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December 2011
Our monthly activities focused on the follow-up of ALAC consultations (draft statement on geographic regions etc.) and the preparation of the last monthly call this year. Besides other call agenda items we dedicated our discussions on a wrap-up of EURALO activities, highlights / achievements and shortcomings in 2011 (participation at three ICANN meetings, ICANN-Studienkreis Budapest, EuroDIG and GA in Belgrade, EuroSSIG, Ukrainian IGF, Swiss new gTLD event etc.). The increase by members was rather modest again this year (only TaC from France) and we are far away from reaching our standing goal of having one member per European country. After the 2011 amendments of our Bylaws we can offer equal opportunities to encourage and include individual members but we didn't follow up on the creation of an ALS (pending issue). To improve our membership record, more initiatives from ALL (not only officers and Board members) are needed, and we have to improve our presence at all sorts of IG-related events in our region (while being aware about the persistent lack of capacities and funding sources).
EURALO will start its planning for 2012 immediately after the seasonal break: preparations for EuroDIG 2012 (Stockholm), IGF open consultations Geneva (February and May), next ICANN-Studienkreis meeting, and as a next presumable highlight, the June 44 ICANN meeting in Prague where we will probably convene our next GA and organize a EURALO Showcase. Most probably EURALO will be present at the 7th IGF in Baku / Azerbaijan again.
November 2011
EURALO's November activities and the monthly conference call (15 November) focused on the following subjects:
From the Dakar meeting EURALO was closely involved in planning, organizing and programming of the Swiss New gTLD Info day on 28 November in Bern. This event was co-organized by Swiss OFCOM, the national registry Switch, the business association EconomieSuisse and EURALO representing civil society. It was a particular challenge for EURALO being – as a sort of best practice – closely involved in such a multi-stakeholder initiative in Switzerland. This info day can be considered as a success with more than 150 participants from all parts of the country. The only weak point was the evident under-representation of civil society and net-focused groups. See: http://www.new-gtld.ch/
The presentations and video recordings from the event are available at the website now. This new gTLD info day was an excellent national outreach opportunity for EURALO to make us known among the different stakeholder groups (federal offices, reps. from cities and cantons, specialised business segments, law firms etc.). Events like this offer some potential to represent EURALO on national levels and comparable opportunities like national IGFs etc. (as it was the case twice already at the Ukrainian IGFs, EuroDIG etc.).
As a key conclusion from the recent Swiss (and German) event can be drawn: Several private and business projects seem to be well prepared for the first application round early next year (January – April 2012). But as it was mentioned by Sandra atour last monthly call (referring to the German event early November in Berlin), most of the public entities are not aware about these new gTLD options and cannot submit projects in time for the first – and narrow – application round, besides the few and well-known city/community projects like .Berlin, .Paris, .London etc. In the public sector there is still a lot of awareness raising and consultation needed to convince the decision makers about these new opportunities.
Main topics of the monthly call were:
- Welcome and short introduction of Silvia Vivanco, new Manager of At-Large Regional Affairs
- Welcome and short introduction of new EURALO ALS TaC/France (Yuliya)
- Post-Dakar ICANN Policy and ALAC Update (Olivier – global partnership and communication, consumer trust and consumer choice regarding new IDNs and new gTLDs programs, minimal standards for ALAC members, Strategic Plan 2012-2015, a look into the future, Sebastien – on knowledge-based system in AFRALO)
- New gTLD event 4 November 2011 in Berlin, organized by Eco with participation of Sandra.
- New gTLD event 28 November 2011 in Bern (see above),
- wrap-up of EuroDIG 2012 planning meeting in Dakar, preparation for the next planning meeting in Stockholm (18-19 January 2012)
- next GA and Showcase in Prague inline with ICANN meeting 44 – need for travel support for EURALO members to Prague from ICANN.
October 2011
EURALO October activities and conference call (18 October) focused on the following subjects:
- Accomplishment of DD procedure for a new ALS application from Together-against-Cybercrime (TaC), France. Submission of EURALO regional advice to ALAC in advance of the Dakar ICANN 42 meeting. TaC certification as new ALS by ALAC in Dakar,
- EURALO members' participation in the 6th Edition of IGF in Nairobi (Wolfgang, Wolf, Sandra, Siranush, Bill, Avri, Yuliya, Yrjo),
- EuroDIG booth in Nairobi where EURALO flyers were displayed as well (Wolf, Sandra)
- Discussion of the next 7th Edition of IGF in Baku / Azerbaijan, and risks and opportunities of organizing such an event in a post-communist "transition" country with an autocratic regime permanently violating FoE and other basic rights according to HR sources (Wolf, Avri, Bill).
- Preparation to Dakar ICANN 42 meeting during webinar (14 October) and teleconference call (18 October).
Key items of EURALO's activities in Dakar:
- active participation in discussion of the ALS role in ICANN IDN and new gTLD Programs, public interest and conflict of interests, dealing with inactive ALSs, language service and interpretation, communication and social media;
- creation of a new ALAC working group on ICANN Academy (with Sandra as a chair);
- EuroDIG 2012 planning meeting in Dakar (Wolf, Sandra, Olivier, Des, Yrjo, Oksana).
September 2011
This month's EURALO activities and teleconference call (20 September) focused on the following subjects:
- Verifying and finding a new/better date for EURALO's monthly call - results of Doodle poll to set new date/time of the EURALO call. The day will be the same – 3rd Tuesday, but the time slot will be changed to the evening.. It is worth to say, that the main reason for changing day or time of the monthly teleconference call was to involve more EURALO members, but they were not very responsive to this poll.
- The Draft ICANN Academy Proposal was submitted to ICANN and is now under further consideration by ALAC.
- The welcome of the new Ukrainian EURALO members (European Media Platform and Ukrainian Internet Association) could be accomplished. EURALO received a new ALS application from Together-against-Cybercrime (TaC), France, and DD procedure will be accomplished soon. Afterwards EURALO needs to submit its regional advice, possibly the procedure can be completed in line with the Dakar ICANN 42 meeting.
- Review and discussion of ICANN's Strategic Planning 2012 – 2015 during our monthly call (with presentation by Kurt Pritz and Carole Cornell).
- The work on the creation of an ALS for individual members (drafting of by-laws etc.) as a consequence of our last Belgrade GA had to be postponed again. This becomes a standing item on our monthly call agendas BUT there will be no progress as long as the individual members concerned will not take the initiative (creation of WG or the like) on this.
- Second Ukrainian IGF was conducted successfully in Kiev on September 2-3 with active participation of Olivier, Wolf, Wolfgang, Oksana and Vladimir (the last two as co-organizers of IGF-UA II). Some specific features of Internet development in developing countries and the need for support from European and international organizations.
- Upcoming 6th IGF in Nairobi – with participation of Sandra, Wolfgang, Wolf, Sebastian, Bill, Yrjö, Siranush and other people. EuroDIG has organized a booth at the IGF with messages from Belgrade and materials from national IGF initiatives. An EuroDIG support association will be created in the nearest future.
- ICANN 42 meeting in Dakar – no need for special EURALO event, but need for new EURALO brochures in different languages.
July - August 2011
Due to the usual summer break in Europe, our activities were limited to the current deadlines such as re-nomination of EURALO's NomCom representative Yrjö Länsipuro for a 2nd term and our monthly calls.
Besides this, EURALO members (Sandra, Wolfgang, Olivier and Wolf) were working on a substantiated project proposal for a ICANN Academy which is no under review by ICANN Staff and ALAC -- see:
June 2011
Please see here for Russian Version
This month's EURALO conference call and activities focused on the following subjects:
- Approval by ALAC (following EURALO's advice) of the two EURALO ALS applications from European Media Platform and The Ukrainian Internet Association, which brings the total number of EURALO ALSes up to 29 (with 26 active);
- Discussion of the recent ICANN Singapore meeting. Historical Board's decision to pass the new gTLD program orbits ICANN not only in the sense of new technical and economical opportunities, but creates new communicational channels between ICANN and community. ALAC has to play a special role in this process;
- Another subject of discussion in Singapore was the role of GAC and its coordination with ICANN Board and ALAC, and then Board's decision on Vertical Integration and JAS WG process, especially on applicant support;
- NomCom decision in Singapore (with participation of Yrjö) was reported and results will be announced shortly;
- The problem of non-active ALSes was discussed at the RALO Secretariats' meeting in Singapore. Within EURALO, there are three ALSes (Slovenian Consumer Association, KEPKA in Greece and Ynternet.org, Switzerland), which do not respond to any EURALO activity since 2007. Wolf proposed a seven-step procedure to decertify non-active ALSes (i. a. because of problems with quorum requirements);
- One of the main results of the recent EURALO Belgrade General Assembly (8 participants physically present and 2 remote participants) was the intended creation of an ALS for individual members, and now it is necessary to form a WG to draft the bylaws for this ALS besides other preparatory steps;
- EuroDIG (with 4th edition in Belgrade and next 5th in Stockholm) becomes a popular and recognised forum, but there is the goal and requirement to consolidate EuroDIG's structure and make EuroDIG procedures more reliable. Wolf joined Sandra in the EuroDIG Secretariat, and a lot of EURALO members participate in EuroDIG activities. Another European event – Digital Agenda General Assembly, which took place in Brussels 16-17 June, was attended by Christopher;
- Recent and upcoming activities of ALAC and EURALO members:
- Internet meeting in India, 28 June (Sébastien, Olivier);
- EuroSSIG, 24-30 July, Meissen, Germany (Sandra, Wolf, others);
- IGF-UA, 2-3 September, Kiev, Ukraine (Oksana, Olivier, Wolf, others).
