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Here are photos taken during the second performance of this show series.

Mike Schwartz, warming up the audience in his role as the Emcee:

Dr. Bill McGraw:

The Coffee Drinkers:

Boquete Drum Circle:

Boquete Drum Circle:

Boquete Drum Circle:

Bob Gregory:

Blaise Dismer:

The Haunted Styrofoam Cooler:

The Haunted Styrofoam Cooler:

The Haunted Styrofoam Cooler:

The Haunted Styrofoam Cooler:

The Haunted Styrofoam Cooler:

Nashville Trash (Bob and Brandy Gregory):

Quiz, Dianne Heidke:

Quiz, Mike Webber:

Quiz:

Quiz:

Phil Bennett, Sound Tech:

Louise Orr:

Louise Orr:

Dr. Bill McGraw:

Cast and Crew, Goodnight Irene:

Cast and Crew, Goodnight Irene:

Here is the program announcement and the printed program handout for this second performance of the Olde Timey Radio Show.

26 minutes ago, Roundabout said:

If you really, really, really want to be secure, simply use an email program (such as Protonmail or PGP) that allows you to add a password to the data stream,  in addition the SHA256 encryption, or simply use Brazil as your exit point as Brazil has a separate line and security entrance to the WWW.

ProtonMail (of which I am a lifetime patron/sponsor) only fully protects email when the emails are exchanged between ProtonMail users. Note that ProtonMail has somewhat limited functionality when compared with other email systems/clients, e.g., Thunderbird. For instance, ProtonMail now supports custom folders, but NOT nested folders. That is, in my opinion, a big drawback.

ProtonMail does interface with regular Internet email clients and ISPs, etc., but the extra security has to be stripped out. It is more secure but not totally secure in that scenario. Further, it is my understanding (can be bad info here) that Protonmail content between only Protonmail users has never been compromised unless one of the involved parties has divulged the content.

For those with an interest in very secure cloud storage, you may wish to check out Tresorit.

On August 15, 2017, there was another presentation at the BCP Theater regarding VA benefits. That presentation was by Betsy Barbeau, and was on the subject of the VA's pension benefit called "Aid and Attendance". Click Here to see the documentation about that presentation.

Introduction

After the usual announcements at the beginning of the weekly BCP Tuesday Morning Meetings on August 15, 2017, emcee Penny Barrett introduced Betsy Barbeau for this well-attended presentation. The discussion topic was the US Veteran Affairs (VA) pension benefits for those US veterans needing "Aid and Attendance" services. The Aid and Attendance pension benefit was first enacted by President Dwight David Eisenhower in the 1950s. Aid and Attendance is a benefit that the VA doesn't readily tell veterans about. This posting documents that meeting, including the contact information, the presentation materials, pictures, and an audio recording of the presentation and the Q&A session.

Here is the meeting announcement as posted on CL:

Contact Information

Betsy Barbeau (a US citizen, residing full time in Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Panama)
Email: betsy@frankandbetsy.com
Telephone: +507 6427-5937
Telephone: +1 (919) 795-9509 (magicJack , which rings in Panama)

Presentation Materials

Click Here to download a PDF format of the presentation materials used by Betsy for her discussion about VA benefits.

Click Here to download a PDF version of the Documentation Checklist for applicants to use when applying for the Aid and Attendance benefits.

Audio Podcast

To listen to the audio podcast by Betsy (including the Q&A session after her formal presentation), click below on the white, right-pointing triangle (arrow) on top of an orange circular background. If you see two options below, we recommend using the "Listen in browser" option as opposed to the "Play on SoundCloud" option.

The podcast is 34m 54s duration.

If you would like to provide feedback about this podcast, or discuss other matters related to this podcast series, please either reply to this posting, or send CL Staff a private message (@Moderator_02 is the correct display name to communicate with), or email to support@chiriqui.life.

If you would like to share this podcast with family and friends, simply provide them the following URL, but remember that CL membership is required to view this content: http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6905-chiriquilife-podcast-14-bcp-tuesday-talks-betsy-barbeau-discussing-va-pension-benefits-called-aid-and-attendance/

Postscript
During this presentation, Betsy made reference to another VA benefit related presentation by JR Pazo. Click Here to access the information about that earlier podcast.

