2 hours ago, Penny said:

Why is Jim always on Keith's case????? It's getting old.

Rhetorical question?  "Many members are complaining" was how it was explained to me.

I can wait for others to provide an explanation.  Or you could provide one, Penny?  The admins have cautioned me yet again about how valuable Keith is to the activity count here on CL. Apparently some of my replies have already been blocked.  Or we looking at a rebirth of boquete.org here?

Keith provides traffic to CL, pretty much non-stop.  Much of it is irrelevant to Boquete or even Chiriqui.  But it is activity so that's good.

I was invited to join CL, by the admins. I apologize for being such a disappointment.

(The odds on anyone seeing this post are slim.)

jim

6 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Sure seems like it, Bonnie. There's now been international confirmation.

And from a life-long resident of Boquete from before the time of arrows painted at the street corners.  He was also doubtful about a new Panamonte bridge.

OK, I had to contact some family to get their view, here is what I learned. Calle 4a between Av. Central y Centenario is two way. Leaving Baru toward the park one can go straight or turn right but no left turn toward Los Cabezos. 

Traffic either way on Av. Central may not make a left turn at Calle 4a as Keith noted.

They also said it would all soon be a moot point as the water project is about to tear up Central to install sewer lines. No idea on how long that was going to take.

Just be thankful there are no easy left turns like these.

1 hour ago, Panama Bill said:

JimAndNena, you are correct. Calle 4a Sur is a one-way street. The problem is that drivers don't seem to pay attention to the white arrows painted on the ground at each intersection. Yesterday morning, close to noon, as we left Super Baru and we reached Avenida Central, some dimwit gringo turned left from Avenida Central onto Calle 4a Sur cutting in front of us, in spite of my hand waving and signaling "No" that this was a one-way street. I think that the white arrows must've been painted in Spanish and he didn't understand.

Until we all start respecting the signals and traffic rules, nothing is going to improve regarding vehicular accidents.

 

Spanish arrows!  OMG, I spit my coffee reading that one!

The system is really simple, if you see arrows, choose one and follow it. It ain't rocket surgery.

My wish would be to clean up that mess of technology on the peak.  Probably too much to hope for.  Maybe when the cable car system from Volcán is built?

32 minutes ago, Bonnie said:

I agree wholeheartedly with Jim on this one. My prediction is that the new ratings system will lead to animosity and detract from information sharing and earnest discussion.

Thanks, Bonnie.  My reactions would be:

For the record.

I do not care for the latest upgrade to CL.  The enhanced reputation (including a name change to "reactions") claims to make CL more like facebook.

Quote

The "Like" and the "Upvote" and the "Downvote" are essentially the same as the prior "like" and "dislike" reputation. Those are similar to what is available on some of the larger social media, such as Facebook.

Being more like facebook should not be a goal for a forum platform.  The goal of a forum should be to provide information, news, or events of interest to the members for discussion and reference. The main rating system should be: is it useful to me, or not useful to me.

IMHO, TMI, LOL, and AFAIK.

jim

Interesting bit of for sale news about the island's history.

https://www.prlog.org/10182649-worlds-most-expensive-island-listed-with-costa-rica-real-estate-experts-buyingcr.html

8 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Former President Martinelli is asking the Supreme Court of the U.S. to hold an 'emergency' hearing to hear his claim of 'rights violations'.

Good luck with that.

 

Seems like a valid legal request by his lawyers.  The headline is just for sensationalism effect.

Quote

 

Attorneys for former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, who is being detained in Miami on an extradition request to his homeland, filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that asserts his constitutional rights have been violated because his bid for bond was denied.

Martinelli’s legal team argued that federal courts nationwide have “misconstrued” a 114-year-old Supreme Court decision “as having erected a heavy presumption against bail in such [extradition] cases.”

 

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article163335338.html

PS. Bud, did I fianally get the formatting right? Still learning.

Back in the day when ladies were "married" to their house after leaving their factory jobs that saved the world.

And the crime.

Then there was the map I posted showing one way traffic.

19 hours ago, JohnF13 said:

It is probably a health concern issue.

 

My guess would be unions.

2 hours ago, JudyS said:

Yes it is. After you go through security, they make you do it again at the gate and even take your empty water bottle away from you.

True. The only time I have seen this was in Brussels in October 2001 returning to the US. Just after 9/11 and everyone was overdoing checks.

Quote

More delays for US bound travelers

Posted on July 22, 2017 in Panama

 

Longer waits for US bound travelers

Post Views: 271

AS THE US attempts to pull up its security drawbridge, passengers traveling from Panama to the United  States will need to arrive at Tocumen International Airport three hours before takeoff because of US security concerns says Alfredo Fonseca Mora, director of the Civil Aeronautics Authority.

He is referring to the new security measures implemented by the United States Department of Homeland Security for flights from 105 countries, including Panama.

Fonseca Mora said that the new measures are being applied worldwide because the US says it has detected, through intelligence, the need to increase the safety levels of the flights that go to that country.

