Best Food & Drink 2012 Panama Costa Rica Nicaragua Chifrijo Sibu

Welcome to Part 2 in our Best Of the Trans-Americas Journey 2012 series of posts. Part 2 is all about the Best Food & Beverages from the past year on the road from a gourmet surprise on a volcanic island in Nicaragua to the best chifrijo in Costa Rica. Part 1 covers the Best Adventures & Activities of 2012?and Part 3 covers the Best Hotels of the year.

Yes, end of year round-ups can be lame. On the other hand, they can also be a valuable chance for us to look back on the year that was and remember just how damn lucky we are.?Done right, an end of year round-up can also be a quick and easy way for you to get ?the best tips, tricks and truths that made our Trans-Americas Journey travels so special in 2012. Maybe, just maybe, you?ll hit the road yourself in 2013 (or 2014, no pressure).

First, a few relevant stats:

In 2012 the Trans-Americas Journey?

?thoroughly explored Nicaragua, Costa Rica and northern Panama

?drove 8,349 miles?

?spent $2,608 on fuel?

?made seven overland border crossings

We?ve also eaten nearly all of our meals in restaurants of one description or another from street food stalls to bustling markets to multi-star restaurants. In no particular order, here are some of the best bites and top tipples that made all that time on the road even tastier.

Best iced coffee: The talented baristas at the?Caf? Las Flores?coffee shops around Managua, Nicaragua turn the organic coffee grown and roasted by Caf? Las Flores into rich, satisfying coffee drinks of all descriptions including hard-to-find properly made iced coffee (US$2).?No hot coffee watered down with ice cubes here!?

Best pizza: The kitchen at?Al Cielo Hotel & Restaurant?is run by Xavier, a young French chef-slash-surfer who ditched the bustle of Paris in favor of the views and vibe at the ridge top place he helped create minutes from super surf in the town of?Aposentillo in northern?Nicaragua. Before he left Paris, a mentor gave him his pizza dough recipe as a going away present. Xavier has perfected it to suit the water and the oven in his new kitchen and, among other tasty dishes, he now offers authentic gourmet pizzas for 180 cordobas (US$7.50).?

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Best cinnamon roll: They bake a lot of things at?La Casa de Don Colacho in Jinotega, Nicaragua but stay focused on the cinnamon rolls which have the sticky sweetness to rich pastry ratio dialed in.?

Best casual gourmet surprise: Caf? Campestre in the village of Balgue on Ometepe Island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua is owned by chef Ben Slow. He turns local, organic ingredients (much grown on his own nearby permaculture farm) into delights including homemade tagliatelle (seen drying, below), chicken curry, real chilli, humus (made with locally sourced jackfruit seeds instead of imported chickpeas?you?ll never know the difference) and much more all for less than many of the run-of-the-mill eateries on the island. His lovely and well-trained local staff and rustic/chic d?cor are also welcome surprises.?

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Best ice cream:?It?s best to think of the frozen treat that?s been sold at La Sorbetera de Lolo Mora in San Jos??s 130 year old Central Market for more than 100 years as frozen egg nog with all the nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and rich, custardy goodness that entails. It?s even the same color as egg nog. Locals like it even more with cubes of red Jell-O in it. We liked it so much (sans Jell-O) that we made it one of our 17 Reasons Not to Blow Off the Capital.

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Best chifrijo in Costa Rica: Pull into a road side stand just a few miles after you exit the new pay highway from San Jose onto the Costanera highway on Costa Rica?s Pacific Coast and get ready for the best example of Costa Rica?s national dish that we had during our 5+ months in the country. The chifrijo here (shown below), made with white rice and whole red beans topped with chopped tender pork then crumbled with chopped chicharon (fried pork skin) then doused with pico de gallo and a squeeze of lime juice, is sublime.?

Best restaurant name: Claro Que Seafood Grill, the formal restaurant for the iconic Si Como No hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica, wins this one hands down with its clever play on the common Spanish phrase claro que si (which means ?clearly? or ?of course?).

Best French fries: 9 Degrees Restaurant & Lounge in Bocas Town on Isla Colon in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago of northern Panama serves up thick cut, freshly made fries dusted in chunky salt and served on a chic waterfront outdoor deck.

Best chocolate: Sibu Chocolate?near San Jose, Costa Rica is heaven for chocolate lovers and lovers of the environment. Innovative owners Julio Fernandez Amon and George Soriano?not only produce top drawer organic hand-made chocolates they do it with local ingredients from small-scale farmers, they offset their carbon emissions and their elegant packaging is made from recycled materials.?

Source: http://trans-americas.com/blog/2013/01/best-food-beverages-2012/

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Use Short-Term Business Loans for Your Working Capital Needs

Small businesses can't survive without funding for their operations. They need funding in the short-term for working capital needs, seasonal needs, cyclical needs, and cash flow ebbs and flows. This is where short-term business loans come in to play.