April 2011
EURALO activities during the last month were determined by:
- Several European ALAC representatives and members participated in various ALAC consultation and policy issues.
- EURALO members (Olivier Crepin-Leblond, Bill Drake, Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Wolf Ludwig) participated at the Council of Europe's conference on Internet Freedom – From principles to global treaty law on 18-19 April in Strasbourg.
* EURALO members (Yrjö Länsipuro, Bill Drake, Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Wolf Ludwig) participated at the 11th Meeting of the ICANN Studienkreis 28-29 April 2011 in Budapest.
- Some EURALO members (Sandra Hoferichter, Wolf Ludwig, Olivier Crepin-Leblond) are closely involved in the organisation of the 4th European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) at the end of May in Belgrade.
- EURALO is preparing an Online voting tool together with At-Large Staff for preparing its Bylaw modifications (such as including individual members etc.) for the next General Assembly (GA) which will be convened at 29 May in Belgrade in the eve of the EuroDIG. Programming and reporting for the GA is under preparation as well.
EURALO San Francisco Report March 2011
Below please find the points EURALO has worked on since the Cartagena meeting:
- EURALO continued its engagement in the four Work Teams for At-Large improvements and work is progressing. The Work Teams met in San Francisco again to present results.
- EURALO members contributed actively throughout the At-Large policy development processes, submitting regional comments to issues such as ICANN's Geographic Regions etc.
- EURALO submitted budget requests for the Fiscal Year planning 2012-13, all intended to increase visibility, participation and outreach.
- Several members of EURALO participate in preparation and programming of the next EuroDIG end of May in Belgrade. The annual EuroDIG becomes the major event for EURALO for outreach and networking. We have been active in the development of further outreach proposals that have become part of ALAC's submission to ICANN (training and empowerment).
- We encouraged ALAC to support the ISOC statement on politically motivated Internet disruption in Egypt.
February 2011
- Policy
The Board - GAC meeting is fast approaching at the end of the month, and several EURALO members will be physically present in Brussels as observers. It is the aim for those members to speak to both Board and GAC members, and comment on the process taking place, bringing direct input from At-Large and from EURALO to the meeting participants.
An open Skype Chat has been set-up to bring direct input from RALOs to the ALAC Chair, who also only has observer status. This will also allow for a discussion among At-Large members to take place simultaneously, with online remote listening facilities being supplied by ICANN. All ALS members wishing to be part of the Skype Chat should email the EURALO Chair, Wolf Ludwig, or Olivier Crépin-Leblond, EURALO Secretariat, in order to be "invited" into the Skype Chat.
In February, EURALO Board members were involved in outreach activities such as:
- Rudi Vansnick (ISOC Belgium) participated in an ICANN-related Internet Governance conference in Tirana/Albania using the opportunity to encourage ALS applications from the country;
- the ALAC Chair and current EURALO secretariat, * *Olivier Crepin-Leblond, participated in an IG-related conference in Kiev/Ukraine and encouraged local groups to apply for a EURALO membership - with a prompt submission;
- the EURALO Chair intended to participate in the annual DomainPulse conference (comprising Austria, Germany and Switzerland) hold in Vienna for outreach initiatives. Due to the fact that EURALO has no earmarked travel funds for such events (if we are not invited by the organizers), we had to cancel our participation.
EURALO members (Bill Drake, Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Sandra Hoferichter and Wolf Ludwig) will participate in the next IGF Consultations end of February in Geneva what will be combined with the next preparation meeting (core team) for the EuroDIG 2011 end of May in Belgrade -- where the next EURALO GA will be held at the same time.
- Process
This month has seen EURALO input in the ALAC Budget planning process for the FY12 Budget which was then passed on to ICANN Finance.
EURALO's input into the process can be found on:https://community.icann.org/display/alacpolicydev/At-Large+FY12+Budget+Development+Workspace+-+2011
It consisted primarily of proposals for two projects:
- A EURALO General Assembly (GA) in 2012: bringing all of the European At-Large Structures together, in conjunction with the next ICANN meeting in Europe (June 2012)
- Regional Outreach and EURODIG 2012: representation of EURALO at this conference by at least 3 EURALO members
EURALO is eagerly awaiting feedback from ICANN finance on the outcome of its input.
- WT-C SWOT / At-Large Improvements process
Several EURALO members have studied the current SWOT tables which EURALO was asked to comment on; most were satisfied that no further information needed to be entered and that the information contained was already very comprehensive.
- Finance & Budget sub-committee
Rudi Vansnick was appointed as the second EURALO representative on the ALAC Finance and Budget sub-committee. He will bring a regional, non-ALAC point of view to the work performed by this committee.
January 2011
- Process
This month, EURALO returned to pursuing its internal process and structural improvements which it had suspended prior to the Cartagena meeting due to more prioritised issues such as the selection process for an At-Large Selected ICANN Board Director.
EURALO's conference call agendas for December 2010 and January 2011 were set-up to follow-up on the main items of discussion which had been suspended, namely:
- Options to include individual members in EURALO Structure (wiki page)
- Options to Change EURALO Term Limits
- Suggested bylaw changes to align the elections of the EURALO Board with that of the ALAC representative (wiki page)
- And other possible bylaw amendments to streamline and reconcile them with the reality of today's EURALO structure.
It was decided that these issues will be given final approval by the EURALO Board at the General Assembly (GA) taking place in Belgrade, Serbia. It is worth noting that on the subject of individual membership in EURALO, Option B was favoured by call.
- Policy
EURALO's input was welcomed by the ALAC for its drafting of its statement on ICANN's Draft Strategic Plan. It re-iterated its support for:
- a general assembly (GA) of all European ALSes to be funded and held in conjunction with a regional ICANN meeting
- an At-Large Summit for all ALSes
- Cartagena Meeting
In December, the EURALO Chair and Secretary, as well as members of ALAC from the EURALO region attended the ICANN annual general meeting in Cartagena. It is both the Chair's and Secretary's view that this was possibly one of the most successful meetings we have had so far.
Sébastien Bachollet was selected as the Board Director for seat 15. Since he had been previously nominated to be an ALAC representative, by the Nominating Committee, and in the view of not collecting several seats (maximising the participation by Europeans), he stood down from this post.
An alternative candidate, Jean-Jacques Subrenat, was presented by NomCom and he has accepted the position.
Finally, Olivier Crépin-Leblond, currently assuming EURALO's Secretariat, was selected at ALAC's new Chair for this year.
November 2010
This month's EURALO conference call focused specifically on the the following subjects:
- support for Evan Leibovitch's email (gTLD working group) that the joint ALAC-GAC-GNSO comments on Rec6 (The ineptly called "Morality and Public Order - MAPO/MOPO) have not been considered in the current (final) applicant guidebook (AGv4). This is widely seen by At Large as a major failure in the bottom-up process. As a result, an email was sent by Wolf Ludwig to support Evan Leibovitch's email. This subject is likely to be debated in Cartagena.
- a call was made for more volunteers to get involved with the process of the Public Consultations for which ALAC will be preparing statements - volunteers welcome!
- an update about the At-Large Board Director Selection Process, reminding ALSes that the vote would soon open, with a choice between the three candidates selected by the BCEC, since the EURALO petitions for Avri Doria and Jean-Jacques Subrenat were not followed by at least two other RALOs:
- Sébastien Bachollet
- Pierre Dandjinou
- Alan Greenberg
All European At Large Structures will need to vote before 18:00 UTC on Thursday 25 November 2010, in time for Wolf Ludwig to cast his vote before the 23:59 UTC deadline in the voting process. All At Large Structures were urged to review the candidate community forum pages on the confluence WIKI to aid them in their choice of vote.
It is worth noting that the new voting schedule was agreed after a EURALO email to ALAC (see previous monthly report) to ask for a less tight schedule in order to allow enough time for ALSes to study the candidate's profiles and make their choice. ALAC convened and extraordinary meeting of the At Large Board Selection Design Team (ABSdt) which agreed by consensus to extend the originally scheduled deadlines. This successful textbook bottom-up process was triggered by the concern voiced by some ALSes in the October 2010 EURALO monthly conference call, and the new schedule is therefore seen to be an improvement on the original.
- Kurt Pritz then kindly joined the EURALO monthly conference call to present ICANN's Strategic Plan Development. Community members were able to discover this plan, and ask questions. Kurt voiced his wish to receive more comments from everyone prior to the ICANN Cartagena meeting.
- With a very busy schedule in Cartagena, it was decided that the next EURALO monthly call will not take place during the ICANN meeting, but after it.
- Other subjects such as bylaw modifications to include individual members, have been moved to the next EURALO monthly call.
October 2010
EURALO's monthly conference call agenda was set-up to follow-up on the main items decided at the General Assembly in September, namely:
- Suggested bylaw changes to align the elections of the EURALO Board with that of the ALAC representative (wiki page)
- EURALO Position on Community WG Report on Implementation of GNSO New gTLD Rec 6
But a more pressing subject was first Review mechanism for ALS involvement in the upcoming At-Large Board Director selection.
This subject ended up taking all of the time of the entire conference call since it became immediately apparent that it was the most important issue to be addressed immediately. With the meeting seriously over-running its allocated time, it was decided that a letter be written to Cheryl Langdon-Orr, the ALAC Chair, to summarize the concerns which EURALO has with the current election schedule.
Our concerns were namely that since EURALO wished to poll its members during the election process of an At Large Elected Board Director, the proposed timing was likely to be rushed and might not allow such a EURALO process (possible candidate petition, poll, and then possibly several rounds of election polling) to take place satisfactorily. EURALO recognises that ALSes, our volunteers, need time to make decisions if they need to consult their membership, and the current election process was seen to be slightly short to allow for the leeway required in such processes. Only if enough time is given to EURALO members can EURALO's Chair vote in the election process with full conviction that he has the support of ALSes - as a matter of credibility to our members.
