THE Costa Rican Agronomists’Association is asking the government takeurgent measures to save the country’sagricultural sector from a potential crisisthat could wipe out many farmers.Association president Eugenio Porrasblamed the impending crisis on the lackof an adequate national development planfor agriculture, the daily Al Día reported.Rodolfo Coto, Minister of Agriculture,said the government needs to take immediateaction. He assured farmers he wouldpresent President Abel Pacheco with aplan containing clear policies for the sectorby the end of this month.The policies he will propose aim tohelp farmers prepare for the new challengesthey would face under the proposedCentral American Free-Trade Agreement(CAFTA) with the United States.Coto promised concrete actions wouldbe taken to assist the country’s strugglingbean growers. Although he rejected theidea of subsidizing beans, Coto said thegovernment would offer bean growerstechnical assistance and seeds, amongother things.During the last decade, Costa Ricanbean production has dropped by more thantwo-thirds. Last year, the country produced9,000 tons of beans, compared to 34,000tons in 1994. Local producers are able tosupply only 23% of the 40,000 tons ofbeans Costa Ricans consume each year.A further drop is expected this year.Heavy rains in the Northern Zone havealready destroyed 3,900 tons of beans,according to agriculture officials.

SINCE 2001, the Costa RicanElectricity Institute’s Engineers andProfessionals Union (SIICE) has receivedfunding from at least 20 private firms thathave participated in bidding processes tosupply ICE with millions of dollars worthof goods and services.The union requested contributionsfrom the firms to organize seminars ontechnological and political issues, thedaily La Nación reported.Between 2001 and 2003, SIICEreceived ¢13 million ($32,500 using the2003 average exchange rate) from telecomfirms including Alcatel (which soldICE the equipment needed to provideGSM cell phone service), Ericsson (whichwon a bid to provide ICE with 600,000GSM lines) and GBM (affiliated to U.S.-based IBM and a key provider for themuch-delayed Advanced Internet Project).La Nación reported it has copies ofthe checks. Most of the firms admittedthey contributed to SIICE, but deniedthere was any wrongdoing.SIICE is one ICE’s eight unions. Itrepresents 700 professionals from ICE,the National Power and Light Company(CNFL) and Internet-providerRadiográfica Costarricense S.A.(RACSA).ICE executive president Pablo Cobhas announced he will investigate thematter.

Despite the claims of salon owners, regular use of tanning lamps (in tanning beds), does carry some dangers – it increases risk of cancer and speeds up the onset of wrinkles, according to Dr. Eduardo Arias, a dermatologist with CIMA Hospital in Escazú, southwest of San José.“In tanning salons, they don’t have as strict control over the lamps (in the tanning beds) as they do over the lamps in an apparatus that would be used for medical purposes,” Arias said.He noted there is a discrepancy between a basic tanning unit that can be purchased in the United States for about $750 and a photo-therapy unit for medical usage that would cost $12,000-15,000.According to Arias, studies have shown that in some cases, commercial tanning beds emit ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B and ultraviolet C light.Ultraviolet A light is responsible for making skin darker or tanning, ultraviolet B light can make skin red or burnt and is responsible for some cancer cases, while ultraviolet C light is linked to a high incidence of cancer.Theoretically, ultraviolet C light should not reach Earth, but does so in small quantities in areas as in Australia where the ozone layer is not intact.There are benefits to sun exposure (namely ultraviolet A and B) and it can be used to treat a number of skin conditions. However, Arias is hesitant to recommend tanning salons to his patients, not only because of the quality of the lamps but also because he said he does not feel confident the technicians have enough knowledge to operate them safely. He recommends that his patients with psoriasis (a chronic skin disease), for example, go to the beach on the weekends instead.“If I had to choose between a tanning salon and the sun, I would prefer the sun,” Arias said. “Because I know that in this country, the sun doesn’t have ultraviolet light C, and I can’t guarantee that in a tanning salon.”A first in the country, CIMA Hospital is planning to establish a private photo-therapy unit, with Arias as the director, which is schedule to be up and running later this year. The machines will be for medical use only, to treat conditions such as psoriasis, acne, skin pigmentations, and certain types of subcutaneous lymphoma. As for the spray tan, such as “fantasy tan” or other self-tanners, Arias said, “As far as we know, at this point, they are safe. What could happen is the paint can become uneven and it can look a bit strange. But they won’t produce any kind of illness like cancer.”

