be on vacation, so you have to start all over again” - Norman.

YOU HAVE TO SLEEP THERE!

Now Begins the Study of Yoga AHIMSA “I used to be able to do this one.” I had the rest of the class in the preparatory pose for King Pigeon. However, one of my students had very tight hips, low back, and psoas muscles, and only did yoga about once a year, so I had asked him to sit cross-legged to start working with a gentler form of hip opening for his body.

Indeed, the previous year, he had been able to do this pose with good support under the hip of his front leg. This year, his body had become tighter and it would not have been good for him to try this pose. He really wanted to do what the rest of the class was doing, and questioned why I didn’t want him to.

When faced with challenges in our yoga postures we sometimes push our bodies to do something that could actually hurt us, rather than help us. Let us remember that yoga is more than just the physical poses, and find guidance in the first limb of yoga, the Yamas, or moral precepts. The first Yama is Ahimsa, which translates as non-harming, or kindness. Apply this principle not just to others, but to yourself as well. When practicing challenging poses ask: How can I do this pose in a way that helps my body and does not harm it? For the many of us, this at times means using props to help us keep the lines of energy and balance in our body.

Here are two examples. For a lot of us who sit in chairs much of the time, sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position can in and of itself be a challenge! In the first picture without any props, notice how Eric has to lean back, and his knees are way up in the air. In the second photo, notice the change in Eric’s back and knees. Though you can’t hear it, he also sighed in relief after he sat on the blocks – Ahimsa in action!

The second example (below) is Ardha Chandrasana, or Half Moon. In this pose you are balanced on one leg with your hand lightly on the floor in the classic posture. See the difference in the two pictures. In the second photo, with his hand up on a block and his back supported by the wall, notice how Peter is now able to keep his head, torso, and leg in line. Which one looks like he is being more kind to his body?

So in your yoga practice, make sure that you stay aware of any feelings of strain or tension. This is often an indication that your body may not be ready for that way of doing the pose. Ask your teacher how you can adapt the pose, whether with a prop or altering how you do the pose to make it the best for your body right now. To allow your body opening in its best way and in its time is embodying Ahimsa in your practice.

Namaste

Mary Byerly is one of the owners and the yoga teacher at Panacea.

An oasis of tranquility and health 10 minutes from Tamarindo.

Discover Paradise and Bring a Peace Home www.panaceacr.com • 2653-8515

Around the World ( a news digest)

S

am Robertson, of St. Ives, Cambridge, ran the London Marathon in 3 hrs 45 minutes. He then ran home – 99 miles.

His total distance was 125 miles; his time was 29 hours.

Discoveries: A new species of beetle, seticeros graulocephalus, 3.5 cm long, has been discovered in Perez Zeledon. It is believed that it occurs only in Costa Rica.

Eleven new species of orchid have been classified by scientists from Lankaster Botanical Gardens for the University of Costa Rica.

A species of butterfly previously known only in Mexico and Guatemala and active at night has been discovered in Veragua Rainforest near Liverpool, Limón. Its larvae feed solely on bromeliads.

Royal Navy veteran Claude Choules, mentioned in this column in April when he became the last surviving veteran of World War I, has died in Australia at 110 years.

In Kansas City, thieves stole 25 concrete parking bumpers from a store’s parking lot. The blocks weigh 250 lbs (110 Kg) each, and are valued at $25.

The green anise-flavoured drink absinthe – 60-70% alcohol - was banned in France in 1915 due to its “mind-altering” effects. The ban has now been rescinded, though it has been legal in other countries for decades.

Oops! Macy’s jumped the gun when it published an ad in the Miami Herald congratulating local basketball team Miami Heat for winning the 2010-2011 Championship, the day after the team lost to Dallas.

A Scottish Conservative candidate, Ivor Tiefenbrun, resigned after saying that Scots were “thick” in speaking against Maggie Thatcher.

Australian program ABC2 was forced to cancel its planned satirical special on the royal wedding as it violated TV contractual agreements against the use of the feed for comedy.

A 21-year-old man survived with minor injuries after driving his car over the edge of the Grand Canyon and falling 200 feet.

A Tampa, FL, man is suing Apple Computers for spying on him, claiming that every time he uses his iPhone it transmits his location to the company.

