Penny

This is going to be huge. To accommodate all the vendors with hot plates BCP has installed 10 new dedicated outlets each on it's separate circuit. If you (the public) wants this market to continue on a once a month basis, please support it on Saturday. If we don't get the buying clientele, the vendors won't want to come back next month. Hope to see you there. Bring your cooler in case there's stuff you want to take home.

So, I'm reading my email yesterday, minding my own business when all of a sudden up pops a window with the message that Windows 10 was in the process of downloading and please don't turn off my computer. As I researched the advisability of changing from Windows 7 to Windows 10 I had accepted the wise advice of computer experts on this site to the effect of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I immediately pulled the plug on the computer to prevent this "upgrade" which I hadn't asked for and didn't want. Anybody else have experience with this stealth tactic being employed by MicroSoft???

So, I'm reading my email yesterday, minding my own business when all of a sudden up pops a window with the message that Windows 10 was in the process of downloading and please don't turn off my computer. As I researched the advisability of changing from Windows 7 to Windows 10 I had accepted the wise advice of computer experts on this site to the effect of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I immediately pulled the plug on the computer to prevent this "upgrade" which I hadn't asked for and didn't want. Anybody else have experience with this stealth tactic being employed by MicroSoft???

Olga expects to be released today. Keith Cline will pick her up and bring her home. We need to start the "soup brigade". She was a picky eater in the hospital and needs to get some good nourishment.

This has got to be the "feel good" post of the year. I have 3 rescue dogs and they're a pain in the trasero but I would miss them terribly if they weren't with me.

Olga is due to be released on Monday. She is now getting intravenous antibiotics for a lung infection. The diagnosis of what is wrong with her has been all over the map. At first it was presumed she had a heart attack. Then there was some suspicion of complications from a recent endoscopy. Now a lung infection. In any case, she is currently pain free and really looking forward to getting home.

And one other thing. Boquete is nothing like where I lived in the states and nobody I know is is trying to make it so. It sounds like you think all of us living in Boquete live an insular life in a gated community and and that description doesn't apply to at least 99% of us.

John -- do you have a Panamanian wife? I would guess that you do if you are interacting mainly with the Panamanian community and want to chide the rest of us who neither have married into a Panamanian family nor speak fluent Spanish. One of my best friends is my neighbor who is Panamanian. However, I know I will never be integrated totally into her social circle which consists mostly of family gatherings and celebrations. My language is different, my background is different, my culture is different. I know many, many Panamanians with whom I do a few minutes of small talk. However, for my social needs, I rely mostly on the English speaking community (some of whom are Panamanians). If I was married to a Panamanian, my take on all of this would probably be different.

Is anyone going to David today who can take a small bag of personal items to Olga in room 12 of Hospital Chiriqui? If that's you, please call 6510-8934

Olga is in Room 12 at Chiriqui Hospital. She continues to have bad pains under her left breast but this is a different place than the original severe pain. She and Dr. Anguizola are beginning to think it may not have been a heart attack but some kind of severe gastro-intestinal problem. They are doing a CAT scan this afternoon. If anybody is going to visit later today (Thursday) or tomorrow, please stop by my house for a bag of her personal items she needed from her apartment.

Like Bud, I too made a rash decision to buy a house in Boquete. Sometimes it's just love at first sight. Sometimes that works out as it did for me.

Most of you know that I took Olga into Hospital Chiriqui emergency in the wee morning hours on Monday because of severe chest pains. They diagnosed a heart attack and put her into intensive care. Today she saw her own cardiologist (Dr. Anguizola) who was more optimistic than was Dr. Adames. They moved her into a regular hospital room this afternoon and she can have visitors. We don't yet know when she will be released to go home. Penny

Our good friend Olga Alexander suffered a heart attack Sunday night (May 8) and is in intensive care at Hospital Chiriqui. After monitoring her for awhile in intensive care, they will make a decision on how to proceed. I will keep all her friends posted. Penny

I have lived here 13 years and have seen only 3 scorpions and have been bitten only once. I had a bottle of ultra-concentrated Grubers Jungle Oil nearby and I doused the spot with that and within seconds the swelling and pain were gone. So, I can attest that the super concentrated stuff is good for scorpion bites. I'm quite sure it doesn't cure cancer as claimed.

