oceanographer

It seems resident gringos usually either love or hate (or simply adjust to) Tico health care, especially the CAJA. But on the whole, prescription drugs are pretty cheap compared to what equivalent costs are in the good ole U. S. of A. And private care is, on the whole, pretty damn good. If you maintain your U.S. citizenship, and still vote in elections, you might be interested in the deal that members of Congress (which currently has a 16% approval rating) enjoy for their drugs needs. Are you surprised that some members of Congress are taking meds for Alzheimer's Disease? https://www.statnews.com/2017/10/11/pharmacist-congress-drug-delivery/

Over recent months I have noticed a substantial decrease in posting to Scott Oliver's 11 year old forum - and even more obvious since he sold it. Actually, I see only 3 posting in 2 weeks, whereas when I first joined it there were dozens per day. I know there are several ARCR posters who were on, then left, Scott's forum. I'm wondering if there were philosophical disagreements with the content, or just natural evolution [the new format is "difficult"] leading to extinction.

honeybees LOVE coffee flowers. I LOVE coffee. Do you love coffee? If you are young, love coffee, but think that climate change is a hoax, check this out: http://www.greenprophet.com/2016/09/climate-change-could-make-coffee-extinct-by-2080/ Drink up now.

You say tomayto, I say tomahto. Either way, it's el Tomate y it charges you up.

CocoChanel - "How come if they use pesticides, there are bugs on the vegetables you bring home?" costaricafinca - "Different applications for different problems....plus the supplier not cleaning his produce very well." Another problem [worldwide]: inappropriate use of pesticides leads to development of resistance by the pests - evolution in action. Same reason why most antibiotics are becoming useless.

Costa Rica apparently uses more pesticides than most other countries on their agricultural products, though verifiable numbers are hard to come by.. One doesn’t hear much about autistic children here, though they must exist. The Environmental News Network yesterday reported on a ‘ClickGreen’ article on the relationship between pesticides and autism, as follows: Pregnant women who lived in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides were applied experienced a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay, according to a new study. The research discovered the associations were even stronger when the exposures occurred during the second and third trimesters of the women's pregnancies. The large, multisite California-based study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute examined associations between specific classes of pesticides, including organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates, applied during the study participants' pregnancies and later diagnoses of autism and developmental delay in their offspring. "This study validates the results of earlier research that has reported associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to agricultural chemicals in California," said lead study author Janie F. Shelton, a UC Davis graduate student who now consults with the United Nations. If interested, more details here: http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/analysis/ I have a hard time with the designation of 'organic' applied to food. To anyone with an adequate science background, 'organic' means nothing more than a compound or substance based on a carbon atom. So, things like formaldehyde, organophosphate pesticides, and nerve gas are in fact organic compounds. In the U.S., the FDA has no legal criteria as to what 'organic' really means anyway.

Silly me - I believed there was a difference between piropos and creepy. Years ago my Spanish teacher spent a whole lecture on how to deliver 'acceptable' piropos. Is it now conventional wisdom that women don't like/want compliments?

I received a request to send a PDF of the Cartago earthquake from James Graham at jimesau1@yahoo.com My response was kicked back to me as undeliverable. If 'Jimmy' sees this, try again or use another email address. PEH

This Saturday (coinciding with the Prez's visit) is the 103d anniversary of the destruction of Cartago, which eventually resulted in the transfer of the central government to San Jose. The catastrophic event was documented nicely, in English and Spanish, by Leon Fernandez Guardia and Amando Cespedes Marin the same year (1910): "The Cartago Earthquake". I have this 60 page 4.6MB book as a PDF. If anyone is interested in this part of Tico history, send me a private email to dr.pharg[at]gmail.com and I will forward. The last time a Prez (JFK) came to C.R. in 1963, Irazu blew its top. Coincidentally, both Democrats. I'm just sayin'.

eleanorcr wrote: When you first start learning Spanish, you will tend to think in English and then translate in your mind and then speak Spanish. Eventually, you will think in Spanish. I asked a well-known and respected SJ tourguide, trained in linguistics and a resident gringo in CR for several decades, whether he thought in Spanish or English. The answer: English.

Chagas disease [caused by "kissing bugs"] has been a problem in central America for a long time and is spreading north in the U.S. because of climate change. All you want to know is here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/05/31/is-the-deadly-kissing-bug-disease-the-new-hivaids/ http://www.neurobio.arizona.edu/kissingbug-info/allergies.html http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg53.html

There are dozens of mosquito species with different preferences as to active time of day, human vs. other blood sources, preferred body parts, and attractants. Nearly all are attracted to carbon dioxide and moisture in exhaled breath, and/or some of the 200+ chemicals excreted through the human skin, which vary among different people. Likewise for noseeums. So, it's not surprising that different folks find different remedies are effective. High levels of DEET do the best overall job, but some people are sensitive to it, and it is not recommended in high concentration for kids [that is, there MAY be some adverse health risks for them]. Trial and error may be the best way to achieve personal victory over these flying parasites, of which only the females attack [they need blood to develop their eggs; most males are vegans]. I happen to be irresistable to mosquitos and at outdoor parties I am the center of attention for 6-legged critters. I am also less attractive to my own species than to noseeums.

For Mayan ruins, you might consider Belize as a base. It has ruins in the west of the country, and is adjacent to Guat.; all only a few hours away [or less] by rental car. The country is basically English-speaking, and there may be a few military installations left over from its "British Honduras" days. But a downside: medcare is not as good as C.R.

mil gracias to eleanor & epicatt for these suggestions!

During a quiet afternoon I browsed through this thread starting on page 1, and was enticed by the great and comprehensive discussion on Tico comidas [at least up to about page 6, after which things switched to the general cost of CR living, and now to brake pads]. As part of a long-term project to convince mi esposa to try CR living for a few months, I'd like to work into it slowly here in the U.S. by getting a cookbook that gives recipes/ingredients for some of the dishes mentioned in the first few pages of this discussion, preferably in English and preferably available at Amazon. Any suggestions out there? [by the way, we spend $500/month on food in FL - not too much more than some on this forum do. But one thing not mentioned: much of the fruits/veggies available in the U.S. may or may not be cheaper than in CR, but they are all grown primarily to survive shipping, not for taste and palatibility. That's where Tico frutas excel.