WHEN Jean-Pierre Pfleger returned to visit his native Germany about two years ago after living in Costa Rica for 10 years, his family and friends were surprised that his skin color was the same as it always was, chalk white. “People kept asking me, ‘Don’t you live in a tropical country? ”Since then, the 31-year-old travel agent at the Ilisa Language School has been visiting various tanning salons like Magia Dorada, a full-service beauty salon in San Pedro, east of San José, to maintain his lightly bronzed color – especially during the rainy season.“I want to get a tan, but I want to be careful about it,” he said. “I also find it a relaxing experience and get a good feeling from it.”Scientific studies have shown that when a person is exposed to ultraviolet rays, the brain releases endorphins that create feelings of happiness and relaxation, according to Lilliana Resenterra, president of Magia Dorada. “Ultraviolet rays are essential for life,” she said. “People that live in the tropics are happier than those in Finland and that’s because of the sun.”MANY clients, Costa Ricans and foreigners alike, are interested in the service despite the country’s tropical climate that provides outdoor tanning weather practically year-round.“It is like the sun, but in a controlled environment,” she added. “Outside, the sun is very strong and you can burn more easily. Many people don’t have the time or the money to go to the beach to tan. Also, in a tanning bed there are no reflective surfaces, like there are outside that can result in freckles and pigmentation.”Of course, Resenterra recommends caution both inside and outside the tanning salon. She advises all clients to wear sunblock on a daily basis and insists that they don’t try to get dark too quickly in the salon.“The process of tanning is like losing weight, you have to do it slowly,” she said.PROMINENTLY displayed on a wall in Magia Dorada is a list of medications that can produce sensitivity to light. Also, the estheticians advise clients to consult with their doctor before using tanning beds if they have high blood pressure, cancer, family history of cancer, are pregnant, have heart problems, or recently had or will have surgery.At Magia Dorada, every client gets his or her own private room for each tanning session, which can take up to 20 minutes, during which he or she will lie down, or stand up in a tanning bed.Many clients report that they actually fall asleep to the humming of the tanning beds.“Ultraviolet rays are natural,” Resenterra said. “But it’s the abuse of ultraviolet rays that is dangerous.”Edwin Herrera, owner of Tantique tanning salon also in San Pedro, agrees that the risks of tanning beds are less than those of the sun.“The danger is in overexposure, which is why it is so important to go to a professional salon,” he said. “When you go to a reputable salon, the risks of cancer and wrinkles are less because the machines emit mostly ultraviolet light A, and only a small amount of ultraviolet light B.”HERRERA said they have even had some cases where dermatologists have referred patients to them to treat conditions like acne, but regardless of the reason, Herrera said he is always cautious.“If a person comes in with very white skin, we will start very slowly,” he said. “We have even had to turn some people away because they had a condition or were taking medication that made them more sensitive to light.”There are other precautions customers should be aware of in the tanning bed business.Sometimes a gym or a hair salon will have a tanning bed that is not properly maintained or employees that are not properly trained, Herrera said.“A professional salon will always disinfect the tanning bed between each client, change the tanning lamps before their operational lives expire and have employees that are well trained,” he said. “Always choose a place that specializes in it, and preferably a place that’s been around for a long time.”BUT not every tanning method involves ultraviolet rays.The Beauty Club Petite Spa, tucked away on the second floor of the Country Plaza on Escazú’s main road, offers a tan in the form of a spray, called the “fantasy tan.” Beauty Club President Sean Jeffrey said they use this method because it’s not damaging to the skin. “Here at Beauty Club,” he said, “we have chosen the healthy alternative. We care about our clients and we care about their skin.”Like the owners of conventional tanning salons, Jeffrey said despite the warm weather, his clients are still interested in the fantasy tan because of time constraints and the safety of the fantasy tan.“There are a lot of North Americans in Costa Rica and some of them want a bit of color but they don’t necessarily have time to sit out in the sun,” he said. “Also many people want to keep their color during the rainy season.”THE fantasy tan works on any skin color. It’s all natural, made from a mixture of moisturizers and DHA, an ingredient derived from beet juice that stimulates one’s own amino acids to produce color.For best results, a client should come in just after bathing, without any cream, deodorants or sunscreens on.In a private and locked room, a seasoned esthetician then sprays the fantasy tan over the entire body to ensure a streak-free and even application; the color shows immediately.The entire procedure takes about two hours including drying time and the effects last anywhere from four days to a week.Trina Atwell, a Beauty Club client originally from San Diego, Calif., has tried sunbathing outdoors and tanning salons and still wasn’t able to get her desired color.“I’m naturally very pale,” she said as the esthetician began spraying her back, visibly marking it with an authentic-looking color. “I love it. It’s so hard for me to get a tan any other way.”For more info on the tanning salons, contact Magia Dorada at 253-8846 or 280-4472. Contact Tantique at 253-5150. For more info on the “fantasy tan,” contact the Beauty Club Petite Spa at 288-0059.

