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FOOD EFFICIENCY: For over half a century global experts have stated that meat production is a very inefficient converter of protein. Humans directly eating vegetable matter is much more efficient, thus cost effective. Yes, cattle eat grass which we cannot, but a large part of the weight of cattle, even in grass rich Costa Rica, is put on with grain laden with antibiotics (I know this from knowing people in the cattle business in Costa Rica – Their profits are directly proportional to the additional grain).
VEGETARIANISM: In this regard learning how to be a healthy vegetarian can cut food cost AND improve your health. There is a TON of misinformation about vegetarianism including those who say you cannot get sufficient nutrition without meat or dairy. This is not true. But vegetarians can have a bad diet just as do many non-vergetarians. You need variety, beans, barley and nuts as well as lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. AND certain supplements (vitamins) are good in either case as well (no diet is perfect).
Yes, people evolved as omnivores but the meat part of the human diet was very small except in a few cases. Those that point out these extreme cases should be made aware of the short life span of the last very high meat diet populations on the planet (Eskimos and their counterparts in Siberia). The high level of meat in the North American diet (and elsewhere) is directly proportional to health problems (heart disease, diabetes, cancer).
Learning to cook vegetables so they are tasty and not boring is an important aspect to being a successful vegetarian. Meat, animal fats in particular, are the lazy (or uneducated) cooks’ choice of flavoring, followed by salt. Properly prepared beans with onions, garlic and chilli peppers can be just as good as meat filled chilli. The same goes for a well made spaghetti sauce (which we often make with beans and call chillietti).
DRIED BEANS and GRAINS keep well for a long time without refrigeration. Thus they can be stockpiled (along with the spices to cook them) for bad times. Many people add RICE to this list but rice is one of those high glycemic foods that should be avoided if you are trying to reduce the effects of diabetes as well as lose/maintain weight.
Costa Rica has really great fresh food markets, particularly in many rural areas. The prices are much lower than in the US so far. . . The tying of corn and sugar prices to global energy costs has been one of the most evil things to happen in the past century and is effecting food prices everywhere.
—————————————————ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE: Can be worthless in many cases BUT it can also be better than supposed “fact” in other cases. The source and logic must be carefully scrutinized.
MILK: In my case the ONE time I drank unpasteurized milk I had the worst case of food poisoning in my life. Luckily I was young (mid 20’s) and resilient. Today it would probably kill me. . .
Today we use Almond Milk when necessary for cooking. It works for cooking including making pudding. Since it does not quite act like an animal based protien the amount must be adjusted (lowered) and results not expected to be identical in all cases. A big advantage is that it keeps a long time. Since we do not use a lot of milk we were often tossing soured cows milk. We have never had to do so with almond milk (Silk is the best commercial brand).
A product that does not spoil (without a lot of added preservatives) costs much less in the long run.
Don’t forget that alcoholic beverages cannot be sold the night before and on many Catholic holidays or election days in Costa Rica. We have been caught off guard several times when trying to purchase a bottle of wine for the evening only to find the store display covered with plastic sheeting. Costa Rica is a Catholic nation and its the law.
Being non-Catholic I have also made the faux-pax of pointing out the smudge on someone’s forehead on Ash Wednesday. . . I really felt dumb. . . Its a good idea to learn which holidays are celebrated locally and how.
The reason for celebrating a holiday from home is to invite friends to a dinner party and enjoy their company. As a recently turned vegetarian (3 years) I’ve also learned that holiday meals are what you make them. A feast is a feast with or without the Turkey or Ham.
Well. . You have time to do some research. STUDY Scotto’s book on Costa Rica Realestate. Also try to find a copy of “The Ticos”. Its a bit dated but it helps you understand the people and why they may seem overly helpful but not helpful at the same time.
The best travel guide and maps we found came from National Geographic. But I would also get a current Lonely Planet guide. The National Geographic explorer map is soft treated paper or plastic that is water proof AND easily folded (for back packing). Some of the other waterproof maps are too stiff. We have 4 different maps of Costa Rica and all have the identical content. I thought I could navigate roads anywhere with a map but in rural Costa Rica many roads have no signs and many towns either. In small towns look for the public telephone sign – it usually has the name of the town or village.
