Uncle Doug

I can't be completely certain, but I reckon mistakes were made.

I've never understood why a day of torture and execution is called GOOD Friday. It was pretty much bad.

2 hours ago, Bonnie said:

And this electricity would be for whom? For Panama, or for sale to others?

It's apparently both. Panama both imports and exports electricity depending on regional demand. It seems this line might primarily benefit Panama City,  but the interconnections mean better supply for everyone. 

I've got both liquid and tablet Benadryl at home just for wasp and bee stings. I suspect a scorpion sting would be as dangerous,  but I've never been hit by one. That's great as long as the stings occur near home and can get to the Benadryl within 10 minutes or so. Otherwise I might be out of luck.

These fatal insect attacks are far less common than fatal vehicle accidents around here, but the threat is not imaginary.

When the government doesn't pay its bills, something is very wrong. I hope it's just a single person not doing his job.

I don't want to minimize it too much, but 250 of boom  to contain this suggests suggests a very minor spill of a few gallons at most.

That is nuts.

On 4/8/2019 at 11:08 AM, Moderator_02 said:

Meanwhile three people were injured when the driver of a bus from on the David-Changuinola route lost control and hit the fence of Fortuna Dam in Chiriqui.

How in the world do you crash while driving on a dam? That's about as straight and level as it gets in Panama.

On 4/9/2019 at 11:14 AM, Moderator_02 said:

were seized aboard a semi-submersible vessel

That seems to me to be a binary thing.  Either it is or it isn't, right?

Perhaps I complain too much.  I really do like living here.

You know what pissed me off??? I am lucky enough to own one of those Sleep Number beds that adjusts. It raises like a hospital bed so I can sort of sit up in it late in the evening with my tablet to check Chiriqui Life and other news sources before turning out the lights. 

So guess what happens when the power goes out. I'm not very good at all sleeping while sitting. 

The continuing drop in exports of heavy Venezuelan crude oil is going to put pressure on diesel prices because that is what that type of oil is best refined into. It's gradual, but it's long term at least until the government there changes.  It's a shame.

I would have commented on this an hour ago, but the power was out.

Well, I am guessing he is having a pretty crummy time right now and wondering whether raping kids was really worth it. Don't mistake that sentence as an expression of sympathy. Assuming the charges are true, dying in a Panamanian prison sounds about right.

It appears that the unfortunate misspelling in the headline of the story just above describes the situation perfectly.

It's been incredibly dry here, at least in the Palo Alto area.  There was very little bajareque rain and the typical morning rainbows  rarely formed this year.  Dry, windy, and colder than usual.

For reasons that are unclear to me, Panamanian corn is virtually inedible.  It is not sweet, tender, tasty, or even chewable. I guess cows eat it which may also be why they are not sweet, tender, tasty, or even chewable, either.

While so much other produce in Panama is superior in many regards, the locally grown corn can only be rated as EPIC FAIL.

Well, it's been rumoured for 3 years now. Until someone sees a plot of land they have purchased, I'll remain skeptical.

There is a species of bee here with no stinger. They are a bit of a nuisance around hummingbird feeders,  but otherwise not really a problem. They are only about 50% of the size of the bees we need to wary of.

I think it's probably wise to assume that any gathering of honeybees is potentially killer bees. I'm one of those guys who has built up increased sensitivity to stings over the years, and I have no doubt that it would take less than a couple hundred stings to outright kill me.

I am far more worried about bee stings than snakebites living here in Boquete.

I think the minor inconvenience was worth it. The discussions were important, and the more attention Boquete gets, the more likely it will continue to get infrastructure improvement funds.

Leida Montero was my friend.   I had difficulty in getting her to submit invoices for her work.  She definitely was not motivated by greed. It just sickens me that her daughter saw her mom get shot in the face.  I really have no words for those who took pleasure from her murder.  It's really hard to comprehend.

I don't know why she was murdered. She certainly didn't deserve it.

23 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Fuel prices are set dependent on distance from the Terminal in Panama City to the point of sale. They are monitored by Acodeco.

I've read that, but why are fuel prices are often cheaper in Boquete than in David, at least for diesel?

I really couldn't remember exactly when my last vaccination was, so I got another one on Saturday just to be safe.  I was cautioned that there might be considerable soreness after the shot, but I didn't experience any. The vaccine typically is a combination vaccine for tetanus, and diphtheria, as well as whooping cough, so I safely swordfight with rusty nails if needed.

I visited there, and while I love the store and supplies, the clerk told me the vet was no longer there.  There was a language barrier, but I think she meant that on a permanent basis.  I hope I'm wrong about that.

Without the Vet there, I did call Dr. Janzel Gonzalez, who is listed in Maggie's List here. He does house calls, speaks excellent English and treated my two sick cats at my home.  I am very satisfied with him.

I hate it. It's bad enough that poor families give money to the church that they can't afford.  At least arguably, it's voluntary.  But when the government spends taxpayer resources on a stage for the Pope, that's money that could have been spent back on infrastructure.  Anyone who has ever been to the Vatican can attest to the fact that the Church can pay for its own boondoggles.  It's not even a close question.  Panama is spending almost as much on this single trip as NATO countries are supposed to spend on defense.