SAN José’s little zoo along the river is hosting a month of freshproduce and educational activities for children and adults.Together with the Conservation Center in Santa Ana, southwestof San José, the Simón Bolivar Zoo will teach children how to preventfires and even adults can participate in a gardening workshop,among other things.The zoo is hosting a small display of preserved animals, most ofthem native species such as a puma and a deer, and two of them areexotic — the lion and the tiger. The exhibit of preserved animals isbeing held through June 8.Placards denote the scientific and Spanish names of the animals,and an assistant is on hand to answer questions. No English speakersor signs are available. The display is in the Child Discovery Area(Área de Descubrimiento Infantil), immediately inside the frontgates on the left.On May 22, the zoo will host a “Grow your own garden” workshopfrom 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This workshop, geared toward adults, willinstruct in the cultivation and care of small plants, shrubs and treesthat will take well to a home garden.Held at the Conservation Center in Santa Ana, west of San José,on its vast property of 50 hectares (123.5 acres), the workshop is notlimited to ornamental plants.“ALSO the workshop will direct people toward medicinalplants, bonsais and those plants that attract fauna such as butterfliesand birds,” said Zoo representative Vanessa Alvarado.The cost is ¢3,000 ($6.94).A farmer’s market is scheduled for May 23, when the zoo willbecome a produce and live animal market. Crops grown and smallanimals raised on the grounds of the Conservation Center will bedisplayed for sale at the zoo.Produce will include potatoes, chayote squash, cilantro, watermelon,mango, and bananas. The live animals for sale will beguineau pigs (cuilos) and hamsters (hamsters).THE Toño Pizote campaign for fire prevention will end May 29with activities for children. Toño is short for Antonio and Pizote isthe name of an animal – the long-nosed raccoon-like tree climber.Someone dressed in a pizote suit will instruct children in how toavoid lighting vacant lots on fire. According to Alvarado, forest firesare not a problem that is as urgent as those that start in lots. Theactivities begin at 11 a.m. at the zoo.On May 30, a “Nature Detectives” competition is scheduled forchildren ages 6-12. Each child, accompanied by an adult, will formteams and try to discover the identity of mysterious animals. As thecontestants find puzzle pieces in a kind of scavenger hunt, the animalswill reveal themselves in the puzzles.It should last less than an hour and begins at 10:30 am. Thoseinterested need to sign up in advance by calling 256-0012.The zoo is open every day, weekdays 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. andweekends 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. From the kiosk of Morazán Park it is 300meters north and 175 meters northwest.The Conservation Center is 300 meters west and 200 metersnorth of the Red Cross of Santa Ana.For more info, call 256-0012 or 233-6701.

THROUGH sound, photography and dressed mannequins,Código Vestimenta (Dress Code), a multi-media exhibition atthe Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in San José,delves into the process of artistic creation and presents it as thefinished product.As visitors listen to a portable compact disc player that canbe borrowed from the center, the small exhibition room easilyconverts into a skewed rendering of the behind-the-sceneswork of the three artists.Dunia Barley designed four dresses – borrowing lazilycurving cuts and earth-tones from the trunks of ancient treesshe saw in a park while waiting for inspiration. The angles thebranches made forking from the trunks were shuffled over tothe necklines of the dresses. The texture and patterns of upholsterylent their charms when she used it as the dress material,the four of them cut from a mixed bag of cotton and polyester.On a wide strip on the walls around the dresses IrenePeña’s photographs suggest the evolution of the design.“I was more interested in going inside the designer’s mind– a backstage look,” said Peña about choosing her subjects.That look begins at a colorless shot of starkly bare branches,then shifts to a woman wearing a dress and dancing, eventumbling among leafy trees, then a dress is displayed on a mannequinwith the suggestion of blurred movement at one side,and a drawing table outline of the design in the works, then themannequin is in front of a towering gas drum, but the naturalworld leaks into its background of tree branches.OTTO Castro’s trance-inducing music sounds like themeson rocks dropping onto stainless steel counter tops, sinistervoices, mood swings and the chirrups of alien cicadas.Actually, he said, he recorded the sounds of a clothing factory– the sewing machine, the scissors – as well as the clicks of acamera and the key conversations between Peña and Barley inwhich they described their goals for the finished product. Thenhe distorted those sounds electronically, creating a startlingarray of noise that weaves the exhibition together with its ownpast and the efforts of the artists.The Center also hosts a photographic exposition in blackand white called People’s Lives by acclaimed photographerBill Wright (TT, May 14).The exhibition closes June 10. The Costa Rican-NorthAmerican Cultural Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-8p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and, during the month ofMay, on Sundays 10 a.m.-noon. Entrance is free.For more info, call 207-7500.

