Somebody, sometime, somewhere, once said, I think: “the nature of existence is change.” Things often seem to remain the same, whether it’s long lines in the bank, the “rules of the game,” or a panoramic skyline. However, whether on the slow scale of erosion’s sculpting of the landscape, or the palpable improvement in efficiency of a new system of bank teller software, things are always in flux. Ironically, the particularly slowly changing “rules of the game,” are undergoing vast and profound changes in the cathartic aftermath of America’s wake-up call September 11.

    It was painfully ironic how the single-most newsworthy world event since, perhaps, the Enola Gay dropped its tiny payload on Hiroshima, forced El Sol de Osa out of the news business for a couple of months. As a free paper, we depended entirely on advertising to finance our humble newspaper operation. But 9/11, coupled with the fact that September-November is a very slow commercial time on the Osa, discouraged advertisers from participating in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

    The down period gave us the opportunity to re-think El Sol de Osa and to re-tool the newspaper according to ideas that we have been kicking around as well as the many greatly appreciated constructive criticisms that we have received from our readership. The result is in your hands.

    El Sol de Osa will henceforth be issued the 15^th of each month in its new format. We will likely have reason to make changes in style and content as we seek to continually improve our service to the Osa’s residents and its many visitors. We continue to welcome your comments and your letters to the editor. We continue to welcome contributions in the form of articles, columns, poetry, tips, ideas, and photos. I encourage our existing advertisers to review your ads and to make changes as appropriate and invite businesses that do not presently advertise with us to come in and discuss the services that we can provide to boost your business’s exposure and revenues.

    This month, El Sol de Osa enjoys its first anniversary of operations, and I would like to thank the readership for your continuing support. Please feel free to contact me if there is any way that you think this newspaper could more effectively serve the peninsula and the eastern shores of the Golfo Dulce.