In Case You Didn't See This
The Central American version of the Miami Herald reported on the following situation. They may have reported it because it occurred in Florida, so you may not have seen it.
Marie Elliot sued the Florida DMV on freedom of speech issues for rejecting her requested personalized license plates, terming the the personalization "too suggestive, bordering on obscene."
Ms. Elliot is a fitness instructor who owns her own spa. Her brand of weight loss magic focuses on the "almost magical properties of tofu." According to her, the license plates mission was to "preach to the world about the wonders of tofu."
According to the Herald, it was obvious throughout the trial, due to the judge's demeanor and the questions he directed to the DMV, that he was sympathetic to Elliot's cause. That changed abruptly when the DMV presented the judge a sample of her requested plate. It read:
ILUVTOFU
Case dismissed!
The Law Profession In Panama
A bill that seeks to regulate the legal profession suffered a setback in a committee of the National Assembly. The bill proposes establishing ethical standards, a minimum period of university study, a board responsible for monitoring the profession and implementation of a proficiency exam. Under the current system, graduates present their diploma to a Supreme Court panel for credential verification. (The panel meets twice a year and usually acts on several hundred requests at a time.)
Critics of the legislation note that the Supreme Court has already ruled on the unconstitutionality of a "watchdog entity", and objected to a bar exam. The president of the Center for Law Studies went even further calling "the bar exam an outdated and impractical ritual mandated by the United States." She regards the bar exam as a "practice that perpetuates elitism and commercialism." Well! Do you wonder why expatriates moving here are cautioned to pick their attorney very carefully?
By the way, in Panama a notary is a lawyer who has post-licensing training in notary duties. The notary's signature and stamp is not merely verifying your signature, it is certifying the legality and correctness of the legal document involved, and the underlying legal process. Most notaries, therefore, specialize in certain types of legal processes and documents. So, the sign on the front of the office that says "Abogado and Notaria" does not mean there is a clerk in the lawyers office with a pen and a seal.
Video Tribute to The Beautiful Village of Boquete
Economic Downturn In The U.S.
To say that I am isolated from the present economic while living in Panama is pretty much fact. So what I read and see on TV is sorted through that "disconnected filter" that I have discussed before - the news reflects facts and statistics, not people, places and faces. Well I got to see the effects up close and personal while I was back in the States. I hadn't been back to Wilmington for about a year. But now, basically sitting around for 2+ weeks in Wilmington just waiting for my daily trip to the hospital, gave me lots of observation time.
For starters, my friend John, who owns the Boar's Breath Saloon, told me that over 50 bars and restaurants have closed their doors in Wilmington in the last year. And it is easy to see in the Monkey Junction area on the south side of town where I used to live, which was previously the 'hottest' area in the area. The bars and restaurants at Happy Hour time are practically deserted - the construction worker customer base is MIA. And, you can see why when you drive by the previously bustling new housing developments. Ghost towns! Additional building lots have been prepped, but nothing happening - no workers or equipment in sight. Sales offices with one car in the parking lot - the salesperson's car undoubtedly. The new Home Depot is completed and opened - but, the new buildings making up various little strip malls around the perimeter of the huge Home Depot parking lot sit mostly vacant. I was always sort of amused, in the past, by the fact that it seemed like every business in the Monkey Junction area had a sign in the front window, "Help Wanted". No more!
I also had occasions to go over on the other side of town, to the Wrightsville Beach area. I used to work in that area and had a loosely knit lunch group that I wanted to go visit with. This is the high dollar area of Wilmington - gated and walled communities, golf courses, up-scale restaurants and high-end shopping malls (think, Neiman's). Mid-day traffic in that area was something to be dreaded if not avoided. Not this year! Practically deserted.
Think I'll just go back and hide behind my Panama prism.
Panama Elections
I don't know how, but the nation of Panama somehow managed to hold national elections in my absence and without any assistance on my part. The President-elect, Senor Ricardo Martinelli, is a well-known businessman who is the owner, of among several other businesses, one of the country's biggest supermarket chains. He has also held a number of elected offices over the years. According to the experts, Martinelli's grizzly bear appearance and no nonsense aura is not a facade. One of his long-time managers described him (off the record, not for attribution, I might add) as ".. a big teddy bear. But, if you poke him with a stick the teddy bear becomes a grizzly." He is also purported to be a champion of human rights, children's protection rights, and minority rights.
Unlike his opponent in the election, Martinelli has no lingering ties with the Noriega regime of years past. And, more importantly, he has no interest in improving relations with Venezuela's Chavez, nor the ner-do-well collection of member countries in Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution movement.
Till Next Time. Pura Vida
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