Here are some pictures of Betsy, first at the beginning of her presentation.

And here during the presentation:

And finally, after the meeting, Betsy talking with a veteran with specific questions about his situation.

This is another in a series of audio podcasts by Chiriqui.Life, but a unique one. The subject of this podcast is Elba Maria De Las Mercedes Landau del Cid, with the short version of her name being Elba Landau. She is known to family and friends simply as Elba, and she is joined in this English language podcast with her long time friend, Maria Boyd, in case of language issues.

There is a bit of coincidence in how this podcast got scheduled, and some differences in how it is being published from the typical CL audio podcast. Price Peterson, a very long time resident of this area, was recently the recipient of an award that was presented at the Biblioteca de Boquete. [Click Here for the postings about that recognition ceremony.] In a conversation with Price shortly after that ceremony, I (Bud) had an interesting dialogue about the comments made by Carlos Enrique Landau; Price's response was that the Landau family is quite large and contributed significantly to Boquete during the early 1900s. Price then suggested that we interview Elba Landau (a cousin of Carlos Enrique Landau) because she is very knowledgeable about the history of Boquete. And so we set out to interview her. Elba lives in Bajo Boquete. Marcelyn and I would check for her presence at her home as we were running errands in town. We finally connected, and she graciously accepted our invitation to participate in a podcast recording session. Among other achievements in her life, she taught piano and that included living for a period of time in the US, and that was when and where she learned the English language, however, she is a bit shy about admitting to such bilingual skills. To help Elba feel more comfortable about the language issue, we included one of our neighbors, Maria Boyd, who has known Elba for many years; they consider each other to be good friends. Thus this podcast came to be scheduled. Given the length of the recording session (not planned, but it just happened that way), we have decided to break Elba's podcast into segments based on the time period involved or events discussed. This podcast with Elba and Maria is the first segment.

This podcast consists of Elba's recollections about Bocas del Toro and the Boquete areas of more than 110 years ago. Her grandfather arrived in the Bocas del Toro area from Germany in the early 1900s, and then her grandfather and father (aged twelve at the time) moved from the Bocas del Toro area to Boquete in 1915. Elba is a long time resident of Boquete, having been born in the family residence in Jaramillo Arriba. She has never married, but has a large extended family and many friends, has traveled quite a bit, and is passionate about certain issues, especially the environment. Again, note that the content in this podcast consists of Elba's recollections; there may be historical inaccuracies. But regardless, it is still interesting information.

To listen to Elba's podcast, click below on the white, right-pointing triangle (arrow) on top of an orange circular background. If you see two options below, we recommend using the "Listen in browser" option as opposed to the "Play on SoundCloud" option.

This first segment of Elba's complete podcast is 20m 16s duration, and covers the period from the early 1900s until about 1915. Additional audio recordings will be posted as they complete postproduction processing.

If you would like to provide feedback about this podcast, or discuss other matters related to this podcast series, please either reply to this posting, or send CL Staff a private message (@Moderator_02 is the correct display name to communicate with), or email to support@chiriqui.life.

If you would like to share this podcast with family and friends, simply provide them the following URL, but remember that CL membership is required to view this content:
        http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6885-chiriquilife-podcast-12-an-interview-with-elba-landau-and-her-recollections-of-the-early-history-of-boquete/

Click Here to visit a Wikipedia article about the Hanford Site. There are many other websites discussing Hanford.

Just a friendly reminder. While this diversion into the nuclear waste materials in Washington State is interesting, it is also beginning to go off-topic. Remember that this website is about life in the Chiriqui Province in particular, and Panama in general.

The health care resource listing was updated today to correct location information and to add additional resources in the Physical Therapy category. Refer to the entries for Clinica de Terapia Fisica y Rehabilitación.