The letter was written and sent to the EURALO discussion list for collecting feedback. It was then amended according to the feedback received, and sent by email to Cheryl Langdon-Orr, ALAC and a copy to the At-Large Board Selection design team (ABSdt). A response was awaited at the time of writing this monthly report.
EURALO Position on Community WG Report on Implementation of GNSO New gTLD Rec6
Whilst there was no time in the monthly EURALO conference call to treat this subject, several EURALO volunteers took part in an At Large conference call, where their input was taken into account. As a reminder, the At Large position was to support the GNSO New gTLD Rec6 report.
September 2010
A EURALO General Assembly took place at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday 15 September 2010 from 18:00 - 20:00 local time. It was attended in person by representatives from 10 ALSes, and remotely by representative from two ALSes.
ICANN Staff attended the meeting remotely.
The GA took place immediately after a EURODIG meeting and therefore had the pleasure of the presence of several guests, including some from potential EURALO ALS applicants: Yuliya Morenets (Together Against Cybercrime, France), Oksana Prykhodko (European Media Platform, Ukraine) and Tetiana Popova (Ukrainian Internet Association). Many other guests were present too.
Remote participation was possible by using the Webex System used throughout the IGF. Whilst it is acknowledged that technical intricacies made remote participation challenging (the interfacing of a face to face meeting with public address microphone system, with Webex, as well as an Adigo line is technically challenging), especially due to the fact that the room's acoustics were far from adequate, eventually most technical problems were overcome.
The following action items stemmed out of the meeting:
- ICANN Budget
EURALO will submit a proposal to the ICANN budget process to ask for travel funding for the next EURALO meeting which will be held in conjunction with the ICANN European meeting.
A note will be added to the EURALO budget, that printing material costs should be covered by ICANN.
- Review of EURALO By-laws and needs for revision
There have recently been many enquires to members of the EURALO Board about individuals being able to join EURALO. So far, individual members do not hold voting rights, but have taken part in working groups and on the Board, on a case by case basis. A solution is sought so as to be able to grow the EURALO region membership.
Evan Leibovitch very kindly gave a short remote presentation explaining the NARALO rules pertaining to unaffiliated members. We have named this "Option A".
Another option is option B:
OPTION A: Formally create a new membership category for unaffiliated members
OPTION B: Create a new ALS within the current structure that serves as the home to unaffiliated members
The EURALO leadership will submit a proposal in writing for possible Bylaw changes to the regional members. In addition, The proposed changes will include provisions to include unaffiliated members and also review the term limits for Board members. They will also look into a possible alignment of all EURALO elections. These discussions will soon be opened within EURALO, with an outcome and decisions due to take place at the ICANN Cartagena Meeting in December 2010.
- EURALO ALAC Election
Sandra Hoferichter was unanimously endorsed by the EURALO members present in the meeting. Congratulations to Sandra!
- EURALO Board Elections
Yjrö Länsipuro was unanimously elected to the EURALO Board by the members of EURALO. Congratulations to Yjrö!
- At Large elected Board Director Process
In accordance with Article VI, Section 4 of the ICANN Bylaws http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI , Sébastien Bachollet asked to be replaced in all the discussion and actions taking place in the ALAC in relation to the At-Large Board Director election. Olivier Crépin-Leblond volunteered to replace Sébastien in all the discussion and actions taking place in the ALAC in relation to the At-Large Board Director election.
August 2010
- The EURALO Board is preparing for a virtual General Assembly (GA) to take place during the IGF in Vilnius, Lituania. This will be a GA taking place as a conference call, with local participants already in Vilnius participating in person in a meeting room. The time/date for this, is currently set to Wednesday 15 September 2010 from 17:00 - 19:30, with the exact venue still to be confirmed. All At Large Structure (ALS) leaders who will be going to Vilnius are encouraged to come and take an active part in the GA.
- According to EURALO's by-laws a General Assembly has to be convened once a year. EURALO was created in March 07 in Lisbon. Board elections were conducted in May 07, June 08 partly and March 09 (Mexico-City). With no possibility of having a GA during the ICANN Brussels meeting, and no likelihood of funding for a GA in Cartagena, a Vilnius GA was seen as a compromise solution for this year. A Draft Agenda has been put together, and will soon be posted to the EURALO Web site. Among the EURALO GA's agenda items, Evan Leibovitch (NARALO) has been invited to join the GA to explain NARALO's proposals to include individual members. This is an avenue which the EURALO Board is also considering - and it will be a main discussion point at the GA.
- Yjrö Länsipuro has been voted to represent EURALO on the ICANN Nominating Committee 2011.
- The nomination period for candidates to the ALAC seat is open and several candidates have been suggested so far.
- Similarly, EURALO has also opened a nomination period for the At Large Board Director selection process. Whilst it is understood that all applicants for the At Large Board Director need to have filed a Statement of Interest (SOI) with the Board Candidate Evaluation Committee (BCEC), the EURALO nominations for petition are being prepared in advance in case some of the candidates are not selected by the BCEC. It is understood that the nominations would also have to echo nominations in other RALOs - the threshold being the support of at least three RALOs for a petition to be valid. The process is explained in the relevant At Large Board Director selection process Web pages. The end of the nomination period stands to be 6th September 2010.
Outreach Activities
- It is hoped that our presence in Vilnius for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will be put to good use to strengthen the link to current ALSes present, as well as outreach to organizations wishing to join EURALO.
July 2010
- Olivier was appointed for the remainder of the EURALO Secretariat position by consensus during the Brussels EURALO meeting, in replacement of Dessi. EURALO thanks Dessi for her great contribution during her term and wishes her well in her future endeavours, whilst hoping that she will still actively take part in EURALO work.
-The transition caused no monthly report to be filed in that period and the current report also catches up on news for June 2010.
- Discussions on individual EURALO membership are still under way, with a consensus that individual membership should be implemented in EURALO but no clear way to do it yet.
- A EURALO General Assembly (GA) will take place in September during the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Vilnius, Lithuania. This will be an "E-GA", that is, a GA taking place as a teleconference call, with EURALO participants already in Vilnius for the IGF, present physically in a meeting room. This is because EURALO has not been given any budget by ICANN for a GA, so all people who will be present physically will be there on their own budget. The IGF brings together many people from the At Large population so it is hoped that many ALSes will be present in Vilnius. The GA is likely to last three hours. Its details and agenda will be worked out in August.
- There was good participation at the EURALO Showcase event in Brussels and we had many high quality speakers. Deputy Director-General, Information Society and Media Directorate-General of the European Commission Antti Peltomaki was the keynote speaker. We thank him and all of the other speakers for their participation. The event was a real success to raise awareness of EURALO and At Large. Although no immediate new ALS application have been received so far, we are hopeful that this will change in Vilnius.
- Outreach is being focused on Eastern European, Southern European and Northern European areas to increase the number of ALSes in these regions. Gender balance is also emphasized - it is understood that EURALO needs more diversity.
- European RALO in-reach was pursued, with a good regional response to the ALS survey: over 50% of ALSes responded. However, some ALSes did not participate. There is a concern that some European ALSes do not participate much once they have registered, and EURALO is trying to bring them back "in the loop". At last resort, a mechanism for "de-certification" might need to be examined. This will be discussed in further detail in the near future. The results of the survey have been published as a Powerpoint presentation which has been posted on the EURALO Web site.
- Last, but not least, EURALO officially endorses the AFRALO Statement on the suggested Bylaw modifications to add an At-Large Board Director.
March 2010
Discussed ALAC issues:
- Participation in ALAC Statements prepared for the following consultations: Proposed Framework for the Fiscal Year 2011 Operating Plan and Budget - as discussed in Nairobi, Wolf posted a proposal and summary of activities, including the preparation of the EURALO Showcase; the General Assembly in Brussels and Outreach in Latvia in September.
- Patrick worked with Carlton and Adam on the draft ALAC Statement on WHOIS Accuracy. In conclusion, the procedure was not transparent enough, but the outcome is good.
- With regard to IDNs, there is not much we can say on that as Europeans, it is mostly related to non-latin scripts, and 3-letter character scripts (generally scripts that are not alphabetical). Only 4 ccTLDs are on the IDN fast track, which is not enough.
- At-Large Board Selection process – there has been a briefing on the work of the ABSdt group and further information on the ABCEC. A WG has been created to communicate the importance of the process to the European ALSes and to engage them into the selection process.
- Olivier has been forwarded to replace Dessi for the Brussels Meeting.
Outreach activities:
- Preparations for the Brussels EURALO Showcase. A Brussels Showcase working group has been created to focus on the organization of the event.
March 2010
EURALO Report Nairobi
Since the ICANN meeting in Seoul EURALO conducted its regular monthly phone conferences (November 09 – February 10) with participation of its ALAC and some Board members. At the end of January EURALO participated at the ICANN Studienkreis meeting in Barcelona. Our ALAC members were actively involved in the development of the ALAC Board member selection process.
February 2010
Discussed ALAC issues:
- ALAC Statement on the New Consumers Constituency Petition and Charter - we have two EURALO ALS from the Consumers constituency, one from Greece and one from Slovenia. Unfortunately, after they become part of EURALO, they never participated in any EURALO activities.
- Volunteer Review team member - EURALO have already passed two names – Christopher Wilkinson and Jeanette Hoffman. There has been a proposal that the ALAC Chair should be on the Board too.