Short-term bank loans have been difficult to obtain during the Great Recession. Banks tightened up credit and credit requirements. As the recovery progresses, credit requirements are gradually loosening. As consumers become more willing to buy, small businesses need to obtain short-term loans to ramp up their inventory. The best option for small businesses is not large banks. Check out your small community banks and credit unions instead. You may find them much more willing to work with your business.

Here is an article on short-term loans that may help you. Check it out!

Short Term Business Loans

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Source: http://bizfinance.about.com/b/2013/01/04/use-short-term-business-loans-for-your-working-capital-needs.htm

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J.R. Smith Dunk: Pablo Prigioni Sets Up Reverse Ally Oop Slam As Knicks Defeat Spurs (VIDEO)

NEW YORK -- Sometime between Stephen Jackson's sideline stumble and J.R. Smith's soaring slam, the San Antonio Spurs realized this wasn't their night.

Too much fatigue and way too much Knicks defense.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Smith kept up his surge with 20 and New York snapped San Antonio's seven-game winning streak with a 100-83 victory Thursday night.

Steve Novak added 15 points and Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 14 rebounds to help the Knicks bounce back from consecutive losses by dominating the final period against the Spurs, who appeared to run out of gas in their second game in two nights.

"They shot the hell out of it and I could see it wasn't going to happen," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Just too low on fuel and their defense was too good. Bad combination, and then they made shots, which makes it even worse."

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each had just 11 points for the Spurs, who lost Jackson to an unusual injury, then lost what had been the NBA's longest winning streak.

Jackson played just three minutes off the bench before spraining his right ankle when he took a shot then fell back into a waitress working the sideline in front of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Smith, who had scored 25 points in his last four games as a reserve, highlighted his outing with an acrobatic dunk in the fourth quarter that brought fans to their feet. The lobbed pass came from reserve point guard Pablo Prigioni, who had one of his most complete games since coming to the NBA at age 35, finishing with six points and nine assists.

That meant the Knicks needed just an ordinary game from Anthony, who finished with about half of the season high-tying 45 he scored in a loss against Portland on Tuesday.

"That's their scheme, to try to take me out of the game," Anthony said. "Just a matter of us making shots when we swing the ball, and Novak made shots, J.R. kept his streak alive of playing good basketball, Pablo came in and led our team from the point guard position. Everybody contributed in their own way."

The Knicks put away what had been a close game for three quarters, scoring the first 10 points of the fourth to take a 17-point lead. The Spurs, playing for the fourth time in five nights, went with reserves from there and never put much of a dent in it.

San Antonio, which averaged 111.7 points on 53.4 percent shooting during its winning streak and rang up 117 points on Wednesday in Milwaukee, shot just 36 percent in its lowest-scoring game this season. Gary Neal led the Spurs with 12 points.

"It wasn't the first time, it's not going to be the last one," Spurs reserve Manu Ginobili said of the tired performance. "But of course we've got to give them credit because they forced us to not find anything easy, they made us really work."

Popovich praised the Knicks' defense before the game, though it had slipped during their stretch of three losses in four games. Looking for a fix, coach Mike Woodson gave Marcus Camby a start at forward in hopes of ending the Knicks' slow starts, and they allowed just 19 points in the first quarter.

"Our defense was slacking the last 10 games or so. Our defense kind of went the other way," Woodson said. "We put a nice feel-good tape together to show our players how we started the season, that we were No. 1 in defense and on offense. There was some major slippage."

Amare Stoudemire had 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in his second game of the season after knee surgery. He seemed more aggressive than in his debut Tuesday but is clearly without his typical explosiveness, having a number of shots blocked when he tried to power his way inside.

Leading 67-60 after three, the Knicks made it 77-60 on Novak's 3-pointer with 10:24 remaining in the game. New York poured it on from there, the lead growing to 20 when Smith caught a lob from Prigioni around his waist while in the air and slammed it home as the players on the Knicks bench jumped up in celebration.

"J.R. does some amazing things. He's a freak of nature," Chandler said.

Novak followed with another 3-pointer on the next possession to make it 95-72.

Jackson entered the game just 13 seconds in, but his night was over late in the period after his bizarre injury. Jackson launched a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:23 left, stepping backward out of bounds after the miss and falling onto the waitress. He limped back onto the court as the Knicks played with a 5-on-4 advantage that led to Anthony's 3-pointer. The Spurs then took a timeout and Jackson limped off toward the locker rooms.

It was unclear if the waitress was serving Bloomberg, who was seen eating a box of popcorn shortly after.

Jackson was unavailable for comment.

