May 10, 2010
Hola mis estudiantes y maestros,
Como estas hoy? I am your CHANCE Co-Instructor. My background is in biology and
science education. This will be my seventh trip to Central America and my third trip to
Costa Rica & Panama. I hope that you will enjoy learning about the biodiversity and the
wonderful people and places of Costa Rica & Panama. I certainly look forward to
working with you in the field!
Below/attached you will find your first official pre-trip assignment. PLEASE send all of
your responses to both me at kxf24@psu.edu and Kathy Gray at kmg10@psu.edu.
Ms. Gray will file all of your work and I will be the one grading and/or reading over
assignments. This assignment is due no later than Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Of
course, if you have any questions about anything, please e-mail me or call me at 267971-6431.
Warm regards,
Kathy Fadigan
Profesora Fadigan
CHANCE Co-Instructor
Assistan Professor of Science Education
Penn State Abington
Phone: 215-881-7564
CHANCE, 2010
Pre-Trip Assignment #1
Due June 1, 2010
The following questions are based upon websites found in sections A. “Costa Rica –
General Information” and B. “Costa Rican Culture.” Please use any other
accredited resource to aid in your answering these questions as thoroughly as possible.
Complete sentences only.
1.
Geography.
A. Exactly where is Costa Rica located? How big is Costa Rica?
How does its size compare to the United States? Is Costa Rica in a
different time zone than Pennsylvania? In detail, describe Costa Rica’s
main geographic regions, including mountains, volcanoes, rivers, lakes,
valleys, plains, etc.
B. What is the difference between a lowland tropical rainforest and a tropical
montane or “cloud forest” in Costa Rica?
2.
Weather.
A. What weather should we expect when we arrive in late June/early July?
What will the temperature be? (Hint: search using the name of the city
where our plane lands). We’ll be in Costa Rica in the middle of the “wet”
season. Does that mean it will rain every day? Do they refer to this time
as “winter” or “summer,” and why?
B. The Hadley cell is a circulation pattern that dominates the tropical
atmosphere. Explain exactly why it rains so much along the equator and
the role of the Hadley cell in the precipitation in this area of our planet .
3.
History.
A. Who were the indigenous people who first inhabited Costa Rica? Today
there are three sects of Indians living in Talamanca, a mountainous region
in the South part of the country (where you will visit). List and identify
them. How have the indigenous people in Costa Rica in general suffered
over the years?
B. Who were the first Europeans to explore the area, and where did they
settle? How did Costa Rica get its name, and what does it mean? When,
where, and how did Costa Rica acquire its independence from Spain.
What was the first capitol of Costa Rica?
4.
Government.
A. What is the capital of Costa Rica today? What form of government do
they use and for how long has it been in existence? How is the
government structured? Discuss the presidency itself, how long a
president serves, re-elections, and the history of past presidents, and their
family ties to elite Costa Rican families. Has there been any corruption in
recent years in the executive branch and imprisonment of past
presidents?
B. Oscar Arias is the first president ever re-elected in Costa Rica in 36 yearsdoing so nearly two decades after his first administration. Research this
man, then write at least a five-paragraph summary of his past and present
contributions to Costa Rica.
5.
Economy.
A. Discuss the economy of Costa Rica. Are there any major exports?
Imports? Are they experiencing economic growth? Elaborate as much as
possible.
B. With regard to banana plantations, there are many problems in this
industry related to the health of the workers and the environment.
Summarize the following article that was published in the Costa Rican
newspaper, The Tico Times, by a Nicaraguan correspondence, then state
your opinion. You may research this issue further in order to strengthen
your opinion.
Former Banana Workers Still Seeking Justice
By: Tim Rogers, Correspondent
Tico Times Nicaragua
trogers@ticotimes.net
MANAGUA – The misery in the makeshift shantytown set up across the
street from the National Assembly is as oppressive as the midday sun that
scorches the ground, turning the park’s vegetation into dust.
More than 4,000 sickly former banana farmers from the northern
departments of Chinandega and Leon sit on the rocky ground or
suspended in hammocks strung up under plastic tarps. The women
prepare rice and beans in cauldrons placed over smoky wood fires.
These impoverished campesinos, who are expected to number 7,500 by
week’s end, have once again made the 12-day hike to the capital in what
has become a depressing annual pilgrimage to demand government
assistance in their fight for justice against the transnational companies that
produced and used the hazardous pesticide DBCP, known more
commonly by the brand name Nemagon.
Most of the campesinos, now in their late 50s and 60s, claim they are
dying as a result of being poisoned by Nemagon, which was sprayed
widely on the banana plantations in the 1970s and early ‘80s to protect
plants against microscopic parasites known as “eelworms.”
