After closing the 2012-13 Season with the worst record in the league (20-62), the Orlando Magic entered the Lottery with 25% chances of securing the first pick, but ended up falling back one spot to No. 2. The Washington Wizards jumped from eighth to third in the lottery selection. Charlotte, which is planning to retake the Hornets moniker for next season, was the biggest loser in the lottery selection, falling from second to fourth place.  Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns will get the fifth pick, followed by New Orleans, Sacramento, Detroit, Minnesota, Portland, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Utah.  Finally, the OKC Thunder will use Toronto’s pick as payment for a previous trade.

Winning the rights to the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft gives the Cavaliers the chance to bring new talent, rebuild their team and bounce back from three losing seasons following Lebron James’ departure to the Miami Heat. With James leading the team, the Cavs won the 2009 and 2010 Central Division Championships plus an Eastern Conference Championship in 2007. But since 2010 Cleveland dropped to the bottom of the league, winning only19 games in the 2010-11 season and setting a record for the biggest single-season drop in NBA history and the longest losing streak in league’s history (26-game).

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The team lost a total of 63 games, including a 26-game losing streak that set an NBA record and tied the 1976–77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the longest losing streak in any U.S professional sport league. The following year, Cleveland finished the regular season with a 21 wins and 45 losses, improving their previous record and finishing in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.

The potential No. 1 pick this year, Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel.  Guards Ben McLemore of Kansas and Trey Burke of Michigan, 2013 Big Ten and National Player of the year and Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. are also amongst the top prospects available this year.

Here’s the complete first-round order for the coming 2013 NBA Draft:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Washington Wizards
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Phoenix Suns
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Portland Trail Blazers
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Toronto Raptors)
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Utah Jazz
15. Milwaukee Bucks
16. Boston Celtics
17. Atlanta Hawks
18. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston Rockets)
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles Lakers)
20. Chicago Bulls
21. Utah Jazz (from Golden State Warriors)
22. Brooklyn Nets
23. Indiana Pacers
24. New York Knicks
25. Los Angeles Clippers
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis Grizzlies)
27. Denver Nuggets
28. San Antonio Spurs
29. Oklahoma City Thunder
30. Phoenix Suns (from Miami Heat)

As for me I will be watching the lacrosse national championship tournament we are to the semi-finals and finals on Monday, because it is my favorite time of year seeing these great teams battle it out.  Go Syracuse!

But for the rest of you this is a great weekend to go out an hit the town and then take in a surf contest in Costa Rica.

Friday May 24th, 2013 Costa Rica Events

Black Friday - Casablanca VIP Lounge & Terrace might be a great way to start the weekend if you want to have a few drinks and relax after a hard week of work.  Casablanca VIP Lounge presents Black Friday for your nightlife fix. They have stocked their bar to offer you some great deals on many adult beverages.

Beer starts at $2.00, Skittle Shots $2.00, Trago Whiskey $2.00, Trago Vodka $2.00, Tequila $2.00, Ladies there is no cover charge for you on Black Friday’s, Guys cover is $6.00

Location: Casablanca VIP Lounge & Terrace, Paseo Colon, San Jose, Paseo Colon – Diagonal to Kentucky Fried Chicken

Tel: 506.6041.5159

Pasta Basta Live Music Night - If you are not in the San Jose area, perhaps a little live music at the beach is what you are looking for. Pasta Basta Restaurant is pleased to bring you live music shows in the Santa Teresa area each friday night. They host a variety of local and traveling musicians onstage in the peaceful and perfect setting of Santa Teresa. No cover charge for most shows however they do have special celebrations that may warrant a cover charge on occasion.

Go early and enjoy a delicious meal of Greek, Mediterranean or Italian cuisine.

Location: Pasta Basta Restaurant, Calle Santa Teresa, Santa Teresa Main Road in Santa Teresa – next to tattoo shop

Tel: 506.2640.0935

Saturday May 25th, 2013 Costa Rica Events

Chocalate & Wine Tasting - Cacoa Lounge is offering a great opporutnity to take a date out for a romantic evening.