Woodson said before the game he thought the Spurs were the best team in basketball right now, though Popovich dismissed that as gamesmanship he learned from Larry Brown. San Antonio sure didn't look its best while losing for the first time since a 112-106 setback at Denver on Dec. 18 and getting held well below its NBA-best 105.9 points per game.

Notes: The Spurs hadn't played here since January 2011, so this was their first time back in Madison Square Garden since renovations began. Popovich jokingly yelled at Parker for not knowing how to get from the locker room to the court before the game. ... Ginobili, Prigioni's teammate with Argentina's national team, was held to eight points on 2-of-10 shooting.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/jr-smith-dunk-pablo-prigioni-ally-oop_n_2406942.html

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Lace Up the Skates, Nautical Mile Pond Hockey Tournament is a Go ...

The recent sub-freezing temperatures may have put a chill on many outdoor events, but has organizers of the Nautical Mile Pond Hockey Winter Classic warming up plans for a weekend of games, activities and civic pride in St. Clair Shores.

Organizers decided Thursday to move forward with the outdoor hockey tournament after temperatures recently dropped enough to cause the canals next to Brownie's on the Lake to freeze. Additionally, the seven-day forecast includes nighttime temperatures dropping below freezing.

"We are a go," said Shawn Nicholson, vice-president of the St. Clair Shores Hockey Association and one of the organizers of the event. "I am a lot more confident now than I was two weeks ago."

The inaugural tournament had been planned for this past January, but unseasonably warm temperatures and a lack of ice led to the cancellation of the event.

Even with the cancellation last year, there has been strong interest in the event this year with 44 of the planned 48 teams already registered for the Jan. 25-27 tournament.

Each team, which is comprised of players 21-years-old and older, will have at least three games - with some being played under lights set-up on the ice - with semi-finals and championships on Sunday.

"I think it is going to be an event that brings the community together," said Greg Esler, parks and recreation director. "We want to make sure the hockey players, and their families feel special, and find St. Clair Shores a great place to live and maybe buy a house down the road."

For more information about the tournament, visit the Pond Hockey website.

Volunteers are also needed. For more information, visit the volunteers needed page.

Source: http://macomb.patch.com/articles/lace-up-the-skates-nautical-mile-pond-hockey-tournament-is-a-go

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Which Universities Are More Highly Ranked by High School Counselors Than by Colleges Officials?

Do high school counselors and college officials view universities differently? To answer this question, U.S. News is publishing a first-ever analysis of colleges in our National Universities rankings category that shows the academic reputation rankings gap between high school and college officials in our 2013 Best Colleges rankings.

How should these results be interpreted?

If a school is more highly ranked by high school counselors than by college officials for its undergraduate academic reputation, it means that the school's undergraduate reputation among its academic peers is lagging behind the evaluation of the school by high school counselors.

If a school is less highly ranked by high school counselors than by college officials for its undergraduate academic reputation, it means that the school's undergraduate reputation among its academic peers is considerably greater than the view of the school held by high school counselors.

The universities that are more highly ranked by high school counselors are generally either smaller research universities or schools that have heavy concentrations of programs in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). The universities that are more highly ranked by college officials than by high school counselors are all very large public universities--in some cases the top "flagship" public in their state.

For National Universities, the U.S. News ranking formula gives the high school counselor reputation a weight of 7.5 percent in the rankings, and the academic reputation peer score has a weight of 15 percent in the overall ranking model. Peer assessments are subjective, but they are also important because a diploma from a distinguished college helps graduates get good jobs or gain admission to top-notch graduate programs.

Only schools that were numerically ranked National Universities in the Best Colleges 2013 rankings were included in this analysis.

More highly ranked by high school counselors than by college officials

The table below shows the top schools in the National Universities ranking category where a school's 2013 Best Colleges high school counselor rank was better than the school's academic peer assessment rank by the largest number of ranking places.

Less highly ranked by high school counselors than by college officials

This table shows the top schools in the National Universities ranking category where a school's 2013 Best Colleges high school counselor rank was less than the school's academic peer assessment rank by the largest number of ranking places.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/universities-more-highly-ranked-high-school-counselors-colleges-154822278.html

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2013 Is A Bad Year for Chinese Entertainment Industry ? Cina Pig

In the Chinese entertainment industry, there are superstars fall in every 10 years.? Superstars like Bruce Lee, Alexander Fu Sheng, Wong Ka Kui, Danny Chan, Leslie Cheung, and Anita Mui passed away in the years ended ?3?.

Bruce Lee (27th November 1940 ? 20th July 1973)

Bruce Lee was a well-known international martial arts superstar, and founder of Jeet Kune Do.? He started showing performing arts talent when he was a kid by acting in a?Xi Lu Xiang (Little Xiang).? Later he went to United States for further studies, and opened a martial arts school.? He made his fame in 1966 in the movie Green Hornet.? Bruce Lee led the martial arts fashion, and made huge impact on movie and martial arts industry.

