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Bon Voyage: Oscar Cordero, 16, (left) and Gabriel Cortés (16) are on their way to France Saturday to compete in Youth Planet Rugby with students from 34 countries around the world. Here, they receive their trip information from Pierre Cathala, director of the French Cultural And Cooperation Center for Central America. |
Christopher Huber | Tico Times |
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| Government Invests in Water Services |
| The government yesterday announced a $113 million plan to improve sewers and build new aqueducts around the country beginning next year. |
| See More... |
| U.S. Fugitive Arrested in Costa Rica |
| Costa Rican authorities arrested a fugitive Texas nurse in San Isidro de Heredia, north of San José, Wednesday afternoon whom authorities have been trying to pinpoint for seven years on international parental kidnapping charges. |
| See More... |
| Nestor Torres Visits Costa Rica to Promote Music Education |
| Armed with nothing more than his creative muse, his passionate vision for world peace and a heightened level of human understanding, Nestor Torres has come to Costa Rica to work with young musicians as part of the Culture Ministry's campaign to benefit the National Music Education System (SINEM). |
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| British Businesses To Discuss Green Investments |
| British businessmen were in Costa Rica this week to discuss the possibilities of investing in and developing clean energy projects here. |
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Avocado: The Aphrodisiacal Pear |
When the conquistadors first gazed upon this pear-shaped fruit, they did not expect to find such an amazing new discovery. A regular in the diet of the Aztecs, Toltecs and Olmecs, Persea americana, the avocado, has been consumed by humans for thousands of years.
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Government Invests in Water Services
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The government yesterday announced a $113 million plan to improve sewers and build new aqueducts around the country beginning next year.
President Oscar Arias made this announcement alongside Ricardo Sancho, president of the National Water and Sewer Institute (AyA), and Alfredo Ortuño, a representative of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.
A chunk of this money came from a $68.5 million loan the bank made the institute; another $44.5 million came from the institute's own funds.
The project aims to guarantee “sustainability of potable water systems for the next 20 years,” improving aqueduct and sewer systems in the San José metropolitan area as well as in Puerto Viejo, on the southern Caribbean coast, the statement said.
It also seeks to benefit communities in the Pacific province of Puntarenas including Buenos Aires, Esparza, Palmar Norte, Coto Brus, Golfito, Jacó and Ciudad Neilly as well as parts of the northwestern Guanacaste province including Nicoya and Liberia. In the province of Alajuela, San Ramón, Palmares, San Mateo, Poasito and Atenas are included.
“We can't hope to be a developed country by 2021 if our system of sewers and aqueducts does not develop along with us,” the President said. |
-Tico Times
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U.S. Fugitive Arrested in Costa Rica
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By Blake Schmidt
Tico Times Staff | bschmidt@ticotimes.net
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Costa Rican authorities arrested a fugitive Texas nurse in San Isidro de Heredia, north of San José, Wednesday afternoon whom authorities have been trying to pinpoint for seven years on international parental kidnapping charges.
Chere Lyn Tomayko fled Texas in May of 1999, just six months after a Texas district court judge decided she and her boyfriend would have joint custody of their daughter, Alexandria Camille Cyprian, and that Cyprian would live in Tarrant County, Texas, according to a U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report on Tomayko.
Three years after Tomayko left the United States for Costa Rica with Cyprian, now 18, and her other daughter, she was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in Texas.
Based on information from an investigation by the international police agency Interpol, Costa Rican National Police stopped Tomayko in San Isidro de Heredia while she was driving with a minor authorities estimated to be 5 years old. It's not immediately clear whether the child is Tomayko's, nor did authorities indicate whether they know of Cyprian's location.
Tomayko has been living in Costa Rica for a decade and had been working as an English teacher in Heredia, where she also had her own horse ranch. Costa Rican authorities are now processing her to be deported.
