The Search for Sleep; State Revenues Grow 11.6% in 1st Half; Fuel Prices Drop in Panama.

Friday, August 22, 2025. The Search for Sleep From Henry IV, Part 2 (Act 3, Scene 1) – spoken by King Henry IVO sleep! O gentle sleep!Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down,And steep my senses in forgetfulness?This famous soliloquy explores the longing for rest in a troubled mind. Shakespeare likens sleep to a gentle nurse, soothing and necessary, yet frustratingly absent. Welcome to my world, and the world of so many others.Trying to sleep in a hospital is por el gusto (pointless), no matter which ward you’re in. The ICU allows for no rest at all: Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC) devices spring to life just as your body begins to calm, blood pressure cuffs inflate every hour on the hour, and the soundtrack of the night is made up of screams and lamentations from fellow patients. Add to that the constant temperature checks, blood draws, and the daily ritual of a cold-water sponge bath, and you realize that in hospitals, sleep is more theory than reality.Fast forward to home, and rest still felt elusive. I battled frequent wake-ups and endless trips to the baño. The hardest part wasn’t the interruptions themselves, but the painful effort of getting in and out of bed. A new back meant new adjustments, I told myself, so I chalked it up to post-op growing pains. Still, the IS (sacroiliac) joint flared each night, making rest feel impossible.Finally, I decided to put my investigative brain to the test, no small feat under the haze of medication. First experiment: sleeping in my recliner. During the day it gave me no pain at all, so why not? The results: zero pain, but very little actual sleep. Round two: I borrowed my son Brandon’s queen-sized bed (he gamely returned to his old bunk bed). The outcome? A full night’s rest, uninterrupted, right until my alarm. Eureka.But the real test remained. I went back to “the scene of the crime”; my old bed. Within 15 minutes, I was in agony, and getting out felt nearly impossible. The verdict was clear: new back + old mattress = new problems. Time for the next phase of recovery: mattress shopping. Or, as my queen calls it with regal flair, “Shoooooooopping!”The irony is that I’d been down this road before. Even prior to surgery, I did everything I could to maximize sleep. My old mattress was chosen through a method both simple and scientific: I sampled hotel beds until I found the perfect one, then hunted it down for my own home. Now, it seems the cycle repeats — except this time, Brandon’s mattress has proven the winning formula.Of course, a mattress isn’t the only factor. Sleep, real restorative sleep, is a recipe with many ingredients. Beyond the bed itself, here are universal elements worth considering if you want to achieve the elusive perfect night’s rest: Brett MikkelsonDirector, B.M. Investigations, Inc. TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: Cabinet Approves B/.5.207 Billion for the Canal and Adopts Measures on Río Indio On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved Bill No. 28-25, establishing the Panama Canal budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 at B/.5,207.2 million, covering the period from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026. The FY-2026 budget focuses on future investments, prioritizing water sustainability through the Río Indio lake project and business diversification (gas pipeline, port terminals, and logistics corridor). It also allocates resources for workforce development and well-being, management of traditional and western watersheds, and the sustainable, competitive operation of the Canal. A direct contribution to the National Treasury of B/.3,193.8 million is expected, representing a 14.5% increase (B/.404.3 million) over FY-2025. Payments to other state entities for income tax, social security, educational insurance, and employer contributions are estimated at B/.291.1 million. In the context of global challenges—climate uncertainty, technological advances, geopolitical tensions, and sustainability concerns—FY-2026 marks the start of an investment period aimed at strengthening the Canal’s business model and protecting the long-term value of this critical trade route. Following Cabinet approval, the budget will be submitted to the National Assembly as required by the Constitution and the Panama Canal Authority Organic Law. Río Indio Lake: Project of Public InterestThe Cabinet also approved Resolution No. 91-25, declaring the multipurpose reservoir project in the Río Indio watershed a project of public interest. This responds to community concerns about potential land speculation and irregular management. Two measures will protect residents’ rights: defining the project’s area of influence and its public interest status. The area of influence legally delineates which lands and communities are affected and establishes mechanisms to safeguard residents’ and landowners’ rights. Any land sales, new constructions, loans, changes in land use, or economic activities within this area will require Canal Authority approval. All state institutions are required to collaborate to ensure orderly project development and respond efficiently to community needs. The Río Indio lake aims to guarantee water supply for over 50% of the population and support regional productive activities, including Canal operations, for the next 50 years. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE New Rules for Donations: Panama City Hall Updates Manual The Panama City Hall, in collaboration with the technical team of the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGRP), has completed the standardization of the Manual of Procedures for the Receipt of Goods as Donations after several months of joint work. The process, led by the City Hall’s Internal Audit Directorate, lasted approximately six months with guidance from the Accounting Methods and Systems Directorate of the CGRP. “Our goal is to strengthen procedures in order to eliminate gaps we have faced when receiving donations,” said Isis Jurado, Director of Internal Audit at the City Hall, highlighting that the manual enhances transparency and reduces room for subjectivity. Publication and Implementation of Donations Procedures at Panama City HallThe manual will be published by the CGRP in the Official Gazette, officially coming into effect. Jurado noted that the next phase will be to train all administrative units of the City Hall to ensure proper implementation of the procedures. With this