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Hey Aaron, What’s happened to all those people given “torture vacations” is horrible, the fact that people can still do those kind of things to other people is disheartening, but the good thing is that there are still people that choose to recognize that this should never be the way to any goal no matter how noble you may feel that goal is. Obviously, he sued Canada because under current conditions, he could never make the US pay for having tortured him…I think you will like CR because people don’t tend to think something like that is acceptable and more importantly, things like this don’t happen in CR! “No pierdas la paz mi amigo”– I’ve loved your posts, please don’t let differences take away your enjoyment of this forum or change the beautiful flavor or your typical posts…I know that opposing opinions sometimes can bring on a lot of frustration (trust me, been there…). Unfortunately, no one can change another person’s mind–the best anyone can do is offer information and let others come to their own conclusions. As far as drwaltz, he has basically said that all dissenters should be “flogged and quartered–if not executed”– so there is nothing new there– just be grateful most people don’t quite feel that way (not even in the US). If we love and defend freedom of speech, then he should have his say and all who don’t agree can either respond or just ignore him because his posts are so outrages that answering them just gives them undue credit…The only positive thing I’ve taken away from those posts and actually am grateful for has been his blessing ’cause how can anyone turn down a blessing? We can certainly use as many blessings as possible right about now :)…Pura Vida!
Edited on Dec 08, 2007 07:15
Igloo, As I was getting ready for school and putting on some moisturizing skin lotion I remembered that not everything is negative for us humans that Costa Rica has such high humidity levels…As a matter of fact, your skin will think it’s marvelous and thank you by feeling soft, replenished and supple…something I miss when I’m not there and have to use lotions instead (but the feeling is not the same…) so don’t go overboard in trying to remove humidity, just keep the conditions mostly inhospitable for mold growth and you and your family should be fine…
Maravilla, using the dehumidifier to help dry your clothes has got to be the most innovative use of a dehumidifier that I have ever heard of! 🙂 And you’re right, keep that cross ventilation going inside the home or mold will undoubtedly become a problem….
Hi Igloo, CR doesn’t really have a mold “problem” per se, but because it is a tropical country, the high humidity levels and high biodiversity indices can create mold problem situations in your home if you’re not careful and will probably expose you to organisms that you have not been exposed to before. I was one of those post writers that you refer to. This may or may not cause you and your family to have an allergic reaction and it doesn’t need to limit your possibilities of living if you take the necessary precautions. Any mold or mildew will reproduce via small spores which are invisible to us and come into our homes from the outside air and only grow when they’ve landed on moist surfaces inside your home. The mold in the air is inevitable in most places of the globe, but what is NOT inevitable is that it will grow into a problem if you take some necessary precautions. As a tropical biologist I can tell you:
*The general advice is to reduce the humidity within your home to below 50% in your home, that may NOT be possible in CR so there what you must do is to keep it aired out (open windows regularly and create good ventilation patterns) and use fans if needed, don’t close up rooms for any long period of time, air out closets & cabinets from time to time, use bathroom fans and if you’re really worried about an area of your home being TOO humid, then use a dehumidifier there (but typically, not necessary…).
*Avoid stagnant water anywhere in the home or near the home caused by dripping or condensation build up from leaky pipes, clogged drains, a/c units (typically a/c is not necessary in most of CR), leaky roofs or clogged gutters, etc.
*Keep your home clean, furniture not totally against the walls (leave some air room), and clean up any mold or mildew as soon as you see it. If it smells moldy, look for it and clean it up with environmentally friendly substances to prevent any further allergic reaction in your family by using very toxic and usually unnecessary cleaning materials (vinegar & water, eco-friendlier detergents and worst case scenario then use bleach sparingly and NEVER mix it with anything else, specially not with something that contains ammonia since this will produce toxic fumes). Mold doesn’t become a problem overnight.
*Use anti-fungal paints on your interior and exterior walls and make sure those surfaces are free of mold (repaint as needed).
*I would highly suggest that you do NOT use wall to wall carpeting in CR as this could become a real mold problem that you may not see and can affect any person with allergies. Area rugs can easily be aired out and cleaned so they do not seem to be such a problem.
