Newsletter #100

100th Issue

Is that a big deal? Well, it is to me. I've been writing these newsletters for almost three years. Over that time many of you have written to thank me for writing them, and that too is a big deal to me. Like most part-time writers, my paychecks are few and far between so an occasional note from a reader is all the reward I usually get. Thanks to all of you. Sometime later this year, I will make the first 100 newsletters available in book form with additional information and pictures. I plan three versions; a simple inexpensive print book without pictures or color which will be part of a Panama Information Pack, a large coffee table edition with lots of pictures, and a free PDF version which will be available for download. Look for it sometime around September.

We're Moving

We have already moved out of our office in Coste del Este and will be moving into Casco Viejo in the near future. When we get moved we will put the new address on the website.

Garden in a Box - Update

All I can say is Wow! I don't think I've ever seen plants grow so fast. This has to be the easiest way to grow vegetable there is. All I do is add water every couple of days and marvel at the fast growth. The one box now has cucumbers, tomatoes and Frijoles Chiricano growing. My Speckled Butter Bean and Cream Pea seeds should be here any day now, and as soon as I get a couple of fires put out, I'm going to construct another box and get my beans started. I've added a photo album to the website (http://www.panamaretire.net/gallery) and will post frequent pictures of my gardening progress there. I can hardly wait for the first crop of fresh beans and peas, which are so much tastier than dried.

Banks

Sometimes I wish there were some way to just not ever deal with a bank again. We were fairly satisfied with our previous bank, but then they merged, with the new bank being the Alpha male. Before, we had nice, easy to use web access to our account and it worked with any web browser or operating system. Now we have kludgy, Microsoft-only access. Not only must I use the world's most insecure OS and browser, I have to pay a monthly fee for the "privilege". We are looking for another bank, one that doesn't force us to risk our financial information every time we look up our accounts or pay a bill.

In another case, Nora sold a house early this year. The seller does not live in Panama, so he set up a local account into which the buyer's bank could transfer the money once the transaction was complete. He also paid a special fee at Registro Publico so that the title transfer would be done within 24 hours. The buyer's bank issued an irrevocable letter of credit with the provision that the money would be transferred immediately after the title transfer was completed. As I write this, the seller's bank has been sitting on the transaction for 10 days, after the title transfer was complete. Their excuses have been "the Legal department is holding it up" and "the system is down". What the heck kind of legal department allows the bank to issue an "Irrevocable letter of Credit" if there are any legal questions to the sale? What the heck kind of bank allows it "system" to be down for 10 days?

I wish I could tell you the names of these banks, but because of Panama's slander and libel laws, in which the truth is no defense, I dare not do so in a public forum.

Don't Trust Adobe

I recently downloaded Adobe Acrobat Reader, and was asked for my email address. As I usually do, I gave a non-existant address (adobe@panamaretire.net) My email server automatically delivers non-existant addresses to a "catch-all" account. Now this was the one and only time that email address was ever used, but I'm getting daily SPAM to that address. One of the very few possible ways in which the Spammers could have got that address is from Adobe. I suggest that if you need Acrobat Reader, get it from a site that does not require an email address.

Bring Back the Magic