Friday, August 1, 2025.
Back to Work After Time Away: Why It’s Always Tough
Getting back to work after being out for a month is no small feat, whether that time was spent recovering from surgery or enjoying an unforgettable vacation with family. Either way, the return is tough. The reasons may differ, but the challenge is real.
When you come back from a meaningful vacation, especially one with people you don’t get to see often, it’s the emotional adjustment that hits hardest. Your mind is still somewhere else, lingering in moments of laughter, shared meals, or quiet sunsets. The inbox and routine waiting for you at work feel jarring by comparison. You’ve had a taste of something refreshing, maybe even healing in its own right, and letting go of that isn’t easy.
Coming back after surgery is a different kind of difficult. Your body may still be in recovery mode, and the forced stillness of healing creates a rhythm that’s hard to shake. The pain might still be there, sometimes dull, sometimes sharp, and pushing through that to sit at a desk, stay focused, or move with energy feels like a marathon in slow motion. You’re working with less than full capacity, and every task takes more out of you than it normally would.
This week was my first full week back after a month of surgical recovery, and it was rough. I started off with determination, but by hump day I hit a wall. I had to take the day off just to catch my breath and stay in the swing of things. That break wasn’t a sign of weakness; it was part of the process. Or maybe I’m just a wimp like my queen says.
Whether you’ve been away for rest or for healing, getting back isn’t just about showing up. It’s about recalibrating your mind, your body, and your expectations. You’re not who you were before the break, not yet, maybe not ever in quite the same way, and that’s okay. You’re finding your way back, and that takes time.
So if you’re struggling to get back into the groove after time away, give yourself some grace. The path may not be smooth, but taking it one step at a time is more than enough. I’ll let you know how next week goes!
Brett Mikkelson
Director, B.M. Investigations, Inc.
TOP NEWS and TIDBITS:
President Mulino Promotes Joint Commission with the Panama Canal for Major Projects
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, reported that he held a key meeting with the Panama Canal administrator, the Board of Directors, the Minister for Canal Affairs, and his team of advisors, with the goal of aligning the investment plans of the interoceanic waterway with those of the central government.
President Announces Bilateral Project Commission
As a result of the meeting, it was agreed to create a bilateral commission to jointly evaluate and promote the Canal’s strategic projects. Although the four projects were not specified, they are expected to have a significant impact on national infrastructure and the economy.
Mulino was clear in stating that this new coordination does not mean the Executive Branch will interfere in the Canal’s decisions:
“By this, I do not mean that the government will interfere in the Canal’s decisions. The Canal is part of the Panamanian State, which I happen to lead as head of government,” the President affirmed.
He also criticized the disconnection that has existed between the two entities:
“It was unheard of for the President of the Republic not to know the details of each of the Canal’s projects, and for the Canal to walk its own separate path while the government walked another, as if we had nothing to do with each other.”
Millions Return Home After Tsunami Alerts Lifted in the Pacific
Tsunami alerts issued after a powerful earthquake in Russia — one of the strongest ever recorded — were lifted on Wednesday along the Pacific coast, allowing millions of temporarily evacuated residents to return home.
The magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Wednesday morning (23:24 GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 20.7 km, about 126 km off the coast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
More than a dozen countries — from Japan and the United States to Ecuador, Mexico, and Colombia — warned residents to stay away from coastal areas.
Forecasts predicted storm surges up to four meters in some parts of the Pacific, causing widespread disruption.
Peru closed 65 of its 121 Pacific ports, and authorities in Maui canceled flights to and from the Hawaiian island.
Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, destroyed by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, was shut down as a precaution.
However, fears of a major disaster did not materialize. One by one, countries lifted or downgraded their warnings and told coastal residents they could return home.
Japan, which had initially issued an evacuation alert for nearly two million people, lifted it on Wednesday night.
The only reported fatality was a woman who died in Japan when her car fell off a cliff as she tried to escape, according to local media reports.
“All Calm Now”
In Chile, authorities ordered the evacuation of 1.4 million people in coastal areas — “perhaps the most massive evacuation” so far in the country, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
On Easter Island, a Chilean territory about 3,500 km from the mainland and home to around 7,000 people, waves reached up to 70 cm.
In Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, about 1,000 km from the mainland, where waves of up to three meters had been expected, there was relief when the navy’s oceanographic institute declared the danger over.
Local residents reported that the sea level dropped and then suddenly rose again — a phenomenon common with an approaching tsunami. But only a surge just over one meter was recorded, without causing damage.
“We’re all calm now, back to work. Restaurants have reopened, and visitor sites (for tourists) too,” said Isabel Grijalva, 38, a resident of Santa Cruz, one of the islands in the archipelago.
Earlier, national parks and schools had been closed, loudspeaker warnings had been issued, and tourists were evacuated from boats to shore.
The tsunami alert for Mexico’s Pacific coast was lifted at 19:17 GMT. President Claudia Sheinbaum had previously offered reassurance: “There’s no damage,” she said at a press conference.
“It Was Terrifying”
The greatest damage occurred in Russia, where a tsunami flooded the port of Severo-Kurilsk in the Kuril Islands, about 350 kilometers from the earthquake’s epicenter, submerging the local fish processing plant.
Footage from Russian state television showed buildings and debris swept from the shore into the sea.
“Luckily we had prepared a suitcase, we had one with water and clothes by the door. We grabbed it quickly and ran… It was terrifying,” said a Kamchatka resident to the state media outlet Zvezda.