The former banana workers insist years of handling the hazardous
chemical has resulted in health ailments that range from low sperm counts
and stained skin, to cancer and birth defects in their children.
MORE than 852 campesinos who worked on banana plantations operated
by Standard Fruit Company (now Dole Fruit Company) in the ‘60s, ‘70s
and ‘80s have died in recent years from nemagon, according to
campesino leaders. That number is expected to climb to 1,000 by year’s
end.
Two more campesinos have died since trekking to Managua last week.
The campesinos’ fight against Dole Fruit Company and chemical giants,
Dow and Shell, (which produced DBCP) began six years ago with local
law firm, Ojeda, Gutierrez, Espinosa and Associates (Ojesa). The firm,
which represented 4,500 clients in Chinandega, won four cases against
the corporations, totaling $600 million in damages.
The lawsuits were filed under Nicaragua’s controversial Ley 364, which
was created in 2001 to retroactively impose legal liability for U.S.
companies that manufactured or used the chemical DBCP (TT, March 5,
2004).
But Ojesa’s efforts to enforce the Nicaraguan judgments in the Untied
States failed when a California judge dismissed the case last October for
technical reasons.
Now the campesinos are forced to start the process all over again, with a
new law firm.
The former northern-zone banana farmers walked to Managua for the third
time last year, to demand government assistance with health care and
legal proceedings. The Bolarious government finally complied, and the
campesinos were bussed home (TT, March 26, 2004).
A year later, however, the Nemagon victims claim the government has still
not fulfilled any of its promises, forcing them to return to the capital for a
fourth time.
“The government hasn’t even paid us one cent of the money promised,”
Victorino Espinales, leader of the Workers’ Association of Ex-Banana
Farmers Affected by nemagon, told the Nica Times this week. “We are
not here asking for anything new, just compliance with old promises.”
The government insists it has complied with its promises, but the
compesinos are getting desperate.
Last week, several of them threatened to start more serious protests –
including hunger strikes, crucifixions and burning themselves alive – to get
the government’s attention. The government and Ombudsman quickly
condemned such threats.
A major sticking point in the ongoing legal battle for justice is
disagreement over the adverse health effects of prolonged exposure to
the pesticide.
“We sympathize with the people in Nicaragua who claim they were
affected by a product that was developed more than three decades ago to
protect the region’s banana plantations. However, we are confident that
our product did not injure any of the plaintiffs in this case,” said Sara
Colletti, spokeswoman for Shell.
Augusto Navarro, Nicaragua’s Minister of Agriculture and president of the
Government Commission on Nemagon, said Dole and Dow also reject
claims that Nemagon causes adverse health effects other than some
respiratory complications and possible sterility in males.
Erika Rosenthal, A U.S.-based lawyer with the non-profit environmental
law group Earthjustice and a frequent consultant to the Pesticide Action
Network in Central and Latin America, admits: “There has been some –
but not nearly enough – research on DBCP’s effects on human health.”
The campesinos, however, argue that premature deaths caused by
vomiting are a pretty good indication that something is wrong.
“People are sick and dying, but this isn’t proof because the doctors don’t
say it’s proof,” Espinales said. “The best proof is death. We are not
doctors, but we know we are dying.”
Espinales and the campesinos insist this time they will not leave the
capital until the government makes good on its promise to pay each
former banana worker a $200 pension, and make available the $14 million
promised for free health consultations and medicines.
6.
People.
A. Costa Rica is unquestionably the most homogeneous of Central
American nations in race, as well as social class. Explain this statement
by researching “Costa Rican ethnicity.”
B. Every nationality has its own sense of identify. Costa Ricans have their
own unique “Tican” identify. Elaborate.
C. What language do most Costa Ricans speak? What is their dominant
religion? What are some of the other ethnic backgrounds that make up
the people of Costa Rica today?
D. What is the present population of Costa Rica? Where do most people
live, and why?
7.
Education.
A. What percentage of the people of Costa Rica is literate? How many years
of school do most children attend? What percentage of the national
budget is spent on education? Also, find out what percentages of our
federal and state budgets are devoted to education.
8.
Trivia.
A. What holiday will they celebrate in Costa Rica on August 2?
9.
News.
A. Give a synopsis of any two articles that are in the headlines of
The Tico Times (www.ticotimes.net). You may want to read this paper on
a weekly basis until we leave in June.
10.
Panama.
A. Find Bocas del Toro on a map and describe exactly where these tropical
islands are located geographically. Then, investigate some of the marine
life you might see in Bocas del Toro. List five species (give common and
scientific names) that would like to see while snorkeling.
B. Visit the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute’s web site. Investigate
some of the current research projects being conducted by scientists at the
facility. Summarize one of the topics and the scientist that interests you.