Penny

I rarely ask for the jubilado discount at the restaurants I patronize. However, when a restaurant (RetroGusto and Colibri) are arrogant and brazen about flaunting the law, I will not patronize them at all. Speaking of fine dining, it's interesting that McDonald's in David gives a 25% discount just for having gray hair. As a fast food joint, the law only requires them to give 10% discount.

Geovana will be one of the presenters at the Tuesday Talks on May 3. Here's the write-up: Tuesday, May 3 – Who Ya Gonna Call??? Need help getting your utilities hooked up, or getting a drivers license, or finding a plumber, or getting transportation somewhere, or maybe just some translation services? Three accomplished, bi-lingual Panamanian ladies will take the stage to tell us about their services. Speaking will be Gloria Cruz (Boquete Services), Geovanna Caballero (Ask Geovanna), Ford Hamberger (Call Ford), and Lorena Pitti (Boquete Bilingual Services). They each have their special talents and offerings.

It's this kind of activity that truly is turning the Boquete Theater into the Boquete Events Center. We have the Lovely Lucy to thank for that.

The only advice I can offer is the old adage my grandma told me "Don't let the bastards get you down!!"

Keith is correct, the proper name is Fundacion Pro-Integracion (I think that translates to what we call "mainstreaming" in English). The problem is most people don't know what you're talking about unless you clarify with "Handicap Foundtion" or something similar. I thought it unusual that Mary Beth who uses the center frequently wouldn't call it by its proper name but she did write the message from her heart. The easiest way to describe the location is the place just prior (and adjacent) to the new Social Security hospital being built on the left side of the road while heading to David. Migdalia is there every day except Sunday to receive your donations.

Back in those days they weren't enforcing the transfer fees which today equal 5% of the value (or sales price) of the property. Transfer a house out of a corporation to a foundation triggers that fee.

One option if your property is in a corporation and the shares have not yet been issued is to issue the shares in the name(s) of your heirs. Of course this triggers other reporting requirements with the IRS

Several folks in the Volcan yahoo group are reporting that ATM fees have jumped from $4 to $5.25. True? I'm out of the country and can't check for myself/

I hugged Bud; does that count?

Maria Ruiz has consistently been one of thr most informative and popular speakers at the Tuesday meetings. Come early to get a seat

La Villa coffee house is helping to turn the BCP facility into a true community center !! Thank you Lovely Lucy.

Where in the Boquete area can you get these tomatoes in enough quantity for a restaurant? The photos look like they were googled to me.

Judy Attorneys that probate estates can take as much as 30% + of the assets. This is scandal in Panama and needs to be exposed and resisted. There are honest attorneys like Miranda and Contreras who don't dip nearly that deeply.

I am so happy that this is not a legitimate email. I love USTV Now. It's my link to the network news programs (like 60 Minutes, etc).

Bud JM stands for Jere McCormick, the leader of the hiking group and very definitely a woman.

Just received this notice from Bud's daughter Holly that Bud died last year. He was a long time Boquete resident and played in one of the first gringo bands formed here. Here's the message from Holly:

The description of the Month in Bali talk should have said the Reynolds spent time with rescued Sumatran ELEPHANTS (not rescued Sumatrans). In any case, come on by tomorrow and let the speakers clarify it for us.

Here's the English language article from Newsroom Panama this morning: New money laundering exposure rocks Panama Posted on April 3, 2016 in Panama THE PANAMA law firm whose co-founder, Ramon Fonseca, was, until recently, a top advisor to President Juan Carlos Varela has been exposed to another scandal leading from Panama to Russian President Vladimir Putin and multiple corrupt leaders. The story was headlined around the world on Sunday, April 3 and follows on Panama’s alleged links to the Brazilian “Car wash” bribery scandal via the Odebrecht construction company funneling bribes to Swiss banks. It comes at a time when Panama is trying to erase its image as a tax haven and money laundering center, and the revelations have been described as the biggest ever blow to the offshore world. The BBC reports: A huge leak of confidential documents has revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. Eleven million documents were leaked from one of the world’s most secretive companies, Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. They show how Mossack Fonseca has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax. The company says it has operated beyond reproach for 40 years and has never been charged with criminal wrong-doing. The documents show links to 72 current or former heads of state in the data, including dictators accused of looting their own countries. Gerard Ryle, director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.(ICIJ), said the documents covered the day-to-day business at Mossack Fonseca over the past 40 years. “I think the leak will prove to be probably the biggest blow the offshore world has ever taken because of the extent of the documents,” he said. Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca have been passed to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with the ICIJ. BBC Panorama is among 107 media organisations in 78 countries which have been analysing the documents. The BBC doesn’t know the identity of the source Watch Panorama at 19:30 on BBC One on Monday, April4 The data contains secret offshore companies linked to the families and associates of Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak, Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi and Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad. It also reveals a suspected billion-dollar money laundering ring that was run by a Russian bank and involved close associates of President Putin. The operation was run by Bank Rossiya, which is subject to US and EU sanctionsfollowing Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The documents reveal for the first time how the bank operates. ments has revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. Money has been channeled through offshore companies, two of which were officially owned by one of the Russian president’s closest friends. Concert cellist Sergei Roldugin has known Vladimir Putin since they were teenagers and is godfather to the president’s daughter Maria. On paper, Mr Roldugin has personally made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from suspicious deals. But documents from Mr Roldugin’s companies state that: “The company is a corporate screen established principally to protect the identity and confidentiality of the ultimate beneficial owner of the company.” Mossack Fonseca data also shows how Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson had an undeclared interest in his country’s bailed-out banks. Mr Gunnlaugsson has been accused of hiding millions of dollars of investments in his country’s banks behind a secretive offshore company. Leaked documents show that Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson and his wife bought offshore company Wintris in 2007. He did not declare an interest in the company when entering parliament in 2009. He sold his 50% of Wintris to his wife for $1 (70p), eight months later. Mr Gunnlaugsson is now facing calls for his resignation. He says he has not broken any rules, and his wife did not benefit financially from his decisions. The offshore company was used to invest millions of dollars of inherited money, according to a document signed by Mr Gunnlaugsson’s wife Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir in 2015. In addition, Mossack Fonseca supplied a front man who pretended to own $1.8m, so the real owner could get the cash from the bank without revealing his identity. Mossack Fonseca says it has always complied with international protocols to ensure the companies they incorporate are not used for tax evasion, money-laundering, terrorist finance or other illicit purposes. The company says it conducts thorough due diligence and regrets any misuse of its services. “For 40 years Mossack Fonseca has operated beyond reproach in our home country and in other jurisdictions where we have operations. Our firm has never been accused or charged in connection with criminal wrongdoing. “If we detect suspicious activity or misconduct, we are quick to report it to the authorities. Similarly, when authorities approach us with evidence of possible misconduct, we always cooperate fully with them.” Mossack Fonseca says offshore companies are available worldwide and are used for a variety of legitimate purposes.