IMAGINE a group of childrencollaborating to write aplay and performing it. Soundsa little out of reality, but TheChildren’s Company of theGiratablas Theater did.Now the public is invited towatch their show called “LasMil y Una Diversiones.”The kids – a group of 15children ages 9-13 – created aplay from scratch as theyworked in every aspect of makinga play, including writing thescript, the songs and choreographingthe dances, accordingto Michael Piedra, producer ofthe play and general assistant ofthe company,The work took two semesters,but at the end they have aplay that is full of entertainment.THE show focuses onAlbaluz, the daughter of Fausto,who is a circus owner who loseshis self-confidence and his enthusiasm for creativityand fantasy. She and a series of dancers,singers and magicians convince the man to followhis dreams.“Las Mil y Una Diversiones” had a previousviewing at the Open Air Festival in March held bythe Ministry of Culture at the National CultureCenter. The show also has a short run at theGiratablas Theater.The Giratablas Cultural Association foundedits children’s program in 1996 as a way to stimulatekids through games and basic acting techniques.“WITH this group of children we are goingto start our Teen Acting Company in August,”Piedra said.The play runs through June 6 on Sundays at3 p.m. at Giratablas Theater, across fromKentucky Fried Chicken in Los Yoses. Ticketsare ¢1,000.For more info, call 253-6001 or visit the Website at www.teatrogiratablas.com.

TOURIST hikersin parks andrefuges like Corcovado,a nationalpark on Osa Peninsulain southernCosta Rica andG a n d o c a – M a n -zanillo, a wildliferefuge on the southernCaribbeancoast, often see littleto no sign of illegalhunting, mainlybecause poacherstend to hunt in remote areas.However, tourist divers frequently seeblatant evidence of illegal fishing at many ofthe protected dive sites in Costa Rica.More often than not, the Pacific’s limitedCaño Island dive sites are strung withnew fishing line – recently a massive netchock full of dying marine life greetedtourist divers at the protected area’s premieredive site.This net could have easily stretchedaround several suburban houses – except itwas wrapped around the underwater pinnacleknown as Bajo Del Diablo like a deadlycloak.Local divemasters and instructors spentfour days cutting the net free.As has happened in similar situations inthe South Caribbean and Guanacaste, everydive operator in the area helped clear themess by providing boats, drivers, gas, tanksand more. Even the tourist divers sacrificedtheir dives (which they had paid for) andeven pitched in to help.Once informed about the net, the rapidand professional response of Golfito-basedOcean watchdog Mar Viva, together with theCosta Rican Coast Guard, curtailed aninvading fleet of poachers,who seem to have disappearedfor the moment.In Caño Island’s case,had there not been tourists,it is unlikely the net –which was quickly killingall coral and countless fishon one of Costa Rica’s mostprolific marine sites –would have been noticed.Local divemasters andinstructors surmise thatother important underwater areas of theisland are being destroyed, but as far as weknow, no one is checking. Like theCorcovado wilderness, most of CañoIsland is off-limits to many, includingunderwater.Keeping so much area off-limits totourists is exactly what poachers look for –no one is regularly checking the area. Thepossible visit of tourists seems, economically,to be the best defense against poachersbecause they do not seem to like to operatewhere they might run into a guide with agroup of tourists.Caño Island poachers almost alwayssteal under the cover of night. If they dare todo so during the day, it is always on the off limitsbackside of the island.Creating a dive site on the backside ofthe island and allowing night diving wouldcreate instant patrols that pay for themselvesin the places and times that needthem most – just like opening other parkentrances and camping areas in Corcovadowill thwart poachers in areas they currentlyrule.Spreading out the tourists a little atCorcovado and Cañowould also help lessen theheavy pressure on just afew relatively small areas.These protected placesapparently have no limitsand you might find morethan 100 people at a smallguard station at a time.Whether underwater orabove, most visitors tothese protected areas arestamping out the same fewtrails because everything else is off-limits –to everyone except, it seems, poachers.Limited numbers of tourists, with trainedguides, should be spread out over a greaterarea. This not only helps patrol protectedareas, but also keeps the quality of theecosystems and the tours from deterioratingfurther because of too many people on thetrails.A waiting line to use your crowded trailor dive route results in everyone seeing toolittle of the flora and fauna they came to thiscountry to see. It also risks loving thewildlife to a death just as final as that inflictedby a poacher.Contact the author at 835-6041 or emailat shawn@CostaCetacea.com or visitthe Web site at www.CostaCetacea.com.