Uncle Doug

This is a seriously bad guy, and it would have been okay with me if they had not captured him alive. You know that he will probably escape again.

I saw this mentioned on Facebook.  A lot of people in town are affected.  The recommendation was to visit the CVT in David (I have no idea where it is located) to get the packages rerouted there.  Several people stated that they were going there, but nobody reported back how successful they were in getting their packages.

China will probably cut imports even further as more cities are quarantined.  It has even cancelled flights between Shanghai and Beijing. 

I don't think this is a very good idea.  This isn't restoring natural beaches.  There aren't any there.

More importantly, the bay is a dead zone.  Pollution and runoff from the city will continue to contaminate the bay.  This isn't unique to Panama, by any means.  All coastal cities do it to some extent.  But because of the configuration of the bay, wave action is minimal and the water is more stagnant.  Hence, the dead zone and why the waters will always represent a potential health hazard to beach visitors.

It seemed a bit ridiculous to me, but this kind of thing isn't entirely unexpected.  Cultural change doesn't happen overnight. Perhaps this incident helped move the needle a little bit for the future.

Not exactly cheerleader short.

A good reminder that government offices in Panama are decidedly more formal than a hamburger joint.

33 minutes ago, Jim Bondoux said:

A forlorn hope, in my opinion, until they move the tank farm away from the terminal. Until then the airport can't meet international standards

Interesting. I hadn't heard about that obstacle.

It seems to me that the tank farm isn't much of a threat to international flights. Perhaps it is to the terminal.  In any event, it's not much of a tank farm. Move it! 

Good news, but I'm still hoping that someday we will have a direct flight to the US from David, even if only once or twice a week.

I wonder how Gilberto Ventura was able to enlist the  police officers to aid his escape.  It was a bribe, of course, but I wonder how he could accomplish that  in a high-security prison.

Why would it cost $200 million to draft framework laws?  Whose taxpayers supplied this slush fund?

This is a nice clinic.  It also has the advantage of having adequate parking at San Francisco Plaza as well as the adjacent bus stop.

Hurray!

With the coronavirus severely impacting travel to and within China, there will be increased downward pressure on oil prices.  Supply and demand is what sets prices, and demand is dropping.

Once the genie is out of the bottle, you can't put it back.  (see nuclear weapons)

As the articles above state, this was the 5th lowest rainfall in the past 70 years.  That means that at least four other times since 1950 it has been even drier.  It happens. They didn't impose Climate Change surcharges previously, so this is a convenient way to hike fees and blame it on everyone else.

On 6/1/2017 at 11:52 AM, Keith Woolford said:

It will be necessary to update the Registro Unico or Title of the vehicle at the Municipality of registration and the corresponding ATTT office. 

Required:

2 copies of the Passport the car was registered with

2 copies of E-Cedula

2 copies of current Revisado

Original of the Registro Unico or Title

Start at the Treasurer's office where the Plates are issued using one set of copies. At the same time purchase a Banco Nacional $20 deposit slip for $21.

Go to the ATTT office and use the other set of copies along with one of the receipt you will get from the Municipality transaction, the original Title, and the $20 Banco Nacional receipt.

Sertracen s.a.,  the contractor who issue Drivers Licences, are linked to the national vehicle registration system allowing them to know the status of the I.D. on your Title. They can also see if there are any associated outstanding fines.

2020 update:

You still take the two sets of documents that Keith outlines to the Treasurer's Office. They will enter all the data into their system. They keep one set of documents and charge you $5.00.  You then get a copy made of the receipt you are given (you may get one made at the end of the counter in that office, or if that is unavailable, take it across the street to get a copy made.

You take the copy of that receipt, and the other set of documents (which has the original title attached) to the adjacent ATTT office. They will charge you $20 there and issue you the new title to your vehicle. No Banco Nacional deposit slip is involved in the process.

This is the procedure at the Dolega offices, and I assume it's similar everywhere else.

In every prison, the overwhelming source of contraband is smuggled in by the guards.  For the situation in La Joyita to be this out of control, every guard had to have known.

That's a ton of rain in Bocas.  My area has been largely spared. Some annoying drizzle the last couple of days, but nothing notable.

It sure isn't stormy yet and the windy.com website doesn't suggest anything like this in the forecast.

There must be much more to the story than this.  Americans with criminal records can travel to Panama.  It is much harder to obtain legal residency in Panama with a criminal record.  I think this may be more about overstaying a tourist visa than being a fugitive of some sort.

It sounds more like first degree murder to me, but there are probably some relevant facts not reported here.

Nuclear weapons have been around now for more than 70 years.  I would argue very strongly that the only reason the USSR and the USA did not fight each other in a land war is because both sides possessed nuclear weapons.  And they are probably preventing a war between India and Pakistan.

In any event, you are not going to put the genie back in the bottle and forget how to make them. 

I'm guessing this was the tragic fire that occurred on Sunday around 1 pm.  The smoke was visible from quite a distance.    

It would be nice if the National Assembly would give an incentive to grow EDIBLE corn!

Apparently this is just some jars of pickled eggs and it sounds like a paperwork compliance issue.