Cacao Lounge in Jaco is pleased to present Smaraitan Xocolata from the southern part of Costa Rica with their famous organic handcrafted chocolates.

Sample some of the best wines and chocolate for a pleasurable afternoon and evening at Cacao Lounge.

Location: Cacoa Lounge, Pacific Center Plaza #1, Jaco

Tel: 506.2643.4381

Cover: $5.00 per person to attend.

Copa Kingston Nosara 2013 Surf Contest - This is a great weekend to take in some of the top surfers in the area. Sponsored by Olympus National Surf Circuit and organized by the Surf Federation of Costa Rica, the Copa Kingston 2013 will be held in the Nosara area at Playa Guiones where the waves are expected to be incredible.

Enjoy a day in the beautiful Nosara area watching the fantastic skills of surfers from around the world. Great exhibition for the entire family to enjoy!

A concert featuring Lemon Haze is scheduled for Saturday the 25th at Tropicana Disco at 8:00 PM. Add this live music event to your day of enjoying a world class surf contest.

Location: Nosara, Playa Guiones

Website: Visit the Copa Kingston Nosara 2013 Surf Contest Website

Q50 Costa Rica Ultramarathon - Run Forrest Run! Q50 participants share their passion for running with their love to travel. Q50 races are scheduled around the globe highlighting environmental protection, running participation and the beautiful surroundings of their locations chosen.

Q50 has scheduled an event in Costa Rica. Whether you sign up and run the main Ultramarathon or one of the smaller scale races – or just join in the audience to watch this sports event – it will be a unique day.

Website: Visit the Q50 Website

If none of this interests you, you can always check out the weekend surf report and go catch some waves yourself.  The Pacific has a decent swell coming in this weekend.

FRIDAY: The fresh dose of reinforcing SW-SSW swell tops out, offering head high to 2-3′ overhead waves at the better exposed breaks. Standout magnets will produce occasional sets up to double overhead during the more favorable tides.

WEATHER/WIND: Look for light to moderate offshore wind for the mornings (strongest near the Nica border), with a moderate onshore SW-WSW seabreeze developing over the mid to late mornings and into each afternoon. However, moderate to breezy SW flow is expected to rise up on Friday for much of the day (cleanest early). NOTE – Passing or nearby showers and thunderstorms can temporarily affect/change local wind conditions.

A good dose of reinforcing SW-SSW swell moves in for Friday and the weekend. Meanwhile, a tropical system is forecast to develop just offshore, but expected to track away from region.

Friday 05/24 - 1.5-2.4m - head high to 3 ft overhead occ. 2.8m - New SW swell peaks; Select magnets produce occ bigger sets; Watching for possible tropical development just offshore, bring a rise of SW wind and windswell; Cleanest early

Saturday 05/25 - 1.5-2.4m - head high to 3 ft overhead occ. 2.8m - Holding/primary SW swell, with minor/dropping SW wind swell; Select magnets produce occ bigger sets during the better tides; Tropical system moves away from region

Caribbean Costa Rica Forecast

Small short period wind waves from the east-northeast holding during the next few days. Light and variable southeast winds, Increasing later and switching to the northeast. Small short period wind waves from the east-northeast holding during the early part of next week. Light and variable north-northeast winds with smooth seas, Increasing later.

Friday 05/24 -  0.6-0.9m - Ankle to waist - Small short period wind waves from the east-northeast holding during the day. Light and variable southeast winds, Increasing later and switching to the northeast.

Saturday 05/25- 1.2-1.5m - Shoulder to head - Small short period wind waves from the east-northeast holding during the day. Light and variable west-northwest winds, Increasing later and switching to the north-northeast.

Now What You All Really Came to See – Surf Girls in Bikinis

Your Memorial Day weekend movie choices provide a little something for everyone — action, comedy, and family-friendly fantasy.

