'No Uniform Day' In The Schools
For the first time that locals can remember, on Friday (June 12) students in the public schools throughout Panama were not required to wear their school uniforms. The only catch was that they had to wear their favorite team's T-shirt or jersey. Favorite team? Team jerseys?
That large exhale you heard was the entire world (except the U.S.) welcoming the start of the Football (soccer) World Cup Tournament. The fact that Panama's team did not make the finals appears to have done little to dampen the excitement that sweeps the planet every four years.
Based on my unscientific sample taken yesterday it appears that the folks here in the David area are equally split between Brazil and Argentina. There are a surprising number of people who were wearing England's jerseys. I assumed that was because England was playing the U.S. today. However my friends insist it is because the English Soccer League gets so much TV coverage here during their regular season that half of Chiriqui Province are rabid fans of Manchester United.
The one thing you can be certain of is that for the next month the country of Panama will come to a screeching halt because there is a game on TV - regardless of who is playing!
'The Dunce Of The Day' Award
I recently had my early morning tranquility on the hotel balcony ruined by one more 'guest pest genius' who took it upon himself to educate me on the the safe and untouched portions of Mexico - a list of places away from the drug wars and lawlessness that makes the headlines in the news. This genius' favorite example was Cancun. Oh!
Hello!!!! Gregorio Sanchez, the mayor of Cancun, Mexico's most popular resort city, is leading the polls in his run to become the governor of that province. The irony of this situation is that Sanchez is running his election campaign from his cell in federal prison. He is charged with aiding not one but two major drug cartels (Guess he doesn't want to show favoritism, huh?) Prosecutors say he stashed $2.5 million in half a dozen bank accounts and was actively laundering cash for the cartels.
Mexicans in-the-know are probably not surprised by a Cancun mayor with problems - five of the city's last seven mayors have been indicted in drug cartel related scandals. The two others were assassinated in what are consider to be drug gang retaliatory strikes.
Another World Record Set
Last week a Japanese brokerage set a record on the global coffee commodities auction when they posted the winning bid for 100 lbs. of coffee. Their winning bid was an all-time wholesale high price of $173 a pound. The coffee producer was a Panamanian company up the road from David in Boquete. The press release announcing the sale also noted that the retail price of coffee is normally approximately twice the wholesale price. Is my math right. Doesn't that work out to $346 a pound. Jesus! And, I thought Starbuck's prices where ridiculous!
Till Next Time. Pura Vida
My book is currently only available from the publisher on their web site. This is the link to order.
The book should be available from both Amazon and Borders by the first of the month!
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