- NomCom selected ALAC member for EURALO – EURALO comes with two names – Lutz Donnerhacke and Sebastien Bachollet. More candidates are strongly encouraged, especially aiming at regional and gender diversity.
- EURALO has been briefed on the development of the At-Large Selection Board Process
- Preparation of Nairobi Meeting - EURALO is quite committed to participate to the Nairobi meeting, our ALAC representatives are asked to forward this to ALAC.
Outreach activities:
- EURALO representatives participated at the IGF open consultations in Geneva. Olivier has been suggested as an expert from EURALO for the next EURODIG.
December 2009
Discussed ALAC issues:
- WHOIS-Privacy services - the issue of WHOIS privacy will be discussed on a regional level in the coming months in order to develop an At-Large position on WHOIS.
- *ICANN Strategic Plan 2010 - 2013 -* Sebastien's suggestion on one ALS per country should be included in EURALO's/ALAC's contribution to the Strategic Planning. All EURALO members participate in the survey linked to the strategic plan and send in comments to the list until mid-January.
- *At-Large Director Process -* The issue will be discussed on the mailing list and further discussed during the January 2010 call. The discussion will continue on wiki workspace on the EURALO webpage where the different positions and arguments on the At-Large Director Selection process can be discussed.
- Nairobi preparations-- Olivier Crepin-Leblond has been suggested as a good candidate due to his excellent work to be awarded with the travel funding, that the secretary of EURALO will not be able to use and participate for the Nairobi meeting.
EURALO issues:
- EURALO will start discussing the participation of Individual Internet Users, taking as an example the constitution of the issue in NARALO founding documents. This discussion should lead to a decision and framing before the GA in Brussels.
Outreach activities:
- Rudi Vansnick officially represented EURALO at the Consumer Rights Directive Forum in Brussels on the 8th of December. At-Large and EURALO Flyers has been distributed.
- On 14th December Olivier Crepin-Leblond took part in the Nominet Government Consultation event at Apex City of London.
November 2009
- EURALO members took part in the2009 IGF in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Number of ICANN related issues have been discussed during the meeting, feedback will follow from the participants.
- EURALO Leaflet has been finalized and printed. The leaflet has been developed as additional material, representative for the regional specifics and activities and is intended to be used together with the At-Large brochure and is aimed at motivating target organizations in joining EURALO. EURALO brochure is availabe for the other regions to modify and reuse athttps://st.icann.org/euralo/index.cgi?euralo_flyer.
- In November Europe and the whole world celebrated the 20th Anniversary of fall of Berlin wall and the following democratic processes in the former Eastern block. Heise.de published an article on the topic by the NomCom's Chair Wolfgang Kleinwaechterhttp://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/31/31019/1.html


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subset: commoncrawl


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PLease help me !!
After many tries under VirtualBox in WinXP, I did not succeed to change some macros in my completely working LP kayboard (2004 !!). It is so valuable to me and I try very hard to keep it alive just like you all.
Now I installed the FW Gesture editor on an old computer with a working XP:"
Uploading my previously made configuration file (on another computer) destroyed the definitions in my keyboard and made it not responding anymore...nothing works, no characters, no gestures.
So instead of changing some mail adresses and telephone numbers I finished with nothing at all.
Trying to upload the default definition does not work too and gives the same error message:
--This device's gesture configuration seems to be missing!
--Try to replugging or upgrading it again.
The version software on my cd = 1.42, my keyboard seems to be ver. 1.6 and during upload the version changed always to 1.8.
Anybody a suggestion how to proceed??
thanks !!


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Jeffrey EvansProfessor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Educational Background
- B.S.C.E., Clarkson University
- M.S.C.E., Purdue University
- Ph.D., Lehigh University
Research Interests
- Hazardous waste management
- Environmental geotechnics
- Slurry trench cutoff walls
- Waste site remediation, in situ testing
Teaching Specialties
- Soil mechanics
- Foundation engineering
- Environmental geotechnology
- Ground improvement
Selected Publications
LaGrega M. L., Buckingham, P. L., and Evans, J.C., Hazardous Waste Management, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, NY, 2001, Reissued 2010 by Waveland Press, Inc.
Evans, J. C., ed., In Situ Remediation of the Geoenvironment, Proceedings of the Conference, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. 71, February, 1997.
Yeboah, N., Evans, J. C. and Burns, S. E. (2012). "The Role of Bentonite in Slag-Cement-Bentonite Slurry Wall Performance: in preparation for ASCE J. of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
Ruffing, D. G., Evans, J.C., Malusis, M.A. (2012) "Long Term In Situ Measurements of the Volumetric Water Content in a Soil Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall." ASCE GeoCongress 2012 State of the Art and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering GSP 225, pp. 3429-3436.
Malusis, M.A., Yeom, S., and Evans, J.C. (2011). "Hydraulic conductivity of model soil-bentonite backfills subjected to wet-dry cycling." Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 48(8), 198-211.
Ruffing, D. G., Evans, J. C., and Malusis, M. A. (2011) "Evaluations of Lateral Earth Pressure in a Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall, " Proceedings of the 2011 Joint Pan American and
Canadian Geotechnical Society Conference, Toronto, Canada
Ruffing, D. G., Evans, J. C., and Malusis, M. A., (2010) "Prediction of Earth Pressures in Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Walls," ASCE GeoFlorida 2010 Advances in Analysis, Modeling and Design GSP 199, pp. 2416-2425.
Lynch, D. R., Russell, J. S., Mason, J. M. and Evans, J. C. "Claims on the Foundation: Professionalism and its Liberal Base," ASCE Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, Volume 135, Issue 3, pp. 109-116 (July 2009).
Malusis, M. A., Barben, E. J., and Evans, J. C. "Hydraulic Conductivity and Compressibility of Soil-Bentonite Backfill Amended with Activated Carbon" ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Volume 135, No. 3, pp. 664-672 (May 2009).
Evans, J. C. and Garbin, E. J., (2009) "The TRD Method for In Situ Mixed Vertical Barriers," Proceedings of the U.S.-China Workshop on Ground Improvement Technologies GSP188, pp. 271-280.
Lynch, D. R., Russell, J. S., Evans, J. C. and Sutterer, K. G. (2008), "Beyond the Cognitive: The Affective Domain, Values and Achievement of the Vision," ASCE J. of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, Vol.135, No.1, pp.47-56. (January 2009).
Malusis, M. A., Evans, J. C., McLane, M. H. and Woodward, N. R., (2008) "A Miniature Cone for Measuring the Slump of Soil Bentonite Slurry Trench Cufoff Wall Backfill," ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 31, No. 5, (September 2008).
Barben, E. J., Malusis, M. A. and Evans, J. C., "Slump Evaluation of Soil-Bentonite Backfill Amended with Activated Carbon" ASCE GeoCongress 2008,Geotechnics of Waste Management GSP177, pp. 636-643.
Evans, J. C., Shackelford, C. D., Yeo, S. S. and Henning, J., (2008) "Membrane Behavior of Soil-Bentonite Slurry-Trench Cutoff Walls" Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, 17:316-322.
Evans, J. C. and Lynch, D. and Lange, D. "The Role of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge," Proceedings of the 2007 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 24-27, 2007
Evans, J. C, "The TRD Method: Slag-Cement Materials for In Situ Mixed Vertical Barriers, " ASCE Specialty Conference: New Peaks in Geotechnics, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. TBA, February, 2007
Henning, J., Evans, J. C. and Shackelford, C. D., "Membrane Behavior of Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Backfill," ASCE J. of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 132, No. 10, pp. 1243-1249.
Evans, J. C. and Opdyke, S. M., "Strength, Permeability, and Compatibility of Slag-Cement-Bentonite Slurry Wall Mixtures for Constructing Vertical Barriers," Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Environmental Geotechnics, Cardiff, Wales, June 26-30, 2006, Thomas Telford Publishing, UK.
Evans, J. C., and McGinnis, R. G., "Short-term Study Abroad: Engineering in a Global and Societal Context, Proceedings of the 2006 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition: Excellence in Engineering Education; Chicago, Ill, USA, June 18-21, 2006.
Yeo, S.-S., Shackelford, C. D., and Evans. J. C., "Consolidation and Hydraulic Conductivity of Nine Model Soil-Bentonite Backfill," ASCE J. of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 131, No. 10, pp. 1189-1198.
Opdyke, S. M. and Evans, J. C. "Slag-Cement-Bentonite Slurry Walls," ASCE J. of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 131, No. 6, pp. 673-681.
Yeo, S.-S., Shackelford, C. D., and Evans. J. C., "Membrane Behavior of Model Soil-Bentonite Backfill Mixtures," ASCE J. of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 131, No. 4, pp. 418-429.
Evans, J. C. and Ryan, C. "Time-Dependent Strength Behavior of Soil-Bentonite Slurry Wall Backfill'" Waste Containment and Remediation: Proceedings of the Geo-Frontiers 2005 Congress, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 142, January, 2005.


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President Obama To Host Event on "My Brother's Keeper" Initiative
President Obama
On Thursday, February 13, the President will host an event at the White House to unveil his new "My Brother's Keeper" initiative, taking action in partnership with foundations, businesses, and others to make sure that every young man of color who is willing to work hard and lift himself up has an opportunity to get ahead and reach his full potential.
In his State of the Union address, – as a part of his broader commitment to advance opportunity for all Americans – the President noted: "I'm reaching out to some of America's leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential."
Continuing to make good on the President's pledge to use his pen and phone to make 2014 a year of action, the President will invite foundation leaders, corporate executives, and community leaders to this East Room event to enlist a wide cross-section in the public-private partnership.