O

CDS-G Beach Challenge 2011 Playa Tamarindo

n Sunday, May 8th, Country Day School held the Beach Challenge 2011 in front of Iguana Surf on Tamarindo Beach. The music started around nine followed by the games at ten. Activities included the 4k, 2k, 1.5k, and 500m runs; paddleboard; bicycle; and sack races; and our favorite - the beach tug-o-war. Everyone was welcome.

In years past this event has served as a fun way to promote athleticism and raise money for the benefit of the communities close to our school.

The permission to host the event on Tamarindo Beach was given on condition something was given to the Tamarindo community in return.

We had two great projects in mind instead: 1. Some of the proceeds will go to local schools in an effort to foster friendship between CDSG and other schools in our area, and improve sports programs at these schools. We will provide five local schools with Sports Boxes complete with balls, jump ropes, Frisbees and other sporting equipment.

2. Our second goal is to improve the basketball court in the Tamarindo Skate Park as a way of giving back to the community where the event was hosted. We will extend the current basketball court and install a new hoop that has already been donated. Much like Mahatma Gandhi, we want to be proactive and be the change we wish to see in this world that is why the Beach Challenge Committee very much believes we can make the park an even more family friendly place to enjoy your afternoon.

The event could not have been possible without the help from our sponsors: Platinum: Woodson Brown; Left and Right; Remax; Nogui’s; Happy Snapper; The Breeze; Voodoo Lounge; Kelly’s Surf Shop; Doña Lee’s Restaurant.

Gold: Kahiki; Paddle Boards.

Silver: Il Mundo del Gelato; Azul Profundo; Pacifico Bar; Mandarina Juice Bar; Supermercado Las Olas; El Chaparrito Restaurant; Bamboo Sushi; Il Forno.

I would like to thank all sponsors for your donations and your assistance at our event, especially Kelly’s Surf Shop for donating bicycle and surfboard rentals so that the kids from CEPIA could participate in all of our events, and Doña Lee for the food. Not only did we have a fun day at the beach, but we united the community under the name of sports.

CEPIA had about thirty children participating thanks to sponsorships.

It was wonderful to see the entire community involved as one. Following the awards ceremony were two live bands: Pachanga; and Pikin y la Nueva Setima who kept the fun going.

We look forward to next year’s Beach Challenge and invite everyone to attend, have fun and remember...Life’s a beach, not a challenge!

By: Angelina Bastasch

October F orecasts July F orecasts

by Jeanne Callahan

Visit Jeanne’s site at CelestialAdvisor.com

Aries: 21 March - 20 April

Libra: 23 September - 23 October

Taurus: 21 April - 21 May

Scorpio: 24 October - 22 November

The month has you feeling agitated and uncomfortable with the status quo. You’re in a risk-taking mood and maybe feeling more than a little rebellious at those who hold authority over you in the professional arena. Concerns for money and holding on to your assets may override this “take this job and shove it” attitude. Find out who your allies are before doing anything rash like quitting. The 20th, 21st and 22nd hold promise for your goals.

With Jupiter moving forward in your sign, there’s expansion and opportunity around if you look for it. Great month for networking or beginning a new marketing plan for your business. Adopt a steady discipline regarding health and exercise so Jupiter doesn’t expand your waistline! The eclipse on the 1st may bring big changes into the neighborhood. Days for fun are the 23rd, 24th and 25th.

Saturn is now direct in your sign, correcting a stalemated condition. Something has ended and it’s time to move forward with deliberate actions about lessons learned. The solar eclipse on the 1st challenges you to rethink your professional life and your associates. You could receive some shocking information around the 9th of the month which could alter your course.

Keep positive even though it will still be rough. Enjoy life on the 7th and 8th.

Gemini: 22 May - 21 June

Concerns about wills, legacies, insurance or taxes could take up some time this month. Partnerships should go surprisingly well even with the additional stress. You have allies who can help you so ask them for assistance as this is not the time to go it alone. The eclipse on the 1st may have you questioning some long-held belief system. Watch your health around the 9th and don’t engage in risky behavior. The 9th and 10th are your best days this month.

Cancer: 22 June - 22 July

The energy of July has some positive messages regarding fun, creativity, and relationships. You may need to pay some attention to family matters regarding wills, insurance, inheritance, etc. so make time and pay attention. Business matters improve and there are powerful people who make contact with you.

The full moon on the 14th may give you a great idea and the initiative to set it in motion. The 11th, 12th and 13th work out well for your plans.

