The Vienna Declaration

I would like to make as many people as possible aware of The Vienna Declaration:  http://bit.ly/signtheviennadeclaration.
Very briefly, this is an international effort to push for the end of the so-called War On Drugs by legalizing them, and concentrating on treatment of addicts.  In other words, let's look at this international problem realistically, with our eyes open, and start handling it logically, rather than emotionally.  Please take the time to look at their official web site, and at the very least endorse what they are saying.  Thank you.
John

Security raises its ugly head in the Arenal area……

"Here's another nice mess [I've] gotten us into, Stanley".

There is a local forum for residents of the Lake Arenal area (http://grou.ps/duralavida/home) that devotes itself to things pertinent to the general neighborhood of Nuevo Arenal, Tilaran, Trondadora, and other villages in the area. Lately there has been considerable discussion about local crime, centering on burglaries, robberies, and home break-ins. Two different private security companies jumped into the discussion, going back a bit more than a month ago. The approach by both was obviously rooted in a style reminiscent of W (Bush; read: scare tactics), and was actually rather distasteful, to me, for one. These two were admonished publicly, by the Forum's administrator, and apparently backed off. One, however, continued to post messages in response to each new report from a regular forum member/local resident, strongly hinting that we all needed to engage his services. Incidentally, he is located in San Jose, and he does have a website (www.willspy). At any rate, about a month ago, I posted this in response to the Admin's lengthy post on this subject:

Thank you, Oliver & Admin, for trying to bring some sense to this situation.  Frankly, I was completely turned off to the posts from both of these competitors, since they both (imho) were so blatantly preying on what they perceived to be our fears.  What I think they both fail to understand is that we were simply doing what we do:  sharing information important to the community on a forum for that purpose.  I don't recall posting anything that might have suggested I felt a need for any kind of hype, or "Bush-ist" tactics, so I, for one, am glad to see them reined in a bit. (Actually, I had to laugh at one post that suggested the PI had to spend the night at my house to assess traffic, or some such thing.  We average maybe four vehicles per week on our little road).

I think we all pretty much thought the matter was settled with this. Then, after weeks of silence, this appeared (posted by none other than the San Jose-based PI): First , John Dungan you dont have a clue! As much as You are a nice guy. It is not just the traffick! If you knew what a pro was talking about? You would understand that EVERY!!!! real pro in the world looks at the sight at night because if the sencors to be used because of the lights also it help us deciede where the dead spots are. Also this is going to be addressed next week on www.welovecostarica.com and if you have any questions about if I know what I am doing? I will be glad to fill your e-mail box with clients I have dun work for and they are very happy with us. And if there is 1 never in Costa Rica?That is never let anyone have access to your house without a background check. Scott at welovecostarica.com knows more about home ownership in C.R. that any other preson and he says what I have been saying is rite.

I, of course, could not let that rest, so I posted this reply a day or so later:

First, Doug Smith, I think I do indeed have a clue.  Second, please do not patronize me, and presume to know me, to the point that you imply that I might be a nice guy.  A lot of people will tell you that I am a grouch and probably a jerk!  My remark about traffic was a reference to your potential client's statement that reported what you proposed to do, and I still think that is a pretty silly claim for you to have made in proposing to offer services to folks who live in a mostly rural area. 

If I knew what a "pro was talking about?"  What does that mean?  If you were indeed a pro anything, I would expect you to be able to communicate clearly, and to at least pay attention to your spell check.  As for Scott Oliver, please do not cite him to me as anything other than what I know him to be.  Why would I want my email inbox full of "clients that you have dun" worked for?  It is not like I have any interest in a service that you might be offering.

Meanwhile, I do not understand how you can presume to think that it could be remotely interesting to me to know that you think that Scott Oliver "knows more about home ownership in C. R. than any other person and he says what [you] have been saying is rite."  I really do not understand what you mean by that statement.  As far as I understand it, he is just an expat selling real estate to other expats.  How does that qualify him as an expert on home ownership, and how does him (or anyone) being an expert on home ownership make them more qualified than I am to decide what I want to do with my home? What you perhaps do not understand is that not all of us live on large estates, with many acres of land surrounding our main house, and with extra guest houses, and hired help, and so on.

As for your statement about "never let anyone have access to your house without a background check." Say what?  Do you ever listen to yourself?  I suppose you would have us believe that you would be the one we should hire to perform that background check, right?

