Our Lady of The Angels

dailyrants

There are two important religious celebrations during the year for Catholic costarricans: Holy Week and August 2nd., Day of La Virgen de Los Angeles, the patron saint of Costa Rica. The day was considered big enough to be placed with Mother´s Day next, on August 15.

During the days before August 2nd., an estimated more than a million costarricans (about 1/4 of the total population) go on a pilgrimage from their towns all over the country, to the Basilica of the city of Cartago.

This journey, which is made by whatever the means possible, many of them walking no matter how far, is sometimes made as a promise, and other times in giving thanks for favors granted with help of La Vírgen de los Angeles to the faithful, some who they claim as being of a miraculous nature.

We would have to trace the origins of this tradition back to…

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When does Life begin?

There seems to be a debate these days about “When does Life Begin in the womb”?   To Me, this question has two possible answers.  The first one, and this I say say first because some people seem to be pushing around the issue, and you have to respect their “Right to decide” (if you can conceive such a thing). And the second one (Which I beleive ought to be the first, but then again, people have the right not to beleive in God, and even He respects that right, so, why wouldn’t I. ? But if you do…, please consider this:

When do You think that The Virgin Mary first beleived that she would be pregnant….? (Luke 2.  ” Here is The Lord’s Slave. Do onto Me as Thy will”).

It doesn’t take much common sense to see that this answer means inmediately, and way before!.

If you put the first answer jointly with the second one, guess what?…. You have a matter of  Consciense, and if you look in a little closer, more than this….   You’re being watched!!.

A Pro-abortionist said that not all unwanted pregnacies are a woman’s fault.  But definetely,  any abortion is! ….  Unless It’s performed against her will,  of course.

Costarrican Gov. cracks down on illegal Real Estate Developments.

In Costa Rica, we don’t seem to have anything like a Real Estate financial crisis. The hardships that costarricans maybe facing in some time seem to be on the supply-side instead. As protected areas are being sold to aliens that get permits for 300 sq. meters or so and end up building up more than 2.000 sq. areas on top of hills along the Pacific coastline, precisely at the points where the water springs are, and who do not give a hoot wether this kind of abuse is damaging the enviroment or not.

        Up till now over 47 developments have been closed as  they did not have the legal permits to build these luxury homes, or have unlawfuly acquired them with the help of corrupt boureaucrats, or just people that don’t know what they’re doing. In a short term, the widely publicized (for it’s untouched nature), beautiful north and central Pacific coastline will dissapear to give way to an endless line of luxury condos and hotels, with nothing in particular except the fact that they’re built facing a splendid view of the shoreline, while guzzling -up the water reservoirs, whitch will make them pretty exclusive all right, since no one else could possibly go there.

          The evidence that lots of these developments are being built inside National Park areas was ascertained with  GPS satelite pictures that prove they are pretty much inside The Osa Peninsula where Corcovado National Park is located. Some aerial views show large eroded areas on the slopes of the hills and terraces that did not exist there before. With river basins no one can tell where they are any longer as they seem as they had been swept by some kind of landslide. While the most popular vacation sites, such as Playas de Jacó’s beaches are now a hazard to your health because of the ammount of Colliforms swimming in them (15 times over the minimum-safe numbers allowed), now the craze sseems to be for these more “secluded” spots, that shady RealEstate salesmen tell you you’ve just discovered.

Houston Airport Systems take over Costa Rica´s Main airport.

Starting December this year Houston Airport Systems will administrate The Juan Santamaría Airport in San José, endeavoring what Alterra (a spanish based company) failed to do for over five years, to refurbish the airport enough for it to receive the increasing numbers of travelers each year, both nationals and turists and service so they don´t get stuck all day at the facilities.

      The bottle neck here in Costa Rica has had no relief since the former administrators failed to build the airport infra-structure necessary to handle the traffic, this because of their lack of financing and inability to reach a deadline with the costarrican government to solve the problem.

      Houston has agreed to assume Alterra´s bad debt and manage the airport for the next twenty year period, and the government has agreed to grant the company an extended five years in the contract in order to upgrade the airport.

Orange Cow

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Orange Cow,
originally uploaded by Allendale.

Indian Gold Cow

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Indian Gold Cow,
originally uploaded by Allendale.

Costa Rica Cow Parade.

Costa Rica’s Cow Parade about to end

Costa Rica’s 1rst edition of the Cow Parade is enters it’s final phase, and will finish by the end of this month,  when the cows will be taken out of public view until on auction, on September 3rd. The 10 most popular will win prizes. The first places will be sold for prices ranging between 3 and 10 thousand $US.  Of the proceeds, the most part goes to benefits such as the national Children’s Hospital, Hogares C.R.E.A (a rehab institution for drug adiction), and others.

       Another 20%  is for the Cow Parade Intl. in Chicago, U.S.A. The Event was successful despite some isolated acts of vandalism on some of the exhibition pieces. In total 125 cows were shown, of which many I photografed and posted on Flicker/fotos/allendale.

Amigos de La Isla del Coco sticker

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Amigos de La Isla del Coco sticker,
originally uploaded by Allendale.

“Amigos de La Isla del Coco” sticker.

Memoirs are important inasmuch as they remind us of something in our lives that “realy” was … Otherwise, who would know?  Perhaps God?

Cocos Island (moreover)

Some other curious facts about Cocos Island:  For one, though it takes it’s name because of the abundance of coconut palms by the beach, they aren’t originally from the island, they were brought there, like the rest of coconuts on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The ones in the Caribean coast are endemic to the region.

         Some species that are unique only to the island is a kind of Tree Lizard, which is endangered by cats, and a species of sea bird named “Pinzón de Cocos” and also “The Holy Ghost Bird” because of It’s habit of hovering over people’s heads in a most uninhibited manner.

         Another mystifying fact about one of the 3 treasures left by pirates on the island according to some existing versions, and the greatest of them “The Lima Treasure”, was that when it was hauled to the island, one of the sailors taken prisoner somehow managed to escape with a bushel of gold, and had told some authority at the time that he could show them more from where he got it, on the condition only that he deliver a gold statue of The Virgin Mary of The Angels to the Catholic Church, to which he refused, so he never gave away the secret.

            And last, but not least, the island was about to be written off The seven wonders contest because the costarrican government hadn’t sent official information so to inscribe it.  Ooops…well if anybody had told me in the meantime about this, but I’m not a government official, and, anyway, nobody hardly ever reads me so it wasn’t likely. But now they have sent the pertinent info, and the number of votes obtained so far will be respected, so no problem (I hope). And Cocos Island is still running for one of the new seven wonders.