Faith Beyond Proof; Watch Advisory for Swells and Currents in the Pacific; The Best Coffee in the World in 2025.

Friday, May 23, 2025. Faith Beyond Proof From the Field & The Heart In the world of influence and persuasion, we often hear about the importance of trust and confidence, and most books lump them together as if they mean the same thing. But the truth, at least in my experience, is that they’re profoundly different. And lately, I’ve come to see this contrast more clearly.  Not in a classroom or boardroom, but in the quiet, human moments of being a father. You see, I’ve come to understand that trust is conditional. I trust someone with my money because they have good credit and have paid me back before. I trust an employee to take care of a task because they’ve proven reliable. Trust is always earned, always based on some prior experience or track record. It’s an emotional contract built on history. But confidence, I now believe, is something entirely different.  It’s not basedCANV on their past, it’s based on my faith.  It’s not something they earn, it’s something I give.  And in many ways, it’s less about them and more about me, or perhaps, more accurately, something God may be whispering to me. When someone says, “I’m confident in this person,” they’re often saying it without full evidence. It’s not the language of verification. It’s the language of hope, of belief, sometimes of divine prompting. I’ve started to believe that when I say, “I’m confident in this person,” I’m really saying, “I feel led, even without seeing, to believe in them.” And that’s where parenting has made this lesson real for me. I can’t say I fully trust my children to do their homework or to take out the trash when I ask them to.  They’ve procrastinated.  (So much procrastination.) They’ve forgotten. They’re still growing.  But I have confidence that they will be great at whatever they apply themselves to. And that confidence doesn’t come from their record, it comes from something deeper, something unconditional. It’s a sense that, no matter what the present moment looks like, they’re becoming the people they’re meant to be. And I get to believe in that, not because of what they’ve done, but because of who they are, and perhaps who I know they will become. So here’s how I’ve started to frame it: “Trust is based on what I know about your past.  Confidence is based on what I believe about your future.” Both are powerful.  Both have their place.  But only one, confidence, allows us to believe even in the absence of proof, and sometimes, that’s where the real magic is. Until next time, Brett MikkelsonDirector, B.M. Investigations, Inc.Field Notes from a Life in Observation TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: Sinaproc Maintains Watch Advisory for Swells and Currents in the Pacific The National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) has issued a watch advisory for swells and rip currents that will remain in effect until Sunday, May 25, 2025, in various areas along Panama’s Pacific coast. According to the agency, the advisory covers the following regions: • Central Pacific: Southern Veraguas, Azuero Peninsula, and Coclé, with waves ranging from 1.4 to 1.8 meters in height and periods of 18 to 21 seconds.• Eastern Pacific: Gulf and Bay of Panama, Panama Oeste, and Darién, with waves ranging from 0.8 to 1.6 meters and periods of 17 to 19 seconds.• Western Pacific: Gulf of Chiriquí and its coasts, with waves between 1.4 and 2.0 meters and periods of 18 to 21 seconds. The Panamanian Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (Impha) reported a ground swell approaching the entire Pacific coastline of Panama. This condition could lead to rip currents and strong wave breakings along coastal areas. In light of this situation, Sinaproc urges the population to: READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Google Meet Will Translate Dialogues Between English and Spanish in Real Time Google Meet announced on Tuesday that starting today, it can translate conversations between English and Spanish while preserving the speaker’s voice thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). The announcement was made by the tech giant during its Google I/O developer conference. According to Sundar Pichai, the company’s CEO, this new feature helps people overcome language barriers “almost in real time,” while maintaining the speaker’s voice, tone, and expression. The tech giant showcased the new feature at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California—home to Google’s headquarters—with a pre-recorded video showing a conversation between an American and a Latina woman discussing a house rental, each speaking in their native language. “The result is an authentic and natural conversation, even across different languages—whether it’s English-speaking grandchildren effortlessly chatting with their Spanish-speaking grandparents, or colleagues around the world connecting from different continents,” Google said in a statement. For now, the tool is only available in beta for subscribers of the Google AI Pro and Ultra plans, but the company emphasized that it “will soon be available for businesses.” Google also announced that more languages will be added in the coming weeks, although it did not specify which ones. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Venezuela and Panama Could Resume Their Commercial Flights The website Informe Aéreo highlighted that, following discussions and negotiations, agreements were reportedly reached between Panamanian and Venezuelan aviation authorities. Commercial flights between Panama and Venezuela, which were suspended in July 2024, will be progressively resumed with flights to the city of Caracas. According to sources close to the matter, authorities are expected to announce the official date for the resumption of flights between the two countries. Informe Aéreo reported that sources from Venezuela’s National Institute of Civil Aviation confirmed that after a series of talks with their Panamanian counterparts, the reestablishment of commercial flights was agreed upon. However, airlines will now need to reorganize their schedules to cover cities in both Venezuela and Panama. Venezuelan aviation lawyer Rodolfo Ruiz shared the news on his X account, stating that direct flights between Panama and Venezuela will finally resume. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Prosecutor’s Office Issues Arrest Warrant Against Saúl Méndez and Genaro López for Alleged Fraud An