For those who still do not know . . . Every Tuesday in front of the doors to the theater there is a box for mail going to the U.S. or Canada. We have always found somebody going who is willing to stick some stamped envelopes in the first U.S. mail box they encounter. We also have U.S. stamps for sale for $1 each (yes, we know we are making a profit). We advise that your letter will go from the U.S. mail box to Canada if you apply two U.S. stamps. About the IRS . . . since I always owe them money, I'm only interested in the date stamp on the envelope so I usually take it to the Panama post office. What do I care if they don't receive it and cash my check for two months or more???

Rainy season delayed until June (from Newsroom Panama) Posted on March 29, 2016 in Panama Share: Post Views: 170 PANAMA can expect the first rains of 2016 in May with some sporadic downpours greening some of the parched land, but the rainy season proper will not arrive until June. The report from the Climatology Department of the the Electric Transmission Company, S.A. (Etesa). Climatology director , Pilar Lopez said that despite the first downpours, of La Niña and the official rainy season will not be officially declared until some time in June. Meanwhile because of the effects of El Niño, about 300,000 gallons of potable water are distributed daily by tankers in 40 communities, facing a severe crisis in the province of Los Santos. In addition, the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) has 51 storage tanks in the various sectors facing drought problems. Residents of Guarareíto and La Limona require the construction of underground wells after months without water. Benedict De Frias Mitre, a resident of the area, said the Guararé river, where they once went to fetch water, has dried and they now receive water from tankers one day a week and schools are without water.

Red flag for vacation package buyers (from Newsroom Panama) Posted on March 29, 2016 in Panama, Panama Be sure to read the contract before buying the package. Share: Post Views: 173 PANAMA’S Consumer Protection Authority (Acadeco) has issued a warning to purchasers of vacation packages. Administrator Garcia Cardoze says that they get 78 complaints a year of which some 10 percent become criminal investigations and recommends that consumers should be aware of potential problems when they are purchasing such plans. She said that it is essential to carefully read the contract and not to give credit card information without checking the history of the company. Most of the complaints revolve around free vacations that are actually high-pressure sales pitches to invest in time shares or other real estate deals. Another precaution recommended by the authority is that consumers should verify the actual existence of companies that promote these packages

Newsroom Panama reports that soon it will be illegal for restaurant owners to include the "propina" in the bill: Compulsory tipping coming to end Posted on March 29, 2016 in Panama Share: Post Views: 154 THE DAYS when dissatisfied customers are faced with a built in service tip are fast nearing their end in Panama as the National Assembly has approved on third reading a bill that prevents restaurants and hotels suggesting or including tips or gratuities to staff. The bill will soon be on its way to President, Juan Carlos Varela for promulgation and those restaurant owners who have used all or part of the tips to reduce their overheads will be out of luck.

The public is always invited to the BCP's monthly meeting which is usually held at 2PM on the first Friday of the month. If you have suggestions, complaints, or are just curious about the inner workings, come and visit the meeting. The current board really wishes to make the BCP a true community events center and not just a theater.

A friend and I went to Nacional Box yesterday to rent a box for her. They are currently having some special pricing. You can get a small box for $200/year. We got a medium one for $300/year. Having this box for her valuables will give her invaluable peace of mind. Diana, the manager was helpful and spoke perfect English. She told us her Mom taught her how to speak English. Her Mom had lived for 25 years in Kansas.