“Fast & Furious 6,” “The Hangover Part III,” and “Epic” are hitting theaters, and we have the details on all three to help you decide what to see over the long holiday weekend.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie, a gear head, or just a fan of Vin Diesel, the “Fast & Furious” franchise’s sixth installment skids into theaters on Friday, and all of the “Fast” cast is back. “Fast 5″ left off with Dom (Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker), and their crew high off an elaborate heist in Brazil that netted them $100 million, but also forced them to flee, so they scattered themselves around the world to avoid being caught.

“Fast & Furious 6″ catches back up with the crew, who are now tired of living life on the run. Enter Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), who has been hard at work tracking a lethal group of drivers, their boss (Luke Evans), and his second-in-command Letty (who everyone thinks is dead), across 12 countries. Hobbs can only think of one way to catch the criminals — out-match them. So, naturally, he turns to Dom and his crew for help, and offers them all pardons in return. Sounds like a pretty good deal. For fans of the series, this might just be the most exciting one yet.

Speaking of franchises, “The Hangover Part III” hits theaters today, May 23, (a day earlier than originally planned). This time around there is no wedding and no bachelor party, but there is, however, a funeral. After Alan’s dad (Jeffrey Tambor) dies, Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) decide it’s time for Alan to reevaluate his life, so they send him to rehab. But things never work out the way the Wolfpack plans.

While on the road, they are stopped by a gangster (John Goodman) and his crew. Naturally, they kidnap Doug (Justin Bartha) and are forced to go find Chow (Ken Jeong), who owes Goodman $21 million. Soon, they end up in Tijuana, where Chow is hiding, and find their way back to Las Vegas. The trailer depicts everything we’ve come to expect from Todd Phillips’s trilogy of bad decisions and debauchery, but only time will tell if returning to the desert where it all began will prove to be a good choice for the franchise.

On the family front, Blue Sky — the studio behind the “Ice Age” movies — brings us “Epic.” Based on William Joyce’s childrens’s book, “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs,” the 3D, animated adaptation follows human teenager M.K. (Amanda Seyfried), as she’s shrunk by a magical plant bulb and discovers the world of the Leaf Men and the rest of their garden-dwelling friends. She soon meets a Leaf Man teenager named Nod (Josh Hutcherson), and joins him and a troupe of bugs as they try to save their garden and protect that magical bulb from the evil Mandrake (Christoph Waltz), who is set on destroying it. The movie also features the voices of Colin Farrel, Beyonce, Steven Tyler, and Jason Sudeikis.

from news.moviefone.com

Fast and Furious 6 Trailer

Hangover 3 Trailer

The one thing you are not hearing in Costa Rica nor in Canada is an outcry of people saying that Brad was an upstanding citizen and that this incident came out of no where. If you asked the public to be a character witness at his hypothetical trial, you are probably going to be greeted by silence and crickets chirping.  This was not someone that made any friends when it comes to business since his arrival in Costa Rica.

The life of Brad Deering in Costa Rica has been marked by him being involved in scam after scam.  These range from fake gold futures to fake oil deals to online pharmacies that did not ship and project. Each step along the way Brad scammed people for their money (hard earned or not) and continued to accrue debts to investors in his businesses.  It was well known that he had made quite a few enemies during his extended time in Costa Rica, some even resulting in violent altercations.

Scams are run each and everyday in Costa Rica. They range from real estate to commodities to sweepstakes scams.  They are run in Costa Rica because in most cases the SEC and Costa Rican authorities have a hard time tracking the money involved in these fraudulent schemes.  But there is a pretty well know rule……do not flaunt it and keep low key. This rule was not followed at all by Brad Deering.

Brad showed off his spending habits on facebook and in real life.  Expensive cars, prostitutes, drugs.  His “friends” were bottom of the barrel scum as well.  Brad had gotten to a point where he thought he would get away with this life forever, but it seems like one of the people he screwed decided that this world was better without him…..and honestly hearing all the stories and wrong doings this guy was involved in…..so do I.