The event will be open press and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live
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I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
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MACOMB, Ill. (AP) Ceola Clark III scored 13 points and Western Illinois defeated North Dakota State 50-42 Saturday night.
Clark was 4 of 7 from the field. Remy Roberts-Burnett added 11 points for the Leathernecks (15-4, 7-1 Summit League). Adam Link and Terell Parks had five rebounds apiece.
North Dakota State led 20-13 at halftime. Western Illinois shot 38 percent from the field for the game, while North Dakota State shot 38 percent. The Bison had 34 rebounds, while the Leathernecks had 26.
Mike Felt led North Dakota State with 10 points, and Marshall Bjorklund had nine. Lawrence Alexander had eight points and seven rebounds. TrayVonn Wright also had seven rebounds.
The loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Bison (16-4, 7-1).
Western Illinois has lost only one game at home this season, winning nine inside Western Hall.


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Pembroke Dock
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Qualified time served tradesman with over 20 yrs experience in the trade. Completed many new builds, extensions, barn co...More Information
Aneurin Mathias Carpentry, roofing and building contractor
Aneurin Mathias Carpentry, roofing and building contractor. Over 20 years experience. All roofing including Fibregla...More Information
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text:
The essential 6-minute guide to the Mueller report
Clip: 06/07/2019 | 6m 31s
After nearly two years, what did the Mueller probe find? First, the 448-page report is loaded with examples of how the Russians attacked the 2016 election. And though Robert Mueller found that the Trump campaign did not conspire or coordinate with Russia, the report lays out a long string of evidence that the president tried to obstruct justice. Lisa Desjardins and William Brangham report.
Aired: 06/07/19Video has closed captioning.
The full episode is no longer available for online streaming. Why?
Please continue to enjoy extra(s) from this episode.
Problems Playing Video?
Major corporate funding for the PBS NewsHour is provided by BNSF, Consumer Cellular, Leidos, Babbel, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by Mutual of America. For a complete list of funders for the PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour weekend, click here.


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text:
Will you blame Leo?
Ebola Paris Hilton was arrested then released for pot possession in South Africa. To celebrate its freedom, it ended up partying with Leonardo DiCaprio per Page Six. They were in Cape Town and hit up a club and had tables side by side, hanging out all night, having also travelled together to the World Cup via private jet courtesy some obscenely wealthy starf-cker.
Are you German?
If you're German there's probably only one thing that matters to you today, right? Germany plays Spain for the right to advance to meet Holland in the final.
Leo's mother is German born. Leo speaks German. There's no doubt Leo is rooting for Germany. And Leo is fraternising with Ebola. Do you know what the consequences of Ebola fraternisation are? I'm just saying you can blame him if Germany doesn't play well.
But don't lose your sh-t quite yet.
Leonardo is presently NOT in South Africa. For work obligations and perhaps sensing that he may have jeopardised his team, he has removed himself from the World Cup – a modified quarantine, if you will, so as not to infect the players. Instead he attended a photo call in London today to promote Inception. Is he transferring his contamination to Inception?
Let's not worry about this for now. Besides, Inception is an ensemble piece. And here are Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy – it's been a long, long time – and Tom Hardy, nominated by many of you to be on the Freebie 5. Under consideration.
PS. Ebola has already taken hold of Leo's face.
Photos from Dave Hogan/Gettyimages.com


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Design your lifestyle dazzling together with Angel Vyalitsyna's Heels
It's well known that point travels, we can not hold up against maintenance of one's time, but we can easily get the results of time's sharpening appropriate. So, make time to dress on your own away to make your daily life great each individual small. The actual Heels with Anne Vyalitsyna can assist you out and about.


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Days after a photo of Florida newborn twins hugging in a hospital went viral, the family is grieving the the loss of one of the boys, born with a rare medical condition.
Twins Mason and Hawk Buchmeyer of St. Lucie County captured many hearts on social media thanks to a photo of the 3-week-old boys posted on Facebook on Sept. 1.
Little Mason is pictured embracing his brother Hawk and smiling.
U.S. & World
"This picture was taken 11 days after they were born, it's the first time they have ever touched and as soon as Mason felt Hawk he reached out for his arm and smiled this big," the post reads. "We thought it was time for everyone pulling for our boy to see this picture."
The photo, showing little Hawk on a ventilator, has garnered over 100,000 likes and more than 27,000 shares.
Hawk was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which is a defect in the diaphragm. According to the National Institutes of Health, the diaphragm separates the organs in the abdomen from those in the chest.
Hawk had undergone numerous surgeries since his birth and was being treated at Shands Children's Hospital at The University of Florida in Gainesville.
On Wednesday morning, the parents, Brandy Guettler and Tommy Buchmeyer, posted a message on their Facebook page: "Our hearts are saddened this morning as our sweet little man was called home to be with Jesus. He went very peacefully and we know he's no longer suffering. Please give us some time to grieve and try to start the healing process."
The parents created the Facebook page for the twin brothers to keep family, friends and now strangers updated on the condition of the newborns.


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Luna Muse M Dreadnought DN M Burst
The Muse M-Burst is part of the Luna Muse series of acoustic guitars which are a tribute to creative inspiration. Like their namesakes, the muses, these instruments will fire the creative spirit with their mellow tones and beautiful, rich woods. Lovingly designed to incorporate the delicate twists and turns of ancient Celtic artwork, the Muse guitars are built to please players who seek instruments that produce exquisite sound and offer unparalleled playing comfort. On the heelcap of each Muse is a Celtic trisele, the trinity of life and symbol of the goddess in three forms: maiden, mother and crone. Like music, this ancient symbol represents the eternal rhythm of life.
The Muse DN M-Burst acoustic guitar features a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. A full dreadnought cutaway body produces a powerful sound with lots of volume while the petite neck profile makes for easy playing. Case sold separately.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
- Full dreadnought body
- 25-1/2" scale length with 1-5/8" nut width
- Solid sitka spruce top
- Mahogany back & sides
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Maple/rosewood/maple binding
- Petite neck profile
- Satin transparent amber burst finish
- Matte nickel die cast tuners
- Crescent Celtic knotwork design inlaid around the soundhole
- Maple heelcap with tirquette design inlaid in rosewood
- Inlaid abalone crescent moon logo on the headstock
- Exclusive moon phase fretboard markers inlaid in abalone
- Luna rosewood bridge
- Case sold separately


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Costa Rica may be small but it offers big adventure. This two-week tour ventures off the beaten path to a lush and wild world. Stop in at a reforestation project, visit a sea turtle conservancy program, opt to zip-line through the jungle canopy, and have a soak in volcanic hot springs. Riding a wave of "pura vida," experience pure travel joy.
What's Included
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Tortuguero
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Tortilla Making and Home Dinner, La Fortuna
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Monteverde Institute Lecture & Reforestation Project
Your G for Good Moment: Mi Cafecito Coffee Cooperative Tour, Sarapiquí
Your Discover Moment: La Fortuna
Your Discover Moment: Monteverde
Your Discover Moment: Manuel Antonio. Arrival transfer. Boat tour and wildlife viewing in Tortuguero National Park. Guided nature walk in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. Guided excursion to Manuel Antonio National Park. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.
Hear a lecture from a researcher at the Monteverde Institute, learn how to make tortillas during a visit to a local family home, spot wildlife while cruising the canals of Tortuguero, enjoy spectacular volcano views while soaking in hot springs, learn all about sea turtles with an expert from the Sea Turtle Conservancy
Dossier Disclaimer
The information in this trip details document has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith. However it is subject to change, and does not form part of the contract between the client and the operator. The itinerary featured is correct at time of printing. It may differ slightly to the one in the brochure. Occasionally our itineraries change as we make improvements that stem from past travellers, comments and our own research. Sometimes it can be a small change like adding an extra meal along the itinerary. Sometimes the change may result in us altering the tour for the coming year. Ultimately, our goal is to provide you with the most rewarding experience. Please note that our brochure is usually released in November each year. If you have booked from the previous brochure you may find there have been some changes to the itinerary.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you print a final copy of your Trip Details to review a couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans.
Itinerary Disclaimer
While it is our intention to adhere to the route described below, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary and on occasion it may be necessary, or desirable to make alterations. The itinerary is brief, as we never know exactly where our journey will take us. Due to our style of travel and the regions we visit, travel can be unpredictable. The Trip Details document is a general guide to the tour and region and any mention of specific destinations or wildlife is by no means a guarantee that they will be visited or encountered. Aboard expedition trips visits to research stations depend on final permission.
Additionally, any travel times listed are approximations only and subject to vary due to local circumstances.
Itinerary Notes
Occasionally, the Sea Turtle Conservancy is closed to visitors as it is an active research facility. In the event this happens, you'll visit the nearby Caño Palma Biological Station, which includes a sea turtle and marine conservation presentation, a hands-on turtle measuring experience on the beach, and optional beach clean.
Important Notes
Costa Rica will not be allowing anyone to enter the country without proof of a departure ticket (bus, airplane, boat, etc.). If you are travelling through a few countries in Central America, you will need to show proof of your itinerary and a departure ticket from your last destination. Please print the itinerary and voucher and bring it with you.
Be prepared for rain and lower temperatures during the winter season (June-November), especially in Costa Rica's central valley.
Looking to add to your experience? Check out our Extras! Specially designed for travellers with unique interests, Extras are optional add-ons to your G adventures trip that make your adventure more you-centric. Extras must be booked prior to departure, please see details in our optional activities field and ask your sales GCO or travel agent about booking.