GPS is good but maps are also helpful. From what I can tell of Google Earth’s digital maps there are a LOT of missing roads. Your GPS may be better but a map is good backup and has information a GPS does not. IF you are serious about buying property I would get a set of the official government topographic maps which have ALL the roads – including many horse/cattle paths that are used as farm roads. This is where you find the BEST places in Costa Rica.
10 days goes by quickly. My most enjoyable trip was 3 weeks. Had time to relax AND explore.
The good Doctor needs to study the current information on diet as published in the China Study and in dietary books by Dr. Joel Fuhrman MD., Eat To Live and Eat for Health.
The Beans and Rice diet is too heavy on processed grain (the rice). Beans and barley are a better balance. Meat can be entirely eliminated from the diet if sufficient high nutrient vegetables are eaten (kale, bok-choy or spinach) as well as nuts (almonds, walnuts. . .). If the necessary variety of vegetables and supplements are not available then some fish can be added to the diet. In Costa Rica the farm grown talapia are a good source of missing nutrients.
Probably the most important part of a healthy vegetarian diet is variety. Variety supplies micro nutriants and phyto nutriants that have many known and many yet to be determined benefits. Variety also reduces dietary boredom.
Pico de Gallo, a type of Salsa popular in Costa Rica is not just a “condiment” it is a source of vitamins and beneficial hot pepper. It is best when made with salt substitute.
When we cook our beans (a mix of every type), the basis of our vegetarian diet, we add sweet green peppers, onions, garlic, celery, kale or spinach (depending on availability), serrano (medium hot peppers), chili powder (hot pepper, oregano. . . mix), powdered cloves, black pepper, celery seed,d mustard AND barley – for protein balance. Sometimes we add mushrooms or use the bright colored sweet
We normally add home made salsa to the beans to add even more flavor.
The beans above can be used to make stuffed peppers or mushrooms for variety. I’ve blended them to make “gravy” to go with mashed potatoes but often just eat them on top of baked sweet potatoes (no added oil or sugar).
Costa Rican farmers grow a vast variety of fruits vegetables including many hot peppers used more for export than in local dishes. Its this variety that is more important in a healthy diet than just beans and rice.
The traditional diet is not necessarily the best. A beans and rice diet can result in malnutrition. Yes, it is all there to enjoy a long healthy life in Costa Rica but it requires nutritional knowledge.
As to cost of living – we manage to get by on less than $15K/year in the US and have two cars and all the expense that implies – our house is paid for. We could do it on $1000/month in CR but it would be tough.
Before thinking about working in Costa Rica you should really visit the country for a few weeks outside of the tourist areas and see how many of the people live who have low incomes.
Almost all homes have running water. But many do not have sewer connection OR septic tanks. It is not unusual to see gray water draining into rural roadside ditches (you hope that is all it is). Hot running water is not “standard” in many rural homes.
The climate in much of the country is conducive to not having windows and many openings in rural homes do not have screens either. Most DO have steel security guards or shutters at the least. But no glass.
The common kitchen in these homes has a concrete sink, a portable propane cook top and sometimes a refrigerator. If they have a refrigerator it is something smaller than anything you ever saw in the US other than those sold for dorm rooms. . .
Anyone in the US with a roof over their heads generally lives in a much better place. A run down trailer in a trailer park is better accommodations.
Wages in CR are often just a few hundred dollars a month. While food and and some living costs are less many other things cost more. Most people in CR walk miles to the store and to schools. Longer distances are by bus. They sell a type of milk processed so that it does not need refrigeration because it would spoil on the average walk home in tropical heat. . .
Working without papers in CR is worse than working without papers in the US. In the US we have Mexicans who will work for one half to one third of what a U.S. citizen is willing to take. In CR they have Nicaraguans (called Nicas – a bit too close to what is sounds like and used the same way), that work for less than the Ticos and live in the worst of poverty conditions.
One attraction to living in CR is that wages are so low that even on Social Security many gringos could afford a house keeper (provided they owned a home, not rented and were frugal otherwise).
