JohnF13
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Everything posted by JohnF13
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Looking for recommendations for someone to paint my metal roof in Potrerillos. It is a copper based paint, so need someone with experience. Johnferguson1301 (at) gmail.com.
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Just thought a bit more about this while waiting for coffee. I think my personal approach is "if you can grow it in your back yard then it is pointless to legislate against it". I know that can include both Cocaine and Heroin so my belief can be properly attacked and debated but I am a pragmatist. If it can be grown in the back forty, it cannot be stopped. So let's change our approach and deal with the resulting problems. Decriminalising "natural" drugs is unlikely to lead to an epidemic, those that want them will get them, those that don't, won't. The big danger is chemicals. Those things are just nasty.
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I have been on the "other end" of the war on drugs, the street level sellers and their dealers. It is (for me anyway) a societal problem that cannot be solved by police interdiction. It is pretty obvious to any thinking person now that President Reagans "war on drugs" is a complete failure. Addiction and use rates are forever climbing and the introduction of synthectics has just made the problem worse. I was reading an article recently on synthetic Cannabis and the problems with regulating it. In a nutshell, it is sold openly in corner stores because it is not deemed an illegal substance. This is due to the fact that the producers are always tweaking the formulae and each new iteration needs investigation and subsequent legislation. Not a speedy response! I have seen the damage Heroin and crack causes and it is a major concern. However, as I stated above, the "war" is lost. Time to try another tack. I don't know the answers, but I think a good start would be to seperate "recreational" drugs such as Cannabis and mushrooms from the more dangerous (from a health point of view) harder drugs. I have not seen that so-called "soft drugs" are a gateway to harder stuff, that is just a politician's position with little basis in fact.. Governments need to adress the societal issues such as why people take drugs and what can be done to divert them away. At the same time, a lessening of the severity of punishments is sorely needed - with maybe the exception of the actual smugglers and others high on the drug heirarchy. ( just re read that, lousy pun!) Getting Governments to change is difficult, it will take a massive effort on the part of the population, whicever Country they are in. A good example is the current attitude towards Cannabis, it is changing very quickly now and I predict it will be a normal alternative to alcohol in the near future. The harder stuff? I really do not know. Enough for now, Jocie needs her second cup of coffee in bed!
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We don't need no more stinkin' "studies". We really don't need "legislation" either. What we do need is governments at all levels to invest money into collecting and disposing of garbage properly. Of course, that might take away some of the spending power that politicians have, so don't hold your breath.
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Judy, you are partially right. Older chemical wood treatments contained arsenic, that was the active ingredient that killed bugs. Also dangerous to humans. Newer wood treatements are much more benign, although I still would not use them near a newborn. Heat treating is usually accepted as being kiln drying. I do not know how effective that process is in killing bugs as the heat levels are not really high enough to do the job. When I was importing stuff in crates from India to Canada, they came with a certification of chemical treatment and they stunk to high heaven. I wouldnt even use the wood (an Indian hardwood) for frames, just burned it.
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Thank you for writing this, Bonnie. Extremely important information for everyone.
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In all likelyhood Keith, that is a fraction of what goes through.
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It isn't something that can be stopped. "Success" will likely be defined as one or two medium busts a year, allowing the majority of drugs to get through. Likely there will be a lot of collateral damage, in that street dealers or recreational users will be targeted to bring the numbers up.
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Hopefully they will be able to retrofit for the mules. When I did the canal tour I was amazed at how elegant and efficient they were.
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Penny, the store is easy to find. It is at the junction where the road from the bridge and the road from Super Baru merge. It is on the left side (Baru side) right after the Texaco. Keith's pic is taken from the centre town approach. To get to the store, go across the bridge, take the first available left to get to the Baru road, turn right. Drive till you see the Texaco on the left, the sign for the store is right after that. If you were to continue down the road from the bridge you would be able to see the store, but as the say, "you can't get there from here" unless you go further down and turn around. I went there yesterday, unfortunately it is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so the adventure will have to wait till next week.