Group Leader Description
All G Adventures group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders, a G Adventures representative, or an expedition team. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting- we think it's the best of both worlds.
Group Size Notes
Max 16, Avg 12.
Meals Included
13 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners
Eating is a big part of traveling. Travelling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available out in the world. Generally meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though generally food is cheap. Our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your CEO will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip. The above information applies to G Adventures group trips. Please refer to the meals included and budget information for included meals and meal budgets.
Private vehicle, shuttle van, boat, walking.
Solo Travellers
We believe single travellers should not have to pay more to travel so our group trips are designed for shared accommodation and do not involve a single supplement. Single travellers joining group trips are paired in twin or multi-share accommodation with someone of the same sex for the duration of the trip. Some of our Independent trips are designed differently and single travellers on these itineraries must pay the single trip price.
Hotels (11 nts), rustic jungle lodge (2 nts).
My Own Room
Please note that if you have booked the "My Own Room" option for this tour, you will receive your own single room for all night stops
About Accommodation
Hotels vary greatly throughout Central America and even within Costa Rica depending on the location. We do our best to pick comfortable accommodations, but in popular locations options can be limited and we often use various different hotel depending on seasonality. It also is important to remember that hot water shortages and power outages can be fairly common, even in upgraded hotels. We appreciate your patience and understanding that these occurrences are outside of our control.
In Tortuguerro National Park we stay in a remote jungle Lodge that is only reachable by boat. Rooms are simple, with ensuite, electricity and hotel water, but due to this remote location, there can sometimes be interruptions to services. There is no A/C but each room has large-screened windows and ceiling fans to catch the breeze off the Caribbean Sea. While at the lodge during your downtime, you can enjoy the pool, bar or beach. The stunning location, wildlife and natural beauty of the location more than makes up for a few minor inconveniences.
Please also note that La Fortuna and Monteverde have fairly small centres with shopping and some great restaurants, but most of the upgraded accommodations in these areas are located outside of the main town centre – to take better advantage of the natural beauty of these areas. Taxis are readily available in both areas.
Joining Hotel
For details of your joining hotel please refer to your tour voucher, G Account, the G Adventures App or contact your travel agent.
Joining Instructions
An arrival transfer is included when you arrive on Day 1, or if you arrive up to three days prior provided that you have booked your pre-accommodation through National Geographic Journeys in our joining hotel. Due to customer experience and quality considerations, all services related to the tour must be continuous.
Our driver will be waiting for you with a National Geographic Journeys sign with your name on it, and they will be waiting for you outside the luggage hall. There most likely will be many signs, so please check carefully for your name.
Please note that Day 1 is an arrival day and no activities have been planned, so you may arrive at any time. Similarly the last day is a departure day in which no activities are planned.
Your CEO will contact you at the hotel on Day 1 and make sure you are settled comfortably. If you arrive late, they will leave you a message detailing what time and where you should meet the next morning. Your CEO will organize a short meeting soon after arrival, during which you will meet other tour participants and receive information about general and specific aspects of the trip.
Arrival Complications
We don't expect any problems, and nor should you, but if for any reason you are unable to commence your trip as scheduled, as soon as possible please contact your starting point hotel, requesting that you speak to or leave a message for your CEO (if you are not on a group tour please refer to the emergency contact details provided in this dossier). If you are unable to get in touch with your leader, please refer to our emergency contact details. If you have pre-booked an airport transfer and have not made contact with our representative within 30 minutes of clearing customs and immigration, we recommend that you make your own way to the Starting Point hotel, following the Joining Instructions. Please apply to your travel agent on your return for a refund of the transfer cost if this occurs.
Emergency Contact
Should you need to contact us during a situation of dire need, it is best to first call either the G Adventures Local Operator (if one is listed below) or our G Adventures Local Office. If for any reason you do not receive an immediate answer, please leave a detailed message and contact information, so they may return your call and assist you as soon as possible.
If you have purchased an arrival transfer or if an arrival transfer is included in the cost of your tour, please note that:
Your arrival transfer has been arranged based on flight information provided to us. If you are advised of a flight schedule change within 48 hours of your scheduled arrival time, we will do our best to rearrange your arrival transfer however we cannot guarantee this. If your arrival transfer does not arrive within 30 minutes after you have exited the arrivals area please take a taxi to your start point hotel.
G Adventures Office San Jose, Costa Rica
During Office hours (Weekdays 9am-5pm Local Time): +506 4001 8474
After hours emergency number: +506 8322 9140
If you are unable for any reason to contact our local office, please call the numbers listed below, which will connect you directly with our 24 hour Sales team, who will happily assist you.
Toll-free, North America only: 1 888 800 4100
Calls from UK: 0344 272 0000
Calls from Germany: 0800 365 1000
Calls from Australia: 1 300 796 618
Calls from New Zealand: 0800 333 307
Outside North America, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the UK: +1 416 260 0999
What to Take
We recommend using a backpack for your convenience, or a medium-sized suitcase if you prefer. A daypack is also essential for carrying everyday items. Space is limited on transportation, so there is a limit of one main piece of luggage per person. You will be responsible for carrying your own luggage.
Packing List
Costa Rica Water Activities:
• Drybag (Will help keep cameras and essentials dry)
• Sport Sandals or Water Shoes (if you plan to do waterfall rappelling and/or rafting)
• Flight info (required) (Printouts of e-tickets may be required at the border)
• Insurance info (required) (With photocopies)
• Passport (required) (With photocopies)
• Required visas or vaccination certificates (required) (With photocopies)
• Vouchers and pre-departure information (required)
• Binoculars (optional)
• Camera (With extra memory cards and batteries)
• Cash, credit and debit cards
• Day pack (Used for daily excursions or short overnights)
• Ear plugs
• First-aid kit (should contain lip balm with sunscreen, sunscreen, whistle, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, bandaids/plasters, tape, anti-histamines, antibacterial gel/wipes, antiseptic cream, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, rehydration powder, water purification tablets or drops, insect repellent, sewing kit, extra prescription drugs you may be taking)
• Flashlight/torch (Headlamps are ideal)
• Fleece top/sweater
• Footwear
• Hat
• Locks for bags
• Long pants/jeans
• Moneybelt
• Outlet adapter
• Personal entertainment (Reading and writing materials, cards, music player, etc.)
• Reusable water bottle
• Shirts/t-shirts
• Sleepwear
• Small travel towel
• Sunglasses
• Toiletries (Preferably biodegradable)
• Watch and alarm clock
• Waterproof backpack cover
• Windproof rain jacket
Smart Dress:
• Smart outfit (For evenings out)
Warm Weather:
• Sandals/flip-flops
• Shorts/skirts (Longer shorts/skirts are recommended)
• Sun hat/bandana
• Swimwear
Laundry facilities are offered by some of our hotels for a charge. There will be times when you may want to or have to do your own laundry so we suggest you bring non-polluting/biodegradable soap.
Visas and Entry Requirements
All countries require a valid passport (with a minimum 6 months validity). Contact your local embassy, or consulate for the most up-to-date visa requirements, or see your travel agent.
As of November 1st, 2007, the Costa Rica government, requires those entering Costa Rica from certain countries in South America and Sub-Sahara Africa, to have an International Certificate of Vaccination against Yellow Fever. Those affected countries are: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, French Guiana and Venezuela.
You should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information well before departure.
Spending Money
Every traveller is different and therefore spending money requirements will vary. Some travellers may drink more than others while other travellers like to purchase more souvenirs than most. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, shopping and tipping. Please also remember the following specific recommendations when planning your trip.
Money Exchange
The currency in Costa Rica is the Colon (CRC).
Credit cards and debit cards are very useful for cash advances. Visa cards are the most widely accepted cards. While ATMs are widely available, there are no guarantees that your credit or debit cards will actually work in Latin America. Check with your bank.
You should be aware that to purchase products or services on a credit card a fee of 5%-10% usually applies. Do not rely on credit or debit cards as your only source of money. A combination of US dollars cash and cards is best. Always take more rather than less, as you don't want to spoil the trip by constantly feeling short of funds.
We do not recommend you bring travellers cheques, as it is very difficult to exchange them in Costa Rica.
CURRENCY EXCHANGE TIP: Please be advised that slightly torn notes, notes that have been heavily marked or are faded may be difficult to exchange. It is best to bring notes in fairly good condition, in denominations lower than 100USD (or equivalent).
As currency exchange rates can fluctuate often we ask that you refer to the following website for daily exchange rates: www.xe.com
Emergency Fund
Please also make sure you have access to at least an additional USD $200 (or equivalent) as an 'emergency' fund, to be used when circumstances outside our control (ex. a natural disaster) require a change to our planned route. This is a rare occurrence!
Departure Tax
Costa Rica airport exit tax: $29USD
It is customary in Latin America to tip service providers such as waiters, at approximately 10%, depending on the service. Please note that in Costa Rica, a 23% charge is added on to almost every meal (13% tax, 10% tip). Further tipping for wait staff is appropriate in the case of excellent service. Tipping is an expected – though not compulsory – component of your tour program and an expression of satisfaction with the persons who have assisted you on your tour. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of considerable significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels. There are several times during the trip where there is opportunity to tip the local guides or drivers we use. Recommendations for tipping drivers and local guides would range from $5-10 USD per day depending on the quality and length of the service; ask your CEO for specific recommendations based on the circumstances and culture.
Also at the end of each trip if you felt your G Adventures Chief Experience Officer did an outstanding job, tipping is appreciated. The amount is entirely a personal preference, however as a guideline $20-25 USD per person, per week can be used.
