Uncle Doug

The solution is to encourage Panamanian producers to become more efficient and competitive. Tariffs are a tax on consumers, and they help protect inefficient producers and keep them that way.

Holy Moley, how long ago was that?? That's terrible!!

Plastic Straws aren't the Problem

It certainly appears that a pedestrian bridge is needed at that location. The limited amount of facts in the story suggest that this was the driver's fault, especially since a policeman was trying to direct traffic. I will say, however, that many pedestrians in Boquete cross the street routinely without looking for traffic. I never am driving fast enough to hit them, but they're just lucky that I am not distracted by something else at the time. It's dangerous out there.

Well, that pretty much discounts my theory. But something still seems strange about this. Random non-indigenous strangers simply don't walk in front of your house. A brave tourist or two may hike by on the way to Tree Trek, but even that is rare.

So sorry to hear this, Bonnie. First, I am so glad that you weren't hurt, and second, that he only took your cash. It could have been so much worse. You may not have been a random victim. If he waited until he knew the door was unlocked, and he never brandished a weapon, it suggests you were targeted. He knew what to expect in terms of resistance. I think the criminal is someone who either lives in Palo Alto or is very familiar with it.

I'm not sure I completely understand your question, Marcelyn. It does seem evident to me, though, that nobody in the embassy with any stroke gives a whit about providing services to American citizens living in Panama. Perhaps they see their function as entirely diplomatic or coordinating with security matters involving the Canal or the drug interdiction efforts. It's too bad since American citizens in Panama continue to pay American income tax and enjoy few of the benefits most Americans receive in return. You would think that the embassy could answer the phone for more than four hours a week. No private company could last a month with that kind of policy, and it infuriates me. I am certainly against waste and bloat in the government, and the US State Department is one of the biggest and most inefficient bureaucracies on the planet. But seriously, answer the damn phone. What is that employee doing the rest of the work week? Outsourcing the Social Security issues to Costa Rica is simply an outrage. The truth is that US expats have no clout. We don't vote in sufficient numbers for politicians to even notice. I don't know how to get their attention.

It seems odd that the embassy has greatly curtailed the US Warden functions while at the same time making themselves even less available to Americans needing their assistance.

I personally cannot tell the difference between a cup of coffee costing $50 and a cup that only costs $45.

They need to set their goals a bit higher. $50 thousand isn't going to house very many people.

It doesn't really say so, but I'm guessing that Dahan bribed his way out of the prison.

I drove by it yesterday, and I am at a loss to know where the 44 promised parking spots are...

I need to hire her twice!

Fantastic! Thanks for the tip. My Spanish skills require that I call Lorena!

I need a tree trimmer to cut some branches on the driveway to our subdivision that have grown into the electrical wires coming from the street. The branches are shorting out the power and tripping a fuse. Consequently, the entire subdivision is currently without power for almost 24 hours now. This is beginning to happen frequently. Union Fenosa is not responsible for trimming the trees causing the problem, and the Union Fenosa crew will not trim them, even though we are willing to hire them. It's not a huge job. So, does anyone know a tree trimmer we can hire? Some English would be helpful, and the person would need to coordinate with UF so that nobody gets electrocuted.

I have used them. They are not cheap, but they are good. Juan knows what he is doing. Very capable.

The fact is that production is dropping rapidly in Venezuela due to the government interference in what used to be a good national oil company. Less oil on the market always means higher prices.

I assume this strike is the reason why the construction of the new Panamonte bridge has stopped.

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Pamela Van Horn <pamela611@gmail.com>Date: May 5, 2018 11:18 PMSubject: Recent Auto Accident VictimTo: health.info@chiriqui.lifeCc:

It wasn't working for me last night, either, Bonnie. It seems to be fine now.

I haven't seen any workers at the new Panamonte bridge construction in several days.

25 killed in anti-government protests is a pretty big deal. This is the biggest threat to Ortega since he was elected years ago.

I don't want to throw Betty Landis at hospice under the bus, but she asked us to share this information at this site. She just went through this process and must be visiting some of the affected areas in Colombia that you listed. She probably wasn't aware that it isn't universally required before booking her trip.

Well, this is Panama where they either enforce the law to the extreme or don't really enforce it at all. But, even if you somehow convinced the clinic in David to give you the certificate, you would be taking a chance that Colombian authorities would check your passport age against the certificate and deny you entry at the airport.

Has anybody seen disruptions in David yesterday or today?