Parking for more than 300 cars.

http://pandeportes.gob.pa/inicia-construccion-de-estadio-kenny-serracin/

Not for years.

President Varela is co-chairing a High Level Summit at the United Nations this morning in search of an international solution to the ongoing migratory crisis affecting Panama and other Latin American countries.

http://refugeesmigrants.un.org/summit

Residents of Dolega Reject Establishment of a Quarry

A group of residents of the communities of Cochea, Dos Rios, and El Higo, in the district of Dolega, province of Chiriquí, closed for several minutes the bridge over the river Cochea, to express their rejection of the establishment of a quarry on the banks of this tributary, due to the degree of prejudice that the quarry would bring to them, the environment and the agricultural sector of these communities.

Residents stated that for months now they have been requesting the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI), as well as the Ministry of the Environment (MiAmbiente), to respond to requests that have been made in the absence of operating permits, but have had no response.

They said that the establishment of the quarry, endanger tens of houses that are located on the banks of the river, because in the absence of protection on the slopes, the river will be pushed out of the channel and the sweep.

"The community aqueduct, agricultural crops, small farmers, all depend on this river, in addition that once in operations the health of inhabitants will be affected," said Ernesto Cubilla, of the Colibri Ecological Association.

For his part, Luis Antonio Pitti, spokesperson for the community, said that the residents of the affected villages have already met and have made it clear that they are not going to allow the quarry to be installed.

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Residentes-Dolega-rechazan-instalacion-cantera_0_4578292189.html

Al Jazeera documentary show called TechKnow reviews the Panama Canal expansion, the importance of water supply to the operation, and the effects of El Niño. Re-broadcast yesterday.

We've been wondering if there are any reports on this event? 

Bill McGraw lives in Boquete and is married to hairdresser Gladys Morales. He was also the lead singer for a while in local rock group B3.

Pearl Islands underwater paradise survives El Niño

By Dr Bill McGraw

WHEN you first arrive at Isla Contadora, the main island of the Las Perlas archipelago , and the former “”counting house”for the early  Spanish colonists,  you will be struck to see so many  interesting and diverse  trees, many of which are over 200 years old.”

You will enjoy the visual experience, but, in addition to their beauty, the trees  provide shade that allows buildings to stay cool during the day and cool off quickly at night unlike the city.

By renting a golf cart right after you exit the plane, you can explore the island anytime you like. With roads leading everywhere the opportunity for birders is intense.

Cryptic and secretive wildlife such as deer and the very shy, large rodents of the capybara family can be viewed at dusk and during the early night if you are quiet and patient enough.

The scenery is lush and abundant with chances of getting that amazing once in a lifetime wildlife photo.

Whale watching and chasing pods of dolphins are incredible experiences yet ephemeral.

Perhaps the greatest wildlife to see is under the sea with a mask and snorkel.

Colors and diversity of fish are spectacular to behold.

Each underwater site you visit will have its own residents of different size, speed and entertainment.

With very few sharks and the non aggressive but intimidating moray eels, to scare the more faint of heart , the environment is safe yet full of adventure. The ornamental varieties of fish are in great number and easy to find (visit coral dreams dive center and see www.newaquatechpanama.com).

Coral colonies have suffered losses due to the most recent intense el Niño period that caused increased water temperatures which resulted in a die off of heat sensitive corals.

The good news is that the corals of the Pacific Ocean of Panama were less affected compared to areas such as the Great Barrier Reef of Australia with areas near the Seca Islands showing awesome resilience (newaquatechpanama.com).

Most of the older corals viewed on 12 different sites around the Pearl Islands show damage yet younger corals in deeper water are still pristine.

The pictures and words here are but the beginning of what the Pearl Islands have to offer.

The soothing, quiet and balmy atmosphere will leave you pleasantly relaxed. The sunsets will take your breath away and leave you speechless and make you not want to leave. During the week the beaches are empty and waiting for you.

There are regular ferries to the island and accommodations a plenty.

Dr Bill McGraw is an aquaculture and environmental scientist living in Boquete, Panama .drbillmcgraw@investpanamanewshrimptechnology.com , www.newaquatechpanama.com

Tide Table for the next week  ..missing a decimal point on the metric scale but..

Surfers Bill and Allison will likely be putting up some great pics

A special congress of the Ngabe-Bugle was called to ratify the agreement signed with the government, but their first order of business was to fire the Chief.

Who knows what will transpire now.

http://www.prensa.com/sociedad/Ngabe-Bugle-debaten-Barro-Blanco_0_4576792319.html

Great article about choosing the fastest line at the grocery checkout.

