-Morgan

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Cautiously, she stepped through the doorway. Thin strips of moonlight shimmered against the silver fabric of her dress. Her eyes, blue like the streaks in her black hair, moved restlessly up and down the street. Still no signs of life, not even a rat, not even one of the small, dirty brown sparrows that dared nest this far into the Night. She was completely, gloriously alone. The feeling was heady enough to let her pretend that she had never tried this before.

A few more steps and she let the doorknob slip from her grasp. The sound of her boot heels on the cold pavement echoed. It seemed deafening in the midnight silence. She shivered.

“You don’t scare me,” she whispered.

She looked back. The doorway made a white triangle of light against the gray-black of the city around her. It was comforting, a bright umbilical to the illuminated world that lay behind her.

“You don’t scare me,” she repeated confidently, now speaking instead of whispering. And again, “You don’t scare me!” Now she was defiant, grinning, drunk on her own courage and on the knowledge that this time was it, this was the moment. This was the night that Morgan Silver walked out into the dark and was not afraid.

And then a gust of wind blew the door shut with a sharp crack, and all the light went out.

Her words choked to a stop in the back of her throat. She looked up to the moon, but it was a thin crescent, mostly obscured by black ribbons of cloud, and it wasn’t enough. She brought her hands up in front of her face, to prove that she could still see them, and she could, but just barely, only barely.

“You don’t scare me,” Her voice came back to her, but it was different now. Not a declaration but a plea. “You don’t scare me. You don’t scare me you don’t scaremeyoudon’tscare…” rising in panic and then dropping to a terrified whine, her voice faded out with the light.

It was then that the shadows came, bits of black within that circled closer and closer. No one believed her when she said that this was what it was like, like they were living things attacking her, but she could feel them melting inside her, moving through her mind and pulling at her memories. It wasn’t long before her fifteen-year-old self was ripped away from her, and she was ten years old again.

It was dark and quiet, terrifyingly silent in a place that should have been filled with happy noise. A dull, warm breeze moved through her fingers, carrying what felt like dust. Or ashes. The strongest sense coming from the void in front of her, though, was the smell. Awful, ugly smoke, and blood so strong she felt as though she could taste it, and she choked, stumbling blindly through emptiness until she tripped over something that was soft under her shoes. Suddenly, she found herself lying beside a body, a body that was cold, unmoving, and bent in all the wrong places. She was close enough to see it, and she recognized the face.

She screamed, a blind animal wail of horror and pain, clawing at her face as if she could tear away the smell and the face and the awful, awful dark.

*  *  *

“Morgan!” Toby Silver called out into the echoing dark. “Morgan!” It was the third time this month. The third time he’d opened her door and found her bed empty. The third time he’d run out after her into the night, alone, unable to feel which way she’d gone, tired and helpless and filled with an anger he could neither direct nor repress. It was the third time this month that he’d felt his stomach fill with cold terror at the feeling that this time was it, this was the moment. This was the night that Morgan Silver walked out into the dark and did not come back again.

A sound, then, a voice in the darkness, and he was running toward the screams of a little girl. The dark, empty streets, normally so familiar, so comfortable, were suddenly menacing as they rushed past. Every corner was the same, dirty monochrome towers rising out of cracked pavement, and he didn’t seem to be getting any closer. His mind raced as fast as his legs. So many people who could find her out here, alone. The other gangs, grown cocky by his lack of a presence on these outer streets. The police, with their guns and their false ideals. So many people who could hurt her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a vague shimmer. Hadn’t she been wearing her silver dress, the family colors, when he’d seen her last, quiet and restless in the lobby that evening? A few more steps and he saw her, a thin spectre coming into focus out of the dark. She was alone, and that should have been enough to calm him, to let relief flood through his worried thoughts. But it was just the opposite, because Morgan didn’t know she was alone. She screamed and lashed out into the night, fighting off something only she could see. As he ran to her she turned on him, fingers curled like claws, as though he was one of the ghosts that haunted her waking dreams.