The surge reached the city’s World War II monument, about 400 meters from the coast, according to Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov.
The initial quake caused limited damage and only minor injuries, despite being the strongest earthquake since the magnitude 9.1 quake off Japan in 2011 that triggered a tsunami, killing more than 15,000 people.
Russian scientists reported that the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted shortly after the earthquake.
“Red-hot lava can be seen flowing down the western slope. A strong glow and explosions are visible above the volcano,” reported the Russian Geophysical Service.
The initial quake — the most powerful in the Kamchatka region since 1952 — was followed by at least six aftershocks that shook Russia’s Far East, including one of magnitude 6.9.
The earthquake was among the ten strongest recorded worldwide since 1900, according to the USGS.
The USGS estimated a 59% chance of another aftershock with a magnitude greater than 7.0 within the next week.
Panama Advances Its National Semiconductor Strategy with a Global Vision
The Government of Panama, through the National Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation (SENACYT) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICIPMA), announced the launch of the National Semiconductor Strategy, aiming to integrate into the global supply chain of the sector.
The President of Panama highlighted that this initiative, supported by universities, local companies, and international partners, will focus on key areas such as assembly, testing, packaging, and design. The initial investment planned is 105 million dollars over the next five years, primarily aimed at training Panamanian talent.
Panama Launches National Semiconductor Strategy
“I met with the director of SENACYT to ensure Panama takes a firm step toward the technology economy with this national strategy led by MICI and SENACYT, together with universities, the private sector, and international partners,” the President stated.
With this strategy, Panama seeks to position itself in a key sector for technological and economic development, leveraging its strategic location and human potential.
United States and India Launch Earth Observation Satellite
A powerful satellite developed by India and the United States was launched on Wednesday to detect tiny changes in land and glaciers, aiming to anticipate natural hazards and phenomena caused by human activity.
Named NISAR, the satellite took off at 17:40 local time (12:10 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeast coast. The live broadcast showed team members applauding and hugging after the launch of a mission that strengthens the relationship between India and the United States.
“Congratulations to India!” reacted Jitendra Singh, India’s Minister of Science and Technology, on the social platform X, convinced the initiative “changes the game.”
Its goal is to map “the surface of our planet” and “its constant and significant changes,” said Karen St. Germain, head of NASA’s Earth Science division.
“Some changes happen slowly. Others suddenly. Some are consistent, while others are subtle,” she emphasized.
With the capacity to detect these tiny changes, on the order of one centimeter, scientists will be able to see early signs of natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, or aging infrastructure like dams and bridges.
It is “the most sophisticated radar we have ever built,” said St. Germain. Equipped with a 12-meter parabolic antenna that will deploy in space, the satellite will photograph almost the entire Earth’s surface and its glaciers twice every 12 days, from an altitude of 747 kilometers.
India aims to examine its coastal areas. The data will also help guide agricultural policies by mapping crops, monitoring plant health, and soil moisture.
NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the workload. The U.S. space agency contributed $1.2 billion to the project, while ISRO spent around $90 million.
India’s space program has evolved considerably in recent years. In 2014, it put a probe in orbit around Mars, and in 2023, landed a robot and rover on the Moon.
India has also sent its first astronaut, Shubhanshu Shukla, to the International Space Station (ISS), a key step toward its first independent manned mission, scheduled for 2027.
Counterfeiting Coins Punished with Prison Sentence
Counterfeiting coins or introducing counterfeit coins into the national territory is punishable under the Penal Code articles 376, 377, 378, and 379.
The penalty ranges from 5 to 8 years in prison for anyone who counterfeits or alters national or foreign legal tender currency in the Republic of Panama.
According to lawyer Alfonso Fraguela, “it is important to assess who the people involved in this whole operation are.”
Fraguela added that actions involving large quantities could be classified as crimes against public administration, money laundering, or terrorism financing.
Seizures
On Saturday, July 26, inspectors from the Directorate of Customs Prevention and Inspection (DPFA), during an inspection at the Guabalá Integrated Control Post in the province of Chiriquí, found a green bag and four piggy banks colored red, blue, and green containing approximately 2,000 Panamanian Balboa coins known as martinelis. These coins showed possible signs of counterfeiting, such as accumulation of rust, inconsistent weight, and differences in material.
One of the people involved claimed that the coins were handed to him along with a box of pencils by an individual of Asian descent in the Chilibre area, whose name and whereabouts are unknown.
The merchandise was seized for possible crime against public trust and transferred to the National Customs Authority headquarters in David city, Chiriquí, for technical evaluation by experts. The citizens were placed under the jurisdiction of the Public Ministry.
In November 2024, the Third Section for Economic Heritage Crimes of the Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office seized a total of 15,252 one-Balboa coins.
One person of Asian origin was arrested in the operation named “Troquel.”
Australia Will Ban YouTube Access for Under-16s
Australia will use its historic social media laws to prohibit those under 16 from accessing the video platform YouTube, a minister announced Wednesday, citing the need to protect children from “predatory algorithms.”
“There is a place for social media, but there is no place for predatory algorithms targeting children,” Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a statement.
“We want children to know who they are before platforms decide who they are,” she added.
Australia announced last year it would adopt laws banning children from accessing social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram until they turn 16.
At that time, the government had indicated it would not include YouTube in the restriction given its educational use.
A YouTube spokesperson called the announcement a “stunning turnaround.”
“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video-sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly used on television screens,” the company said in a statement.
“It is not a social media network,” it added.