(Then, he posted this to the local forum): Okkkkkkkkk John I did not know you had 26 yrs in the business I was out of line. I checked with a friend in the U.S. they told me you have not been to any clases that they can find I will have them check again.We go "by the book" That is the only way I know how to do things. I will have my friends check for your name again and see what clases you have taken. I did not know you were in the business, I wish you well.

(Next, I received this private message): We are going to be up there on the 12th do you want to frount me? Or should you and just be men and you go your way and I go mine?Please note this is Costa Rica not Topeka. You mite should look at my web site because at this point you are the only person in C.R. that has not given me the respect I have always gotten.I dont know if you are a vet? But you need to know hwo you are talking to. I wish you well.

I have shared his personal messages to me with the Forum's Admin, and have informed Admin that I am not going to respond to this person at this point.

On Wednesday, the 30^th, I received this personal/private email message, apparently forwarded to me by the Forum Admin, and evidently representing an exchange between him and this person: Hello Lake.Arenal.Forum@gmail.com, Doug Smith (from duralavida) sent you a private message:

(D.Smith): I pulled all my posts,

(Admin): Well? Why?

(D.Smith): as I said at first I was on the board as a favor.

(Admin): Sorry, most of us believe that you are/were soliciting.

(D.Smith): But I can see it is ok if that ass hole takes a shot at me,my comapny and the nice people that work for me.

(Admin): That "ass hole" [sic] is one of our neighbors. You do not display neighborliness, but instead your business is riding on fear. Where fear is, love and compassion can not be.

(D.Smith):  He pissed off over 250 people on my Facebook page but that is ok by you.

(Admin): Explain why you think that Facebook matters should be our concern.

(D.Smith): We are going to be up the about the 12 we are going to go have a nice face to face with John.

(Admin): We suggest that you tell John first.

(D.Smith):  you have a goood day

(Admin): Kind of you, if you mean it. This phrase can be used sarcastically, you know..

Maybe I'm not going to respond directly to Mr. Smith, but I think maybe it would be a decent idea to let folks know what my reaction to his statements is. So, here goes:

When did I say anything about being in any sort of business?! You checked with a friend? What the hell kind of statement is that? Clases? What the hell is a clase? Are you trying to threaten me? This may not be Topeka, Dorothy, but you still cannot hope to get away with physical threats, even by implication. You go by what book? Since you cannot spell or write worth a damn, I'd suspect that would be the old trusty tome whose main characters were Dick and Jane, right?

If you really think that I am the only person in this whole country who has failed to demonstrate respect for you (in what capacity, I don't know), then I would strongly suggest that you might consider seeking real professional help (as in, psychiatric therapy). Where I grew up, no one got respect by demanding it; they had to earn it, and I have not seen you do anything to earn my respect. As a matter of fact, if you had just stayed silent, and NOT posted your scare tactics sales pitch, I would probably have been able to respect you a whole lot more than I do now.

And, btw, I have seen your web site, and I was not impressed. You claim all kinds of experience, without actually providing any real bona fides. I worked with the FBI, too. So, what? I do actually have some experience with investigations, but that has nothing to do with what has been discussed on the local Arenal forum. Your web site indicates (per your "case histories") that you provide a sleazy service to sleaze bags. (The stalwart employees of Willspy kept the beggars away from the subject of the first 'case history')!

For some strange reason you wanted to know if I was a vet. Of course, I am a vet. So what? Does that make me more or less acceptable in your mind? Or, do you somehow mistakenly believe that if you claim veteran status I should therefore accept you at face value, and even respect you, after you have demonstrated such poor business tactics?

As for his having a concern about his Facebook, I can't for the life of me fathom what significance that has. I mean, it's not like I had so much as looked for his Facebook page (I have since done so, and gave it up as a lost cause; do you have any idea how many "Doug Smiths" there are on Facebook?), so how could I possibly have had any effect on it?

You can fool some of the people…….