There are a LOT of things that are wonderful about Costa Rica. But most of us from the US would not be happy living like a Tico. If you are so desperate to get out of where you are I am sure there are many people who would hire you (for room and board) in the US as a housekeeper. . . The same situation that might await you in Costa Rica but under much nicer conditions here.
When I started making plans to live in CR I had an Internet business that would support me until Social Security came in. Until then I would have to live as a Tourist. But before I could move the economy collapsed and my Internet business has suffered to the point that I could not make it in CR. SO my plans have changed.
I looked at the move as a “great adventure”. But it is not one I would want to drag dependent children into unless I was financially secure OR had an escape plan.
It sounds like you have a wonderful dream. I think people should follow their dreams. But often you need to wake up to the reality that is not part of the dream.
The only Jeep I have owned I could not keep maintained (in the US) and it was the only vehicle I’ve ever lost money on.
The problem with Jeeps is the company went from making its own, to buying engines and transmissions from the big three, back to making its own. . . and then being taken over by Chrysler (who uses Japanese engines in many of it most popular models). The one I had was an overhead Cam straight 6 (similar to a Mercedes engine) that the DOD insisted on and Jeep built ONE year. The government bought thousands of them and they are ALL in wrecking yards. . .
A friend of mine has a Jeep Cherokee in New Zealand. It is his toy and is like maintaining a sports car. He does most of his own work and buys parts from the U.S. . .
The most common OLD 4WD vehicles seen in CR are Land Rovers. Occasionally you see an American truck with giant oversize tires, but the rest are Japanese.
If you want something easy to maintain in Costa Rica, buy a Japanese vehicle in Costa Rica.
Metal Fabrication is a broad topic. Keeping what you want made a secret and asking the question is useless.
Do you need CNC machining? A one off weldment? Sheet metal work? Decorative Ironwork? I can fix you up with a first class artist blacksmith that does real traditional (European style) ironwork (not the cheap tack welded re-bar stuff). He can make anything from furniture or custom locks to grand railings for your castle. . .
Ideas cannot be copyrighted, only the expression of that idea. Copyright does not last forever, it is limited and then the work becomes public domain.
Certain ideas can be patented but the act of patenting an idea requires public disclosure and has a very limited life. Thus things that might be kept as trade secrets for hundreds of years become public in 17 years (or less). Generally the disclosure of a patented idea awakens others to the possibility of other solutions and the result is technical advancement. Patent owners themselves search for newer BETTER ways of doing things knowing that clock is ticking.
To say Copyright (ownership of intellectual or intangible property) is absurd is no different than saying that ownership of real property is absurd (the basis of pure communism). If you do not believe in private property then as a civil person you would not refuse my use of your house, car or clothing for an indefinite period. In fact you can forget the possessive “Your” as it no longer exists in your world devoid of ownership. Borrow? Well that assumes ownership. I’ll just move in . . .
Of course most people are not that civil and they will fight (often to the death) to prevent someone from taking their property. This applies to individuals and countries. . . So we have laws that give people the right to own property and punishes others from taking it. This includes the things people create including art, music and literature (intangible property).
I agree, patenting nature IS a bad idea and the courts that allowed it after hundreds of years of refusing it were wrong. But it is a law just like any other and can be changed if the public wants. But its the same laws that keeps me from moving into “your” home for an indefinite stay without asking. You either believe in property rights and laws that support them or not.
[quote=”sprite”]. . . If you put anything there, it is public property. Leave your privacy, your “business” and what you consider your private property at home where it belongs…. Unless you want to share it at no cost to others. . . .
[/quote]Posting something for people to read freely is different than giving it away. When people copy your work and post it (re publish it) in other places it diminishes the value of that work. For centuries artists and authors have been given property rights in their work in order to be able to continue producing more work to enlighten the public.
While many people THINK the Internet is “free” it is not. Every decent web site has costs. These include annual name registration, hosting, software, secure certs and on large sites server leasing ($100/month and UP) and technical services (labor). My fixed costs are in the hundreds of dollars per month. And while I write/edit most of my own operating scripts I have thosands invested in a cart system. I suspect THIS site’s expenses are less but still significant.
