Re-zoning in Anasco & Rincon

There's been alot of talk lately about a re-zoning plan for certain beach areas in Rincon and Anasco. At a meeting at City Hall in Rincon the public was offered a platform to see the plans and comment, Cyndi went to the meeting. We haven't lived in Rincon long enough to be sure about too much, but the mood around town seems to be that San Juan is looking for ways to make some tourist dollars and Rincon and Anasco are the targets. Even the mayor of Rincon spoke against the proposal.

I read a New York Times article posted on the Surfrider blog :http://s.nyt.com/u/CpO that tells of a town in the Dominican Republic that is working toward attracting the eco-tourists that seem to in vogue currently, and that may be a model for Rincon to follow. Of course any development of these areas and especially anything near the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve http://www.surfrider.org/rincon/rmtp.php should be discouraged, but sometimes the lesser of two evils is the only choice.

Eco-tourism may be a fad and and may draw more people here than we want, but it's not going to be large condominiums and all-inclusive resorts that are the other end of the spectrum. The people in Rincon care about its resources and the future of their town. If we can counter the proposed re-zoning plans with an organic plan of our own, perhaps San Juan would be more interested in listening.

Thankful!

The picture here is a poster I made for a Surfrider, Rincon volunteer tree planting that took place while I was in Los Angeles: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvn30n62EhZNxnzhQoHdrZT9vGgU6xn-FJ8S-MIH7WXSoL0ihWKq0zo4G4OctuivMfQZcDZHWDzmLtrscMYEWBUJR609z3ksv4eWGZ7oXMsrPATcWsaRaD9uJWyykuoA2ONOxdQhpUJg8/s1600-h/surfrider+tree+poster+Nov7.jpg Definitely a labor of love as I think it is important that people see how much Surfrider does for the town of Rincon. I am thankful for them. This past year has made me so much more aware of the things I am thankful for and none is higher on the list than Cyndi. It has been her courage and dream that has led us to where we are and for this I will always be thankful.

It's been difficult leaving behind family and friends in California, but their support and enthusiasm for our adventure has carried us through some difficult days and for this we are thankful. We are also thankful to our new friends and neighbors who have and continue to help us along the way, we constantly wonder if we were lucky to have such great neighbors or does the island just bring this out?

Of course I am thankful to have found such a beautiful place to live, a place that offers us so much of what we want and very few of the things we don't, but also so thankful for the basic necessities of life such as running water (most of the time). It's sad, but until I experienced not having water for a full 24 hours did I realize what a shameful fact it is that at least 13% of the world's population doesn't have access to running water.

Finally, I am thankful to have my health. Neither Cyndi nor I have a healthcare plan, unless you call eating right and exercising a viable plan. I don't expect the goverment to foot my healthcare bill if I don't take care of myself, however I don't think your income bracket should determine how good your healthcare is. Somewhere there is a way to improve the system, but it seems any attempt at "socialized" medicine gets demonized. We need to open our minds to all options, it's not that slippery a slope. Anytime there is such a blanket backlash against something the way healthcare reform has fared, chances are the truth is being hidden by a different agenda. If you have affordable healthcare, be thankful and consider those that don't.