*If you do find mold growing on a porous surface in your home (ceiling tiles, carpeting, etc.) remove it and replace it, these CANNOT easily (if ever) be made free of the mold once it has started to grow there…
As a mom and someone that was not at first prepared to deal with this situation in CR and did develop asthma, keep your kids eating healthily to promote their immune system and they should be okay. The allergic reaction, if it does arise, should pass if their immune system is healthy. My 3 1/2 year old daughter never developed any allergic reactions, but I must say that I was much more careful with her nutrition than with my own. Something that I have since corrected and no longer suffer from asthma… Pura Vida!
Hi Aaron, These times have been incredibly troubling to all, even the people that voted for Bush because I don’t really think anyone expected or wanted him to turn this world upside down. God knows I never voted for the likes of Bush Sr nor Jr., but I hear from people that actually voted for GWB and are now so incredibly sorry. Thomas Jefferson knew that, “Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.” And I think that barring a few naive people that still believe those that have shown great consistency in their offering of information that has later turned out to be false, misleading or incorrect (which I hate to assume, but I don’t think includes Happygirl since she seems to be aware and judicious), most citizens of the world–irrespective of their political affiliations– seem to feel that something large has gone awry and they hope, pray and act to fix it–It’s just that we don’t all seem to agree in how to fix it, but I hope that none of us stop trying because too much is at stake…
Hi Dahlia, This must be a very exciting time for you–I hope you fall in love with Costa Rica just like so many of us have done upon arrival! The first time I visited CR I saw quite a bit of the country, but there was still so much to see. That country has very diverse areas even if at first everything just seems green…I still feel that I have much to see and I’ve been going there since 1982…You might want to make a list for yourself and for your Realtor as to what will be important for you and use Scott’s book to guide you along the way. He’s immensely knowledgeable about CR real estate (even if not immediately available all the time–his input will be worth the wait) and I’m sure the Realtor he recommended must also be very good at her job so they will be priceless sources of information and contacts once you land in CR so that armed with good information you will be able to listen to your heart, choose an area to live in, make a solid real estate investment and enjoy your new CR home as soon as possible. I also hope you will take the time to talk with the locals as part of your get to know CR plan (that’s always one of my favorite things to do 🙂 and don’t forget to enjoy the yourself along the way –not very hard to do in that beautiful country where you can be enjoy yourself in a million ways, including just laying in a hammock and enjoying the view…Please let us know how your adventure in CR turns out…I’m excited for you…Oh, before I forget, don’t forget that Ticos/as have another concept of time, if you know the rules it’s much easier to enjoy playing the game 🙂 Pura Vida!
Alfred, you’re not alone…many people that have spent their lives loving what the US stood for now write, call, rally and tell all that will listen, that this country has been stolen from them, it’s been hijacked right under our noses within only a few short years so that today you can’t recognize a place you once called home. I have felt incredibly proud of the thoughts that have come from many important US thinkers such as the Founding Fathers (in spite of them not being perfect…) and CERTAINLY the very basis of what this country was built on!
In spite of the strings attached to US AID given abroad, I have always witnessed incredible generosity from the people living within the US and recognize that both sources have come to the rescue of many unfortunate countries affected by acts of nature and other strife.
Today I can tell you that I pledge to seeking the truth, I pledge to demanding justice, I pledge to the Founding Father’s idea of inalienable rights (“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…”), I pledge to giving the US founding principles back to its citizenry, I pledge that I will not endorse government backed terrorism anywhere in the world nor silently accept that “it’s being done for my own good” and I most CERTAINLY pledge to the BRAVE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN that have been sent to be IN HARMS WAY BASED ON A LIE and if they’re lucky they’ll get to come home and find that their VETERAN BENEFITS have been CUT (this is backed by the President and is actually before Congress right now!!) in order to afford the continuation of this unethical and horrible war that has caused so much death and destruction for Iraqi people and for our own troops for no good reason at all!!! and I pledge to myself that I will NEVER blindly pledge to a government or a political philosophy that has stolen America from Americans BUT THIS WILL NEVER mean that I hate America because I pledged long ago that I would NEVER allow myself to hate another human being and I LOVE THE PRINCIPLES that made this a great nation, I just HATE what SOME people, individually and collectively, have done to this country and the ideals that it represented….
I agree with you Maravilla, but you may just have discovered another little side affect, it makes people crazy :). Anyway, that’s why I have well water and avoid public water as much as possible. I saw this great water purifying system the other day that filters & purifies (without the use of chemicals) 15 L of water per minute and the thing costs less than $10K. This is certainly feasible for many communities. You have to wonder why everyone is so hell bent on adding toxins to our food and water and then sit in wonder when they become seriously ill!
