How It Feels To Become a Millionaire

Today is one of the happiest days of my life.  I got out of bed this morning and dashed to my home office and checked my computer screen.  I knew there was something special waiting for me.  Very special indeed.  Today Lingua Franca reached the landmark of 1,000,088 page views.  This remarkable task was accomplished in five years and eleven days to be exact.  I’m feeling so happy, I’m jumping out of my skin.  Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), in the film Wall Street, replied to the receptionist at work while he was coming in one morning this way:

—“How are you today, Bud?”

—I’m feeling fine, if I felt any better it would be a sin!”

After blogging for about eight years, I finally reached the Finish Line and entered into the one million page hits territory.  It’s difficult to describe what this means to me for several reasons.  First, I’m not a writer.  Second, I’m not a photographer.  And third, I’m not a native English-speaking person.  However, with all these limitations. I became a millionaire.  I’m absolutely feeling over the moon today, January 11, 2013.

Never did I ever dream that a country boy from a banana plantation in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, would start a blog in English and reach out and touch thousands and thousands of people around the world and accumulating one million page hits in the process.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are several names I would like to acknowledge who helped me make this dream come true. Don Ray, the author of Chiriqui Chatter in David, gave me the idea of opening a blogging account and write about events that happened  in Panama City.  His blog posts were full of useful information, and his photographs of David added pizazz to his work.   After reading his blog, I knew I had a task to carry out.

Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio also contributed considerably to my work.  He impressed me with gorgeous photographs of animals and flowers taken in his backyard.  His pictures were so well taken, that it induced me to buy a camera and learn how to take pictures and insert them in my blog.  That’s how I got involved in photography.  Abe is a consummate and professional photographer and a dedicated blogger as well.

Linda, Jim and Nena, Hilda, Richard, Marjorie and Jaime encouraged me to keep on going with their continued comments.  I appreciate their dedicating part of their valuable time reading and commenting on Lingua Franca.  And last but certainly not least, I am grateful to the thousands and thousands of people around the world who have read Lingua Franca for over five years.  I can’t thank you enough for your encouragement and support.  Reaching this goal was only possible because of you.

GLOBAL COVERAGE

 According to the elves of WordPress, Lingua Franca is mostly read from citizens of the following countries since February 25, 2012; (Figures are expressed in Page Views)

1. United States:  110,480
2. Panama:  19,444
3. United Kingdom:  17,605
4. Canada:  12,435
5. India:  9,287
6. Australia:  7,332
7. Philippines:  5,143
8. Germany:  2,566
9. Malaysia:  2,036
10. Brazil:  1,974

As you can see, the leading page hits originated from countries of the American Continent (40 percent), Europe (20 percent) and Asia (40 percent).

Lingua Franca was read in almost every country in the world with the exception of eight countries in Africa and two countries in Asia.  With these exception, the whole globe was covered by the blog.  Kindly click here to view the countries covered by Lingua Franca.  It’s impressive how far a blog can reach out using today’s technology.

STATISTICS

Below are the Lingua Franca’s page views provided by WordPress for the last five years:

1. 2008:  67,131
2. 2009:  193,340
3. 2010:  245,319
4. 2011:  218,395
5. 2012:  268,154

The average page hit per day in 2012 was 733, which in my opinion, is amazing.

Yep, today is one of the happiest days in my life.  I feel like a million bucks thanks to you my dear readers.  All of this was accomplished because you made it happen by taking the time to read Lingua Franca.  I am most grateful for your support.  What else can I say?  I’m still in a state of shock.

Today I’ll take it easy and assimilate the news together with my wife.  I feel as if I’m walking on water.  Thank you so much and Good Day.

Suggested Reading:  Lingua Franca’s Annual Report 2012

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Fruits

Snapshot of one of three fruit pictures decorating the walls of our living room. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Portraiture or Portrait Photography

For those of you who are new to the term, portraiture is a photography of a person or group of people that displays the expression, personality, and mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is usually the person’s face, although the entire body and the background may be included.

According to Wikipedia:

“Portrait photographs have been made since virtually the invention of the camera. The relatively low cost of the daguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century led to a general rise in the popularity of portrait photography over painted portraiture. The style of these early works reflected the technical challenges associated with long exposure times and the painterly aesthetic of the time.

Subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors. Advances in photographic equipment and techniques developed, and gave photographers the ability to capture images with shorter exposure times the making of portraits outside the studio.”

I always admired this category of photography, but was timid to dip my toes into its waters.  Most of my pictures of persons are taken from a distance.  Yesterday I adventured taking a portrait picture of my wife.  I know it’s amateurish and of low quality, but you have to start from zero.  I’ll dedicate some time practicing more in the future.  The Twisters will be glad to help me out.

This is the picture of my wife Aura.  Here we go.

Portraiture of my wife Aura in a thinking posture. This is my first adventure into this category of photography. Promise to study and practice more. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Quotes – Linda Leinen

“It is the essayist’s task to say, ‘This is what I have seen. This is what I have experienced. This is what I have discovered lying along life’s shore, waiting to be plucked from the sands of obscurity, turned and examined, magnified for detail, polished until its inherent nature shimmers in the light.’”—Linda Leinen

Ms. Leinen is a blogger who writes a highly reputable blog dubbed; The Task at Hand:  A writer’s ongoing search for just the right word.  This writer with gusto has raised the English language to new heights.

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Lingua Franca´s Statistics

Yesterday, Wednesday, April 18, 2012, Lingua Franca reached the landmark of 800,000 page hits after four years and three months.  Even as we speak, the number has increased to 800,310 and counting.

I started my blogging activities in a platform called LiveJournal and kept it for four years.  Then on January 1, 2008, I moved to WordPress.  Both platforms shaped my taste for blogging, writing and photography.  Little did I know, that I would reach thousands of readers around the world.  People are reading Lingua Franca in countries, which I can’t even find on the map.

This is what I wrote on LiveJournal when I moved to WordPress.  The blog post was called, “The End of the Road”:

“LiveJournal was the first blogging platform I used when I was getting my feet wet with blogs. I had no idea what “blog” meant but I had an open mind and was willing to learn.

For more than four years I’ve been posting daily entries into Epiac’s Place trying to please my readers, and at the same time, learning the English language. As you probably know, my native language is Spanish. It has been a rewarding intellectual ride. As I gathered more experience, I realized that LiveJournal was not the best platform for my growing blogging needs. That took me to WordPress where I opened a blog dubbed Lingua Franca. This blog was started on January 1, 2008.

I decided to keep Epiac’s Place as a backup blog in case WordPress would crash or something like that. It happened to me once with a blogging site called WordCharm. So far, my experience with WordPress has been extra-ordinary. Everything I need is there at the tip of my fingers. In my humble opinion, it’s the best blogging platform available today on the Internet.

In view of the above, I have decided to mothball Epiac’s Place and keep on posting my daily entries at Lingua Franca. I take this opportunity to thank the staff of LiveJournal for all their guidance and support during the four years I used their software. It was an exciting blogging education. To my readers, I encourage you to switch to Lingua Franca by clicking here. You will find the same type of content you have been reading here.

Thank you very much once again, and I shall wait for you at Lingua Franca. Good Bye and Welcome!”

The top ten countries where Lingua Franca is read are:

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Panama
4. Canada
5. India
6. Australia
7. Philippines
8. Germany
9. Malaysia
10. Netherlands

I’m very happy using WordPress and plan to stay here for a long time.  The platform is like good wine, it gets better with time.

Today is a very special day for me since I’m getting closer to my goal of reaching one million page hits.  I still have 200,000 page hits to go. As you probably know, Lao-tzu (Chinese philosopher)  once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.”  or something like that.  I’m on my way, step by step; day by day.

I wish to thank Abe Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln Blog) and Don Ray (Chiriqui Chatter Blog), both veteran bloggers, for being my sources of inspiration and gently ushered me to splash into the exciting waters of blogging.

I hereby wish to thank each and everyone of our readers wherever you are, for taking the time to read our daily blog posts.  Without your interest, Lingua Franca would be more barren and desolate than an Arabian desert.  I can’t thank you enough.  Good Day.

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A Peek Inside a Killer

“Photography is about making connections with the viewer and helping them see the world in a way they never have before.”—Stuart Sipahigil

During the last few days I’ve been posting pictures of gorgeous classic cars with all kinds of exterior characteristics like; bright colors, external spare-tire mounted on the rear bumper of the vehicle, streamlined bodies, white banded tires, convertible tops and a whole lot more of creative auto designs.  Now it’s time to glance inside one of these beauties and see how a driver might feel inside one of these dazzling cars.