This is another in a series of audio podcasts by Chiriqui.Life. The subject of this podcast is Kris Berg of Howling Success K9 Services. Kris is a native Californian who quickly sensed that her life's passion is in the care of animals, especially dogs; she prefers to use the term canines rather than dogs. She moved several times to various states in her earlier professional life, but each new venture was related to animal care, the prevention of animal cruelty, and education. Approximately ten years ago Kris' brother-in-law met someone living in the Bocas del Toro area, and that caused Kris to do some online research about that area. What she discovered was a huge spay/neuter crisis that needed some professional guidance. Kris packed up her car with her three dogs and her most needed worldly possessions, and with the assistance of a nephew, the two of them drove to Bocas del Toro. Kris became a full time resident of Panama at that point, sight previously unseen. That 12 day odyssey is something that she quickly confesses is not something she would repeat. Kris relocated to the Potrerillos area about six years ago, and established her new homestead, stating that this is her last move. She raises dogs, especially Doberman that have been imported from Argentina and Europe, and shows dogs in various domestic and international competitions. Kris has a special interest in how dogs can help with children and the handicapped, and talks about the wonderful support for malnourished children at Nutre Hogar in David.

Contact Information

Kris Berg
Howling Success K9 Services
La Acequia, Potrerillos Abajo, Chiriqui
Panamá
telephone: +507 6879-5455 (WhatsApp)
email: fordogs@howlingsuccess.com
website: www.howlingsuccess.com/
Google Maps Location

To listen to Kris's podcast, click below on the white, right-pointing triangle (arrow) on top of an orange circular background. If you see two options below, we recommend using the "Listen in browser" option as opposed to the "Play on SoundCloud" option.

This podcast is 40m 52s duration.

If you would like to provide feedback about this podcast, or discuss other matters related to this podcast series, please either reply to this posting, or send CL Staff a private message (@Moderator_02 is the correct display name to communicate with), or email to support@chiriqui.life.

If you would like to share this podcast with family and friends, simply provide them the following URL, but remember that CL membership is required to view this content:
        http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6845-chiriquilife-podcast-11-an-interview-with-kris-berg-of-howling-success-k9-services/

This is another in a series of audio podcasts by Chiriqui.Life. The subject of this podcast is Dottie Atwater. Dottie got her pilot's license at the age of 20, has done scuba diving, sky diving, ridden horses in the Big Bend area and into Mexico, etc., etc., etc. In other words, she is a proactive participant in the adventures of life. Houston was her last base in the US prior to moving to Volcán in 2004 after a long career in real estate. Dottie found her passion in taking care of domestic pets, especially dogs. During the course of our recording session with Dottie, we learned that she never really thought of herself as a pet person, but she became aware of and responded while seeing the poor situation for animals in her area. Dottie now is the driving force behind the spay/neuter clinics in the Volcán area. She does not seek publicity, but consented to our request for an interview for our audio podcast series. Dottie gives tirelessly and endlessly to support pets and to help educate others with the goal of improving life for the animal kingdom. Dottie may be a humble individual, but describes herself as a "pit bull" when it comes to animal welfare. Her story deserves to be shared.

Dottie expressly wants to recognize the assistance she received during the nascent days of the Volcán spay/neuter clinic:

Quote

"Today we have a well organized, efficient clinic, but in the beginning I didn't have a clue! At our second clinic and a few subsequent clinics, Ruby McKenzie, Dr. Chely, Judy Odom, and a few other of the original Boquete crew came to help. I could not have done it without them, and I'll be forever grateful. Also, to this day, I still buy the Zoletil anesthesia and Endovet injectable antiparasite through Ruby, who gets it from San Jose, Costa Rica. Thank you, Ruby!"

Contact Information

Spay/neuter clinic contact information: the clinic's (English) cell is 6517-8752 or José Espinosa (Spanish) at 6891-0999, email: muffiemae@gmail.com, website: www.spaypanama-chiriqui.org.

Personal contact information:
Dorothy Atwater
Volcán, Chiriquí, Panamá
507-6517-8752 (cell phone)
Skype US virtual phone: 817-349-6345
personal email: muffiemae@gmail.com
Skype: muffiemae

Click Here to see Dottie's many rescues (her family!). Click Here to read essays with pictures about Dottie's adventures and travels between 1992 and the time she moved to Panama.

To listen to Dottie's podcast, click below on the white, right-pointing triangle (arrow) on top of an orange circular background. If you see two options below, we recommend using the "Listen in browser" option as opposed to the "Play on SoundCloud" option.

This podcast is 32m 43s duration.

If you would like to provide feedback about this podcast, or discuss other matters related to this podcast series, please either reply to this posting, or send CL Staff a private message (@Moderator_02 is the correct display name to communicate with), or email to support@chiriqui.life.