Optional Activities
Tortuguero National Park
- Tortuguero National Park Guided Night Boat Tour
- Turtle Nesting Night Excursion (Seasonal) (51USD per person)
- Guided Kayak Excursion (35USD per person)
La Fortuna
- Costa Rica Adrenaline Bundle
- La Fortuna Waterfall Swim (15USD per person)
- Baldi Hot Springs Soak (64USD per person)
- Mountain Biking (79USD per person)
- Lost Canyon Adventures Canyoning (90USD per person)
- Stand Up Paddle (Lesson and Tour) (65USD per person)
- Gravity Falls Waterfall Jumping (125USD per person)
- Hanging Bridges (66USD per person)
- Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Tour (60USD per person)
- Kayaking (62USD per person)
Arenal Volcano
- Hot Springs (42-84USD per person)
- Ziplining (50USD per person)
- Monteverde Hanging Bridges (35USD per person)
- Monteverde Coffee Plantation Tour (35USD per person)
- Monteverde Butterfly Garden Visit (15USD per person)
- Monteverde Horseback Riding (45USD per person)
Manuel Antonio National Park
- Surfing (55-75USD per person)
- Hiking
- Kayaking (69USD per person)
Manuel Antonio
- Whale and Dolphin Watching (65-80USD per person)
- Whitewater Rafting (75-98USD per person)
- Horseback Riding (69USD per person)
- Snorkelling
- Manuel Antonio Catamaran Tour
Please note inoculations may be required for the country visited. It is your responsibility to consult with your travel doctor for up to date medical travel information well before departure.
You should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information well before departure. We recommend that you carry a First Aid kit and hand sanitizers / antibacterial wipes as well as any personal medical requirements. Please be aware that quite often we are in remote areas and away from medical facilities, and for legal reasons our leaders are prohibited from administering any type of drug including headache tablets, antibiotics, etc. When selecting your trip please carefully read the brochure and itinerary and assess your ability to cope with our style of travel. Please refer to the Physical and Culture Shock ratings for trip specific information.
Safety and Security
Many national governments provide a regularly updated advice service on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure.
Petty theft, bag snatching and muggings have been on the rise in San Jose. Though not common, there are certain precautions you should take when visiting the city. Although the cities visited on our tours are generally safe during the day, there can be risks to wandering throughout any major city at night. It is our recommendation to stay in small groups and to take taxis to and from restaurants, or during night time excursions, as they are the safest and easiest way to avoid any issues one might encounter on the streets after dark. In addition, always leave your passport (It's better to carry a photocopy of it instead), credit cards and money that you won't be using in the hotel. Many of the hotels we use have safety deposit boxes in the room, or a general one at reception, this is always the safest method of storing your valuables. We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe keeping of your passport, air tickets, travellers' cheques, cash and other valuable items. Remember that like in any other city, you should never leave your bags unattended, nor flaunt jewellery, cameras etc . A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. When travelling on a group trip, please note that your CEO has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it is deemed necessary due to safety concerns.
Your CEO will accompany you on all included activities. During your trip you will have some free time to pursue your own interests, relax and take it easy or explore at your leisure. While your CEO will assist you with options available in a given location please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your itinerary, and we offer no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgment when selecting an activity in your free time. Stick to the main streets only during the day, and after sundown, please take a taxi. Taxis can be organized from reception of your hotel. Also, take the address of the hotel with you.
Protests and Demonstrations- Protests and demonstrations, even those that are well intended, have the potential to turn violent with no warning. Counter protests can also turn violent. Action by security forces to disperse demonstrators and protesters may occur at any time. If you are in an area where demonstrators or protesters are gathering, avoid the temptation of staying for a good photo opportunity and leave the area immediately.
Water based activities have an element of danger and excitement built into them. We recommend only participating in water based activities when accompanied by a guide(s). We make every reasonable effort to ensure the fun and adventurous element of any water based activities (in countries with varying degrees of operating standards) have a balanced approach to safety. It is our policy not to allow our CEOs to make arrangements on your behalf for water based activities that are not accompanied by guide(s).
Swimming, including snorkeling, is always at your own risk.
We take all prudent measures in relation to your safety. For ways to further enhance your personal safety while traveling, please visit:
Trip Specific Safety
Like any city where tourism is on the increase, crime also tends to increase and while San José is not a noticeably dangerous city, there are certain precautions you should take. Make sure that you are aware of your things at all times and don't go out carrying expensive gear or jewellery.
A Couple of Rules
Illegal drugs will not be tolerated on any trips. Possessing or using drugs not only contravenes the laws of the land but also puts the rest of the group at risk. Smoking marijuana and opium is a part of local culture in some parts of the world but is not acceptable for our travellers. Our philosophy of travel is one of respect towards everyone we encounter, and in particular the local people who make the world the special place it is. The exploitation of prostitutes is completely contrary to this philosophy. Our CEOs have the right to expel any member of the group if drugs are found in their possession or if they use prostitutes.
Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is compulsory in order to participate on any of our trips. When travelling on a group trip, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance has been sighted by your CEO, who will take note of your insurance details. When selecting a travel insurance policy please bear in mind that all clients must have medical coverage and that we require a minimum coverage of USD 200,000 for repatriation and emergency rescue. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. If you have credit card insurance we require proof of purchase of the trip (a receipt of credit card statement) with a credit card in your name. Contact your bank for details of their participating insurer, the level of coverage and emergency contact telephone number.
Planeterra-The G Adventures Foundation
The Planeterra Foundation planeterra.org is a Canadian non-profit organization that helps empower local people to develop their communities, conserve their cultures, and create humane and supportive systems for their endeavours. Planeterra provides capacity building and catalyst grants to get community social enterprises off the ground. These businesses address local challenges by providing benefits for indigenous people, empowering marginalized women, and granting disadvantaged youth access to education, employment, and brighter futures. Planeterra also works to ensure these businesses have a thriving customer base by integrating programs into G Adventures' itineraries globally.
G Adventures is Planeterra's largest corporate donor, covering all operating costs so 100% of your donation will bring opportunity to people in need.
Dollar-a-Day Program
G Adventures' Dollar-a-Day Program provides travellers with the opportunity to give back to the people and places visited on our tours by donating one dollar for every day you are on trip. 100% of these donations go directly to support community development projects worldwide that are implemented by Planeterra.
After your travels, we want to hear from you! Your feedback information is so important to us that we'll give you 5% off the price of your next G Adventures trip if your feedback is completed on-line within 30 days of finishing your trip. Your tour evaluation will be e-mailed to you 24 hours after the conclusion of your trip. If you do not receive the tour evaluation link in the days after your tour has finished, please drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will send it on to you.
Our adventure travel e-newsletter is full of travel news, trip information, interesting stories and contests. To avoid missing out on special offers and updates from G Adventures, subscribe at www.gadventures.com/newsletters/
Stay current on how our company invests in our global community through our foundation – Planeterra. Sign up for Planeterra's monthly news to learn more about how to give back and support the people and places we love to visit.
Minimum Age
You must be 18 to travel unaccompanied on a G Adventures tour. For minors travelling with a guardian over 21 years old, the minimum age is 12.
International Flights
Check-in times and baggage allowances/restrictions vary by airline and can change at any time. For the most up-to-date information for your flight, please contact your airline. We recommend checking in online in advance to avoid potential delays at the airport.
Max Pax
Group Leader
Chief Experience Officer (CEO) throughout, local guides.
Day 1: San José
If you arrive early enough, you'll have time to head into the city to visit a museum or the main plaza in the city centre.
The plaza is a good place to people-watch. A mime, juggler, marimba band, magician, or storyteller may be performing for whatever is collected when the hat is passed. Artisan booths are common, creating a regular arts and crafts fair atmosphere.
Additional Notes:
Costa Rica has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and is a top destination for nature lovers. As such, there is a lot of rain, regardless of the season, allowing for its lush green rain forests and cloud forest, in which flora and fauna thrive. Please come prepared for the possibility of wet weather and variations in temperature.
Included Activities:
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
Private Vehicle
Day 2: San José/Tortuguero (1B, 1L, 1D)
Enjoy a delicious Costa Rican breakfast en route as we transfer by road then boat through the famous canals of Tortuguero. This tropical eco-paradise is home to countless bird and animal species, and you will have many opportunities to view and photograph wildlife.
The tropical rainforest gives way to prime secluded beaches, ideal nesting grounds for green turtles (nesting July through October), loggerhead, hawksbill, and leatherback turtles (nesting March through June). We cannot guarantee you will see turtles, but that odds are fairly good from July through October.
Additional Notes:
In Tortuguero National Park we stay in a remote jungle lodge that is only reachable by boat. Rooms are simple, with ensuite, electricity and hot water, but due to this remote location there can sometimes be interruptions to services. There is no A/C but each room has large-screened windows and ceiling fans to catch the breeze off the Caribbean Sea. While at the lodge during your downtime, you can enjoy the pool, bar or beach. The stunning location, wildlife and natural beauty of the location more than makes up for a few minor inconveniences.
Shared Van (4.00-5.00 hours)
Motorized canoe (1.50 hour(s))
Day 3: Tortuguero (1B, 1L, 1D)
There's plenty of opportunity to see a variety of birds, monkeys, and other wildlife. In your downtime, relax at the secluded lodge on a hammock or at the pool or beach. You also have the option to take a kayaking excursion.
Additional Notes:
Occasionally, the Sea Turtle Conservancy is closed to visitors as it is an active research facility. In the event this happens, you'll visit the nearby Caño Palma Biological Station, which includes a sea turtle and marine conservation presentation, a hands-on turtle measuring experience on the beach, and optional beach clean.