According to a news report dated July 3, 2010 (Costa Rica's Tourist Arrivals Up 90.000 For 2010), at http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2010/july/03/costarica10070304.htm, there has been a significant increase in the actual numbers of tourists visiting Costa Rica for the first five months of this year.
The report says that there have been 954,314 total entries from Jan – May, an increase (as seen above) of some 90,000 for the same time period a year ago. I got to thinking about what those numbers mean in dollars, something that has been on my mind lately, anyway. For those who may not know it, the government of Costa Rica charges a $15.00/US fee on every plane ticket with either San Jose or Liberia as the destination. And, of course, it costs nearly double that much to leave the country, after a trip here ($26.00/US). Do you realize how much money we're talking about? Don't worry, I already got out my calculator, and did the math:
$14,314,710 - Jan – May (number of tourists times $15.00 per head)
$24,812,164 – Jan – May (number of tourists times $26.00 per head)
$39,126,874.00 (total collected from those unsuspecting tourists)
You might consider also, that on top of that pretty impressive amount, those tourists also pay a whole lot in sales taxes for lodging, car rentals, and the like. And, of course, the straight sales tax, on each and every purchase for everyone in the country, is around 13%. It is true that property taxes are very small, and there is no income tax, but one must wonder……….
That's less than half the year. So, my question is this: what is Costa Rica, the country, doing with nearly 80 million dollars of found money every year? I mean, it's not like they're providing anything like security for all those tourists, or in any other way protecting them from thieves, scam artists, and such. There's certainly nothing that might resemble any improvement in their infrastructure (most of which is crumbling around them), such as roads (the nation's newest road, which is closed as often as it is open, is a Toll Road, in case you were wondering), bridges, or anything else related to smooth transport. No such thing as public services, like modern ambulances, fire or police protection. Personally, I am mystified………….

Lions 'n Tigers, and.........Warships?!

There are more fools in the world than there are people.

Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)

Some people will believe most anything, and worse, they compound that mistake by repeating misinformation as if it were Gospel.

The other day (July 4, actually), La Nacion, CR's leading newspaper, printed a story reporting that an agreement had been reached between the government of Costa Rica and the U. S. allowing access to various ports in Costa Rica. In my humble opinion, the article is slanted so as to ignore history, and the real purpose behind the agreement, thus deliberately opening the door for over reaction, and misinterpretation. You can see the original Spanish language article here:

http://www.nacion.com/2010-07-02/ElPais/NotasSecundarias/ElPais2431541.aspx

and no, I am not going to provide a translation of it. Suffice it to say that La Nacion did nobody any favors by giving this story the slant that they gave it. Actually, their treatment of the story was a good example of very, very bad journalism. It was slanted so as to ignore reality, namely that this is simply a renewal of a pre-existing agreement that allows certain American Naval vessels to dock in Costa Rica to allow shore leave to crew members. The only way one could know what this story was really reporting, though, was to read it to the end.

Essentially, the newspaper report did ultimately reveal that it was talking about an official and legal agreement between two nations. Because of that, the agreement spelled out how many ships, crewmen, materiel, etc., might be involved en toto, as opposed to how many might be in port at any one time. Potentially, this means a serious amount of dollars coming into the country, 'cause nobody spends like a drunken sailor, according to the old stories.

Now, Costa Rica, for whatever reasons, still thrives on word of mouth, rumor, innuendo, conjecture, and gossip, so a story so slanted immediately led to alarmists everywhere – both Tico, and a surprising number of Gringos – jumping to the conclusion that this represented an invasion of Costa Rica, at worst, to an impending U. S. military presence in Costa Rica designed to either carry on the so-called War on Drugs, or to prepare for invasions of Nicaragua or Venezuela. One forum, owned by an ex-pat Brit, who sells real estate, has a thread that went from zero posts to somewhere in the high 80's, in very short order (after having been started by the forum owner, on July 4). In the interests of full disclosure, I should report that he kicked me off his forum some time ago, because I sent a PM to one of the members that stated that I believed that this guy has an agenda (he hates the U. S.). I had mistakenly hit reply on the message, rather than taking the extra steps to make sure it was addressed to the person intended, so it went directly to the list owner (doh!).

At any rate, this guy started the tread personally, with his own slanted report of the slanted newspaper report, just to stir things up among his members. I am not going to link to these posts, nor am I going to copy and paste, because the reactions are totally nuts, with some of them downright scary (how could people be so misguided, so misinformed as to believe some of the crackpot theories they put forth???), but if you want to look for this forum, look for one that purports to "really, really like" Costa Rica. Meanwhile, the forum's owner keeps the thread going by posting ever more (and more ridiculous) updates, citing all kinds of very strange and evil plans attributed to the U. S., to the American President, and others.

The truth is slowly coming out about this situation, but it has been a truly eye-opening experience. Another example of the downside of life here, I suppose.

