Boquete Community Pulse

Tuesday, Mar 22 – Lourdes Miranda, partner in the Boquetel law firm of Miranda y Contreras, will speak to us about real estate transactions and immigration. Lourdes specializes in immigration law, real estate transaction, corporative law, civil law, labour law, and administrative law. She is one of the most popular lawyers in Boquete.

Your $1 admission helps us keep the doors open Our Meeting Schedule – 10:30 in the BCP Theater . Tuesday, Mar 15 – Newcomer’s informational meeting. Some old timers will take the stage to discuss how Boquete has changed and making life easier moving to and living in here. We’ll tell you our relocation and adaptation stories, what we’ve learned along the way, and answer questions you may have about living and thriving in our little community. The panel will include Dianne Heidke (author of The Boquete Handbook), Janet Hitchens (gringa mayor of Santa Fe, Panama), Penny Barrett (unofficial Boquete welcome center), Susan Peterson (40+ years here) and Richard Detrich (author of The New Escape to Paradise). Come and meet your fellow Boqueteños. Tuesday, Mar 22 – Lourdes Miranda, partner in the local law firm of Miranda y Contreras, will speak to us about real estate transactions and immigration. Lourdes specializes in immigration law, real estate transaction, corporative law, civil law, labour law, and administrative law. Tuesday, Mar 29 – Don Joffe –of International Accounting Services, LLC will be presenting on U.S. tax compliance and planning for expats living in Panama. Many expats continue to have filing and reporting obligations, even if they no longer owe any tax to the IRS. Common situations include: · Foreign bank accounts · Ownership of foreign corporations or trusts · Income from wages or a business earned outside the United States Penalties for failure to comply can exceed $10,000 per year, even if no income tax is otherwise owed. The presentation will cover the current compliance landscape, what people need to do in order to comply, and the myriad different IRS programs currently available to help non-compliant expats to get back in good standing with the IRS. Don will also be available for a few days for free one-on-one consultations in Boquete to answer any tax questions you may have about your personal income tax situation. He can be reached at don@intlaccounting.com or (765) 236-6739. Tuesday, Apr. 5 – Patrick & Gabrielle Reynolds present “A month in Bali”. Tuesday, Apr. 12 – Maria Ruiz on merging the two cultures into the future of Boquete. Dr.Ruiz has more than 30 years experience working in the Panamanian coffee industry, including growing, green processing, roasting, tasting, and product development. She has participated in many activities at a national level as a representative of the private sector. She has also represented Panama in international forums such as the Specialty Coffee Association of America, Specialty Coffee Association of Japan, and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe. Currently she is the CEO of special projects with Casa Ruiz, S.A., in Boquete, Panama. Tuesday, Apr. 19 -- Elizabeth Farrell de Rios presents “Tree-To-Cup Coffee: The history of a single bean at Villa Estrella Coffee” Why do different coffee farms have different coffee? Ever wonder about different roasts? What happens between the fruit and the drink? For over 120 years, our family has tended this lush upland valley, where we steward some of the finest coffee on earth. We will explore every step of the artisan process and answer many of the common questions about coffee farming in Boquete, and production generally. Noobies, coffee snobs, and hobby farm owners are welcome to attend! http://www.villaestrellacoffee.com/ Tuesday, Apr. 26 -- Tom & Yella Werder speak about. "How Your Marriage Can Survive and Thrive in a New Culture". They will tell the story of how they, after a disastrous beginning, have found tools and skills for staying sane and supportive with each other while they navigate a new culture and continue to adjust to living in Panama. . To suggest a speaker or topic for these meetings please email BCP Tuesday Meeting To become a vendor at the Tuesday market, email Elena Serracin

Tuesday, Mar. 8 – Judith Smith is the co-founder and Director of the International Clinic of Biological Regeneration (www.icbr.com). Her educational degrees, at the University of Missouri and graduate studies at Clayton University, were in the field of clinical nutrition. She is also a Fellow of the American Council of Applied Clinical Nutrition (FACACN) and served as educational coordinator for the ACACN from 1979 until 2007. She practices Cell Therapy...an anti-aging treatment, developed by Dr. Paul Niehans in the 1930’s at his world famous La Prairie Institute in Switzerland.. Judith has clinics in both Nassau and Mexico. The goal of Classic Cell Therapy is to slow, and even reverse, the biological age of the entire body. The focus is on the immune system and the endocrine systems, as well as connective tissue. Breakdown in these areas is the cause of aging and most chronic disease. The idea is to look and feel as well as you can, as long as you can, and have the vital energy to pursue your interests. While preventing the aging entirely is not yet attainable, the process can be slowed considerably. There is free admission to this talk.

. Tuesday, Mar. 1 -- Rainelda Mata-Kelly, (www.mata-kelly.com) locally famous attorney from Panama City. Rainelda’s office specializes in immigration and all aspects of commercial, real estate, and maritime law. She will be speaking about estate planning, corporations, and immigration. She will be exploring estate planning options to avoid or streamline the probate process. As Panama’s new restrictions on bearer shares are now in full force, she will be discussing if you can still have bearer shares and what you need to do and whether this is your best option. On the immigration front, she will review the best residency options.

Tuesday, Feb. 23 – Oazis Zoller (www.oaziszoller.com) Oazis Zoller lives in Panama. She gives seminars and lectures about how humans are energetic beings and therefore the laws of Quantum Physics guide their success and happiness in life. Oazis, is a member of the Science and Consciousness Institute in Israel. In this institute over 300 professors, doctors and consciousness leaders research to find connections between science and consciousness. Oazis has a technological background. She worked for many years in international initiatives and currently manages a Data Base of over 6000 entrepreneurs, scientists and investors, Oazis has also served as Webmaster of IBM Corporation. For over twenty years Oazis did research about consciousness capabilities according to the CIA studies ,Russian intelligence agencies like the KJB , Chinese and universities studies that not publicly available..

