Bud

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Contractors_Prequalify_for_Work_on_Fourth_Bridge_Over_Canal?u=eed8a50357aba3bff2044bf3e2ad788d&s=n&e=3&mid=[MESSAGEID]

Could you provide location and/or directions to this place? We would like to stop by for a visit.

As someone who is totally dependent on reliable computer resources, I have several machines (both Windows and Macs). The workhorses are the Windows machines. My newest machine, roughly one month old now, never really functioned properly for some of the basic applications that I need. I knew it would be beyond the scope of the resources at the store in David where the computer was purchased. And so I contacted the software vendor of one of the more important applications, but they wanted many hundreds of dollars, and were not willing to guarantee that they would fix the problem. They claimed it was not their software but rather a corrupted .NET and operating system matter (which sounded really serious to me). And then I remembered Dottie Atwater's posting about Twin Wolf (aka Dan Porter) who, like Dottie, is one of the members here on CL. Cutting to the bottom line: impressive is a gross understatement. Everything he did (remotely, of course, which was advantageous to both of us) was way beyond my knowledge. He clearly knows his stuff, and is very easy to work with. The problem was corrected. It turned out not to be a .NET problem as the vendor was claiming, but rather a security conflict/configuration thing between applications and the operating system. If you have computer problems, especially Windows applications or operating system related, then Dan is the guy to go to. You can contact him via a private message on this website, using the display name "Twin Wolf Technology Group". I give a strong recommendation to contact Twin Wolf when you have computer problems, without reservation.

Maybe this link on Tom Brymer's blog is part of the puzzle. http://panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com/blog/news-from-panama/dubai-targets-mexico-panama-for-uae-investment-trade/

There is a report that the direct flights between Panama and Dubai are being delayed until March 31st so that data can be integrated into the appropriate information systems. Here is the article: http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Start_of_Panama__Dubai_Flights_Postponed. This will be the longest direct flight in the world. I still have difficulty believing that there is sufficient traffic demand to justify a daily connection between the two countries to fill the 266 seats. I am obviously missing something here.

The office for Los Naranjos is in the building across the street from the gym. Toledano eggs is on the north end of the building, and the Corregidora on the other (southern) corner.

The Hotel Park 10 is where we stayed last November. It is 0.4 KM from Parque Lleras. Very nice hotel, great staff, highly rated, and fast Internet access. Has in-house restaurant. In the Poblado District. If we were to go back to Medellin we would stay there again. Best rates are booked online rather than calling the hotel direct.

Phyllis, So glad that you are doing your blog. Interesting topics, and thought provoking at the same time. And this blog post has yet another nice picture. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with our community. Good job!

This is of interest, but not even a hint of when it might be scheduled. Hmmmmmmm...

Okay. I've ordered the DVD from Amazon. Do you provide the popcorn? Not wanting to go off-topic, but I have to add this sidebar: The write up about the DVD says it is about the slums of Rio. I've been there and seen it firsthand. Not a place I would live in (or even near). While reading the description of the DVD, I had a flashback to my first trip to the Rio area. It was a loooooooooong time ago. The newspaper headlines the morning after seeing the slums was of a girl of about 14 years age that had died the night before. She lived in a cardboard box, and had been eaten alive by rats. I am sure many people would discount a comparison of the slums of Rio to the situation here in our area.

Keith, with regard to your last sentence: as the Brits would say "spot on, chap". There are some interesting "lessons to be learned" here on the part of the organizations that work on security matters. There is the immediate "news" type reporting that would have few details, and be as close to real time as possible. Some people would dismiss this kind of reporting, but I submit that there is value in the "news" kind of report for two basic reasons: to alert people in the area to be on guard for their own security, and/or if alerted early on and someone hearing the report was in the area, then perhaps they might see something of interest that could be valuable (the direction of a certain car leaving at high speed, for example). After the "news" type immediate reports, then there are investigations, and all the other kind of reports that people talk about. One thing that Rodny has been very good about is his alerts. They may not be perfect, but they are better than nothing. AaC and RD, among others, get to decide how they operate and what their policies are, and should do so given concerns about privacy and statutory requirements, etc. But I remain firm in my opinion that "news" reports (aka alerts) of criminal activity are of value and I wish to see them. And then I really am dreaming here by wanting every crime to be reported in the public domain. My opinion is that such information would result in a huge public support for better resources for the police, and better laws for them to work with as tools to keep us as safe as can be reasonably expected. The bottom line, however, remains that each of us is responsible for our own security. No police person can ever be at a crime scene "in time", even if they had a vehicle that traveled at the speed of light. The one exception to the speed of light rule would be if the police person is the victim or just happened to be at the scene when it started. Faster alerts with as much information as possible are in the public interest.

I just can't resist, but with apologies. Where there's a will, there's a whey.

We just now saw a white Kia SUV stopped (not parked, but stopped) in front of our home. While watching it, the two occupants (both male) eventually saw us and started driving away. We continued to watch. They stopped at the next house, and then started backing up, until they saw us still watching. Then they left the area. Was not able to get the license number, but they are on several of our security cameras. If something happens in the near future we can download the recordings. In total, this was about 3.5 minutes. Not a good feeling right now.

Without well documented and enforced city planning, such changes/growth will continue.

