The Therapeutic Bird; Photo Traffic Tickets by Email Begins in July; UTP Ranks as One of the Best in the World; Koreans Exchange Experiences on Waste Management; Bird Species of Panama.

Friday, June 30, 2023 First of all, I didn’t get last week’s newsletter out to the Whatsapp group as I was in the process of changing phones from one carrier to another and upgrading phones as well.  What a f$%&ing nightmare that’s been.  Long story short… …sorry, eh!  I hope you caught it on one of the other outlets. Secondly, wow, what a week for us.  On Sunday, I was working on my Honey-Do list.  One of the tasks was to install a protective strip to the doors of our cars to avoid dings and damage to others from abruptly opening our doors.  Anyways, I’m sitting on the ground with a rubber mallet in one hand and pliers in the other when suddenly this “Plop TWEET!” sound startled me.  I swiveled to the right and saw this parakeet laying there on its back just 3 feet away.  It had just fallen from the sky where this flock of several hundred parakeets were swarming around looking for their nests as they normally do in Panama around that time (530pm-ish).  Knowing exactly what to do, I gently scooped him/her up and walked briskly to the house, into the kitchen area where Queen Sayira was blowdrying our spoiled maltipoo, Zeus.  “Titi”, as I affectionately call her “Look!”  She turned around and gasped, immediately forgetting about the dripping mop of a dog and scurrying to take things into her hands.  She had that same, “Oh no, my child needs me” look on her face that I usually only see her have with animals, or at least not nearly as much as with our own kids.  I think the bird was a female, as it immediately Munched on her finger when it didn’t do anything to me at all.  You know, prolly cause I got that special touch wit da ladies.  Anywho…. Apparently, rescuing this bird was the best thing that could have happened to us in a while.  I had no idea, but that beautiful soul of a wife I’m fortunate enough to share a home with, has been keeping in some repressed emotions of pain and sorrow.  Nearly 25 years ago, prior to us being a couple, she lost some parakeets that she had as pets.  More than pets, they were a part of her home.  No cages, no restrictions, they just stayed with her for company and a steady supply of food.  Add a crafty neighborhood cat into the mix and disaster struck.  She was forced to pick up the pieces and watch as the only survivor flew away from her in terror, never to be seen by her again. Receiving this poor, chompy bird into her life was exactly what she needed.  She sat there with this injured bird, crying for quite some time, while our oldest boy Brett Jr helped out by blowdrying Zeus (AKA Mr Drippy).  The bird slowly regained its strength, spent the night with us and after eating some banana and getting a bath that it may or may not have wanted, a bloody-fingered Sayira decided it was time to see if it could take flight.  And flight it took!!  No sooner did she release it did it take off like a shot and then curved back spanning it wings fully chirping and squawking like crazy, probably calling out to its crew, and they immediately answered.  And she was gone.  (Yes, “she”.)  Later that Monday evening, Sayira told me how much it meant to her to have had the opportunity to save that one mini being.  It was for her, in a sense, a way of vindicating herself from what happened so long ago.  She had always unjustly blamed herself for that massacre so many years ago.  There’s nothing better than to watch as a loved one is able to win over their own demons. TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: Yoli’s Wisdom ATTT’S PHOTO TRAFFIC TICKETS BY EMAIL BEGIN IN JULY ATTT\’s photo traffic tickets by email begin in July. Starting from July 1, 2023, the Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT) will begin the notification process via email for infractions captured through the \”Foto Multa\” system. The project was announced by the Authority through a press release. According to the press release, the ATTT clarified that this measure will be implemented as a trial and will not result in financial penalties. Additionally, the statement adds that this initiative is part of a plan to raise awareness among drivers. The objective of the Transit Authority is to prevent actions such as: The institution responsible for traffic in the country reiterates in the press release that this measure will be carried out as a trial and will not result in any fines, penalties, or monetary charges. In addition, it outlines the steps to follow in the notification and verification process of the infringement, such as sending the notification via email. It explains that the email will contain the control number and a web link that will allow the offender to access the site and verify the committed infringement. According to the ATTT, the email will provide the driver with the opportunity to review the validated infringement in digital format, including photos and vehicle details, so that they can understand the nature of the violation virtually. READ HERE: FOTO MULTAS DE LA ATTT POR CORREO ELECTRÓNICO INICIA EN JULIO UTP IS POSITIONED AS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD UTP is positioned as one of the best in the world. The Technological University of Panama (UTP) has moved up in the global rankings, reaching the range of 951-1000 compared to last year, maintaining its position among the best universities worldwide. This achievement was highlighted in the latest ranking presented by the British consulting firm QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS World University Rankings), 2024 edition. The evaluated aspect that contributes the most to this positioning is the recognition it enjoys from employers. Through a statement from the higher education institution, it explains that in this global QS ranking, which covered