Brundageba

If you can't understand the Spanish...find the same thing in English.   Keith is providing valuable information...albeit in Spanish legaleese.  (I have trouble with English legaleese !)   Panama with its ailing penal system, a very weak social welfare system to assist in the rehabilitation of delinquents, and rising gang problems is pressured ( UN, OAS, Human Rights organizations) to be fair, be kind and offer alternatives to under aged criminals. The sense is that they get worse in prisons, and in Panamas prisons I'd have to agree.  To have in place an effective rehabilitation effort that works  takes enormous resources: government financed as well as NGOs.   I doubt this will happen over night.  The powers that be are caught between a rock and a hard spot.  So for us....it's duck and cover.

http://www.oijj.org/en/preguntas-frecuentes

In English, a load of information here from the International Juvenile Justice Observatory.  When you begin to scan these studies and recommendations it all makes sense.  BUT when you review what exists here in this country right now in the way of facilities and resources, the Rep of Panama has a VERY long way to go to meet this proposed ideal.  Jails are sorely overcrowded and mismanaged, juvenile rehab facilities exist but are few in number relative to the need.

Here's a quote from the Organization of American States ( Interamerican Commission on Human Rights)  on Juvenile Justice:

26.     Like the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Commission believes that protection of the best interests of the child means, inter alia, that the traditional objectives of criminal justice –namely, repression and punishment- must give way to reparation, rehabilitation and social reintegration of children and adolescents through the diversion of cases, or the use of other means of restorative justice, such as those discussed in the corresponding sections of this report, with as little recourse as possible to adjudication and precautionary measures or punishments involving the deprivation of liberty.[29]

The pressure on the Rep of Panama's justice sytem is in the direction of rehabilitation, and that seems to be the message that was given to us by authorities at the meeting.

http://www.unicef.org/lac/JUSTICIA_PENALingles.pdf

In English, more light on a difficult situation.

http://endcorporalpunishment.org/assets/pdfs/reports-thematic/Juvenile-justice-report-2015.pdf

This is the mindset.   This is the uphill battle that is faced here when you have a 13 yr old kid and a gun in your face with his finger on the trigger. "He's just a kid in his formative years"   ( sooo don't go tossing him in jail with the grown up bad guys) So teach him how to use a computer in a rehab facility with computers you don't have and rehab facilities we do have enough of...and oh, he can't read. back to square one.   This is a tough one.

Mighty sad situation Keith.  Children who learn the criminal path early and are essentially rewarded more for that than a hug from parents they don't have or who are in jail.   Kids who can not read, who feel disenfranchised are becoming young gangsters and receive a pat on the head from their gang leader...."good job" ! For once they have succeeded at something and it is recognized.  Yeiks.   This is a sickness of society.  Solving it may not be an easy task. Meanwhile the adult criminals...many of whom themselves came up in this same manner are fully taking advantage of this system that has no control over crimes committed by youth.....and it multiplies!   A very complex problem.  Where will this be in 10 years?

Where is the access?.  I see it on google earth but am clueless as to how to navigate there.  We found a lake out of Gualaca...went forever in our 4X$...never found it.   There's Fortuna...but that's a bit out of the way

Wait...I was a newcomer once.  In fact does 8+ yrs here even qualify me as an oldcomer.  I don't mind the 5 blocks of walking.  I carry an umbrella and have the luxury of finding a parking space I can park my vehicle in ...easily.  Yup the luggin of the groceries can be problematic....that's a drag.

The coast is brutally hot.  The mountains do not have abundant lakes...or lakes period.  Rivers , yes.  Beaches, yes.  There is some of the very best fishing on the earth on the Hannibal Banks close by.  Not cheap. 

...hold um.  Might see them in action again.....ya never know.  What could possibly be unconstitutional about a parking meter?   

Impressive.  Thank you for your summary ...and quickly !

Walking four or five blocks. 

Wierd.  So what about the tickets we sued to have to buy to park close to the center of David?  Now that was a pain !

...so meanwhile they have meters.  Seems like loss of income.   hummm

I buy meat that has a lot of tendons, and cook it in a pressure cooker.  The tendons dissolve and created a  meaty flavored gelatin.   I hide my nasty tasting expensive vitamin I grind up with the Glucosamine and the Omega 3 in there.   The dog we rescued several months ago who walked on 3 legs ...then limped, no longer limps.  Dunno...but she's lookin better.  runs like the wind !!

It appears as if this was one heavy allergic response.  Topicals that draw seem to be helping...like ceder tincture...some of the Grubers topicals plus warm Magnesium soaks.    Today the red swollen area is less and mobility is better.  Of course I'm on Cipro antibiotic...so who knows.   Amazing how dysfunctional you can become when you lose the use of the forefinger.  Yeiks...I'm counting my blessings !   Thorns...enemy of the gardener !!!!!!

Thanks Dottie...

Yah!!!!!!  sign us up

Bill just got home from a trip to town.  Between Alto Dorado and Ivan's on the west outside lane.......an amazing backwash.   The flow into the street was approaching surfable as the water bounced off the curb.  Overkill on the ditches you say ?.......they are now looking like the Colorado river in this location.  Every side street has a wash of water onto the main road that's mighty impressive.   We're waxin up the surfboards...and if there's no lightening ....we'll be out there hangin ten !  ( nah....)

Thanks..both of you.   I started a large dose of Ciprofoxicin antibiotic within hours.  Also took some Benadryl.  I have a good friend who is an orthopedist.  He lives in Florida...so he knows all about tropical thorn pokes.  He advised starting the Cipro right away...especially in that I have a total hip replacement ( which he did).  You always have to be careful about bad systemic infections as those metal hips seem to have an affinity to bacteria in the blood.   I can move it today a bit after a soak...but it locks up quick.   I'm using Grubers miracle goo as well.   Nasty business those palm thorns I tell ya.   You really need to put on the armor (..leather gloves, safety glasses) if you're gonna tackle trimming that tree.

Man Bonnie...it got red quick...like instantly.  Infection usually takes a few days to brew.   Makes me think it's a heavy allergic response to whatever is on those thorns.  That said...I'm not taking any chances.

Where is Dr Tello located?   ...and thanks for all the helps from everyone.  Bill and I never owned a dog.  Flossy just appeared at our door one night.  Bill made the "mistake" of feeding her after he was won over by her charms.  Now we are hooked !  She's really sweet.....

You might miss the lakes......

You are my very best friend for life right?

Yesterday I had a palm thorn poke through my garden gloves.  Today my finger looks like a Mexican Chorizo...red swollen and can't bend it.  Ideas?    I can't see much at the puncture site.  No apparent fragments.  Thorn came out intact as far as I know.

wow..congratulations !

I purchased some ( expensive  I might add) vet vitamins to augment our rescue dog's diet.  Right now she eats beef, chicken, gizzrads, oatmeal and ground up dry dogfood ( won't touch it otherwise).   My concern was she's not getting entire compliment of vits in that diet.   OK....I have tried every trick to hide that vit I can think of.  She eats the favored treat...then out pops the vitamin.  Sooo now I grind up the vits with the dry dog food and scatter in in to the gravy. Her fur looks better. If I overdo it...she won't eat the food.    One thing I havn't  tried yet on that vit is to smash it into a piece of white bread...then into the meat treat.  I'll have to say those vitamins taste horrible.

She has floppy ears and I am battling ear infections and I'd like to improve her resistance to infection.  Meanwhile I have learned a great deal about ear care from the vet and that should help keep her ears healthy.