A belated update, sort of…..

Well, it has been a while, so I suppose a bit of an update might be in order. Our daughter, her husband, his mother, and their oldest offspring, Andy, just left here last Sunday, after spending a week with us. Planning for their arrival, spending time with them while they were here, and so on, kind of distracted me there for a time, so I have not been very good at keeping this sucker up to date.

Some of you may remember my report (however belated) of a visit we received back on May 5, from our future neighbors……..well, I have finally received an email from Rene (that's the way he spells it – without any accents), and he has brought us a bit up to date. He and Tamara are back in Vancouver. They do remember us, and they did have a good time. I had referred him to what has been reported to me as the best restaurant in the area, but it turns out I evidently mis-named the place for him, or didn't make it clear to him just where it is located. They went to the Arenal Lodge, between us and La Fortuna, and were both very unhappy with the meals they were served. The place I had recommended was the Volcano Lodge, located right on the main highway to La Fortuna, and it appears that I most likely said the Arenal Lodge. At any rate, he reports that they drove a considerable distance after leaving the main road, in order to reach the place they went to, only to miss out on a view of the volcano, and to get bad food.

Oh, well, chalk up another one to the importance of good diction, not to mention, the importance of having one's facts straight before making referrals of any kind.

Tristen and Aislynn, our two granddaughters, are still with us, and will stay until Grandma takes them home to Dallas on the 12^th of August. Can you imagine what it must be like to be twelve and seven, and to spend your entire summer vacation in Costa Rica with your grandparents? They seem to think it is pretty cool. And, so do we! We are eagerly looking forward to the arrival of their cousin, our oldest grandchild, Bryan, on July 12. He will be with us for about three weeks, until his departure on August 1.

We celebrated our 42^nd wedding anniversary yesterday, and the menu was decided upon by our girlies (fried chicken tenders, with spaghetti). Grandma did the work, up to and including the baking of a cake for Jocelyn's 17^th birthday, which just happens to be the same day. We had a grand time, and then watched episodes of Monk until bed time.

As much as I hate to ever admit that Tulio might be right about something, I have to report that a recent concern of mine had to do with the brake light on our car. It came on and pretty much stayed on all the time, and this had been going on for some time. I kept saying I was going to take the car to a mechanic, and it was planned for Monday. Blanca had to go to town (Arenal) first, though, and stopped at Tulio's on her way. She told him that I was going to take the car to a mechanic later that day, and he told her to just get a can of brake fluid while she was in town, and to come back to his house on her way home. I have to confess that he had already told me – more than once – to add brake fluid. You notice I didn't say to check it, but to actually add it, right? Well, all I did was look at the reservoir, and it looked OK to me. Blanca naturally did what he told her, and upon her return to his house, he simply opened the lid of the reservoir, and added brake fluid. Guess what? The brake light went out, and it is still out, two days later!

So, what can I say? Life goes on. It is still good. I'm certainly never to old to learn, and unfortunately, whatever my age, still liable to forget things that I knew many years ago.

How about a quick update on the recent uninvited visitor?

Well, since our early morning visit, at the beginning of the week, we have been busy.  I have managed to get the torn screen replaced, and the window guard has been welded back together, and straightened (and painted).  The front door jamb was pounded back into place.  I gave that extra car jack to the guy who did the welding (turned out he didn't have one, and since I obviously didn't need that spare......).  I have bought a piece of the plastic screen to replace the torn one from the screen door that was cut, but have not yet put it into the door.  I took the car to a locksmith in Tilaran, where he installed two Yale locks on the front doors.
    The idiot thief had evidently inserted something like a screwdriver into the driver's side door, and hit it with something.  All he managed to do was break the lock off inside the door, thus making it even harder to open the door!  Of course, by breaking the lock in this manner, it was not repairable, thus the two Yale locks.  Now, we have to carry two keys to use the car.  One small one to open a door, and of course, the original key for the ignition.
     We also have developed a new habit.  We take the face plate for the stereo with us each time we exit the car, in the hope that this might remove some temptation from this, or any other future idiot.
     Oh, yeah, I bought a pellet gun, just in case this happens again.  I figured it can hurt like a sumbitch, if nothing else.  And, I certainly wouldn't mind taking out an eye, or something for an individual like this.......

A Close Encounter of the Kind you Don’t Want to Have…….

Gotta call it something, so I went with this title, 'cause I can't think of a one word description for the kind of encounter that would read like the movie title.