Great month for dazzling your audience as you have the power of attraction now. People want to be around you so make the most of that vibration. Be careful not to wear too many hats as Geminis can be a jack of all trades--you’ll burn out fast if you don’t specialize in something. Creative ideas with a practical application will do well now. The eclipse on the 1st may bring in a new income stream. The 26th and 27th are your best days.

Sagittarius: 23 November - 21 December

The month begins with a solar eclipse in your sign so your world will be rattled over the next six months. You’ve been sensing changes but have been too concerned about security to take the steps to make it happen. It’s happening, deal with it. Moving, starting a new business venture—it’s all possible so go with the flow on this as there’s a lot of support around the creation of a new identity for you. The 1st, 2nd, 28th and 29th are very positive days for you.

Capricorn: 22 December - 21 January

With Jupiter at your mid-heaven, you command attention and respect. People look up to you and will believe what you say so make sure your integrity is 100% now and put the schmoozy half truths aside. You have the ability to solidify fantasy into a reality now. This is also a good time for a seaside vacation to catch up on your rest, which can also be very productive. The eclipse on the 1st wants you to look inward. The 3rd and 4th are your lucky days.

This is a good month to stay close to home or have visitors in your home. Lots of opportunity for fun and activities close by, too. The eclipse on the 1st may bring to light a health issue which you would be wise not to neglect. It’s a good time to take a spiritual retreat, visit a shrine or temple or just commit to a discipline of some sort to expand your consciousness. The 16th and 17th are your best days to profit.

Leo: 23 July - 23 August

Virgo: 24 August - 22 September

This is a great month for a relaxing vacation to some comfortable or familiar place. Your nerves need some soothing so make sure you give yourself time to just be.

There’s potential for something new on the career horizon with lots of planetary activity in your tenth and an eclipse in your eleventh house. The grounding energy of the 5th and 6th will make you glad to be where you are.

The eclipse on the 1st could have a major effect on many aspects of your life, partnership, residence, career and your appearance.

Protect your assets and don’t speculate at this time. You are still undergoing intense transformation and if something is failing, just let it. You’ll have a clearer picture of what to do next at the end of the month. The full moon on the 14th is illuminating in more ways than one. The 14th and 15th are your best days.

Aquarius: 22 January - 19 February

Pisces: 20 February - 20 March

The eclipse on the 1st highlights an issue with your children that should not be ignored as it could end up costing you some money. There are many comings and goings in your home and neighborhood this month. If you are moving into a new place there will be some unforeseen repairs that need to happen for it to be fully functional. Watch out for fantasizing about the future....this is a weak spot for you. Not everything is as it seems. The 18th and 19th are fun for you.

Namasté

Parents’ Corner Teenagers and Mental Health (Part I)

I

n a recent study conducted in the United States by the National Institute for Mental Health and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, it is revealed that one out of four adolescents has a behavioral or emotional problem that is severe enough to interfere with their daily life. In another study, published in The Lancet last week, we are informed that 45% of the reported illnesses in the child, teenage and young adult population of the world ((10 to 24 years old) classify as emotional disorders or mental health problems.

There are factors that increase the risk of teenagers suffering mental health problems: alcohol and drug abuse, precocious sexual activity, and lack of physical activity, to name the ones with the highest impact on mental health. In this article, I am going to focus on the impact of drug use on teenagers’ mental health.

Particularly in our community, where alcohol and drugs are not only easy to obtain, but also part of a general dynamics, it’s vital that parents get their facts right and not overlook the dangers of certain practices that, for just reason, are reserved for adults only.

As explained in previous articles, the teenage brain is “a work in progress” and several important areas of the brain are experiencing intense changes during this time period in which the brain is maturing. Therefore, as much as you would reject mixing a baby bottle with vodka, or having a 5-year-old try a joint, you definitely have to reject the idea of an adolescent drinking or smoking, or experimenting with any toxic substance, as it will be interfering with the young brain’s maturing process. Please, keep in mind that alcohol, marihuana and other drugs that may have no dramatic effect on the adult population when consumed in moderation can do real harm to children and adolescents, as they lack the necessary physical and psychological maturity for its use. With regard to marihuana it is very important that parents and children are aware of the fact that the varieties sold in our region have very high concentrations of tetrahydracannabinol (THC). While the Costa Rica-grown product has a concentration of 1%, and the Jamaican 12%, the locally sold and very popular hydroponic variety “creepy” has a 20–30 % concentration of THC! These high concentrations of the psychoactive substance can induce paranoia, intense anxiety and panic attacks, particularly in children and adolescents. On the other hand, regular alcohol use in adolescence has a devastating effect on the cognitive areas of the brain, and can lead to a long-term decreased ability in problem solving, verbal and non-verbal retrieval, visiospatial skills, and working memory.

