By Janine Lacare

I write to you today to let you know, not so much about the organization, Kids Saving The Rainforest, (KSTR) but more on how it got started.  KSTR is a 501 (C) 3, non-profit organization that was founded 11 years ago in 1999 by my best friend Aislin and me.

Here is our story:

Being the young kids that we were, we decided that we wanted to start making money all on our own. We started out by making paper-Mache bottles and painted rocks as paper weights.  We set up our little (but crazy-cute) roadside stand on a “recyclable” cardboard box, selling our items to passing strangers.  Although we made a couple of bucks of some random passerby’s, our intentions to save the rainforest had not yet begun.

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Filed under: Janine Licare, Kids Saving the Rainforest on January 24th, 2010
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By Donna Porter

Creating and maintaining private gardens for individuals to enjoy has been a part of my life for the past 30 years, but creating public gardens has been my passion for the last 20.  A private garden can be enjoyed by perhaps a hundred or so people, while a public garden is available for the enjoyment and education of hundreds of thousands. Mixing and matching plants in a garden design to showcase (or show-off) their best features is such a pleasure to me and the resulting combination can be magnetizing in a landscape. This is the thrill that makes creating gardens so much fun.  But, the real reward for me is utilizing this skill in connecting people with  plants.

So what is a public garden and what is so special about them?  Well, I am so glad that you asked, and please, allow me to enlighten you.  Public gardens are places that are open to the public and whose plantings provide an educational and/or recreational resource that assist in the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and the enhancement of the natural  landscape. Public gardens encourage the people/plant connection.  In North America, public gardens are as diverse as the natural world itself and include botanical gardens, display gardens, therapeutic gardens, nature centers, sculpture gardens, arboreta, parks, college campuses, historic landscapes and believe it or not, even some cemeteries are considered public gardens.  It seems, though, that within this group, botanical gardens hold the most overall appeal.

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Filed under: Donna Porter, It's a Wonderful World of Plants on January 19th, 2010
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by Bruce Zabov

Now that the holidays are over and their traditionally rich, heavy (but so good) flavors with them, our taste buds and digestive tracts can benefit from lighter fare. Waistlines probably can, too. Coconut Curry Shrimp has the light sweet but not-so-sweet texture and flavor of shrimp enhanced by the piquancy of a hint of curry and the smoothness of coconut milk that  gives a rich flavor without adding calories.

Aside from peeling the shrimp, prep and cooking time are minimal, and the dish can be cooked, set aside and reheated just before serving time. Ideal for guests. With its colors and aromas it looks grandly elegant presented at the table and the tastes meet all your expectations. (more…)

Filed under: Bruce Zabov, Cooking Corner on January 19th, 2010
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by Matt Casseday

(This is a reprint of one of Matt’s personal favorites courtesy of ill timed ICE work to improve our lives during deadline)

I am currently doing research for a book I hope to publish called “Myths and Legends of Costa Rica”.  The following is an excerpt:

The Honest Alcalde -  There was once an Alcalde (Mayor) who became suspicious that many of his associates and underlings seemed to be living way beyond what their salaries could provide.  His own secret investigation revealed massive municipal fraud and diversion of funds intended to benefit all the citizens of his town.  The outraged Alcalde immediately sacked the corrupt municipal employees and pressed criminal charges.  The town later became famous throughout Costa Rica for its’ clean, paved, well-lit thoroughfares, excellent municipal service and overall beauty.

The Ethical Gringo Investor – A successful Gringo businessman retired early and came to Costa Rica, living comfortably off of the interest from various investments.  One day, another retired Gringo told him about a group of Costa Ricans known as “The Family”. Amazing, this group paid investors almost 50% annually.  Soon the Gringo businessman met with a “Family” rep to discuss the possibilities of investing with them.  However, certain things about the “Family” troubled him.  None had any training or education in the world of economics. They were extremely secretive about how they could pay such high returns. Something stunk afoot. The Gringo businessman returned to his village and decided it was better to earn less from his legitimate investments than to reap a small fortune on a possibly unethical enterprise.

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Filed under: Crazy From the Heat, Matt Casseday on January 19th, 2010
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By Jack Ewing

The troop of 28 monkeys was strung out over about 100 meters, moving through the forest. The lead monkey, a mature female, came to an area where the tree cover was broken by an open swamp with only a narrow corridor two trees wide going around it. About half way across the corridor the leader abruptly leapt back and let out an excited yelp, one of several different alarm barks the two observers had heard them use. This initial bark was followed by a series of short barks in a slightly calmer voice. Flor Vallet scanned the foliage with her binoculars near where the lead monkey had been when when it jumped back. Finally she saw the source of alarm, a non venomous bird-eating snake. It wasn’t large enough to harm a full grown monkey, or even a juvenile, but it was a snake nevertheless, and they instinctively disliked it. The troop kept moving forward, but as they arrived at the point where the snake was coiled each monkey veered over into a neighboring tree, staying well out of its reach. They didn’t need any further signals. Every monkey in the troop knew exactly where the snake was coiled. Was this communicated to them via the alarm call followed by the short series of barks emitted by the lead monkey when it first saw the snake?

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Filed under: Jack Ewing, Nature Stories on January 18th, 2010
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Soy el Año Nuevo, vengo a ti puro e inmaculado; acabo de salir de las manos de Dios. Cada día es una perla de gran precio que te es concedida para que la ensartes en el hilo de plata de la vida.

Una vez ensartada, ya no puede desenhebrarse jamás; queda allí como un testimonio inmortal de tu fe y de tu destreza. Debes fundir entonces, cada minuto, como eslabón dorado a la cadena eterna de las horas.
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Filed under: Academia D'Amore, Tico Talk on January 18th, 2010
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By Charlie Berghammer

How exciting to begin the year by sharing the story of a recently migrated expat to Costa Rica who knew from the start that his coming to Costa Rica was more than just to live a comfortable lifestyle in the tropics.  His story is that of many of us who have come looking for ways to INTEGRATE into our local Costa Rican communities.  What Greg Anderson and many others have discovered is that the catalyst for this integration can come through engagement in local community service.

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Filed under: Charlie Berghammer, Making a Difference on January 16th, 2010
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