Hint: the express line isn't always the best bet

In a jam packed grocery store, a woman shopper has a cart piled high in the middle of the "8 items or less" express line.

 "Are you in the express line?" she's asked by someone with a single item.

She nods and says the small mountain in her cart belongs to both her and what appears to be her adult son next to her.

"We're just sharing the same cart. Is there a problem?"

Well, yes.

Because if I followed that logic and showed up with my kids, I could theoretically go through the express line with 24 items.

And if my friend with four kids did the same ... well, you get the idea.

But here's the thing.

This person's complete and utter disregard for proper grocery protocol aside, the number of items in her cart isn't what other shoppers should focus on when looking for the fastest line.

"You see someone with a stacked cart, you want to get out of that line," says Dan Meyer.

Which line will get you through the checkout fastest? The answer may surprise you. (Associated Press)

A former math teacher, Meyer is chief academic officer at Desmos, a San Francisco-based company that makes software for developing and sharing educational content, including a web-based graphing calculator.

Recently Meyer decided to try to use math to figure out a way to get out of the grocery store faster.

He stood and watched the checkout lines in the store where he used to shop in his former neighbourhood, did some calculations, plotted his findings on a graph, and came to a remarkable conclusion.  

Wrong strategy

Avoiding the person with half of Costco in their cart is the wrong strategy.

Here's why:

On average, it takes about three seconds to ring through an item.

But each shopper also exchanges a greeting/goodbye with the cashier, hands over cash or punches in a PIN for a payment card, waits for the receipt, gathers their bags, and leaves the area.

That takes 41 seconds.  

So the number of items going through a line is not nearly as important as the number of people.

Put another way:

"If you have 10 items that are going through two different lines and in one all 10 items are in one basket and in the other those 10 items are split up between five different people, even though it's the same number of items in both, that express line will take much, much longer," Meyer says.

Dan Meyer studied shoppers in his hometown store to come up with the best way to game the grocery line. (Desmos)

"Because every single person incurs this 41-second fixed time cost of pleasantries and payment.

"It's definitely counter intuitive."

Mind. Blown.

Consider how, for years, so many of us have operated under the Apu theory of grocery store egress.

If you're not familiar, his advice on The Simpsons for getting out of the Monstromart ("Where shopping is a baffling ordeal") was as follows:

Apu: "Let's cut to that line."

Marge: "But that's the longest!"

Apu: "Yes but look, all pathetic single men, only cash, no chitchat."

*Sails through longest line*

Don't believe The Simpsons' Apu

Well, Apu was wrong.

New research suggests The Simpsons' Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's strategy for getting out of the grocery store quickly may have been wrong. (20th Century Fox)

Don't shy away from the dude who looks like he's stocking his bunker for the coming zombie apocalypse.

"Suspend your intuition for a second and get behind that one person with the large [overflowing] cart that no one else is getting behind. Don't just look at the number of items and think that that is your everything," says Meyer.  

It's not a foolproof strategy, of course.

The wrench in the works

Potential pitfalls include the shopper who:

• Seems surprised to find out that payment is actually required and then inexplicably can't find their wallet.
• Bought that weird, exotic fruit from that place not even the store computer has heard of.
• Feels the need to actually tell the cashier how their day is going.

But Meyer says even with all those other possible variables, following his strategy is the way to go (faster).  

"Any shopper will tell you there's other stuff going on. [Mine is] a simple model, which means it will fail sometimes, but as a rule of thumb it works remarkably well."

Want proof?

I'll provide it once the karmic joy wears off from walking out ahead of that grocery store scofflaw stuck in the express line. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/former-teacher-uses-math-skills-to-find-fastest-checkout-line-1.3765237 

The word is that Charlie's is a pet supply boutique, with no clinical services being offered.

One of the girls at our house, Mya, was definitely out of sorts one day this week, but I struck out calling around to several vets, including Dr.Batista.

On Alicia's and Bonnie's recommendation I took her to see Dr.Gomez at Clinica Veterinaria Don Henry in David. He saw us and diagnosed the problem immediately, gave her a shot, a can of special food, some pills, and away we went. About $45 total. We were all happy after that and would return.

Great synopsis, Roger. The Metro, as you mentioned, has been a terrific innovation as people are saving hours every day in transportation time.

I do feel that there's a glaring lack of common sense and knowledge of highway safety being exhibited by drivers. I just came from the area around Multiplaza and despite being in operation more than two years, many people still don't know what to do in a traffic circle or roundabout besides indignantly blowing their horn and cutting in front of others who have the right of way.

patience is a virtue

If anyone wants to make their own didgeridoo, we have a half dozen maturing agave stalks.