“Get away from me! Get away!”

“Morgan, it’s me!” he said, backing away, “It’s only me.”

Finally, the ghost of ten year-old Morgan let go its hold. She looked up at him, and he was caught off guard by the depth of his inability to understand her. He couldn’t understand why she did this to herself, week after week, bruising herself against the walls of an old fear, but more than that, he couldn’t understand the fear itself. They were Witches, he and Morgan, meant for the gloaming, meant for the thin twinkle of stars across the sleeping city. But Morgan Silver was afraid of the dark.

*  *  *

“Shh, it’s okay now,” Toby murmured, and she watched him looking down at her as if she were a child just woken from a nightmare. He brushed the tears from her cheeks, and then, with a low, tuneless song on his breath, drew his fingers over the scratches she’d raked into her face, and brushed those away too.

She would never tell him, but at times like these his resignation hurt her. His thin, desperate belief that this was normal, just a brother caring for his sister. The way he clung to the last possible threads of hope that his sister wasn’t mad.

When her tears were dried and scratches healed, her breathing slowed to normal and her mind firmly back in the present, he pulled her into a quick embrace, and then lifted her up as if she were still a little girl. She buried her head in his shoulder and didn’t cry, just like she hadn’t cried in that parking lot five years ago, after the body she’d clung to and tried so desperately to keep finally gave up its dust to the stars. Toby started murmuring under his breath, as if she couldn’t hear. As if she didn’t know she was too old, too heavy for him to carry, so much that he had to sing a spell to keep holding her like this. He still did it, though. Every time he found her like this he carried her home. She was too heavy, but still he carried her.

Der Roman spielt im 26. Jhdt, andere Planeten sind kolonialisiert und die Schranke zwischen organischem Leben und dessen Erweiterung und Modifizierung sind durch Cybertechnologien weitgehend aufgehoben. Sämtliche Eigenschaften eines Menschen sind in sogenannten "stacks" gespeichert, die fast beliebig in andere Körper ("sleeves") implantiert werden können, die Körper selbst sind nur noch (schmerzempfindliche) Hüllen. Für die Reichen ("Meth" von Methusalem) möglich, den Inhalt der eigenen Stacks regelmäßig extern auszulesen und abzudaten, nach einem eventuellen Tod kommt es durch Implantierung der externen stacks in einen neuen Körper quasi zu einer Wiederauferstehung. Der reale Tod kann nur noch dann eintreten, wenn der eigene "stack" zerstört wird. Entsprechend unübersichtlich und verwirrend gestaltet sich diese Welt, die Morgan durchgehend düster, in Grautönen, deprimierend, frustrierend, gewalttätig, tötend, folternd, im Grunde als eine Art Hölle darstellt (In meiner Phantasie hat Bay City unwillkürlich wie die Stadt im "Blade Runner" ausgesehen...).

Takeshi Kovacs, ehemaliger Angehöriger einer interplanetaren Eliteeinheit und entsprechend modifiziert und ausgebildet, wird von einem reichen Meth aus seiner Strafe freigekauft und beauftragt, den angeblichen Selbstmord des Meths als Mord zu enttarnen. Aus Mangel an akzeptablen Alternativen nimmt Kovacs, der in der Gestalt eines ehemaligen korrupten Polizisten gesleevt wurde, den Auftrag an. Seine Recherchen führen in sofort in ein unübersichtliches Geflecht von Intrigen und unterschiedlichsten Interessen. Sehr schnell gelingt es ihm, sich eine Menge Feinde zu machen, die in der Wahl ihrer Mittel nicht zimperlich sind. Ausgefeilte Foltertechniken gehören zum Standard dieser Leute, aber auch die Methoden von Kovacs zeichnen sich nicht gerade durch Feinfühligkeit aus. So durchzieht die Suche von Kovacs ein Spur von Blut und Gewalt.