Well, we had our first encounter with a local Ladrone this morning at about 3:30. I heard a sound like metal hitting metal, like maybe the LPG tanks outside (we have two 100 lb. tanks for cooking), or maybe like the sound effects of sonar from one of those exciting undersea adventures, a la "The Hunt For Red October." So, I got up, and walked into the living room, where I noticed a dark corner of the front window (not normally present).

I went to the front door, threw it open, and turned on the light. That was when I noticed the screen door, on the right (the side of the house that parallels the road) was open. I yelled, "Hey!" and looked around the corner. Of course, by this time, whoever it was had left in a hurry, most likely running up the little road. I surmise that they fled up the road, because almost at once, the neighbor's dogs started barking, up the road. Then, I noticed the spare car jack was placed inside the metal window guard, where it had been used to try to pop the welds, and so gain access to the window.

Obviously, the sound I had heard was the strain of the metal, as he turned the jack in between bars. The good news is that he made too much noise, and woke me, so he only took one item. The bad news is that he cut the screen on that side door, to gain access to that door's lock, and he cut the screen on the front window, along with popping at least one weld, and bending a couple of the bars. Oh, and of course, he woke us up at 3:30 am!

We called the cops. Wait, that's not true. The cops didn't answer the phone number they had given us, so Blanca called Leti, Tulio's wife. She then called the cops in Tilaran, rather than the local number. Four of them showed up within about thirty minutes, one with what looked like a M-16, another with a small carbine, one with a big-assed flashlight, and the fourth, pretty much empty-handed. One of them we already knew, from a previous visit they had made to solicit a contribution to their building fund (that's another story, and if I haven't reported it, I will), and we welcomed them.

The guys with the weapons couldn't seem to stop messing with them, taking out the magazine, and replacing it, and clicking the safeties on and off. Three of them took a Coke, and basically they took our identifying information, and asked if anything seemed to be missing. We did not, at the time, see anything missing, so they discussed the situation among themselves, and with us. They wanted to know if I have a weapon, and of course, I do not, as I have been told that 'estranjeros' (strangers/foreigners) cannot – any longer - legally own a weapon here. We hadn't seen anything, and we didn't hear any motors, so the speculation is that the thief ran up to the road where they believe he had parked a car. They had seen two cars on the road on their way from Tilaran, and taken the license numbers of both. They speculated that our thief was driving one of the cars, and they think they know which one, since they associate it with a known thief.

They reassured us that he would not return the rest of the night, but he would likely be back at some point in time, to try again. So, we need to look more closely at our security, such as it is. I did notice a burned out light bulb in the fixture right over the door that the creep had used to enter the front porch, so that's an obvious fix. Of course, we need to get the screens replaced, and see if we can get the popped weld redone, and the bars straightened.

I guess this might soil that 'pura vida' vibe just a bit, but I'm not sure. I have certainly been aware for a long, long time that burglary is common here, and frankly, I'm just glad we haven't been hit before, and that nothing really important was taken or damaged this time. Hopefully, with some extra precautions here and there, we can prevent a recurrence of this event, and/or protect ourselves against anything worse happening.

Oh, the one thing that was taken? Go figure. We had these two pottery type wall hanging things, representing the sun and the moon that Blanca bought in Mexico some years ago. They used to be painted kind of an earth tone color when we had them hanging on outside walls in El Paso and in Farmers Branch. But, just a couple of weeks ago, we decided they needed to be brightened up a bit, so Blanca painted the sun a bright yellow, and the moon a royal blue. They hung just inside the screen door, on the front wall of the house, just as you entered the door. This morning, after we had gotten up the second time, Blanca noticed they were gone. She then saw the moon laying on the ground, just outside the barbed wire fence, face up, but there is no sign of the sun. I checked the road, going up to the highway this morning, when I took up the garbage, but saw no sign of it. So, I have to conclude that this sneak in the night needed something to remind him of his bravery. Oh, he did leave something in trade, though! We found one of those knit caps lying on the floor of the porch. You know the kind, similar to the old Navy watch caps, but smaller, like what the 'gangstas' wear in the hip-hop, rap crap videos (the style that, for some strange reason, they now call beanies). I would speculate that he realized that such a cap is not exactly de rigueur, or appropriate head gear in this climate, especially if one is exerting oneself trying to force entry into a private domicile. What do you think?