This is how a classic car looks like from the outside looking in.  Everything inside looks new, as if time stood still and the car never got old.  The love of these car hobbyists is beyond words.

Snapshot of the insides of an antique sports car displayed at a car show in Panama City, Panama. Even the smell inside the car was similar to that of a new auto. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

A closer view of the dashboard of a sports car on display at an antique car show at the Calzada de Amador in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Hot Wheels in Panama

I’ve noticed a trend in Panama to restore antique automobiles and display them in several areas of Panama City, specially at the Amador Causeway.  Antique motorcycles and automobiles also participate in the Christmas Parade for the delight of those who love these category of cars.

Another social activity where these gorgeous cars are used for, is to drive them through the Coastal Strip—Cinta Costera— with children having terminal illnesses.  These kids are fascinated to be taken around the city for a ride.  I think it’s a good idea to alleviate the pain of these young sick patients making them VIPs during this annual event.

The amount of money and dedication to restore these vehicles to their previous days of glory is absolutely incredible.  The love for antique cars has taken the city by storm.  Today I will share with you four classic cars famous for their streamlined designs.  I hope you will enjoy this unique selection of restored hot wheels of the past.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a restored fast speed Toyota vehicle, recently displayed during a car show at the Calzada de Amador in Panama City, Panama. That Sunday morning, the site was packed with adults and children having a good time enjoying the view of these cars of the past in shining armor. They looked brilliant under the warm Panama sun. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

In the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran car era and the brass car era which is from the beginning of the automobile up to the 1930s.

In original or originally restored condition antiques are very valuable and are usually either protected and stored or exhibited in car shows but are very rarely driven.  This is the case in Panama—they are rarely driven—and on those rare events when they are released into the wild, the general public goes bananas.  Good Day.

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The 1956 “Continental Style” Ford Thunderbird

The Thunderbird (“T-Bird”), is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005. When introduced, it created the market niche eventually known as the personal luxury car.  Like the Corvette, the Thunderbird had a two-seat coupe/convertible layout.

Though inspired by, and positioned directly against, the Corvette, Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car, putting a greater emphasis on the car’s comfort and convenience features rather than its inherent sportiness.  Designations aside, the Thunderbird sold exceptionally well in its first year.

In 1956 Ford came up with a Thunderbird model with an external spare-tire mounted on the rear bumper in an effort to allow more trunk spare.  This design was observed by Edsel Ford while visiting Europe and decided to bring it home.  The public liked it and sales soared.

“In the late Thirties, Edsel Ford had taken a trip to Europe. He noticed sports cars with external spare-tires mounted on their rear bumpers, done so to allow more trunk space. Upon returning to the States, he asked Lincoln’s chief stylist to incorporate this design into the new Lincoln Continentals. Years later, Ford stylists designed a similar “Continental style” spare tire kit for the 1956 Thunderbird.”  (Source:  Wikipedia Encyclopedia)

Snapshot of a 1956 "Continental Style" Ford Thunderbird being exhibited on an antique car show in Panama City, Panama (Calzada de Amador). If you look closely you will find the external spare-tire mounted on the rear bumper of the vehicle. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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“Driving Miss Daisy”

“The best camera is the one that’s with you.”—Chase Jarvis.

In my CV there’s an empty space of more than ten years.  This empty space represents the time I was unemployed.  To make ends meet I had to work as a Customer Support Operator at a local call center earning $500.00 a month.  It wasn’t much, but at least I could pay some bills.  My wife paid for most of our expenses.  She worked in a small restaurant as a waiter.  Those were tough years, but finally we got safely to the other side after both of us were pensioned by the Panama Social Security.

During those cash-strapped years, we had to cancel our TV cable subscription, as well as many other modern-day goodies.  Since then we never went back to paid TV.  I currently get my news watching Internet TV stations such as CNN, BBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Aljazeera, Bloomberg and C-Span.  For movies I depend on a Netflix monthly subscription for which I pay only $7.99.  For that humble amount, I can watch all the movies my eyes can stand.  Most of the motion pictures are spoken in English with Spanish sub-titles—the best of best worlds.

