NEWS/BLOG

New York, Crime and Cricket

I’ve never been big on summer reading. I believe books are to be enjoyed year round and perhaps more than ever in the winter when there’s less to do outdoors. But in any event I’d like to recommend a novel I enjoyed very much,
Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland.

The hero is a Dutch expat, living in New York just after Sept. 11, 2001, working as an oil analyst for a major investment back (we don’t hear much about that), and becoming involved with cricket and a cricket enthusiast named Chuck, who is from Trinidad. (we do hear a lot about cricket). There’s an appreciation of New York that as rivals Woody Allen’s use of the city in his films. There’s enough about cricket to demystify the game or almost. And there’s a glimpse of small-time criminal activities as well. What happens, however, isn’t nearly as important as the way the story is told and it is told beautifully.

By the way, any Amazon purchase made after clicking on one of our Amazon links helps support our website. Whether you buy this book or read a library copy, as I did, get your hands on it.

Tell us what you’ve been reading as well as sending your ideas on great places to live.

Live Aboard a Cruise Ship

Live abroad or live aboard? There is a difference, of course, although both require an adventuresome outlook. Living aboard usually means having your own boat or yacht, but now there’s talk of living aboard cruise ships. It’s billed a type of retirement, although there’s no reason you couldn’t take your high-tech work gear along.

Here’s how it works. You buy a “residential liner property” consisting one bedroom cabin with a kitchenette and living room and bath, which could be as small as 325 sq. ft.. Prices start at US$16,026.65 for fractional use, which means you get to be there for 1/13 of a year. Or you could simply buy a property for as little as $208,346.42.

Want more space? No problem. There are two decks with luxury accommodations which range from just under one million to over five million. Sizes are from 1,000 sq ft, to 6,100 sq ft. Some have a lanai. For more information, see www.cruiseresortclubs.com/

Naturally, some due diligence is necessary before plunking down your money. We should probably say, too, that we are not affiliated with this outfit in any way.

The Greenback Wallops the Euro

The Chinese chose 8-8-08 as an auspicious day tor the opening of the Beijing Olympics and it was a good day for the U.S. dollar as well. An index that tracks the greenback against the currencies of six countries that are U.S. trading partners climbed 1.6% at 75.72 on Friday, August 8, 2008, reaching a five-month high. That’s a total gain of more than 3% since the recent low on July 15.

This resulted in a sharp slide in energy and other commodity prices, and triggered a rally on Wall Street with the S&P 500 up 2.4%, the Nasdaq 2.5% and the Dow 2.6%. Foreign stocks are not the hedge many had hoped for, and Chinese stocks have been especially disappointing lately. One U.S. sector that seems to be outperforming the market right now is biotech.

The U.S. economy is still not exactly thriving, but it is not in negative territory either. Exports are strong and consumer spending is still positive, offsetting the difficulties in the housing sector and in the credit markets. The U.S. grew at a 1.9% annual rate last quarter.

A Second Look at Panama

Mercedes de Marchena responded to our recent posts on Costa Rica: “Panama is next door, with amazing rain forest, beaches and mountains. The people are friendly and service oriented, and they are efficient. The banking system is first class, they use the dollar as currency and health care is excellent and cheap… Maybe it is time to take a second look at this wonderful, peaceful yet very modern, up and coming place.”

Born and raised in Panama, she now travels there often to visit her mother. “We have an apartment in Panama City and love the cosmopolitan feel of the city. It has changed a lot since I lived there. The bay is being cleaned up and a new road is being built to get from the Corredor Sur into the Casco Viejo, the old colonial city. There are restaurants and nightlife, casinos and luxury hotels. Life is cheaper than in the U.S.or Europe, and the city is so lively. We usually stay there a couple of days before we travel into the interior to go where my mother lives.

“The small city where my mother has lived most of her life is called La Tablas in the Azuero Peninsula. Life there is like it was in everywhere in Panama many years ago. Everyone knows everyone, and people still sit in their verandas and visit. The colonial church dominates the central plaza, and around it are the stores and small restaurants and business. People go there at night to enjoy the coolness after the sun goes down. Life is slow and to be savored.

“Yet you’ll find everything there. Supermarkets are stocked with a wide variety of items and you can also get local produce and fruits very cheaply. You can even have seafood and fish delivered fresh to your doorstep.

“Healthcare is excellent. When my mother had a stroke a year and a half ago, and she received very good care at a large hospital. She had a therapist come to the house for months at incredible low rates ($12/hour) and now has nurse caring around the clock for about $20 a day. You can’t get that anywhere else. Everywhere in Panama, high quality health care is inexpensive.

“Financial institutions and banks work efficiently and are up to world standards. I can send money directly there from the U.S. We got a mortgage for a house we bought there without any problems. Service is superb and you can rely on these professionals.

“About 40 minutes away, there is the town of Pedasi. This even smaller town has world-class restaurants and hotels. Celebrities have discovered this wonderful place, among them, Giles St Giles , the French architect and his wife, who own “Villa Camila” and Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, who has a home and lands here… I could go on and on, but I think I need more space!”

Mercedes de Marchena is a free-lance writer now living in Miami after living 20 years in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Read more about her life in the Caribbean at her blog, http://www.expatinthetropics.blogspot.com.  She is also
the author of a book, Such is Life in the Tropics: How Difficult Can It Be to Survive in Paradise?

For more on Panama and some reasons for choosing to live there, see http://liveabroad.com/articles/panama.html.

Canada Deports U.S. Deserter

An American soldier who fled to Canada to avoid being sent to Iraq has been deported to the U.S. where he will face charges of desertion. He had been in Canada three years and was placed in custody after being denied refugee status there. An estimated 200 members of the U.S. military are currently in Canada, but this is the first instance of deportation.

Anti-war demonstrations were held at the Vancouver-Seattle international border crossing and in front of Canada’s Federal Court in Toronto yesterday to condemn the Canadian government’s decision. An estimated 200 American army deserters have sought refugee status in Canada. Nine are facing immediate deportation orders this summer.

Canada has strict immigration requirements. Refugees are admitted, but must also meet certain requirements.