Brad’s mom is no where to be found in Canada after multiple sources have tried to contact her…….really starts thoughts that perhaps she was either involved or knew what her son was up to. Perhaps she doesn’t want the same people coming after her.

With all the information that has now come to light about Brad Deering, I would expect the the legal authorities in Costa Rica to do the bear minimum when it comes to trying to find the people that killed Brad Deering.  If something is dropped in their lap then they will follow up but not much more than that.

For everyone worried about coming to Costa Rica, don’t be.  This a guy that was in the business of screwing over people and it finally caught up to him after 8 years in Costa Rica.

I know it might sound cold, but the world might actually be a better place without this guy. People are going to say “respect the dead”. Sorry but he did not respect the living when he was here, I do not need owe him any respect now.

Photos From Brad Deering’s Public Facebook Page

The Costa Rica Park rangers in the area activated a green alert, the lowest of three levels, after the 10,958-foot (3,340-meter) Turrialba volcano let off a large rumble and emitted thick clouds of ash.

Government seismologist Gino Gonzalez said Wednesday that the volcano appeared to be calming, but 20 people and their cattle and other animals had been moved from homes on the volcano’s sides.

The volcano is 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the capital, San Jose.

It began a series of eruptions in 2007 and several nearby villages were evacuated in 2010 and 2012.

Although this shows activity there does not seem to be any reason to be worried about a full fledged eruption.

This dilemma leaves many retirees paying double. They must keep paying Medicare premiums or lose the services. They are also paying out-of-pocket for care received abroad. This affects half a million Americans. Some cannot afford it and have to wait until returning to the U.S. to receive care.

This restriction negatively affects Medicare, as well as the patients. Medicare is missing out on the opportunity to pay only a fraction of the cost. Medical services abroad often cost only a percentage of what Medicare pays for them in the U.S. Considering the seniors who let problems go until getting back stateside, the conditions are often worsened and cost more to fix than if they were treated immediately while abroad.

The Medicare Part A fund is expected to be exhausted by 2024. Maybe adjusting the restrictions on overseas coverage could help this situation. A group called the Center for Medicare Portability is trying to change the rules for overseas retirees.

The idea is not new. Some retired military and federal employees are able to use their Medicare abroad. Maybe Congress will see that including the global health care market option for more people can be part of the Medicare spending crisis.

Could this bring Medicare to Costa Rica?

There are many possibilities for how this could be feasible. Perhaps  the easiest one would be a voucher system where those retirees who agree to have medical care abroad could get vouchers worth 75 percent of the cost in the States. They could use the voucher to purchase health insurance from a private insurer in the country where they reside. It would result in an immediate 25 percent savings for Medicare!

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Lawmaker Nick Raynsford told CNN the victim of Wednesday’s attack in Woolwich was a serving soldier based at a nearby barracks, and the UK government is treating it as a suspected terrorist attack.

In 2007 four men were imprisoned over a plot to kidnap and kill a British Muslim soldier on leave and behead him in a Birmingham garage. The group’s ringleader Parviz Khan intended to behead the soldier “like a pig” and release footage of the killing on the internet.

Khan was later imprisoned for life and must serve a minimum of 14 years before he will be considered for release. Three other men, Basiru Gassama, Mohammed Irfan, and Hamid Elasmar, were handed down sentences of between two and seven years for their roles in the plot.

High Court judge Mr Justice Henriques said Khan’s aim was to deter any Muslim from joining the British army.
“So rampant are your views, so excitable your temperament, so persuasive your tongue and so imbued with energy are you, it’s quite impossible to predict when, if ever, it will be safe for you to be released into the public,” the Guardian quoted the judge as saying.

“It was a plot whose purpose was to undermine democratic government, to demoralize the British army and to destabilize recruitment, and to cause anguish to the then prime minister of the day and the loyal citizens of the country,” the judge said.