Body of missing child found near Taboga

Authorities found the body of a child Tuesday morning off the coast of Tobago who had gone missing Sunday.

The youth had swept away by floodwaters while walking next to the Fatima Stream in San Miguelito.

The child's body was floating near the island. It was spotted at 8 a.m. by a boater.

A patrol boatd from the aeronaval authority Senan went to the site and retrieved the body. It was taken to the patrol station at Brisas de Amador.

Senan Commissioner Joe Laneado reported that family members identified the body as that of the missing child.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Encuentran-Taboga-desaparecido-San-Miguelito_21_4574752486.html

Mizrachi's lawyer, Ana Belfon, is a former Prosecutor in the Noriega government and was Martinelli's Attorney General.

This child was literally swept away with the trash. Severe flooding in the area was caused by garbage blocking waterways.

Search Reactivated for the third day for the child who disappeared in San Miguelito

For the third consecutive day the Joint Task Force (FTC) reactivates this Tuesday 13 September, the search for the lowest that disappeared when he was dragged by the rising of a ravine in San Miguelito last Sunday.

Yesterday Monday after a day of work, which began at 6 a.m. and that culminated after 6:00 p.m., no results were obtained.

The director of the National System of Civil Protection (SINAPROC), who heads the operational, reported that they will not rest until they find the less than five years.

This fact remains to the next of kin of the child in suspense, due to that still keep the hope that is with life.

All this happened last Sunday, when the product of the strong rains, the quebrada Nazareno rose and the child, who was with two other minors, was dragged by the current.

The neighbors of the sector were only able to save the other two children who were with him.

Since that day, the FTC has not ceased to look for the minor and have already done tours by several rivers, where they could have reached the lowest.

It is planned to use a boat when the tide comes in order to make the monitoring in some areas.

The quebrada Nazareno passes through the community of Sugar Loaf, the Great Station, down the river and Panama Viejo

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/reactivan-busqueda-menor-desaparecio-San-Miguelito_0_4574542504.html

A much needed secondary education project was announced by the Cabinet today.

ITSE or the Institute of Superior Technology East will be constructed immediately at a cost of $180 million near the Corredor Sur exit for the Tocumen Airport. The Institute will offer technical training in a variety of fields.

We just like the buzz

Why Canadians drink more coffee than most people in the world

Canada scores 3rd when tallying coffee consumption across the globe.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/canada-coffee-tim-hortons-1.3745971

mm ..what say the instructions on the ticket?

People here go out on the ocean every day with no safety equipment. No lines, paddles, anchor, bailing bucket, and most importantly, no life preservers

One Dead and One Missing after Boat Flips in the Gulf of Chiriqui

Four fishermen were shipwrecked in the afternoon of this Sunday in the area of Bajo Pipón near the port of Pedregal, Chiriqui province when the watercraft in which they were traveling flipped.

One of the fishermen died, while another is gone.

According to a report by the National Service (Senan Naval Air), in a boat arrived two of the shipwrecked: Jose Luis Gonzalez and Antonio Alcalá González.

Senan triggered a search operating of the fisherman disappeared.

The four fishermen were aboard a boat of 18 feet in length rented in the area of the Matita, in island Bajo Pipón.

http://www.prensa.com/provincias/muerto-desaparecido-naufragio-Golfo-Chiriqui_0_4573042703.html

Water's running again.

http://www.prensa.com/provincias/Idaan-restablece-suministro-agua-David_0_4573042670.html

We were there today, (and got a dog bed) - $35) I think the stock relocations may be tied to the annual Christmas re-organization.

On 9/6/2016 at 7:41 AM, Bud said:

Marcelyn and I made an unplanned trip to David yesterday (Monday, September 5^th) to take care of some business matters, and stopped by PriceSmart just prior to leaving David. Wow, get ready for a shock, folks. Many items (not all, but many) have been relocated. For instance, the pet items are no longer in the far rear, left corner of the warehouse. Same aisle, but now close to the front wall of the store. Vitamins, etc., in a totally different area. There has been a LOT of rearranging in that store. You might want to plan extra time on your next visit so that you can locate things. They ain't where they used to be.

Rogelio, it's a wonderful thing that you share your personal life, and insightful knowledge of your country and it's customs. Please don't stop.

We recently visited the Afro-Antillean Museum, housed in a small, former Chapel built by Barbadians and located in Calidonia.

Exhibits and relics there are focused on the history of West Indian Afro-Panamanians and their role in the building of the Panama Canal and the preceding Panama Railway.