Since the teenage brain is a “quick learner”, it makes adolescents more vulnerable to addiction than adults.

“Drug misuse is not a disease; it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error of judgment.” Philip K. Dick.

Msc. Mónica Riascos Henríquez Psicóloga – Psicopedagoga Tel. 83589550 consultariascos@live.com

Surviving

C hapter LXVI

N

COSTA RICA

o, this column is not about the highly overlooked and underrated Dave Clark Five’s big hit of the same name back in 1965 .

I’m afraid I must confess that once again I haven’t a clue of what to write but nonetheless have to satisfy the demands for product from my editor. You, poor reader, are the victim of my unashamed and unabashed attempt to come up with a minimum of about 900 words of stuff that may or may not make sense or be of interest.

The Road to Playa Negra The band recently played a wedding gig at the Hotel Playa Negra, which of course meant exposing our vehicles to the extreme hazards of driving that road.

I realize that bitching about how bad a road is in Costa Rica is not ground-breaking, but this needs to be said, if only to increase the word count.

When I finally pulled into the parking lot a helpful person pointed out that my (shock? Strut? Doodad? Thingamajig?) was unattached and hanging precariously, prompting an immediate full-blooded Tico/Gringo half-assed repair job involving wire and duct tape with hopes that it would survive the trip back to Tamarindo. Which it didn’t. Upon the attempt to back into my driveway I discovered that the (whatever) was once again unattached, after which I also noticed one of my tires was rapidly going flat.

The drummer also had a flat. It isn’t really the road out to Pinilla, Avellanas and Playa Negra, which is pretty standard stuff; it’s the section between Villareal and Hernandez that does all the damage. Makes you wonder who’s in charge of roads here.

Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! (The writer has stumbled on a possible solution to filling up column space.....stay tuned).

Bits and Pieces

I certainly can’t blame the road on the poor people who live out there, they have nothing but my sincere condolences for a ride many have to make daily.

It’s not just the people who suffer, it’s also their cars. Fi, of the Banana Kings, lives in San José de Pinilla and recently endured a possible record five trips to the Nicoya RTV (inspection) involving large fines and dicey moments. He says all the cars in his neighborhood are like that.

If there is one thing good about this column, at least for me, is that it’s something to keep me from my next chore which is changing the tire and seeing if I can re-wire the suspension enough to get me to Witch’s Rock in the center of town. If I’m lucky I’ll have enough from the wedding gig to pay for the repairs.

I read in one of those contemporary Costa Rican history books I stole from Jaime when he wasn’t looking, about a Professor at the University of Desemparados whose recent claims have shaken the establishment to its very core and caused it to completely rethink the country’s early years.

Professor Dorita Mejitos Lillian deFritolay, after spending years traveling between Norway and the Jungle Ruins of Limón, revealed the astonishing fact that on his fifth voyage to the New World in 1513 Columbus discovered a group of blue-eyed Indians off the coast of what is now Manzanas. He went ashore, met the Indians, and then named the surrounding country “Costa Rica” after his ship’s mascot St Bernard.

Ms. deFritolay went on to suggest the Indians were the descendants of Vikings who had traveled down the Atlantic seaboard into the Gulf of Mexico and finally Central America. She also is fond of wearing the authentic thousandyear-old horned Viking helmet that she recovered in her archaeological dig in Limón.

Story by Jesse Bishop

She also challenged any so-called fact checkers to Prove her Wrong!

Continuing with my obvious talent for the obvious... it is now the rainy season, the time of year that we exchange dust for mud and start to wonder who’ll still be here next November. You will not be able to use a salt shaker for the next six months and will start paying lower water bills but pay more for gasoline. This last point apparently pertains to just about any time.

My immediate peer group is trying something different this year to fill, or kill, the time: we’re playing Monopoly. Don’t laugh...please. Every couple of weeks or so we’ve been hittin’ the board for some heavy wheelin’ and dealin’. Its a give-no-quarters and show-no-mercy type of game which also lets you take a little revenge on friends you couldn’t normally treat that way. As of this writing our most recent winner was my own wife Susan who, upon winning, noted “this isn’t so bad after all!”

