bioTD Is On the Move

August 17, 2011 - A very exciting and special day!

Remember my friend Robin who started the pharmaceutical company? If not, go back to my post dated June 11, 2011.

This is Robin and his lovely wife Ursula

Robin's team has won about 5 awards since that posing. However, today they were awarded the big one. This was for Award Winning Medical Ideas sponsored by XXI Century Strategy headed by Franklin Chang.
They won the award for the development of a replacement for the Pap Smear test - Citofem. When you go back and read my post, I stated that this was going to be the big one of all the products they have developed. 

"This award is for an outstanding contribution to science and technology. It also allows us to assess the Costa Rican efforts to develop projects based on the development of a better Costa Rica" said Costa Rican astronaut and physicist Franklin Chang Dias, president of XXI Century Strategy.

This is a picture of Dr. Roy Mora accepting the award from guess who? Laura Chinchilla - the President of Costa Rica! Dr Roy is Robin's right hand man and has done a lot of work in the development of Citofem
It also just so happens that Dr Roy has more than gone out of his way to help me with a medical condition that I had.


Robin asked me to come along for this presentation, which forced me to get dressed up in a coat and tie for the first time in years - but it was well worth it. The presentation was given at the Presidential Palace in San Jose, and there were a lot of special people in attendance. It also gave me the opportunity to meet and chat with:

US Ambassador

Anne Slaughter Andrew

The first woman ambassador to Costa Rica

Franklin Chang


Astronaut 
Holds the record for the most flights (8) into space


President 
XXI Century Strategy 


Franklin is considered a Nation Hero in Costa Rica

And last, but not least

My new special friend :-) Also, soon to be my neighbor

Laura Chinchilla

President

Republica de Costa Rica

As you can see, Robin and his team at bioTD are really making some inroads in the field of medicine. To get the details regarding Citofem, just click below to go to their website:

CITOFEM 

US Debt, Debt Ceiling, FFA and Politics

I am not one who likes to discuss Politics and refuse to be in any discussion related to it. However, after what I have seen in the past several weeks, I have got to say something.

This is the building where some people work when they want to. After several weeks of intense political bickering where the future of the US was in question and they were more worried about their political motives, I don't think that they accomplished anything but to delay an eventual bankruptcy when interest payments account for 40% of total expenditures. Then when this was over with, they decided to go on an extended recess with no decision on the outstanding FFA bill leaving thousands of people unemployed and lost revenues that amounts to billions of dollars. I really don't know what to think about all this, but it is truly disheartening how these people can actually get away with things like this. The only public response to this is that they will vote these people out of office. - With the way I see it, it really won't change things.

I am truly embarrassed to say that these people are the leaders of our country. God help us!

One Solution to this crap is what one very successful businessman said:

Subject:  "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,"

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes I've heard in all this drama about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."


One thing that I would like to add to this is "And, without retirement benefits"

This will be the first and only post regarding subjects like this, but this thing has really eaten me up mentally - And so, that is it.

Our New Neighbor That Lives in Trees

Josette and Vincent are staying in our apartment until their container arrives so they can move into their new home here in Hacienda Atenas. One day last week as they were driving back, they ran across this mangy animal that was no further than 20' to the entrance of our property. It is a Costa Rican Two-Toed Sloth that they were able to get a couple of pictures of him - again, right by my driveway.

According to what I have read, these critters are supposed to live in the tropical rain forest areas. It is a long way from home, but must have heard about the great weather in Atenas. Fortunately, they eat leaves and are not dangerous, so I guess he can stay around here because from the looks of his claws I really don't want to force it to leave.

For more information on the Two-Toed Sloth of Costa Rica - Just go to this link:

http://www.calnative.com/stories/n_sloth.htm