Tomayko is the fourth U.S. fugitive Costa Rican authorities have caught in the past month. Authorities also arrested a storied Alabama outdoorsman at gunpoint in the central Pacific town of Herradura, a man who allegedly conspired to kill his ex-girlfriend while in jail then fled to Costa Rica and got a job at a San José travel agency and a man in the central Pacific town of Jacó wanted by U.S. authorities for allegedly growing marijuana. |
Nestor Torres Visits Costa Rica
to Promote Music Education |
By Jody Steiger
Special to The Tico Times | editorial@ticotimes.net
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Armed with nothing more than his creative muse, his passionate vision for world peace and a heightened level of human understanding, Nestor Torres has come to Costa Rica to work with young musicians as part of the Culture Ministry's campaign to benefit the National Music Education System (SINEM).
“Terrorism and violence come from ignorance, from anger, from despair. Music and culture inspire and revitalize; they calm the human heart and alleviate the soul. My life and my work, as an artist and as a human being, is a manifestation of this understanding,” he said.
That understanding has manifested itself throughout a series of activities including a master class for young musicians and will culminate with a concert at the National Theater Saturday night together with the Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Tomorrow night's concert will include a program of classical and jazz music, an evening filled with the sounds of Mozart's Concerto in D Major for Flute and Orchestra and the rhythm of Latin jazz written by Torres and others.
Proceeds from the concert will go to SINEM. This initiative of the Ministry of Culture plans to extend the national reach of music education to students to include as many as 5,000 students by the year 2010.
Nestor Torres was born in Puerto Rico. He began studying flute at age 12. By age 18, he moved to New York, where he studied jazz and classical music at Mannes School of Music, Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. His education also included playing as a solo flautist in charanga orchestras, a Cuban music style that mandates improvisation.
Torres' career spans 20 years of performance with jazz luminaries such as Herbie Hancock and James Moody. He has shared the stage and recording studio with Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin, among others. As a symphonic soloist he has performed with the New World Symphony, the Cleveland Pops and the Philly Pops.
In 2001 Torres won the Latin Grammy for “This Side of Paradise,” and has received numerous awards for his commitment to education and cultural exchange. He has traveled the world participating in numerous events, concerts and festivals promoting peace.
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British Businesses To Discuss Green Investments
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British businessmen were in Costa Rica this week to discuss the possibilities of investing in and developing clean energy projects here.
The two-day conference, which ends today at a hotel outside San José, was attended by representatives from eight British businesses that are part of that country's Office of Climate Change Projects. Officials from the Costa Rican government and private businesses were also present.
According to a statement from the British Embassy, the foreign companies are looking to form alliances with Tico companies involved in projects that could help fight climate change, part of a stipulation under the Kyoto Protocal that allows developed countries to encourage and finance sustainable, environmentally friendly projects in developing countries in order to offset their carbon output. |
-Tico Times |
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Avocado: The Aphrodisiacal Pear
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When the conquistadors first gazed upon this pear-shaped fruit, they did not expect to find such an amazing new discovery. A regular in the diet of the Aztecs, Toltecs and Olmecs, Persea americana, the avocado, has been consumed by humans for thousands of years.
Native to Mexico and Central and South America, the Spanish word aguacate comes from the Aztec ahuacuatl, literally meaning “the tree of testicles.” No doubt the name derived from the way the fruit of the tree hangs in pairs, reminding those ancient peoples of the human male anatomy.
Spanish and British shipmen embraced the fruit as a gift sent from the heavens to satiate their longing for the flavor of butter. By the time Cortés entered Tenochtitlán in Mexico, avocado was present in a number of dishes served in the Aztec imperial court, such as the ahuaca-mulli sauce of mashed avocados, onions and fresh cilantro. It is interesting to note that today's humble guacamole was originally a delicacy served in hopes of increasing the male libido.
The conquistadors discovered that avocado seed yields a milky liquid that becomes red when exposed to air. They found that this reddish-brown, or even blackish, indelible liquid could be used as ink; some documents written in this ink are still in existence today. The English living in Jamaica called avocado “alligator pear” for its slightly bumpy skin.