Oh, and about that wedding. These two nice kids from California wanted a wedding on the beach, and all that week it had been raining about as much as is needed to know that, yes, it is the Rainy Season! I was also involved in the service and was hoping I didn’t have to play my twelve-string in the rain. The wedding was at five and at about four the sun came out for a couple of hours and everything went smoothly. It was also the first time I’ve learned a Red Hot Chili Pepper song for a wedding.

At the word “wedding” I hit word number 950 which, of course, if you’re reading this it has gone up a bit more.

I wish I could tell you that my next month’s column will be much better, but I wouldn’t want to lie to someone as nice as you.

And now off to deal with the car.

Powering Up... (from page 17) One commentator used a common saying from everyday life in the rural areas: ni pican leña ni prestan la hacha (they neither split wood nor loan the axe). He argued, for instance, that prohibiting the development of geothermal energy for electricity generation near the numerous volcanoes was tantamount to the gunslinger shooting himself in the foot since we’ll need to meet peak demand by burning more oil in thermal plants.

On petroleum development, his proposal was pragmatic and far-sighted.

Drill and produce the yucky stuff and sell it to the highest bidder, but use the proceeds to build an electrified transport system—incorporating more solar and wind into the mix of generation--for moving people and goods in the future. Only time will tell if this kind of thinking has a better chance of survival than the proverbial snowball in Hell.

RAIN GAUGE

9.0 8.0

RAINFALL - May/June Maricle Meteorological Observatory La Garita

7.0

c m s

It is easy to focus the blame on gutless politicians, evil energy companies or, for that matter, environmental activists. Most of us crave the increased mobility that has been provided by the Age of Oil. And I think it is human nature to be a NIMBY. From the prehistoric strolls away from the campfire for the relief of ‘necessity,’ to Kennedy’s battle for unobstructed views at Hyannis Port few, if any, want to see their own nest sullied, their elbow room cramped or their present lifestyle constrained.

6.0 5.0

Total rainfall: 26.3 cm (10.4 inches)

4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 16

20

25

31 1

5

10

May

June

Year-to-date 2011: 29.8 cm 2010: 73.9

Rainfall May/June 2011: 26.3 cm 2010: 73.9

All levity was washed away for good a few years later when the massive spill in the Santa Barbara Channel went prime time from coast to coast. A new perspective emerged. Oil was not just a nuisance, it was a menace, to be forever banished by decades of NIMBY battles to areas on the fringes of civilized sensibilities, areas with no political clout.

J u l y ( a l l

t i m e s

Sun

2 0 1 1 l o c a l )

1st - rise 5:26; set 6:09 15th - rise 5:29; set 6:09* 31st - rise 5:33; set 6:07

* latest sunset of year - 12th at 6:09 New: 1st quarter: Full: Last quarter: New:

15

Ironically, as kids surfing at Huntington pier in Southern California, the ‘view’ featured oil wells pumping away on the bluff, and a handful of platforms off the coast. There were occasional splotches in the water and tar balls on the beach. On cold days we’d rinse off in the hot water pouring out of a pipe on the north side of the pier, the end result of steam injection deep underground to force more oil towards the wells. OK, the stuff stunk a bit, but on the whole I think we were largely clueless about questions of toxicity (right, Robert?). Even to the point that a small oil slick washing through the contestants during a tandem competition was received more as a comic interlude than a full-blown toxic event requiring the response of a HazMat team. Chuckles all around as the gooey boy-girl teams hosed each other down with leaded regular gasoline straight from the nozzle at a nearby Richfield station.

Moon

1st 8th 15th 22nd 30th

2:54 a.m.

12:29 a.m.

12:40 a.m.

11:02 p.m.

12:40 p.m.

OK, the fact is we may soon get free admission to front-row seats at the comeback bid by the star performer in the saga of industrial civilization.

Right here under our noses, along the coast, in the Gulf of Nicoya and apparently down as far as Pavones. Under the circumstances, maybe the best to hope for is a concerted effort in Costa Rica to wisely employ its petroleum resources to pave the way towards a system where the present is not gobbling up big chunks of the future. Just maybe, we can reverse the role of Prometheus in Greek mythology, and return the gift of fire back unto the heavens. Now wouldn’t that be a happy ending to share with the kids?

Tom Peifer is an ecological land use consultant with 16 years experience in Guanacaste. Phone: 2658-8018. peifer@racsa.co.cr El Centro Verde is dedicated to sustainable land use, permaculture and development. www.elcentroverde.org

Nice try, Harry!