THEN there is the time the webmaster puts in. If you leave a site with forums alone for just a very short time the spammers will make a mess of it. New articles and photos need to be added regularly to keep the public interested AND worst of all, the occasional server and systems upgrade (crash) or change that can soak up hundreds of hours. . .
On my site we have hundreds (may several thousand images). Most of them are photos I took or drawings I made. But many are donated. Due to the subject and the locations the photos are taken (dark dingy blacksmith shops) almost every photo is significantly reworked AKA “photoshoped”. Many have enough hours in them to be digital works of art. This is a huge cost in time, labor and creativity.
I “give” all this to the public to view freely. BUT the costs must be compensated and thus we have advertising — just as every other commercial entity on the web must have and the same for commercial radio and television.
If you take away copyright there would be no books published except by the rich and by governments and there would be no movies or television. . . unless produced and distributed by governments (the only people that would have 10’s of millions to invest).
If you think putting some control on copyright is distasteful then consider what it would be like having all your reading material coming from the rich and the government. . . Copyright and advertising is what keeps free speech alive and the Internet available.
In general it is a bad law obviously written by the industry and not tempered in the slightest by the submitter.
But there IS a significant copyright issue than needs to be addressed. As I noted above, I think the industry brings a lot of it upon themselves. But on the other hand, many of the protesters are making money off copyright infringement. Reddit does, so does Google/YouTube, eBay. .
I’ve had content stolen (original articles and illustrations WITH copyright notices) and posted on sites maintained by Yahoo, Google, eBay and others and tried to get it removed. . . It is nearly impossible.
I run a web site much like this one (about blacksmithing) with both public and privately submitted content. Nothing on my site infringes on anyone’s copyright, as nothing HERE does that I have ever noticed. I often reject articles that are submitted with images that are taken from other sources with no attribution or permission to use. That is part of the business.
What google/youtube wants is to not be responsible for user supplied content that infringes on copyright. BUT they DO want to make money from that content AND they want THEIR copyrights maintained. . . They want rights they refuse to me (will not remove MY stolen content).
The entertainment industry wants to be able to stop their content from being hosted overseas OR on google/youtube and others profiting from it. It is their property rights.
Where it gets complicated is that any web site can have a page with advertising and plug in content (a film), OR have a user plug in content in the middle of the page without the site hosting it. It can be hosted in Russia, China, Vietnam, Korea. . . a home PC. That content (property) is generating advertising revenue for the web operator who does not own the content. Should the web site operator be responsible for the copyright infringement of an anonymous public user?
YES they should. They are making income off a criminal act. Google makes millions every day off others illegal acts. It is a small but significant portion of their income. For others, doing the same more blatantly it may be 100% of their income.
But what these sites claim is that they are only “linking” to the content. The gray area is the difference between a link and an embedded content. But link farms and directories make money off simple links (or Google would not exist).
If you are in the business of buying and selling stolen goods (known as fencing) you are just as responsible as the thief. If you make money off stolen content it is no different. So, what is your legal standing if you are only the referral to the fence (or thousands of fences) and profiting from it?
So a law IS coming. Hopefully not this one. But new laws ARE coming.
Meanwhile, the only people this law would hurt (financially) are Google, yahoo and blatent pirate sites. Small HONEST operators such as Scott and myself or big providers such as Hulu (who PAYS for all their content), would not be effected in any way. The public? Less “free” stolen content and fewer choices for hiding stolen content.
The very first thing to do is measure flow and head (how much drop) you have. Small high speed turbines typically need a LOT of head. 100 to 200 feet is not unusual but is common in Costa Rica depending on where you are.
If you have a lot of water (a small river) and less than 50 feet of head you need a large low speed turbine. These are not so common and are more expensive than the little high head units.
Besides the hardware and the pipe you need clean water. Leaves and other debris (banana bags) clog intakes and often need cleaning (daily by hand) and turbid streams with lots of sand will eat up small high speed turbines. To avoid this you need a pond or reservoir. If organic debris is a problem you may need an automated trash rack.
How dependable is your water? Most streams are very dependable but often flood. Frequent flooding causes more down time than drought. You need to know the historical character of your water supply.