Included Activities:
Tortuguero National Park Guided Boat Tour
Guided Jungle Walk
Visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy
Day 4: Tortuguero/La Fortuna (1B, 1L)
Depart early and visit a G Adventures-supported coffee cooperative. Take a tour of the co-op and dig into a local lunch. Arrive in La Fortuna in the evening and relax at the pool as you take in views of the surrounding jungle and volcanoes.
Additional Notes:
Please also note that the town of La Fortuna is fairly small with shopping and some great restaurants, but most of the upgraded accommodations in this area are located outside of the main town centre – to take better advantage of the natural beauty and stunning landscapes of the area. Taxis are readily available to take you into town and back and can cost approx. $10USD each way.
Included Activities:
Mi Cafecito Coffee Cooperative Tour
Boat (1.50-2.00 hours)
Private Vehicle (6.00-7.00 hours, 200km)
Day 5: La Fortuna (1B, 1D)
Explore La Fortuna with numerous optional activities. In the evening, visit a local home and learn the art of tortilla making. Once the tortillas are ready, dig into a tasty "casado" — a typical Costa Rican dish that's made with black beans, plantains, and your very own tortillas.
Included Activities:
Tortilla Making and Home Dinner
Day 6: La Fortuna (1B)
Free day in La Fortuna. Options include rafting, waterfall rappelling, soaking in local hot springs, or taking a boat tour of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.
Day 7: La Fortuna/Monteverde (1B)
From La Fortuna, we make our way by road and boat up to the misty mountain air of the Monteverde cloud forest region. Spend two days exploring the town and nearby Forest Reserve, truly a bird lover's paradise.
Additional Notes:
The town of Monteverde is fairly small with shopping and some great restaurants, but most of the upgraded accommodations in this area are located outside of the main town centre – to take better advantage of the natural beauty and stunning landscapes of the area. Taxis are readily available to take you into town and back and can cost approx. $10USD each way.
Accommodations tend to be a bit more simple here, with fewer amenities. Its important to remember that the cloud forest sits at a higher elevation and offers a cooler but humid climate – which is why hotels in this area do not have A/C. It can also feel damp in rooms which is unavoidable in such a climate.
Private Vehicle (1.00 hour(s))
Boat (1.00 hour(s))
Private Vehicle (2.00 hour(s))
Day 8: Monteverde (1B)
Enjoy a nature hike in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. You'll also have some free time after to zipline, walk along hanging bridges, or explore the town.
Included Activities:
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Guided Tour
Day 9: Monteverde (1B)
Enjoy free time to explore all that Monteverde has to offer. Saddle up and go horseback riding, zip line through the jungle canopy, wobble bravely over suspension bridges, or visit the butterfly garden and take close-up photos.
Included Activities:
Monteverde Institute Lecture & Reforestation Project
Day 10: Monteverde/Manuel Antonio (1B)
The white-sand beaches and warm Pacific waters are the ideal atmosphere to relax at the end of your adventure. If you opt to chill out at the beach, be sure to walk out into the sea on the incredible natural sand formation that is shaped like a whale's tale when the tide goes out.
Additional Notes:
Hotels in Manuel Antonio are not located on the beach, they are scattered along the cliffside road, overlooking the stunning coast line and lush jungle. The beach, National Park, markets, shops and restaurants are easily accessible by frequent public bus (safe and easy to use) or taxi.
Private Vehicle (6.00 hour(s), 267km)
Day 11: Manuel Antonio (1B)
Take an included day trip to Manuel Antonio National Park. After, enjoy free time at the beach.
Included Activities:
Manuel Antonio National Park Visit
Day 12: Manuel Antonio (1B)
Free time to explore Manuel Antonio and the National Park with options to surf, go horseback riding, or visit nearby beaches.
Day 13: Manuel Antonio/San José (1B)
Return to San José for an optional farewell dinner with the group.
Private Vehicle (5.00 hour(s), 190km)
Day 14: San José (1B)
Departure day, depart at any time.
Included Activities:
Departure Day


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Shrewsbury's Kathryn Beall graduated from Assumption May 17. Her search for a job was a short one.
Just a couple of weeks later she was hired as the Nichols women's lacrosse coach.
"I'm so excited," Beall said. "I was in the right place at the right time, which I'm so grateful for."
Beall, who earned her degree in marketing from Assumption, originally was set to join the Bison staff as a graduate assistant. When Damir Pesa stepped down as lacrosse coach to become the head of equipment operations, plans changed for Beall, who was a star midfielder for the Greyhounds and an All-Northeast-10 Conference selection this spring.
"We are very excited to have Kathryn Beall on staff as our head women's lacrosse coach," Nichols director of athletics Charlyn Robert said. "She had a great career at Assumption. We look forward to her sharing her passion for the game with our players."
Pesa will continue to coach the women's soccer team, a position he has held for five seasons.
Beall's position is part time. She will still be a full-time student as she pursues her MBA at Nichols.
A two-year captain at Assumption, Beall played in 63 career games with 60 starts. In 2014, she had 19 goals and three assists. She tied for the team lead with 14 caused turnovers. She finished her career as the program's all-time leader in draw controls.
Beall recently participated in the IWLCA Division 2 North/South All-Star Game. She had two assists to help lead the North squad to victory.
"Kath is an exceptional leader with a true passion for lacrosse," Assumption coach Abbey Capobianco said. "Her ability to lead on and off the lacrosse field will translate perfectly to becoming a head coach. The program at Nichols took a major step in the right direction."
Beall said Capobianco had a big influence on her as she considered a possible career in coaching. Beall's mom, Joan, who coaches her 11-year-old sister's Shrewsbury Youth League team, did as well.
"I started thinking about coaching more in college," Beall said. "I realized coaching is something I want to do because lacrosse has been such a big part of my life, and it's a great opportunity to be able to continue with that. I'm really happy this worked out."
Beall has worked at numerous youth clinics in Shrewsbury. Much of Beall's summer will be devoted to recruiting.
The Bison went 7-8 in 2014. There will be six seniors on the 2015 Nichols roster, meaning many members of the team will be only a year younger than Beall.
"I think it will be a great experience because my age is relatable to them," Beall said. "Everything they're going through I went through recently. It's going to be fun that way. There will be a line drawn for coach and player, but I think my age will help me out to be relatable."
Guiney steps aside
After 22 years, John Guiney has stepped down as Worcester State's ice hockey coach.
Guiney, who was a member of the Lancer Hall of Fame 1972-73 and 1975-76 teams that captured ECAC Division 3 Tournament titles, returned to coach his alma mater in 1992. He won 161 games and guided the Lancers to the postseason eight times. Guiney coached 21 all-conference honorees. He was the 2000-01 MASCAC Coach of the Year.
"John has been the face of the Lancer ice hockey team for the past 22 years and we are indebted to him for his service to Worcester State," Worcester State deputy director of athletics John Meany said. "He has been a great presence on campus and a tremendous link to the history of the WSU program."
Smith returns to Clark
Brie Smith, a 2001 Clark graduate, has been named women's soccer coach at her alma mater.
Smith succeeds Joe Brady, who recently became associate athletic director.
Smith was a standout for the Cougars and helped the team to an NCAA Tournament bid in 1998.
She spent the last four years as coach at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. She was the 2012 Landmark Conference Coach of the Year. She was previously an assistant at Tufts for nine seasons.
"Brie stood out from a very talented group of applicants," Clark director of athletics Trish Cronin said. "In the end, her unique combination of successful head coaching experience and unquestioned love for not only the women's soccer program but for the university made her the perfect candidate to lead our program into the future. We are thrilled to have her."
New assistant at Nichols
Kristin Karat, a 2008 Becker graduate, has joined the Nichols women's basketball staff as an assistant. Karat spent the last three seasons as an assistant under Carla Berube at Tufts. ... Assumption is seeking a men's soccer coach following the recent resignation of Ryan Levesque. Levesque had been the Greyhounds' coach since 2010.
Joining NE-10 Hall
Former Bentley star quarterback Mark Eddy of Southboro and former Assumption softball standout Stephanie DeLucia were selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Hall of Fame.
Eddy, an Algonquin Regional graduate, teamed with Dallas Mall, a 2013 NE-10 Hall of Fame inductee and fellow Algonquin product, as one of the most dominant passing tandems in college football history at Bentley.
Eddy threw 121 touchdown passes during his four-year career and is the only Bentley quarterback with consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons.
DeLucia, a pitcher and outfielder, helped the Greyhounds to a 110-62-3 four-year record. She ended her career with a school-record 155 runs and 63 doubles and ranks among the all-time Assumption leaders in almost every offensive category.
As a pitcher, DeLucia went 27-20.
Also on campus
WPI women's rower Corre Steele of Stow was selected a Capital One Division 3 Academic All-American. ... Assumption junior Brennen Shaw, a member of the men's ice hockey team, was named a Capital One Academic All-America men's at-large third-team selection. ... For the third straight year, Assumption received the Division 2 Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving a four-year Academic Success Rate of 90 percent or more. ... Two members of the Worcester State track and field team, senior Christy Deininger and junior Alyssa Jasper, and two members of the Holy Cross track and field team, senior Sam McGrath and junior Sarah Dahlstrom of Southboro, were selected to the Capital One Academic All-District 1 squad. ... Worcester State sophomore Jackie Connors and junior Angela Grassetti, who helped the women's lacrosse team to a single-season record 13 wins, were named ECAC Division 3 New England All-Stars ... Former Worcester State men's soccer standout and 2013 MASCAC Player of the Year Brendan Whitson of Auburn is playing semi-professionally for the Western Mass. Pioneers of the USL.
Contact Jennifer Toland at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTandG.