Bonnie

No problem unless you're loaded down with groceries. Or are disabled. Does anyone know if the new market will create some parking spaces? Will all the vendors who take up parking spaces around Romero be required to move to the market to sell their stuff (fish, vegetables, flowers, fast food)?

TV Chiriqui will be videotaping this presentation for those who are unable to go or unable to get into the room. They will post where it can be accessed on the Internet.

Thanks, everyone. We have an electrician coming tomorrow on another matter and we'll find out if he has the tool for measuring current draw. If he doesn't I'm willing to bet that Kevin Fisher does, and we'll get him over.

Marcelyn, I saw moss rose (portulaca) this morning at the plant nursery in Alto Lino, right around the corner from your house.

Go to the doctor at once. If it's red and swollen, it's likely infected.

There's no one nearby to be hitchhiking, Jo Jo. An electrician checked the meter out thoroughly. We do not have air conditioning. We do not use dehumidifiers. We have a gas stove and a gas dryer. We do have one electric water heater, but it is well insulated. Also, I know two people who have two electric water heaters whose bill never exceeds $50 a month.We've switched to LED bulbs. It's a mystery. Marcelyn, I'm glad to hear we're not alone.

Too much "Who cares?" stuff on Facebook.

Unfortunately, the amount I pay is not minimal; it averages $150 a month. We've known for years that something is wrong, but neither Union Fenosa nor four different electricians can track the problem down. We've put in a new meter (saved about $25 a month), added a power surge protector, trimmed trees, etc., etc., to no avail.

Apparently you didn't live here during the floods, John, when the power was out for days. Lots of people saw the light (no pun intended)then and bought a generator. The point of my starting this discussion was to question why no improvements seem to have been made in electrical service delivery over the course of many years. I recognize that we all deal with power outages in different ways.

Jim, what is the source of your information that Union Fenosa has been bought out? That would be a good start, in my opinion.

Vets have told me that chicken livers are too fatty and that's it's best to feed beef liver instead, two or three times a week.

Generators are great for long-term outages, but less so for shorter ones. By the time you make the changes and get them started, the power usually comes back on. (In fact, we joke that we need to get the generator going just so the electricity will resume.) There are generators that come on automatically, but they must be shipped from the States, I understand, and are outrageously expensive. Moreover, few workmen here are familiar with them when any kind of maintenance is needed.

We're coming off an hour and a half electrical outage and have had several others of shorter duration this week. The longer I live here, the more annoying this becomes because I can't see much if any improvement in nine years. This leads me start a discussion on electrical services in Panama. It's my understanding that Union Fenosa is a Spanish company that provides electric service throughout the country. Is that correct? That the government plays no part in electrical services to its citizens? Even if power is supplied by a private entity, doesn't the government endorse that provision and have some authority to demand improvements? With Panama striving to be a first world country, I can't understand why it hasn't addressed the issue of dependable delivery of electricity. It's not rocket science anymore.

I finally found the time to more fully explore this site and found a particularly useful feature: the Calendar. If you're like me, you frequently forget when something happened and forget to write on your personal calendar a community event that you wanted to attend. The CL calendar here on this site contains a lot of that information you're scratching your head over or have forgotten altogether.

Click on "New Content." The filters are on the left side of the page.

www.altoalcrimen.info

In the same post the writer says Panama offers free health insurance for tourists (not anymore), that tap water is safe to drink (not everywhere and not always), that most Panamanians speak English (not in my experience), that the infrastructure is first rate (tell that to those living remotely), and that Punta Pacifica Hospital is ranked in the top five hospitals in world (according o whom?). Not a whole lot of credibility here.

I know Steve is operating off a phone and therefore is not in a position to post long messages. So I’m stepping in. Those of you who have been here a few years will remember Alouatta Lodge, founded by Steve Walker and his wife Michelle on their beautiful property in Chorcha, in the mountains near Boca Chica. It contains gorgeous botantical gardens, quarters for retreats, and a sanctuary for howler monkeys, toucans, and other exceptional animals. Now that the kids are grown, Steve and Michelle want to return to Panama to revive Alouatta. There are two purposes for this sale. One is that he is cleaning the property and dividing plants. The second is that he is raising money for their return. I will work with him getting a posting of available plants, and I hope all you gardeners will be in touch to get some special plants for your garden. He will work with you to make arrangements about getting the plants to you. Again, Steve’s telephone number is 6204-4109. His email address is rooikop @ fastmail . fm. (Remove spaces.)

Absolutely!

Steve can be reached at 6204-4109. He has wonderful plants that have been growing at Alouatta Lodge for the past three years while he has been away. Some very unusual varieties. He's also a talented landscaper and a nice guy.

Thanks, Dan. I'm sending it back with a friend who is going to the States. I don't want anyone but an authorized Apple rep working on it for the reasons you stated. I do have an iPhone that my son gave me that I may look into selling at Gazelle, though, because I don't want it. So thanks for that info, too.

I took my iPad to the M Store today. Sad to say, no one there spoke English, but I muddled my way through all the talk of warranties and options in Spanish. There's an area labeled "Servicio," but it was unmanned, and no, even though customer service folks there were polite and professional, they cannot fix my cracked screen. I was told I had to go to Panama City for authorized Apple service. No, they could not serve as the in between and send it for me. I also learned that Apple's extended warranty program (AppleCare) does not apply in Latin America, which has a totally different warranty program for Apple products purchased here. That was a surprise and a disappointment as I thought, being a global company, Apple's policies would be uniform throughout the world. So my choices are to forgo the warranty and have someone here fix it for, I was quoted, $170 due to the high cost of Apple parts, or send it with my friend back to States and have it fixed there under the warranty and then brought or sent back. This is my first Apple product and, as I said, I'm disappointed.

I downloaded it, found out it didn't have the promised maps, and immediately returned it for a refund.

Thanks again, Don Ray.

I couldn't agree more, Chica de Chiriqui. Anyone who doesn't have good health insurance or has insurance that doesn't pay providers directly but only reimburses, should either have a substantial financial cushion or a credit card with a substantial maximum. For expats, health insurance is a personal responsibility, not a government or community responsibility.