Some of the measures that  Panama will adopt are:

– More rigorous reviews of travelers

– More rigorous detection of electronic devices that go with the passenger or in luggage.

– Reinforcement of security protocols around aircraft

– Installation of new equipment to detect situations that may have consequences or problems

No change for Europe bound planes

He clarified that although these measures will be implemented in 200 airports in more than 100 countries, they are exclusively for flights whose destination is the United States.

Fonseca Mora said that the biggest review will be at the time of boarding the plane.

He also recommended that if US bound passengers who previously arrived at the airport two hours before their flight should now do so three hours in advance, and that when they arrive at the air terminal do not stay at the counter, but rather pass directly to the inspection post and then to the departure gate.

So far there is no ban  on taking technological items on flights to take them on flights.

Fonseca Mora said  that they are working fpn the implementation of these security measures in the coming weeks.

Possibly the best conditions if things go wrong.

http://news.mit.edu/2015/rain-drops-attract-aerosols-clean-air-0828

3 hours ago, Brundageba said:

Read the book:

Emperors in the Jungle   Author: John Lindsay-Poland    Duke University Press.  The hidden history of the U.S. in Panama. This is investigative journalism at it's best. Among other topics it uncovers the US Army's decades long program of chemical weapons tests in Panama.  It is well worth a read.  Amazon.com has it.

If you read this expose' you'd come to the conclusion that a heck of a lot more than 8 weapons are left.....deteriorating in the tropical jungles of Panama in various locations. 

 

There was a lot going on in Panama during the Vietnam years. Some of it still hasn't been written about, maybe never will be. Panama was a "proving ground" for projects due to its similar environment.  Probably not our finest hours.

5 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Sorry but it appears I'm cents less. Canada did away with pennies some time back, probably about 10 years after I did.

I either leave them behind at the cash register for the next person who's short one, or scatter them on the ground outside where someone may feel that they're having a lucky day if they spot one.

Same thing in 1980's Venezuela, anything less than a quarter Bolivar was called "puyas". Vendors rounded up all the prices to the nearest quarter. Venezuela rapidly struck coins of alloy material as the silver content was many times more valuable.  The puyas did make great washers for hardware.

8 hours ago, Twin Wolf Technology Group said:

 

To "coin" a phrase  I decided to "buck" up because it makes no "cents",  they are just going to "nickle and dime" you to death.

Penny for your thoughts or give me your two cents worth!  

I say grant no "quarter" in this battle, Dan.

Depending on the outcome of the Martinelli legal battles, there might be some history value.  At the moment, it is mostly a coin toss as to the outcome. I would probably just play the slots.  But then I still have a locha from 1980's Venezuela, one half of 2 bits.

I don't think your views should warrant any blow-back, facts are facts.

Boquete has a geological problem, it occupies the bottom of a valley that resembles a crater and there is just not enough real estate. Add the practice of only stocking when the store is open (to be able to keep an eye on workers) and shoppers are present, and the shopping experience is not going to be great.  The locals shop several times a week; their shopping trips are brief so they don't see the stockers as a problem plus they are hardly ever in a hurry.

Maybe when that Buena Vista mall at Volcancito road is finished it will alleviate some of the hassle?

Maybe

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g612409-d4817405-Reviews-Fanny_s_Terrace_Bistro-Cerro_Punta_Chiriqui_Province.html

What a great way to start the morning!

(Next week, leave a piggy bank. Ya nevah know! )

1 hour ago, Bonnie said:

My regular lunch group went to Sabor today based on some glowing reviews on Facebook of the new chef there. It was the most unpleasant experience I've had in a long time.

There were five of us today, one of whom is Panamanian. The other four of us were waived through the front gate, but the Panamanian, who entered fourth out of five, was charged $10 and given a coupon for $10 off her meal. It goes without saying that she was very offended. The policy itself is a bad one, but to practice discrimination in enforcing it is deplorable.

To add insult to injury, her meal was only $7.93, so she even lost money.

The list the waitress cited of what was NOT on the menu took several minutes. All but one of us had hamburgers which were salty, tasteless, and overcooked. We're marking this one off the list. If there's a new chef, it's the same old menu. The food wasn't particularly good in the past, but today it was awful. I can't imagine what anyone would be raving about.

Maybe someone could invite President Varela to lunch there. Or maybe Mayor Walker. 

2 hours ago, Bonnie said:

It has been my month for frustration with businesses. I take a heart medication daily that has been unavailable in Boquete for a couple of months although finally one pharmacy did come up with a generic. Yesterday, I left the doctor's office with two prescriptions for a sinus infection: an antibiotic and a decongestant. I went to Romero, Revilla, and Any's without luck. Finally, I went to Danko. They had both PLUS my heart medication. I note that Danko is owned and operated by a Chinese family. Adding this experience to those I've had at Ivan and Alto Dorado, I've concluded that the Chinese are far superior business people when it comes to inventory, whatever the business.

Yes, almost always.