Evangelist Harold Camping says he “miscalculated” the date of the Apocalypse, but his new calculations show that we will not be annihilated until October 21 this year. Oh, goody!

Look at the guy! Would you buy a used car from him?

Gallery

A very rare visitor to Tamarindo was this blue-footed booby.

Boobies were so named because they would not attempt to escape from sailors who went ashore looking for food. Sure enough, this guy refused to budge, even when my dogs approached. One look at that beak and the dogs changed their minds.

Just a week after winning the National Championship, soccer players from La Liga visited Villarreal to celebrate at Bar Villa Costa. Seen l-r are Pablo Gabas (forward), Leandriño Barrios (forward), Donal Jáen (bar owner) and Luís Marín (defence).

Donal switched allegiance from Saprissista to Liguista just to get in the photograph!

Congratulations to Denise Shantz and Paul Bobadillo, who tied the knot at El Coconut Beach Club in Potrero.

Word puzzle Miscellany

All words from the list below can be found in the word block on the right.

Answers may be forward, backward, upwards, downwards and diagonal. abastacedor albatross almacenes ambiente consulado costarricence crecimiento frankly inexistencia infinity instituto mensaje mindblowing nightshade nuisance

pasarela perpetual persimmon problematic righteousness seguridad semaforo seminal servicio slimy suitcase sybarite system trajabador transito

1F New Moon 2S

3S

4M

5T

02:40 08:33 14:49 21:03 03:23 09:18 15:33 21:45 04:05 10:03 16:17 22:26 04:47 10:48 17:01 23:09 05:30 11:34 17:47 23:52

8.2 1.3 9.0 2.3 8.6 0.9 9.2 0.0 9.0 0.6 9.3 -0.1 9.3 0.4 9.3 -0.2 9.5 0.3 9.2 -0.1

6W

06:15 12:22 18:34

9.6 11M 0.3 9.0

7T

00:38 07:03 13:13 19:26 01:28 07:55 14:08 20:22 02:22 08:52 15:08 21:23 03:21 09:53 16:12 22:30

0.1 9.5 0.5 8.6 0.4 9.4 0.7 8.3 0.7 9.1 0.9 7.9 1.1 8.9 1.0 7.8

8F 1st Qtr 9S

10S

12T

13W

14T

15F Full Moon

JULY TIDE CHART

04:26 10:57 17:19 23:38 05:34 12:01 18:24

1.4 16S 8.8 1.0 7.8 1.4 17S 8.8 0.8

00:42 06:40 13:02 19:23 01:41 07:40 13:57 20:15 02:33 08:34 14:48 21:03

8.1 18M 1.3 9.0 0.6 8.4 19T 1.1 9.1 0.3 8.8 20W 0.9 9.3 0.1

03:21 09:23 15:34 21:47 04:06 10:08 16:18 22:28 04:48 10:50 17:00 23:07 05:28 11:31 17:41 23:45 06:07 12:12 18:21

9.1 0.7 9.3 0.0 9.2 0.6 9.2 0.0 9.3 0.7 9.0 0.2 9.2 0.8 8.7 0.4 9.0 1.0 8.3

21T

22F Last Qtr 23S

24S

25M

00:23 06:47 12:53 19:03 01:01 07:28 13:36 19:48 01:42 08:12 14:23 20:37 02:28 09:00 15:16 21:33 03:20 09:55 16:15 22:36

0.8 8.7 1.3 7.9 1.3 8.4 1.6 7.4 1.7 8.0 1.9 7.0 2.1 7.8 2.1 6.7 2.4 7.6 2.2 6.6

26T

27W

28T

29F

30S N e w Moon

04:21 10:54 17:16 23:38 05:24 11:54 18:14

2.6 31S 7.6 2.1 6.8 2.5 1M 7.8 Aug 1.7

00:36 06:25 12:49 19:06 01:26 07:20 13:39 19:53 02:13 08:10 14:26 20:38

7.2 2T 2.2 8.1 1.3 7.7 3W 1.6 8.6 0.7 8.4 4T 1.1 9.0 0.2

02:57 08:57 15:11 21:20 03:39 09:42 15:56 22:03 04:22 10:28 16:40 22:46 05:06 11:13 17:26 23:30 05:52 12:01 18:14

9.0 0.5 9.4 -0.2 9.6 0.0 9.7 -0.5 10.0 -0.3 9.8 -0.7 10.2 -0.4 9.6 -0.6 10.2 -0.3 9.3