After a global frenzy month of football, the games are finally over. Spain won the golden cup and the Netherlands sadly returns home with shattered dreams. Nerves and renewed dreams will have to wait patiently for another four years. The year is 2014 and the place is none other than Rio de Janeiro, a city [...]
Archive for July, 2010
Spain Grasped the Golden Cup
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Brazil, FIFA World Cup, Football, Internet TV, Nelson Mandela, Netherlands, Rio de Janeiro, Spain, Sports, Televisa Deportes, Vuvuzelas on July 12, 2010 | 9 Comments »
Flashbacks of the Cold War
Posted in News, tagged Aldrich Ames, CIA, Counter Intelligence, James Bond, KGB, Movies, Robert Hanssen, Russian Agents, Spies on July 10, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware that 10 Russian spies were arrested in the United States and returned to their Mother Land in the biggest spy swap since the Cold War. The swap was made in a Vienna airport where both, the U.S. and Russian planes were positioned on the [...]
Photography, Ceilings, and Lamps
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged House Maintenance, Lamps, Light bulbs, Photographs, Repairs, Roof Leaks, Suspended Ceilings, Tubes on July 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A few years ago we contracted an “expert” in sealing leaks in the roof of our home. At that time, every time it rained, the inside of our house was flooded. There were leaks all over the place. The “expert” suggested that all the roof nails be changed and replaced with new ones and sealed [...]
Fast, Faster, Fastest
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Cable & Wireless, Computers, Internet, Speed, Technology on July 8, 2010 | 3 Comments »
As we dig deeper into the 21st Century, technology is pushing the envelope to obtain the maximum speed it can squeeze out of products and/or services. The global economic system is divided in two main categories; the slow and the fast nations. The faster nations survive, the slower nations struggle to survive. The name of [...]
Struggle Between Darkness and Light
Posted in Photography, tagged Aging, Clouds, Panama City, Rainy Season, Skies, Sun, Weather on July 7, 2010 | 4 Comments »
As my aging process continues, I’m sleeping less and less. Normally I hit the sack at approximately 10.00 p.m. after reading the latest news on my computer and rise about 4:30 a.m. I usually go to the terrace to enjoy the nice cool breeze of the early mornings. During the rainy season, the mornings are [...]
A Veggie in Panama Called “Pico de Loro”
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged El Machetazo, Food, fruits, Inflation, Panama, Photographs, Pico de Loro, Supermarkets, Vegetables on July 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
We buy our groceries in a place called, El Machetazo—founded by Juan Ramón Cabrera Poll—a couple of blocks from our house. El Machetazo is a lower income class supermarket with a balanced stock of merchandise at very reasonable prices. Their fruits and vegetables aren’t of the highest quality, but generally speaking, they’re O.K. for us. [...]
City Watch
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Crime, Criminality, Law Enforcement, Linces, Motorcycles, Panama, Panama City, Police Officer, Policemen on July 5, 2010 | 4 Comments »
In an effort to curb the escalating criminal wave that is assaulting Panama City, the Panama Police has activated a highly trained motorcycle police unit known as the “Linces”. The alarming statistics of crime rate is currently 24 for every 100,000 individuals. This is too high and prompt actions are being taken. The Linces unit [...]
Bus Stop or “Parada”
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Advertisements, Bus Stations, Juan Carlos Navarro, Local Governments, Municipalities, Panama City Hall, Structures, Subway on July 4, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Some elected officials are remembered for a long time after their period is over and many others are forgotten as soon as they ride and fade into the sunset. The previous Mayor of Panama City, Mr. Juan Carlos Navarro, will be remembered for providing the city with the most clean and modern bus stations ever. [...]
Confusion on New Taxes For CellPhone Cards
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Cell Phones, Communications, Fraud, Internal Revenue Service, Luis Cucalón, Phone Electronic Cards, Taxes on July 3, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
July 1st was the effective date for the application of new version of VAT taxes known as ITBMS (Impuesto de Transferencia de Bienes Muebles y Servicios). There was a wide confusion on the application of the ITBMS tax on cellphone electronic cards. Numerous stores and street vendors were charging a ITMBS tax of twelve (12) [...]