Prosecutors said Khan hoped to kidnap the Muslim soldier in Birmingham’s Broad Street entertainment quarter with the help of drug dealers.

This is not the only recent example of serving soldiers being the targets of terrorist attacks. Last month three British-born men were imprisoned for between four and nine years for preparing acts of terrorism. The men, who pleaded guilty had discussed targeting Royal Wootton Bassett, a town that became a focal point for parades by UK troops returning from service in Afghanistan.

The judge, Mr. Justice Simon, said they had shown themselves to be “committed fundamentalists” ready to kill. Muslim convert Richard Dart, a former BBC security guard, and co-defandant Imran Mahmood had discussed how to make explosives, with the western English town as a potential bombing target.

By Peter Wilkinson, CNN

This Video is Graphic and May not be Appropriate for People Under 18

After hitting the topics of dating in Costa Rica and the fact that most families are very conservative, requiring the meeting of the family before dating a someone’s daughter……..we hit on the topic of money and materialism.

While venturing around Costa Rica you notice that there are a lot of people with expensive cars, wearing brand name clothes, have the latest technology and yet seem to always be broke.  The average salary in Costa Rica is about $800 a month for those with a college education.  As people have a professional job for an extended period of time they make $1,500.  If I was going to buy a flat screen TV or another heavily taxed import in Costa Rica it would be an extravagant purchase.

Where is this money coming from for these purchases?

Cars, all of which are imported, have an over a 30% tax rate on new vehicles and over 79% for older models.

Electronics are nearly double the price in Costa Rica as in the USA.

Name brand clothes are 30% to 40%  higher in prices than in the USA.

The answer came from the lips of my Tica friend……everything is on credit and nothing is really owned.

It is why you see the big screen TV at Walmart with the total price and then below it the option to pay $4 a week or $15 a month for like 2 years.  It is why there are such nice cars being driven as the drivers pay $100 to $200 a month for contracts of 10 years.

Families live in small houses with dirt floors with a $50,000 car outside and a 42 each TV on the wall.  Many of these families are basically paying their salaries to the bank as these high interest payments are made in order for Costa Ricans to keep up appearances.  It is more important for many Costa Ricans and people around the world to appear like they have money then it is to be able to support their basic needs.

Credit cards, car payments, loans on electronics are offered to the Costa Rican population and they are basing their self worth and image on how those around them see them.

Take a look around at some of the “metrosexual” tico guys that would rather spend money on clothes, jewelry  and cars than support their own children.  When the mother of their children asks for money, they see that payment as something that takes money away from their image and ability to sleep with more women.  In many cases these women because of the non -confrontational manner of Costa Ricans, they believe the continual lies about being able to get give money the next month and let them slide. Yet these same guys will buy their new girlfriends gifts to try to prove they have money.

Many Costa Rican women are not any different when it comes to the lust for exquisite gifts.  It is hard enough for a gringo to battle the stereotype that is that “they all want sex”. There is then the hurdle of having to show you can provide financially for them.

Our tica friend shared a story about a gringo friend she had that was interested in a Costa Rican woman.  The gringo had a lot of money but she told him to go on the date on a bus to see what kind of girl she was.  He showed up at her house on the bus and they took a cab on the date.  He then took the bus home at the end of the date.

Being that she knew the girl, she called her after the date and the only thing she said was that she was not interested because he did not have a nice car.

Our friend then told us this is very common and it is not even about if you have a car……it has to be a nice one for many women down here.

The Costa Rican population has mortgaged their entire lives in order to keep up with the Joneses. (Perhaps the phrase is different in Costa Rica) There is almost an entire society that is built on a credit system that is a house of cards.

The cost of living continues to increase. The governmental taxes are going up, The salaries for workers is not increasing by the same amount as the cost of living. The real estate prices continue to increase. What happens when that house of cards comes crashing down and those debts are called?

I guess the mentality in Costa Rica is “Pura Vida” and not to worry about tomorrow.