I agree Aaronbz, at least for now, I rally, I write, I question…but there may come a time when we may not be public about our dissent if we want to live to see the light of day again, but in the meantime I will go down trying to reason with the unreasonable and when that doesn’t work trying to be part of those willing to expose them. The human spirit is amazing and if Frankl could find joy inside a concentration camp, then I think most of us are capable of finding a way to still love, believe in peace and live by it and create more with love than is relinquished with war…I’ve been meaning to tell you that I love what you wrote, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” It may sound kitschy (Ticos/as would say cursi), but LIFE is not a destination and neither is what we want in it…We need to choose to LIVE it, to honor it every single day to the fullest (whatever that may mean for each person) or we may find ourselves at the end of the road realizing that we only managed to survive all those years and never quite learned to live….Besides worst comes to worst, I have to give up my fancy dresses to work on a farm–heck, I would give up much more than elegant clothing for peace! Besides, I have a scrumptious bed of zucchini awaiting me in CR…. Pura Vida!
As I’m sure you know Maravilla, fluoride is poison which is one of the main reasons toothpaste is not to be ingested–That’s why I use my delicious well water and test it to make sure some nincompoop doesn’t contaminate it with nitrates trying to keep his lawn green…But now I have another reason to be thankful I don’t use public water..LOL! I absolutely love your humor!! 🙂
Maravilla, I can’t wait to meet you and I’m sure we can find a lot of very productive and useful ways to expend energy that are much more fulfilling than to watch certifiably mentally disturbed individuals ruin America and the noble dreams it once held for many…
If I didn’t know better, I would think that the administration has contaminated US Citizens with mental illness. Maybe the naturally occurring kind can’t be passed on, but either something has been put in the water, air or TV airwaves to create quite a group of let’s say, alternative reality individuals….
Roark, take this from someone that has been studying mental health for a long time, have a friend take you to the nearest mental health clinic/hospital and tell them that the current events and the propaganda on commercial TV news has pushed you over the edge and that you are now a threat to others…Please do not bring your mental health issues to CR unless you are looking to spend some time at Chapui–I happen to know some administrative staff there that could make accommodations for you, but it’s no Club Med there…People do not normally perceive great joy in the fears of others unless you’re a certifiable sadist…That alone should be making you very, very afraid for your own mental health…
Maravilla, I was certainly hoping to meet you under much better circumstances than this as I think you’re such an intelligent and interesting woman, but I do appreciate your kind and generous offer and may just take you up on this. What good will my scientific education be (based on questioning for research and scientific advancement) if I find myself in a country where I can’t even question the post office much less any other government agency without being considered a national risk???
I will protest, write, call, vote and do whatever else is within my power, but in the end you may be right and in order not to visit my beloved Cuba via Guantanamo I may have to find myself repeating my parents exile story! Nonetheless, even exile may not quite keep me safe because where do you hide from this kind to pervassive lunacy! Anyway, in case it comes to that Maravilla, would you happen to have the need for a Tropical Biologist/Bio-psychology researcher regarding nutrition and mental health that could find refuge on your farm in CR? 🙁 Que tirada!
Edited on Dec 03, 2007 12:42
You basically couldn’t read that post without asking yourself, “Is this guy for real?” But you know what they say Lotus, life can be much stranger than fiction…Let’s hope it was just for shock value or a “let’s rile up the liberals” maneuver, but we wouldn’t be in this “fine mess” if some people didn’t actually think this way while the rest of us couldn’t bring ourselves to think that another US citizen could support and believe actions showing such meager moral and political judgement….
Maravilla, As always, I’m indebted to you…thank you for posting such important information…I have already written to my Senators and will continue to follow this. Frankly, even when I felt the US took on doctrines that were less than charitable to other countries, I always felt a certain safety within the US. After 9/11 that was one of the things everyone commented, you couldn’t feel sure anymore that havoc wouldn’t strike us at home and everyone has wanted to feel “safe” again by giving up exactly that which grants us that possibility—our protected freedoms…It’s like blindly running into the arms of a sweet looking grandma even when those perceiving the furry tail under her gown try to warn us that there’s only a most ferocious wolf awaiting….I think each and everyone of us has a duty to try to do something to stop this collective dementia and if all fails, heaven help us all….