I normally do not search out or even read these kinds of articles, but for some reason these came across my desk today and I gave them my attention. The articles say that Panama is not promoting tourism. Every time we go to Panama City, I look around and am not sure how they could stuff any more people or vehicles (cars, buses, taxis, etc.) into the city, but they seem to do so, and with gusto. I do agree that hotel rates have been down recently, which is good for us. Do these articles have a hidden agenda, or is Panama really not promoting tourism? I'm confused. http://www.prensa.com/economia/estanca-licitacion-promocion-externa_0_4375812549.html http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Still_Not_Promoting_Tourism?u=eed8a50357aba3bff2044bf3e2ad788d&s=n&e=3&mid=[MESSAGEID]

Marcelyn and I send our condolences to Betty and the family. We never had the opportunity to meet Betty's mother, but if she was anything like Betty then she was a very warm and compassionate person.

#20 - When you realize that this list of Boqueteño status indicators is essentially endless..... And your response is "TIP" (this is Panama).

Keith, Thanks for the quick follow-up. You are not mincing words here. The price is "set" by a government agency based on the various regions in the country is what I hear you saying. What is a customer supposed to do when the price at a pump is not in accordance with the published rate schedule? I, for one, would not complain if the price is lower at the pump, but can I require the station operator to reprice the total bill for my diesel fuel if their rate is higher? Or should I report a station if their price is above the scheduled rate to a government agency? If so, I presume ACODECO would be the appropriate agency. If correct, that is not good news, given my prior experiences with ACODECO. There has been some prior discussion on CL regarding that agency. I just know what my experiences have been. I really do not want to deal with them again. Looking for advice here. Grin and bear it, is certainly one option. Bud

Keith, you continue to amaze me (us) with your fountains of knowledge and information sources. Wow. Our experience on the recent trip to PC and back that Marcelyn mentioned above is that there are sometimes many pennies of differences in price even within the same city. She mentioned Santiago. But within Santiago, just for only one example, there were as much as 4 cents difference per liter. And the fuel was more expensive in PC as compared to other cities along the way. We see differences all the time here in Boquete between the Delta station and the Terpel in Alto Boquete (Windy City area). Our experiences cause me to question whether the price really is set, or is it just a guideline?

We get our water supply by Acueducto de Alto Lino. We were informed today that there will be an increase in the charges for our water service. We are provided both potable and non-potable water. In the many years since moving here permanently, the water bill has been $50.00/year. The rate starting this year will be $15.00/month. That is more than tripling of the charges. Water meters for each consumer may be implemented in the near future.

We have no pets. Doesn't mean we don't like them. We do! But with our travel schedule it just isn't fair to the kitties. And with our security infrastructure, no dogs can enter the property. There are several cats from who-knows-where that come over for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at our place, and sometimes in-between snacks. But they are not there when the extermination procedure is underway. They are at our place for only about 10 or 15 minutes and then adios. Even if they were there when Sr Vargas started, they would be quick to exit because they are very skittish, and we would escort them away if they were to remain. All food/liquid serving items are routinely put out fresh when the kitties arrive, and retrieved inside the house when they depart, so even the serving items don't get exposed to any spray. No human consumption food items are exposed to the spray. Sr Vargas uses a small, very directional hand pump type nozzle (no fogging type spray), so he has complete control over where the spray goes. The vast majority of the spraying is done at the baseboard level. Thanks for your concern. It is always good to revisit health issues on a periodic basis. And health issues apply to pets as well.

Fumigadora Hermanos Vargas is the company name. Rodolfo Vargas has been servicing our extermination needs since 2006. I do not know what chemistry he uses, but he tells me that it is environmentally friendly, whatever that may mean. We have him come once a month, and he typically calls a day or two prior to confirm availability. A monthly extermination cycle takes about one hour. He goes all around the outside of the house, and then in each and every room. His phones are (not sure which is the most current) 6626-3262, 6224-5068, 6998-7017, 6447-7675.

Bonnie, We have had a couple of ant swarms coming into our home, and especially the conduits for our interior electrical wiring. Couldn't walk anywhere in most parts of our home without squishing them by the tens of thousands while walking. There is nothing that we can do except let them finish their work and then exit. I'm not sure what the colloquial expression for being much larger than a bazillion bazillion, but whatever that word is would apply here. There they were in the house and just oozing out of the wall sockets. Haven't had a case of ant invasion for a couple of years now. Dunno know why not. But saying our thanks. We do have a monthly extermination of the outside and inside of the house, using environmentally friendly stuff. But that has been for more than a decade now. There doesn't seem to be any deterrent effect from the extermination procedure. We agree with you -- just leave and let them do their thing. A couple of hours at the worst.

Fascinating videography. Recent advances in ultra high speed videography open up a new way of seeing our world. And the TED series of talks ("Ideas Worth Spreading" is TED's mantra; see www.ted.com) are some of my favorites for opening up and bending my rigid mind. We have had numerous experiences with birds flying into our great room, and with a 27+ feet high ceiling, that makes for interesting times in trying rescue them. Not always successful. We now have screens on all airways, including the front door. For those who have not experienced all that Boquete has to offer, be aware that bats are part of the experience. We have even had bats inside the great room. If you experience such, be extremely careful because of the disease issues. The Spanish word for bat is el murciélago. I agree Judy. Some of those clips could have been filmed right here in Boquete. Thanks for posting this.