Uncle Doug

I don't know why anyone would be opposed to improving this road. Access to the summit is necessary, and the road is difficult and dangerous. 

Clearing unexploded bombs from the two beaches on the island will certainly be easier than on the rest of the island which is quite rugged and overgrown. I'm not sure it's worth it. The big beach is the only part of the island that is used along with one short cleared trail connecting to a much smaller beach on the other side.

Whatever the true facts are regarding the conduct of Dr. Handt, the arrest is not for sexual abuse at the mission. That would be prosecuted locally.  He is being extradited to face charges in the US for a crime under US jurisdiction, presumably for sexual abuse of minors in the state of Indiana.

The fact that there are no pending charges in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana is probably irrelevant because such charges would typically be brought in state court, not federal district court. In any event, it may be difficult to follow further developments in this case from here. 

Hmmm, that looks pretty simple. Now I'm wondering why anyone would ever need to go to an office or the embassy. 

I have not yet applied for Social Security payments.  But, if I elect to start taking them, do I have to apply at the Costa Rica embassy?  Or can I do it on a trip back to the US and merely visit a Social Security office in Houston, for example?

I assume I'll make the decision to have the funds deposited into an American bank account. 

Public opinion has dramatically shifted in the past couple of decades regarding marijuana, and not just for medical use.  In the US, public support for full legalization has jumped from 31% in 2000 to over 60% today.  As US drug policy has driven interdiction efforts throughout Central and South America for many years, the increasing weakening or even elimination of marijuana laws in the US will certainly have an influence on Panama and other countries in this hemisphere.

To me, it seems inevitable that marijuana will be decriminalized in most countries. Taxing it will make more sense than seizing it.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/05/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/

16 hours ago, JohnF13 said:

Yes, but it is beginning to look like they are phasing out good products in favour of their own much inferior brand.  I usually buy Fresh Step clumping cat litter, now all they have in is their Members select brand, which is terrible.  If they do the same with other products I buy there I will have to reevaluate paying each year for the priveledge of being told what to buy.

Well, that is disappointing news.  Fresh Step costs a couple bucks more, but it is far superior. I was about to make another run to PriceSmart to get more.

Why would they omit any mention of whether or not the gang was successful in finishing the murder?

It is hard to understand why anyone would voluntarily seek medical care in Venezuela today.

I hope it's not all just a ploy to sell crappy Chinese tractors to Panama.

The Chinese "invasion" of Panama continues.

Yeah, this tax treaty is about using foreign bank accounts to hide taxable income, which is classic tax evasion.  It may reduce tax cheating but it will likely increase the use of crypto currencies like Bitcoin to accomplish the same thing. 

2 hours ago, Moderator_02 said:

The warning of waves of two to three meters in the Panamanian Caribbean, from Guna Yala to Bocas del Toro, has been extended until next Saturday, February 24.

I assume that means we will have strong winds in Boquete all week. I'll  tie down the lawn furniture and pets!

On 2/17/2018 at 8:27 PM, Sassy Blake said:

So I'm confused, this tax avoidance treaty; does it mean that now avoiding taxes is illegal?

I think it's translation issue or just sloppy use of language.  Everyone "avoids" paying sales tax whenever they choose not to buy a particular item, for example. 

Sometimes when I finish reading an article I know less than when I started it. This is one of those times.

Someone reported it out also at the top of Jaramillo. It gets old.

Ivan's ferreteria in Alto Boquete 

I get the "New Silk Road" initiative by China. It's a long-term strategy to project power globally. It is almost certainly inevitable that China will surpass the US as a global power this century.  With four times the population and the most rapid modernization program in world history, the demographics dictate that outcome.

Controlling transportation networks all around the Pacific Rim would obviously benefit China in the long run. China achieved  a huge diplomatic victory by convincing President Varela to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Perhaps this railway was Varela's price.

This train makes no economic sense today. It might make a lot of sense by 2080 if it connects Chile to Mexico. 

Bud is absolutely right that the Chinese play the long game and are patient enough to achieve their goals slowly so long as it makes achieving them inevitable. 

The Chinese will have to subsidize the railway for years, just like the US spends on Amtrak. But if the Chinese view this as a strategic global power investment rather than a normal economic investment a private company would consider, I suppose it could make sense from their perspective. 

I  don't see how this is anything more than a fantasy. California has been unable to make any significant progress on their high speed rail connecting the huge populations of San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

How on earth would it make any  economic sense to build one to a city of 150,000?

1 hour ago, Brundageba said:

 Anyway, that seems like it's cutting it close.

It's way too close. Dodge storms or have to circle the airport once, and it's a fuel emergency.  Either the specifications I found are inaccurate, or they'll do something more reasonable like refueling in Honolulu. 

I visited Isla Iguana last week. There are plenty of bomb craters from WWII bombing target practice. Far more craters than iguanas, actually. 

They had better pack the plane completely full of fuel in Houston. That particular model of aircraft has a maximum range of 7,370 nautical miles, and it is 7,217 miles from Houston to Beijing.

It seems odd to me that Houston would be selected for a fuel only stop. A west coast city would shorten the overall flight time, I think. 

I will be curious to see  what the airfare to Houston only will be.

This is a remarkable turn of events, and quite baffling to me

If he was such a flight risk last June that a shock arrest was performed prior to the announcement of the extradition ruling, it's hard to see what has changed. 

I really don't think he can or will flee, but this is pretty dang strange.