Bonnie

Point well-taken, Keith, about toning down the rhetoric until all the facts are in. I actually asked a BCP board member about this and was told that someone on the artistic end had determined the issue of political incorrectness, suggesting that it had not been considered by the board. I also consulted with a longtime BCP supporter who over the years has been intimately involved on the production end. He said essentially the same thing, leading me to believe that this was not a decision made by the BCP leadership but by a member of the artistic/production side of things. If there are issues at play, perhaps they should be considered by the board and a decision made at that level. As a matter that is or should be of interest to many people in the community, I and others are seeking a public explanation for the decision and how it was made. I also support Squirt's position that it should be reconsidered.

I am not on the executive committee, and I've only turned out for a handful of meetings. But I've been a faithful BCP member for many years, i.e., I have paid my dues annually.

Thank you for writing this, Squirt. I too recently heard that the reprise of FAT KATZ AND EXPATS has been cancelled because some folks considered parts of it to be politically incorrect. I was completely confounded. I did see it back in 2007 (at the Fundadores Hotel because the BCP facility was only a dream back then) and thought it was the best production I've ever seen in Boquete. I think back on it often. For those who saw POSTCARDS FROM PARADISE, this is more or less a companion piece--but funnier. And it is about BOQUETE! Everyone is spoofed, but primarily expats. I saw it as no way insulting to Panamanians; rather, it highlighted cultural differences that we've all experienced, and Panamanians took part in the production to play Panamanians. It is funny, funny, funny. And the music is superb. Those who enjoyed POSTCARDS FROM PARADISE will be enthralled. My hat is off to you and Mickey for having devoted the time necessary to write it. I know Rhody shares our view that it's a great production, and he expressed to me months ago that he hoped it would play again at BCP. He may be unable to commit to being musical director right now, but I feel sure he might agree at a later date. I am confident that it would be a resounding success and would bring in big bucks for BCP which, I understand, it sorely needs. Everyone who is new to the community deserves to enjoy FAT KATZ as we did back in 2007. I hope BCP will reconsider its decision.

Thanks, Bud. Yes, I use Firefox. That explains it.

Is there any way I can get rid of the annoying message that pops up in the upper left asking if I want to receive notifications from Chiriqui Life? I keep X-ing out of it, but it pops right back up.

It doesn't require fluency in Spanish to ask for an appointment. I think you will find that at least a minimal knowledge of the Spanish language is necessary to live here with any measure of happiness. You might want to consider enrolling in a class or seeking out a tutor.

When the game started, we couldn't get USTVNow at all and therefore couldn't get CBS. However, there's a CBS Sports app that I downloaded to Roku, and we watched that. It was good for a while, but started getting fuzzy and cutting out from time to time. USTVNow resumed service sometime around 7:30. (???) We went back and forth, depending on which was better. I went to bed about 3/4 of the way into the fourth quarter (at the insistence of the dogs) and watched the balance of the game on CSB Sports on my iPad. Reception was perfect there. It was a frustrating day trying to figure all this out. IPTV was out, USTVNow was out. You would think they could get their acts together in preparation for Super Sunday.

I expect trees and lines to come down during the windy season. But I don't expect it to take 10 hours to repair. Even if they had to wait until daylight, five hours seems like an inordinate amount of time. I also notice that UF does a minimum of tree trimming to help avoid such outages. All that said, I have to confess that its better than it was when we first came here, nine years ago.

I understand the outage also extends at least to Jaramillo and Panamonte Estates.

We have had no electricity here in Palo Alto, north of town, since about 2:30 this morning. Is this outage community-wide? Anyone know anything about the cause?

Yes, I saw this in an earlier post by you, Judy. And did all the steps.

I found this morning, on Yahoo News, this interesting article from Forbes about the Windows 10 upgrade issue: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2016/02/05/free-windows-10-true-cost/?utm_campaign=yahootix&partner=yahootix#4510bda7593f

That's good news. (Of course it doesn't help those of us with ancient vehicles!)

No, Judy. You're not the only one. Bud and Marcelyn, I have Newslady on my Ignored Users list, but her posts keep appearing. Is this a glitch in the system?

Talk to Patsi Phillips at Casa Decor in Alto Boquete across from the Alto Dorado mini-mall. She has an upholsterer on call and can even get you fabric samples.

Thanks, Jim. I'll call later today.

Some friends and I are planning a trip to Medellin in March. We would love to hear from those of you who have been there. Where to stay? What to do? What to avoid? What to take? And anything else that might be of help.

I hope people understand that Amigos de Animales lost its major source of funding when Bid 4 Boquete folded. Residents who want the organization to continue with its good work for animals are encouraged to support its fundraisers, beginning with an annual $10 membership. My membership pays for itself via discounts at the pet store Mascotas y Jardines, where I buy all my animals' medications and flea and tick treatments.

I haven't done my taxes this year, but TurboTax didn't ask for a PIN number last year.

Originally, the IRS didn't allow electronic filing by expats. I remember that I used to have to mail my returns in. However, I have filed electronically via TurboTax for the last two (I believe) years. It's built into the TurboTax program.

Thanks, Alison.

Sorry. I didn't notice that there was a video.

How can the interruption of traffic be against the law when the indigenous do it all the time? I would love to understand this this issue. And why are farmers stopping the shipment of vegetables to the City. I've always heard that the City if the major market?

That sends a strong message.

Its name suggests that it's more than a park: Center for Science and Technology.