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Since C.O. Took over my account from Mobilnet my service has been rock solid......Ooops, until earlier this month. It crashed on a Saturday night, I thought they might be having tower issues so I didn't call till Tuesday. At the start I called once a day then by Friday, after getting the same promise every time ( a supervisor will get back to you) I started calling twice a day. Each time the attendant would tell me someone would call back, no-one did until Saturday afternoon. A tech called from Panama City, took less than 2 minutes testing and then told me that he could not see my antenna so he would have to send a house call request. Monday I got a call saying they would be there on the following day and yes, they did arrive. After changing the receiver on the dish and the modem there was still a problem but they stayed around until it was working again. So, a total of 10 days without C.O. service. Bud, who do we call to initiate a refund request? I think the only way they are going to speed up service calls is if people demand refunds. In my case I knew the dish wasn't talking to the tower as I was getting "gateway not found" when I tried to use it. A quick check by a tech on the first day would have confirmed that.
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Bad stuff happens. E-shop is my go-to place for bringing stuff in. Never had a problem there and they have a ton of my money!
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Also puzzled. Does V.E. get priority treatment? What was the NEED to put this out? Seems to me that the response they are giving V.E. Residents is something they should have been doing anyway.
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Bud, I see it says 7% wind "installed capacity". Wind turbines are notoriously inefficient, only producing a fraction of their rated capacity. So looking at the above figures, that means, I think, that there is about 210MW of installed wind turbines. Likely, if other sites around the World are any indication, the actual production will be a fraction of that. Wind and solar are great, but in small, directed installations such as a house or small community. For a major power grid they are an extremely poor return on investment.
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My .02cents. I don't mind the "what's next for Martinelli" threads, I feel they are important to our lives here and a reminder that Panamanian politics are, well, interesting. Offshore politics not so much but the site management here keeps it corralled, so I don't see it as a problem. If I don't want to read it, then I don't. simple, really.
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Has anyone thought about diverting rain water from the roof to your tanks? Seems to me it would be as clean (if not cleaner) than the stuff coming through the pipes. At this time of year I doubt there are many contaminants on a roof, after all it gets washed every day.....
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When I was involved with the incident here I had to give a statement. A translator was provided, he told me afterwards it was a requirement.
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Impact of Brexit On Panama and Central America
JohnF13 replied to John R Hampton's topic in Miscellaneous Topics re Panama
I originally hail from NE England (County Durham). That area was the coal mining powerhouse of the Country with plenty of good and stable jobs. My village, along with scores of others, was completely devestated when the mines were shut down over a relatively short period of time. Typical one employer town with residents living in company housing turned overnight into hotbeds of rebellion and despair. I went back a few years after the shut downs and the place was quite frightening, lots of unemployed strong young men roaming the streets. THOSE are the people, in the North East (at least) that voted to leave. London (another World) did nothing for the Northeners and continued to grow as a financial centre, generally being spared the pains of job loss and the associated embarrasment. A lot of people outside to very large metropolitan areas feel that they are not even seen by the London elites, except at voting time when they were expected to vote like good little sheep. That was part of the reason for the rise of UKIP, the population feeling that politicians no longer represented them. Personally, I think this is a terrible decision made in spite as a kick against the establishment. But, not my dog, no longer my fight - except it's going to kick my Brit pension in the arse. -
Does anyone know of a good quality coffee grinder that is available locally? Mine just had a hissy fit so I need a spare till I get it fixed. No B & D type offers, please! johnferguson1301(at)gmail.com
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Easy Keith. Illegal guns.
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Simple question. Home mail delivery, who pays? Does the mail recipient pay the full freight ( varies due to volume) or is everyone taxed for something they may not want?
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The essence and stuff of life itself.
JohnF13 replied to WryAwry's topic in Idle Chatter / Personal Musings
Fantastico! I'd write more but my wife is demanding her second cup of coffee in bed, so I'd better snap to it ' cause she has guns too.....t -
It is the "other place" where silly, but yes, off topic subjects can be discussed. As you say, Bud, sometimes purple prose, but it is a good outlet for frustrations not allowed in other toplcs. Keep it, those that hate it simply should not look at it.
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Bonnie, i am A pos but 67 yrs old. I know that in Canada I would have been able to continue donating until I was 70 before needing a doctors permission. I am out of town till Friday but if you can check with the hospital I can get there after that if needed.
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Dean, thanks. Give me a call at six five seven nine three three eight eight. I'm here today, if it is possible. I am in Potrerillos but can get to anywhere in the area.