Alexander Fu Sheng (20th October 1954 ? 7th July 1983)

A famous martial arts actor in the 60s and 70s.? His father was a Members of the Legislative Council, which Chinese appears to be the minority in the council.? In 1971, Alexander was accepted to the first training class of Shaw, and he acted in the movie Fourteen Amazons which led him to become the god son of a famous director.? He married Jenny Tseng, a very famous Cantonese singer in Hong Kong.? Alexander died in an accident.? He was the first actor who incorporated comedy element in martial acts movie, which influenced Jacky Chan and Sammo Hung.

Wong Ka Kui (10th June 1962 ? 30th June 1993)

Wong Ka Kui is a member of the famous band Beyond.? Beyond was formed in 1983, and was a leading rock music icon in Hong Kong.? The band self-funded their first concert, and it was a huge success.? The band reached the golden period in the 90s, and they expanded their footprints in Taiwan, China, and Japan.? Wong Ka Kui used to say, ?There is only entertainment industry in Hong Kong, but there is no music industry.?? Wong Ka Kui was seriously injured and later passed away after he fell down during a program recording in Japan.

Danny Chan (7th September 1958 ? 25th October 1993)

The first generation Chinese idol singer.? He was already active in music activities when he was in school.? In 1977, he participated in TVB?s pop music composing competition, and won the third place.? He also signed up with a label after the competition.? In 1979, he released his first album, and became popular.? Later he released numerous classic songs.? In May 1925, he fainted at his condominium, and later hospitalized for 17 months until he passed away.

Leslie Cheung (12th September 1956 ? 1st April 2003)

Leslie Cheung won third place in a singing competition in 1977, and that became his stepping stone to enter the entertainment industry.? After that he acted in many TV series.? In 1987, he joined a new label, and released a popular album ?Summer Romance?.? He committed suicide on 1st April 2003 by jumping down from Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong.

Anita Mui (10th October 1963 ? 30th December 2003)

One of the most respected female singer in Hong Kong music industry.? Anita Mui started by winning the New Talent Singing Competition in 1982.? After the competition, she released his first album with impressive sales.? She also consecutively won the title of the most popular female singer for five years.? She is also known as the Diva and?Oriental Madonna in Asia.? Anita Mui passed away at the age of 40 due to cervical cancer.

Tags: 2013, alexander fu sheng, anita mui, bruce lee, danny chan, leslie cheung, wong ka kui

Source: http://cinapig.com/2013/01/04/2013-is-a-bad-year-for-chinese-entertainment-industry/

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Residential Construction Spending Climbs to 4-Year High ...

Last updated 19 hours ago

Renter demand and home improvement and remodeling?activity contribute to higher construction spending.?

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Private residential construction spending surged 3 percent on a month-to-month basis in October 2012. The initial estimate for September was revised downward from a 2.8 percent gain down to a 1.1 percent rate of growth; however, this was more than offset by an upward bump in the previously reported estimate for August from 1.2 percent to 2.8 percent. Following increases in 14 of the last 15 months, nominal spending on private residential construction activity is at its highest dollar value since late 2008. In addition, spending has risen 32 percent above the trough registered during the third quarter of 2010.

New single-family homes continued to post solid rates of growth, increasing 3.6 percent on a month-to-month basis for the second month in a row. Spending is also 29 percent above its year-ago level and has climbed 55 percent since bottoming out in mid-2009. This latest print on construction spending merely confirms the firming recovery for new single-family home construction that has been observed via housing starts and the HMI. With permit authorizations climbing rapidly and hitting their highest levels since the summer months of 2008, we anticipate this robust pace of growth in construction activity to continue over the near term.

The positive momentum continued for the multifamily sector, notching its 13th consecutive monthly increase with a 6.2 percent gain over September 2012. Overall, the dollar value of multifamily construction activity has surged more than 82 percent from its cyclical low observed just two years ago, due in part to strong growth in renter demand. Multifamily starts have averaged better than 230,000 units over the duration of 2012 and given that permits have averaged approximately 280,000 units during the same time period, multifamily construction spending will likely rise further in the coming months.

Home improvement activity expanded 1.8 percent during October 2012, offsetting the downward revision of a 1.2 percent decline posted for September. Using the 3-month moving average to iron out some of the volatility in this metric, nominal remodeling spending has reached its highest point in five years. NAHB?s own Remodeling Market Index (RMI) has pointed to an even stronger assessment of current market conditions by professional remodelers as the RMI reached 50 for the first time since 2005.

RISMedia

Source: http://www.jeannettespinelliaustin.com/607809/2013/01/03/residential-construction-spending-climbs-to-4-year-high.html

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