THE FLYER IS WRONG -- THERE'S LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF BOOKS FOR SALE

Tuesday, Feb 9 – Frank Stegemeier and Steve Kazor (www.bigriverfoundation.org) speak on the environment as it relates to rivers and the pending 69 dam projects in Chiriqui. Join us in support of river conservation. Panama’s new administration has made important efforts in this area, efforts undermined by a recent Supreme Court decision. New efforts are in progress. Osvaldo Jordan of ACD is in Boquete to share the view of Panamanian environmental organizations. Talk includes a short 13 minute film.

Tuesday, Feb. 2 – Chef Juan Linares talks about Panamanian fruits, vegetables and meat and how to prepare and eat them. You can read Chef Juan’s blog at http://latinamericancook.blogspot.com/ For the past 10 years Chef Juan has been owner of Chef A La Orden, a catering company servicing the large expat community in Boquete. He specializes in market cuisine using the local ingredients, (which are abundant) to produce very attractive dishes at competitive prices. Food production includes dinner menus, buffets and hors d'ouvres. Additionally classes are taught on market cooking.

Tuesday, Jan. 26 – Ms.Jeannie Fitzsimmons, CNVI, LCT, Rev. Healing and Music Minister, is a professional speaker, master trainer—corporate and private retreats, best-selling author in two co-authored books with recognizable names, multi-platinum songwriter/ musician/composer, and holistic practitioner over 40 years. She is new to Boquete from Arizona and South Dakota. In 1994, unexpectedly, her life was transformed by Spirit, and her focus of the last 30 years has been providing tools, guidance to Truth, and speaking across the country on ways to lessen one’s suffering, anxiety, and emotional stress due to life circumstances and ever ongoing changes. She will speak to us about Natural Vision Improvement (not an eye exercise program but the return to natural vision habits) as well as stress elimination. She will be guiding a short process both in ‘letting go’ as well as ‘better vision tips, for direct experience for the audience. She teaches "the gentle art of letting go of stress" on-the-spot. She teaches onlin and, in person and has students in 22 countries. In our challenging world today, never has there been more need for conscious letting go of the inner stress. Inner stress and pressure impacts our lives in both subtle and not so subtle ways.

Tuesday, Jan. 19 – Ruth Bieber , Terry Kelly, and Carly Grigg, all blind Canadians, were approached by Criollo Films and CBC Television to go on an adventure and produce an informative documentary in Argentina. This inaugural screening in Boquete, Panama of this unprecedented documentary featuring these three blind equestrians bravely navigating the rugged and beautiful terrain of the Argentine Andes on horseback has been very well received both nationally and internationally. The documentary Blind Spot; Moments Unseen won Best International Documentary / long form (30 minutes+)" at the 2015 Equus Film Festival in New York. Ruth will be available at the Boquete screening to share her perspective, plus you can read the article she published about her horseback riding trek in Patagonia Argentina by going to the Sage-ing journal online spring 2015 issue: www.sageing.ca The title of the article is ‘Under the Argentine Moon; riding Patagonia’ The article gives personal details about her experience, which do not appear in the documentary and includes six of Ruth’s paintings, whic

Tuesday, Jan 5 – LAST WILLS AND LIVING WILLS. Hospice hosts Lourdes Miranda and Juan Contreras from the Boquete law offices of Miranda and Contreras. They will be covering the laws on Panamanian Wills, Living Wills and what they are used for, Power of Attorney and Marriage Licenses in Panama. They will also talk about Corporations and Foundations and the difference between them and cover any new laws/changes. They will finish up with questions and answers.

Tuesday, Dec. 29 – Darrell Eash presents Camels & Chameleons (Learning to Thrive in a New Environment). How to understand and appreciate the differences between Latinos and Gringos, and how to adapt to and succeed in a culture and language different from your own. Darrell’s knowledge in this area comes from being born and raised in Venezuela, living there until he left for college in the U.S. He’s also worked among Latinos for nearly 28 years, and has traveled extensively to all but four Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. Darrell will address the 10 cultural differences between Latino and Gringo cultures and explain how they can harmoniously work together.

There will be no BCP meeting this Tuesday. The meetings will resume on Dec. 29

Tuesday, Dec. 15 -- Elizabeth Farrell de Rios presents “Tree-To-Cup Coffee: The history of a single bean at Villa Estrella Coffee” Why do different coffee farms have different coffee? Ever wonder about different roasts? What happens between the fruit and the drink? For over 120 years, our family has tended this lush upland valley, where we steward some of the finest coffee on earth. We will explore every step of the artisan process and answer many of the common questions about coffee farming in Boquete, and production generally. Noobies, coffee snobs, and hobby farm owners are welcome to attend!

Tuesday, Dec. 8 – Thomas McCormack speaks on Panamanian myths, folklore, legends, and wives’ tales. Tom is a local “hero” to many. He came to Panama the first time in 1994 to teach beekeeping and honey production. He retired in 2000 and now lives in David (in the culture) 6 months of every year, He has almost single-handedly solicited and delivered 16 40ft.containers of medical supplies for this area.Tom works every day in his prosthetic shop where his team to date has fitted 336 new legs, 43 new hands and several complete arms. There is never a charge for Tom’s work. For more information about Tom’s work go to: panamamccormackfoundation.com