Bonnie

I agree with Keith. The guy widely reported in earlier thefts was on foot. He was looking for cash, jewelry, maybe phones and other small stuff. He wouldn't have been able to carry large items with him even if he had a car parked somewhere nearby. And we've heard no evidence of a vehicle being involved anyway. I think our guy is still on the loose, sorry to say.

The guy in this photo appears to be smaller than the the thief who came to my house. But it’s hard to tell.

I can’t say for sure, but I think so. A full frontal of his face would provide more certainty

There must be two of them then because my robber was younger than forty.

There is a report on Boquete News on Facebook of the arrest of a 31-year-old thief from Palmira Abajo who is described as the “scourge of Boquete.” It is reported that there have been multiple complaints about him. I hope this is our guy.

Got it. I knew about it but had forgotten its name. Thanks to both of you.

Where is City Mall? (I don’t go to David often.)9

I think that's a play on radio station call letters, used for this event (Olde Timey Radio Show) only.

When they have enough chili to hold the event?

Yes, the grooming prices are high, and that's why I didn't mention grooming. The principal point of my post was Dra. Fatima, whose prices are the same as those of Dra. Chely. I didn't compare the prices of medications with those at Melo and Mascotas, but I've found that when you need a particular medicine you're willing to pay whatever wherever you can get it. Time after time Melo and Mascotas have not had the very medicine I need immediately, so I'm pleased that there's another alternative. Too, it was nice to be able to obtain most of what I needed right there without having to go elsewhere. I don't dress my dogs, so I didn't even look at the clothes.

I failed to mention that the name Charlie's Pet Fashions belies everything the store has to offer. In addition to premium dog food, the shop carries dog meds, shampoos, crates, and any number of other things. I suggest you drop in and take a look. It's a good alternative to add to Melo and Mascotas y Jardines, which often are out of things.

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I just returned from a visit with the new vet in town, Dra. Fatima Valdes. Her clinic is located in La Tienda de Mascotas (also called Charlie's Pet Fashions) in the Don Vidal Building, lower level, near the medical lab and Viajes David (Anavilma). I note here that the building tenants have employed a parking attendant out front who assures that everyone using the spaces has business within the building, so parking was no problem. I found Dra. Fatima to be knowledgeable and personable. She has been here only three months, after completing her veterinary degree in Brazil. She has some equipment and uses Immunotec, almost next door, for lab work. My Golden, Finnegan, has had ongoing problems with skin fungus. I was just about ready to give up after having tried several vets and a multitude of medications, but I decided to give Fatima a try on the recommendation of a friend. She ruled out hyperthyroidism just by looking at Finny's coat and explained why. She then examined him carefully, commenting the whole time. Finally, she took skin scrapings from various parts of his body, examined them under a microscope, studied them for quite a while, and advised me that he has both fungal and bacterial issues, with a little impetigo thrown in. She explained why the medicated shampoo and medications I had been using probably weren't working, and the explanation made sense. She prescribed a food supplement for his raw diet (which contains no grains or carbohydrates) and a different, stronger shampoo, both of which were available in the shop, and is ordering a special medication in pill form from Panama City. She spent a lot of time with me and with Finny. An office visit costs $15, the same as Dra. Chely. I was more than pleased with her service and will be returning. Dra. Fatima can be reached at 6672-1172. You needn't have an appointment, but it's probably smart just to make sure she's there and isn't too busy.

Thanks, Keith. The Factory Outlet piques my interest.

Did you happen to notice what other stores and offices are located there?

Thought-provoking piece. Under this analysis, corruption is little different from any other crime: both adapt to circumstances, and circumstances adapt to them. The proposed solution seems to me to be pie-in-the-sky. The promotion of values in a society has demonstrated little to no effectiveness in reducing crime because the perpetrators of crime eschew values. Crime, like the poor, has always been and always will be with us. It's possible to alleviate some of it but never all of it or even a sizable portion of it. I wish I could be more optimistic about crime in general and corruption in particular. In my life prior to retirement, I worked in the field of governmental ethics. While I can't claim to have made an exhaustive study, I did reach two conclusions based on what I observed. In developed nations, most people who enter the political life do so with good intentions but drift into corruption because they cannot resist the temptations that it offers. Then the tempted evolve into the tempters in a sordid circle of ongoing corruption. In third world and developing nations, on the other hand, under-the-table money is perceived more as a right deriving from public service by those in the upper echelons of power. Lesser officials and governmental employees view ill gotten gains as their due because they are underpaid. Some foreign governments, I found, actually sanction graft on the basis that it costs the government less money in salaries. They think government ethics laws are the most impractical, outlandish, fiscally irresponsible things they've ever heard of.

The guy who robbed me showed no signs of mental incapacity. He was very smooth and very clever. I agree with Macelyn that he doesn't have employment; his job is roving around town stealing from others. And he's good at it. I agree with Pantah that he has zero respect for boundaries. It really shouldn't be hard to catch this guy. He's shown up at a LOT of places, and a lot of people can identify him. People experiencing a visit from him need to call Rodny straightaway. He can talk to the police, and perhaps they'll arrive before the maleante has made a getaway.

Anyone besides me without electricity?

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It's true that not everyone uses Facebook. But everyone I know or know of is subscribed to News Boquete. Rodny's announcement went to News Boquete, which published it here. Perhaps Rodny knows that NB also publishes here and chose not to publish it twice on CL.

There were 219 posts about about this robbery on Facebook (Boquete News) the last time I looked.

At the request of the police, I filed a denuncia yesterday so that the police can pick him up if they see him. His photo is on each policeman's phone. Initially, I had decided against filing because of past experience. About three years ago, as a warden, I went with a newcomer/neighbor to file a denuncia when his and his wife's house was burglarized. The process was difficult and time-consuming. They insisted on one of their official translators, who had to be brought in from David the next day, thus requiring a return trip. The translator failed to show up, requiring a third trip. Then the neighbor's interview was unnecessarily prolonged, I thought, and the elderly interviewer slow to record what was being said. After well over an hour, and even though this was our third trip and they had had plenty of time to advise us of what they required, we were told the neighbor had to return with his wife (whose testimony, of course, was exactly the same as his). All in all, it was an extremely frustrating experience, and there was zero follow up. Thursday was a totally different matter. I was pleasantly greeted, and the office already was familiar with the case. A policeman who was there pulled up the maleante's photo on his phone. I told them I would like to return the next day with my housekeeper, at the request of the police, and would need a translator. They said they could get one in from David or I could bring my on. I brought a bilingual Panamanian friend and my house keeper yesterday morning. A pleasant young man who typed very fast took a thorough accounting of what had happened, printed out the report, and we were done in about half an hour. He explained that under the new law the denuncia would have to be filed with the appropriate corregidora because the amount taken was less than $1000, but he was happy to do the report for us. On the way home we dropped the report off with the corregidora and were on our way. Total time: about an hour. Experience: professional but pleasant.

I just reread this in the light of day and realized that "more than reasonably" could be misinterpreted. Will's charge for this approximately four-hour job was very reasonable.

Add my name to the list of good references. Will and his crew restored a dog-scratched front door and a damaged desk top today so that both look brand new. They came when promised and charged more than reasonably. And I’m more than satisfied.

Not that long. I remember it well. It was that way when we first visited Boquete in around 2004 and, I believe, was still in existence in 2007 when we moved down. I can't remember when the current one was built, but I do remember that it went up much faster that the Panamonte Bridge is going.