I have returned after a much needed vacation in Costa Rica. It has been one of the most beautiful places I have ever been but in talking to the people there, I have found that it;s outward beauty goes more than just skin deep. Costa Rica is the only country in the world without a standing army which I had known, but not why until this trip. In 1948 there was a civil war and after the end of this, the president felt that violence was not the answer and that government money could be better spent. The army was disbanded so that more money could be put towards education and medical care. Since that time, the country has instituted compulsory K-6 education, and free education for K-12. There is talk about increasing the requirements from K-12. The standard of living has improved enough that teenagers are not needed to be working to support the family nearly as often as in the past. Medical care is growing in availability and there is universal health insurance through the government. Clinics and hospitals are not as widely available as is probably ideal, but this is slowly improving with time. What is more important is the fact that both areas are a priority of the government and that both areas are slowly improving in availability and quality every day. Another positive effort made by the government was to limit greenhouse gases and pollution and now 95% of the electricity that the country uses is generated by renewable means.



They still have their struggles. Battles for land from developers threaten the coastline, but the money generated from tourism is a large part of the country's income and to turn them away would threaten that source of income. The other large income generator, exportation of fruits and plants demands large areas of land risking loss of rainforest land to agriculture. About 60% of the rainforest in Costa Rica has been lost to agriculture and rainforest land is very poor in quality once the actual rainforest has been removed from it. The tourism industry itself puts the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest at risk with tourists coming to see the rainforest in increasing numbers. The government has been paying attention to this more now, but this is a more recent development and some things cannot be taken back. And while the country is not out trying to generate adversaries, they have no army and are essentially unguarded if another country were to decide they wanted the land. Nicaragua is just to the north and the political instability there has affected Costa Rica.

Striking a balance between "progress" and conservation is not easy. Trying to maintain the viability of the "ecotourism" industry without damaging the fragile ecosystem is tricky. Many governments that rely heavily on tourism pay too much attention to the needs of the tourists and neglect to realize the impact that this has on the people of the area. Big new highways that make it easier to get the beach take land away from family lands and pollute the surrounding areas. I have travelled to a lot of countries seeking respite from the cold air and for the most part, these countries are fairly impoverished. Some seem to be working towards pulling out of that position, some seem stuck. Costa Rica is by far the most forward thinking of all of them.

People who I would most like to kick in the ass if I could.

We all have people on our s#$t list, many likely to stay there for a while. The marjority of mine are only temporary visitors, however. Most of us have a supervisor that we can get along with most of the time but have their "Midol Momenents" and really piss us off. I have some coworkers that I really like but because we have fairly intense personalities to begin with, will go through spells where we are constantly at each others throat. And then you come upon the inescapable celebrity gossip. Try as I might, I cannot avoid that drivel. It is everywhere and the more I am forced to here about the Kardashian sisters, the more they piss me off. Who are there chicks anyways, and what value have they contributed to society? After dealing with your personal list, do you not start having fantasies of wanting to just kick some of these people in the ass? Jessica Simpson- The issue of whether or not she has gained weight or not does not warrent the designation of "controversy". No one is that important. Just go away already. Paris Hilton - The only thing worse than a tramp is a rich tramp. Tom Corbett (R) Governor of Pennsylvania - If you lived here you would understand. The person on the high end sports car show who said that all Audi drivers play golf. Do not, have not, and likely never will play golf. But I do drive an Audi. Dick Cheney - the name says it all. The Kardashian sisters - Since I mentioned them, I have no idea who they are but the people at work tell me that they have a reality TV show about them. Why they deserve such an honor I do not know. The tabloids seem to talk a lot about them fighting about who has the biggest butt and who has the biggest loser boyfriend so I guess if I were single, had a big butt and dated a loser boyfriend, I would get to have a reality show too? I have a lot of patients who fit that description and they do not have TV cameras following them everywhere. It has nothing to do with looks. The pregnant chick is downright homely. I will wait until the baby is born to kick her ass. Glenn Beck - No smarter than Sarah Palin and a lot less attractive. Rupert Murdoch - The one who made Fox News what it is today and revived the little gem above after his tenure ended (thankfully) at Headline News. Then he bought the Wall Street Journal and is in the process of spreading his right wing propaganda via this medium. Mohamar Khadaffi - If not for the impossible to spell name, for those nonsensical rants he goes on where he rambles about some kind of issue that seems important to him and does little but confuse the rest of us. ...and speaking of nonsensical ramblings... Sarah Palin - Ex Governor Palin, no one knows what you are talking about anyways, so please just do us a favor and SHUT UP ALREADY!