Two days ago I viewed the 1989 motion picture, “Driving Miss Daisy” brilliantly played by Dan Aykroyd, Morgan Freeman, and Jessica Tandy.  It was the second time I’ve enjoyed this Oscar-winning picture.  Probably would see it again if the opportunity arises.  Besides depicting the morphing of a deep friendship between two contrasting characters in more ways than one, the picture displayed automobiles from the late forties to the 70′s.  Most of the cars used to drive Miss Daisy around Atlanta were Cadillacs.  But I think I recognized either a black Ford or a black Chevy amongst the vehicles chauffeured by Morgan Freeman in the picture.  I’m not absolutely sure.  Anyway, they were big, elegant and powerful.

“Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy affectionately covers the 25-year relationship between a wealthy, strong-willed Southern matron (Jessica Tandy) and her equally indomitable Black chauffeur, Hoke (Morgan Freeman).

Both employer and employee are outsiders, Hoke because of the color of his skin, Miss Daisy because she is Jewish in a WASP-dominated society. At the same time, Hoke cannot fathom Miss Daisy’s cloistered inability to grasp the social changes that are sweeping the South in the 1960s. Nor can Miss Daisy understand why Hoke’s ‘people’ are so indignant. It is only when Hoke is retired and Miss Daisy is confined to a home for the elderly, that the two fully realize that they’ve been friends and kindred spirits all along.

The supporting cast includes Esther Rolle as Miss Daisy’s housekeeper and Dan Aykroyd as Miss Daisy’s son, Boolie (reportedly, playwright Uhry based the character upon himself). Driving Miss Daisy won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), Best Screenplay (Uhry), and Best Makeup (Manlio Rochetti).” ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While combing the area of a car show at the Calzada de Amador, I saw an automobile very similar to the one used to transport Miss Daisy through the enticing city of Atlanta.  I captured this magnificent specimen to share with y’all.  I could envision the love of Miss Daisy and Hoke all over the polished metallic surface of this graceful automobile of the late forties.

This is the vehicle that reminded me of the movie, “Driving Miss Daisy”.  Take a look.

Snapshot of an antique Chevrolet automobile displayed at a car show in Panama City, Panama. Notice the beautiful patch of tropical flowers behind the vehicle. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Flashbacks of Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow  were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression.  Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the “public enemy era” between 1931 and 1934.

Though known today for his dozen-or-so bank robberies, Barrow in fact preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations.  The gang is believed to have killed at least nine police officers and committed several civilian murders. The couple themselves were eventually ambushed and killed in Louisiana by law officers. Their reputation was cemented in American pop folklore by Arthur Penn’s 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.

Wikipedia Encyclopedia describes Bonnie and Clyde and the cash-strapped period of the Great Depression and why they became national American icons:

“Through the decades, many cultural historians have analyzed Bonnie’s and Clyde’s enduring appeal to the public imagination. E.R. Milner, an historian, writer, and expert on Bonnie and Clyde and their era, put the duo’s enduring appeal to the public, both during the Depression and continuing on through the decades, into historical and cultural perspective. To those people who, as Milner says, ‘consider themselves outsiders, or oppose the existing system,’ Bonnie and Clyde represent the ultimate outsiders, revolting against an uncaring system.

‘The country’s money simple declined by 38 percent, explains Milner, author of The Lives and Times of Bonnie and Clyde. ‘Gaunt, dazed men roamed the city streets seeking jobs… Breadlines and soup kitchens became jammed. (In rural areas) foreclosures forced more than 38 percent of farmers from their lands (while simultaneously) a catastrophic drought struck the Great Plains… By the time Bonnie and Clyde became well known, many had felt the capitalistic system had been abused by big business and government officials… Now here were Bonnie and Clyde striking back’.”

The death car Bonnie & Clyde used when they were shot to death was a 1934 Ford model Deluxe Sedan with a V8 engine.  Its original price was $835 and earlier owned by Ruth Warren.  The car’s original license plate was Kansas 3-17832.  The custom color was Cordoba Grey.

Below is a similar car used by these bandits of the Great Depression which captured the hearts of a nation, even though they acted outside the law.

Snapshot of an antique automobile displayed at a car show at the Calzada de Amador in Panama City, Panama. The car has a similar appearance to the vehicle used by Bonnie & Clyde during the Great Depression. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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