How much power you need varies a lot as well as situations. If you need dependable off-grid power you will need batteries AND a duplicate set of hydro equipment. This stuff commonly fails just when you need it the most (bad bearings, chewed turbines, failed valves. . .). Having spares is especially true in remote areas (all of CR can be classified as remote).
I’ve been involved in designing and building small hydro systems including living with them. Do not take my statement about spares lightly. If you cannot afford to have a second complete turbine and generator setting in a box ready to install you cannot afford the system. When you install it (and you will) you will need to replace (or repair) the spare ASAP (weeks not months).
Small hydro is NOT cheap. Yes you can save on electric bills or even make a profit. But these are investments that often take a decade to break even. They are a great off-the-grid power source but you had better plan on becoming VERY familiar with the system. You may not need to know how to engineer it but you will need to know how to completely tear it down and repair it (or swap out major components based on knowledge based mechanical and electric decisions).
The video played OK for me. But it is higher resolution than it needed to be for smooth streaming on most connections.
The entertainment industry does not get it. Video rentals, which they fought SAVED Hollywood and has made many films profitable that were not in theaters. The industry now make billions on rentals and direct sales.
Currently many television content producers are forcing folks to pay a CABLE company for access to their on-line content but do not provide an alternative. IF I could pay a small fee to watch favorite TV shows I would probably do it. But we do not have cable or satellite television and DO NOT want it. Cable companies have created a system that forces people to pay for services they DO NOT WANT (in my case a dozen sports channels topped by another dozen Soap Operas and a handful of religious channels). I DO NOT want a package that “may change without notice” full of stuff I do not want. Give people the choice as they do on the Internet and charge reasonable fees.
There is plenty of money to be made with Internet content but the Entertainment industry has not figured it out. Dump the cable companies. Give folks a choice and go direct and they will not need new laws. .
They are like being a WASP in the U.S. They pass for locals so no one asks. But they also live in an entirely underground economy as do many Mexicans in the U.S. They work jobs where people pay cash and do not report taxes.
This becomes a form of economic and legal slavery. They cannot apply for government benefits so they pay cash for medical treatment. They cannot complain about their pay or working conditions else they may get turned in. The employer does not have to do the paperwork for taxes, insurance, workman’s compensation. . .
Why “legal” slavery, because at least in the U.S. (but also in other places) it is allowed to happen. Big corporations LIKE low wages. And all it takes is a small but significant percentage of workers that will take sub-standard wages to drop the wages of ALL. When big corps are happy so is the government. . . Individuals also enjoy cheaper goods, so we let economic slavery exist.
People say the illegals do jobs nobody else wants. THAT is a lie. The illegals do jobs at wages citizens can not afford. Did you know that with housing cost 10x what it did to build in the 1970’s that carpenters, masons, plasters and painters earn HALF in uncorrected dollars than they did 40 years ago.
Its the same in Costa Rica. The big growers like the cheap labor. . . so there is pressure to NOT enforce the law.
YES, It will still be with us in 15 years.
WHY? Because they are still taking money out of millions of paychecks as part of the “system”. No matter how bad things get NOTHING would be as bad for the U.S. Government as denying the promised benefits. There would be a violent revolution in the U.S. if this occurred.
Now. . what MAY disappear is Medicare and Medicaid as they were not promised benefits.
AND the value, due to printing more paper money to make the promised payments may be worth less and less. . . At least HALF at the current rate of real inflation (based on oil prices and the fact that EVERYTHING important is being tied to oil).
The real question should be, “Will MY SS benefits still be accepted as a pension for residency in Costa Rica when the time comes?”
The amount necessary to obtain residency was increased a few years ago. Will it go up again? With a devaluing dollar and increased costs they could easily double it 15 years from now and not be equivalent to today’s money.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]
My first Ruby-throat migrant arrived yesterday!:D[/quote]This summer we had hummers by the dozen here in North Carolina and were sad to see them leave about a month ago. . . Glad they made it! 🙂
We are not sure what native plants they prefer here. I suspect flowering trees. Supposedly they like trumpet flowers but they are too sparse to keep all the hummers fed. We have butterfly bush which the hummers like.