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| New-World Delicacy: Loaded with “good” fat, avocado is a highly versatile ingredient in tropical cuisine. Pictured here, grilled avocado with curried pejibaye. |
Marco González | Tico Times |
Throughout the centuries, the popularity of the avocado kept spreading, until the fruit became massively grown in the early 1900s in the southern United States. California postman Rudolf Hass discovered the avocado that bears his name in 1926. His original tree is still growing in La Habra Heights, California. Little did he know that his name would be used for the most popular avocado variety in the world today.
Although the avocado is high in fat, 60% of it is monounsaturated or “good” fat, 20% is polyunsaturated and only 20% is saturated. The edible portion of a nine-ounce Hass avocado yields about one ounce of fat. Nutritionally, the avocado leads all other fruits in beta-carotene content and exceeds even the banana in potassium content.
While other fruits gain sugar as they ripen, the avocado's sugar content decreases as it matures. Avocados are rich in B vitamins, especially niacin, as well as calcium, iron and potassium. In fact, avocados contain more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E and vitamin K per ounce than any other fruit.
Though the avocado is calorie-dense (one half-cup of pureed flesh contains 204 calories), it packs a protein content of 2.4 grams, with 3.1 grams of fiber and only 8 grams of carbohydrates in a half-cup serving. Though it has numerous nutritional benefits, avocados should be eaten in moderation because of their high fat content.
Recently, avocados have been recognized as a good source of two beneficial compounds: beta-sitosterol and glutathione. Beta-sitosterol is a widely prescribed anti-cholesterol compound that interferes with cholesterol absorption, thus promoting lower cholesterol levels. Glutathione is made up of three amino acids, glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine, which function as antioxidants, therefore improving blood circulation.
Gastronomically speaking, the avocado has transcended all borders to be absorbed by numerous types of cuisines, from its original Mexican table magic to new approaches in French, Italian and even Asian cooking. In many restaurants, it is not uncommon to find dishes ranging from pasta with creamy avocado sauces to tempura-battered avocado.
In Costa Rica, the green-skinned variety (known as “ Florida ” avocado) is most common. Some farmers have begun to cultivate “Hass” varieties with decent results, since Ticos do enjoy the taste of Mexican and Californian cuisine. In typical Tico cuisine, the avocado can be found in salads, accompanying casados or ceviches, or in the quintessential avocado dip, guacamole. Similar in style to its Mexican counterpart, Costa Rican guacamole may include chopped tomatoes and is usually not too spicy.
Few fruits can be so versatile in the savory kitchen as the avocado. Don't be afraid of breaking the rules and using avocado in unorthodox ways; your palate will thank you for experimenting with this exquisite tropical delicacy.
Today's recipe: grilled avocado with curried pejibaye (peach palm) ¡Buen provecho!
Grilled Avocado with Curried Pejibaye |
Ingredients:
4 medium, ripe avocados, halved and seeded
10 pejibayes (peach palms), cooked, peeled, thinly sliced
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 medium-size tomato, chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup mashed avocado
1/2 tsp. each cumin and coriander seeds
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small chipotle pepper, minced
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Makes four servings. |
Directions:
1. In a medium-sized pan over medium heat, cook the onion, cumin and coriander seeds in vegetable oil for approximately three minutes.
2. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute.
3. Incorporate pejibayes, tomato, coconut milk, mashed avocado, cilantro, chipotle, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has turned into a creamy sauce. Adjust flavor, remove from heat and reserve.
5. Grill the avocados by placing them cut side down on the grill for two to three minutes. Flip and cook for another two minutes.
6. Remove flesh from skin carefully with a paring knife or spoon and reserve.
7. Arrange the dish by serving two halves of grilled avocado with the pejibaye curry on the side and topped with additional sauce. |
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