By Donna Porter
Allow me to introduce you to one of the shadiest families I know of – the Marantaceae Family. They love dark, damp, hummusy places….. but, are actually a fine and honorable group of plants that have even been known to pray. These bold beauties exult and thrive in the shade, where their colors are more pronounced, rich and vibrant. There simply could not be a lovelier selection of shade- loving plants than those that are found in the Marantaceae Family. It is commonly known as the Prayer Plant Family due to the fact that a few of the species of this family (mainly Maranta leuconeura, commonly called “Prayer Plant”) rolls together its leaf edges and slants upward, like praying hands, in response to darkness. This lengthwise cupping of the leaf is made possible due to a specialized joint on the leaf’s petiole (seen at the base of the leaf) called the pulvinus. The pulvinus allows this movement in the leaf and also makes for easy identification of this family.
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Filed under: Donna Porter, It's a Wonderful World of Plants on November 29th, 2011
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There’s a whole new world of terms out there that may be confusing to you, such as Carbon Footprint and Carbon Neutral. We are going to explain them and hopefully teach you to reduce your carbon footprint!
So, just what does Carbon Footprint mean? Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide given out through the use of fossil fuels by a person on a daily basis.
Do you want to know how much carbon do you emit? There are lots of websites on the internet to calculate your footprint, but the one listed below is one that seems to work easily. www.zerofootprintoffsets.com (Please note that you have to say that you live in the US or Canada to get your calculations).
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Filed under: Kids Saving the Rainforest on November 29th, 2011
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Written by Melissa Ellenburg, Volunteer
This is one of 3 children’s stories written by the 16 year old Ellenburg Triplets. Their 3 stories will become a a book to be sold by KSTR to teach children the importance of saving the rainforest. It will be available next year.
There once was a monkey named Marcel. He lived in a beautiful rainforest filled with perky parrots and colorful flowers. Marcel was very happy here. He swung in the trees and ate fruit and bugs all day long.
One, day big monsters made out of metal came to the rainforest and started cutting trees down. They made loud roars and scared Marcel and all his friends and family. The people driving the machines said, “We need these trees to make paper and all kinds of things.”
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Filed under: Kids Saving the Rainforest on November 29th, 2011
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Escriba tres oraciones en cada tiempo o estructura verbal con los verbos que se le presenten:
PRETERITO IMPERFECTO
- Ver: __________________________________________________________
- Extrañar: _______________________________________________________
- Quebrada: ______________________________________________________
FUTURO IMPERFECTO
- Independizar: ___________________________________________________
- Deducir: _______________________________________________________
- Tener: _________________________________________________________
Filed under: Academia D'Amore, Tico Talk on November 27th, 2011
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By Bill Dwyer
The soup that evolved into Gazpacho originated in medieval Andalusia, Spain’s southernmost province, when it was ruled by Moorish caliphs. The original dish bore hardly any resemblance to the soup we now know as Gazpacho. It consisted of a loaf of bread that had been soaked in water and wrung out, then ground with garlic in a mortar and pestle. Olive oil vinegar and water were then added to complete the soup. No doubt this filled the belly, but it doesn’t sound very palatable to me! I’m not surprised that, after Spain re-conquered Andalusia and Columbus brought new fruits and vegetables from the new world, Spaniards soon replaced the water with tomato juice and started adding other ingredients. Read More…
Filed under: Cooking Corner on November 27th, 2011
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By Jim Parisi
What do you get when you combine eleven musicians from Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia and El Salvador who create a fusion sound of reggae, cumbia and funk, then let them tour Europe? If you ask the musicians of Sonambulo, they will tell you that the result is a new style of music that they call “psicotropical”, a catchy phrase for their very infectious music. The band’s first album, “A Puro Peluche”, was released in January 2009 with a lot of positive acclaim and little distribution. It was reissued in 2010 and promptly won the ACAM Best Tropical Album award.
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Filed under: Jim Parisi, Music Review on November 25th, 2011
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By Costa Rica Pools & Construction
Tiles, whether ceramic tiles or natural stone or glass tiles, should not fall off. There are all-tiled pools that go back over 100 years and they are still performing well today. Tile when installed correctly is a great pool or spa tile that not only looks great and prestigious, but should last the life of the pool.
Chances are when the tile was installed it was not installed per industry standards and it has several compounding defects. Generally speaking when there is a problem it is not due to one single factor, but due to compounding defects. Keep in mind that most installers do not learn their trade from a college or trade school, but rather learn on the job, so quite often they are not familiar with industry standards or the complexity of high risk applications such as swimming pools and spas that needs to be properly waterproofed. We have repaired hundreds of swimming pools with improper installation. The most common thing we find is that the previous installer did not use the proper thin-set to attach the tile and/or tried to use a grout not designed for under water application, we have even seen where they used either the thin-set or a homemade concrete mix as a grout. When they cut corners to save money it is a sure way to have a failure or problem in a very short time. Another issue we see with tile falling off is the improper water chemistry. Your pool water must maintain calcium hardness levels of 200-400 PPM to stop the water from being corrosive and attacking the new grout and any metals including your equipment. We offer free water test to see how your calcium levels are in your pool and we can repair any pool problems you may have.
Information provide by: Costa Rica Pools & Construction-located in Quepos-2777-1700 (across the street from the futball field next to Sansa) and in Uvita-2743-8200 (in the Dome Plaza across from Bridgestone), costaricapools@hotmail.com
Filed under: Costa Rica Pools & Construction, Pool Care Basics on November 25th, 2011
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The Quepos Bridge Club plays at 12 noon every Tuesday at Dos Locos Restaurant.
visitors since December 2009
