Category Archives: Friday Column

Off with her head! The Red Queen has surfaced from Wonderland and cut all intelligent communication I may have had with the outside world. My Internet went off Sunday, and Monday my land phone also went dead. I am headless. … Continue reading →

The subjects of prostitution and education both have been in the news lately. Locally, the question seems to be variations of why do women choose to work in the sex business? That is one of the dumbest questions one can … Continue reading →

I have been feeling really punky for a couple of weeks now. No energy and not being able to imagine myself doing much but get out of bed to make my espresso that at least helps me to get started. … Continue reading →

I have been trying to put my guest bedroom/office in order because my dear friend, Nina, from Norway, is stopping to see me on her way to the other San Jose. Nina was my resident adviser and later my assistant … Continue reading →

The possibility of peace and neighborly friendship in the foreseeable future seems dim when one hears citizens of the most powerful and militarized country in the world say they want to discontinue foreign aid (which is 1 percent of the … Continue reading →

“Going Solo,” a new book by sociologist Eric Klineberg, would make a nice companion piece to Charles Murray’s “Coming Apart,” which I mentioned in a recent column. Murray lamented the demise among the white working class of the traditional values … Continue reading →

There are times when the outside world is too much with me. But instead of turning off the TV and refusing to read the news, I natter and voice my opinions of what I think has been overlooked, as piddling … Continue reading →

On a not so windy day this week I took a taxi downtown so that I could enjoy a walk. For some reason I find it easier and certainly more interesting, to walk in San José proper than in the … Continue reading →

Modern day tree hugging began in India in 1973 with Chipko Andolan (Movement to hug trees), when a group of villagers made a peaceful human chain around a grove of trees that were being threatened with destruction. The first tree … Continue reading →

Costa Rica has many groups and organizations one can join. I know there are a variety of interest groups for Costa Ricans and expats who speak Spanish, some mainly for English-speaking members and others that include both. I am lucky … Continue reading →

This week our Book Club shared reports of books about the history and people of Costa Rica. They ranged from an historical novel, by Tatiana Lobo, “Asalto al Paraiso,” which takes place in the 17th century, to present day hunters … Continue reading →

A California court has decided that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Prop 8 states that marriage must be restricted to the union of one man and one woman, “as God intended.” The pros or cons of this argument is not the … Continue reading →

Monday, unable to sleep, I was lying in bed looking out the window at the night sky. There were no stars to be seen, save one. A very large, unblinking bright ball was high above the volcano Poás. Obviously it … Continue reading →

There is almost no way to stop change. Isolated societies have managed to slow change as far as their environments are concerned, but those of us who live in the city are overruled by forces beyond our control. Sometimes those … Continue reading →

If you came to Costa Rica and have chosen to live in a city, like San José, chances are most of your friends and intimates are people who are like you and think like you. If you moved to a … Continue reading →

A few days ago on Bloomberg News, the anchor was reporting on some data. He said “The statistics go back to 1985 —- 1985?” (Like, big deal). Then he said “I can`t believe it`s 2012. That`s sick!” He sounded disgusted, … Continue reading →

First you chop onions. That is usually how you start the preparation for cooking anything. It also, as food writer Alan Gopnik implies, puts you in a Buddha state of mind. That is you are in the here and now … Continue reading →

I’ve been thinking about the movie title, “Back to the Future.” Not about the movie, which I hardly remember, but the title. I think we are at the point in history when the people of the world have to look … Continue reading →