If you would like to share this podcast with family and friends, simply provide them the following URL, but remember that CL membership is required to view this content:
        http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6782-chiriquilife-podcast-10-an-interview-with-dottie-atwater

51 minutes ago, Bonnie said:

Your writing usually is crystal clear, Bud, but I don't know what you mean in (b), above ("through the continued use of that functionality"). Can you explain further, please?

Sorry that my writing was not crystal clear; that is always a personal goal.

My words were to mean that CL members are using the reaction functionality, which tells me that there is perceived value and interest on the part of CL members. Just look at this topic alone, and you will see three members (other than CL management) reacting to various postings in this topic.

After a reasonable amount of time for the initial round of comments and feedback to come in, it is clear that there is no unanimous mindset about the enhanced user "reaction" functionality here on CL. Those that prefer no such functionality apparently feel passionately about removing that functionality totally. However, it does appear that the majority of the members either like it and want to keep it, or acknowledge that it is easy to ignore.

One of the reasons for wanting to keep the reaction functionality is that the "leaderboard" here on CL depends on those responses or reactions. CL management suspects that many (perhaps most?) of the CL members do not use, or perhaps are not even aware of the leaderboard. Go to http://www.chiriqui.life/leaderboard/ to see the leaderboard. There are several different kinds of displays that provide various views into the use of CL, and its member contributions.

The bottom line here is that CL management has decided to keep the reaction functionality. There are three key factors behind this decision: (a) sufficient member support as expressed either verbally or in writing (public postings, PMs, and emails), (b) through the continued use of that functionality, and (c) the simple fact that reactions are totally optional, and very easy to ignore in the bottom right corner of the postings.

We are still struggling with the idea of removing the "like" button (that would make WryAwry happy).

More feedback solicited.

This is the ninth in a series of audio podcasts by Chiriqui.Life. The subjects of this podcast are Keep It Simple, Panama (a healthcare advocacy business), and Rodny Direct, (a subscription-based Emergency Helpline Service). Irma Smith is the representative for Keep It Simple Panama; Rodny Moreno is the representative for Rodny Direct. Irma and Rodny were invited to speak at the Tuesday Morning Meeting series on July 25, 2017. Here is a link to the meeting announcement: http://www.chiriqui.life/calendar/event/829-tuesday-talks-at-bcp-keep-it-simple-panama-aseguradora-la-floresta/.

Introduction

After the usual announcements at the beginning of the weekly BCP Tuesday Morning Meetings, emcee Nikki Steele introduced Irma Smith and Rodny Moreno for this well-attended presentation. It was a standing room only event, with not one unused seat and many people sitting on the floor and standing around the railings in the theater. This posting documents that meeting, including the contact information, the presentation materials, a picture, and an audio recording of the presentations and Q&A session.

Contact Information

Irma C. Smith
Keep It Simple Panama, INC
+507 6705-9845 (cell phone)
+507 730-5263 (office)
EmaiL: keepitsimplepanama@gmail.com

Rodny Moreno
Rodny Direct
+507 6573-0141
email: rodny@rodnydirect.com
www.rodnydirect.com

Presentation Materials

Click Here to download a PDF format of the presentation materials used by Irma for her discussion about healthcare advocacy.

Next is a brochure that was handed out at this presentation.

Audio Podcast

To listen to this Keep It Simple Panama and the Rodny Direct audio podcast, click below on the white, right-pointing triangle (arrow) on top of an orange circular background. If you see two options below, we recommend using the "Listen in browser" option as opposed to the "Play on SoundCloud" option.

The podcast is 1h 26s duration.

If you would like to provide feedback about this podcast, or discuss other matters related to this podcast series, please either reply to this posting, or send CL Staff a private message (@Moderator_02 is the correct display name to communicate with), or email to support@chiriqui.life.

If you would like to share this podcast with family and friends, simply provide them the following URL, but remember that CL membership is required to view this content: http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/6716-chiriquilife-podcast-09-bcp-tuesday-talks-irma-smith-of-keep-it-simple-panama-and-rodny-moreno-of-rodny-direct/

Hotel Ladera (and its associated restaurant)

There are two versions of Google Maps configuration data for Hotel Ladera. Either one shown here will work properly.

Sugar and Spice