I bank with both MultiBank and Banco General and they both charge a service fee if the balance in your checking account goes below a certain limit (like $250 or $300). I'm not sure about savings accounts.

I agree with Judy. I solicited several knowledgeable opinions about upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and was always told to not do it. My Windows 7 works just fine.

With Gloria you also get Pedro and that is a huge bonus.

I've never before been approached by panhandlers in Boquete until recently. I've been approached twice in the last week and some new residents have told me they've been approached three times. This is a new phenomenon in my book. Maybe the new warden can bring it up at the city council meeting. It's not good for tourism. Most of these incidents happen near the new public mercado which, of course, is across the street from some notorious bars.

Not true Bonnie. Here's what I get when I bring up NING:

I've been told that there's a long discussion about the discount complete with some misinformation on the other forum. Since I'm banned from that forum I can't verify it for myself. However, just to clear up some misunderstandings that folks seem to have. You are entitled to the discount if both of these apply: A. You are a legal permanent resident of Panama (not a tourist who has to leave every six months) and B. You either have attained the appropriate age (I believe 55 for women and 60 for men) or You have a pensionado visa which you can obtain as young as 18 if you meet the requirements of a permanent income of $1000/month or more. Just being old and in Panama doesn't cut it. Some places are lax about asking for proof but that still doesn't mean you're legally entitled to the discount. Another misconception -- the government of Panama doesn't reimburse a business for the discount. Of course if you discount a $10 meal to $7.50 you only have to pay income tax on the $7.50 that was received. Also, a business in Panama doesn't have to pay income tax or charge sales tax until their gross proceeds are $30,000/year or more.

I was reminded again the other day about how effective ACODECO is to assist consumers in their disputes against local business establishments. Probably many newcomers don't know about this government agency. Unlike all other government agencies in Panama, ACODECO actually seems to get the job done. A complaint to them about a purchase or service transaction gone bad most often gets resolved. A friend told me this story: they had gone round and round with Audio Photo about a defective washing machine they had purchased. Finally a tech from the store came out and certified the machine was bad. Then it was a struggle to get it removed and a new one installed. Time was running short for them as they were due to go back to the U.S. for 6 months leaving the house to house sitters. I told them about ACODECO. The next time they called Audio Photo and asked for the manager they got the same standard manage "El jefe no esta acqui." They said one word into the phone "ACODECO" and quite amazingly the manager picked up the phone within 3 seconds and the problem seems to be getting resolved. Folks, this is the agency you report the businesses that aren't honoring the pensionado law. This is the agency you report all consumer problems to. Something good to know while living in this foreign land where customer service seems to most often be a mysterious and strange concept.

Just one word === ACODECO

We have a new projector at BCP that we use for the Tuesday talks. Our problem is that the computer we've been using to attach to it doesn't have the necessary HDMI port (see picture below). Powerpoint software would be a plus. If somebody has an old laptop with an HDMI port and would like to sell it cheap (or donate it to a worthy cause) please email BCP at boquetecommunityplayers@mail.com

This is a very unique set of china that was donated to the Handicap Foundation. There are 8 10" dinnerplates and 5 7.5" salad plates. They are deep dish with removable silicone base rings in multiple colors. These are the plates used at the new restaurant Casa Vieja. All pieces are dishwasher and microwave safe, brand new with price stickers still attached. They were sold originally at multiple stores for $2.99 a piece for a $39 value. We'll sell them all for $15. For more information or to view, email Penny at pjbarrett@aol.com

I think the $3 admission will still go to the Handicap Foundation and Buenos Vecinos. Animales never got part of that. They got the rent money and the bar proceeds. However, you're right. The animales facaility is definitely a better place to have trivia. The problem is (was) that Nairn and Nancy got tired of cooking every two weeks and wanted to concentrate their energies on paid catering events. The skating rink is in the business to sell food and drinks directly to the trivia players.