Damit ist grob der Handlungsrahmen der Geschichte umrissen, aber natürlich bietet der ca 600 Seiten starke Roman viel mehr. Kovacz ist ein Einzelgänger, getrieben auch von Hass- und Rachegefühlen, oder (wie es im Roman heißt): er nimmt es persönlich. Und entsprechend handelt er. Doch auch dieser Einzelgänger baut Bindungen zu anderen Menschen auf und reagiert dann irrational. So gibt es immer wieder Überraschungen und Wendungen, werden einzelne Erzählstränge zusammengeführt und weiterentwickelt.

Morgan hat einen unheimlich fesselnden, düsteren Cyberkrimi geschrieben. Eine Sprache ohne Schnörkel, die mit seltsamer Distanz, fast neutral und nüchtern, die fiktive Welt des 26 Jhdts beschreibt. Gewalt ist integraler Bestandteil dieser Gesellschaft so wie Lüge und Betrug, von Morgan in deutlicher Sprache geschildert. Einzig in den nachdenklichen Phase, in denen Kovacs sein eigenes Leben und seine Erlebnisse reflektiert, weicht Morgan auf eine etwas leisere Sprache aus, die - ebenso wie in manchen "romantischen" Szenen einen leichten Hang zur Pathetik hat. (Auch hier habe ich mich ab und an an Blade Runner erinnert gefühlt: ich habe dinge gesehen, die ihr menschen niemals glauben würdet. ich sah brennende schlachtschiffe vor der schulter des orion, gleissende c-strahlen nahe dem tor des tannhäuser. all diese augenblicke sind verloren in der zeit - so wie tränen im regen. zeit zu sterben.) Doch sind diese Passagen kurz, und dann wird es meist auch schon wieder direkter.

Facit: Wer Gewaltdarstellungen nicht grundsätzlich ablehnt und einen spannenden, intelligenten Krimi sucht, wird hier fündig. Man sollte nur bedenken, daß es schwer fällt, das Buch wieder aus der Hand zu legen....

Links:
Eine weitere, ausführliche Besprechung findet man hier.
Der Wiki-Eintrag zum Autor mit weiterführenden Hinweisen

Richard Morgan
Das Unsterblichkeitsprogramm
Heyne, September 2004
ISBN-10: 3453879511
ISBN-13: 978-3453879515

Waktu itu nonton di rumah dgn teman2 sambil makan ice-cream...nyam nyam...

menurutku film-nya lumayan bagus, ttg seorang "biasa" yang bosan dengan hidupnya, karena tiap hari cuman begitu2 doank, tapi satu hari berubah 180° .

Ada humor, ada action, ada juga matrix, dan ada peluru2 yg bisa belok2... hihihi... ^_~

Menurutku seh nggak bosenin dan nggak rugi nonton...

• Thu 4th:
  All Inclusive (trip up the Potslingberg)
• Fri 5th:
  Ars Electronica Gala
  Schizogram
• Sat 6th:
  Campus | Tokyo Tour
  Electronic Theatre
• Sun 7th:
  Prix Forum II: Interactive Art
  acar2: WerkNetz - sustainable design of a cultivated equilibrium
  Prix Forum V - Computer Animation/Film/VFX
  Sonorous Embodiment
• Mon 8th
  Campus | Tokyo Presentation

Today was spent more on getting around Linz and trying to make the best use of the museum pass that we bought the previous day. The first step in the morning was to get the "wochen karte" for the local transportation. For 11 euros you will be able to travel for 7 calendar days. Luckily the lady at the tobacco shop understood what I asked her for.

We then took the tram to Haupftplatz (main place) and walked along the river bank to the Bruknerhaus to pickup our Festival passes. We then walked to the OK centre that we were planning to visit. It was closed... and the LandesMuseum, Nordico and Future museum that were on the way were closed too. After a quick trip to the Tourist information desk, we confirmed that the Schloss Museum, the Bilogiezentrum, the LinzGenesis and the Museum fur Geschichte des Zehnheilkunde in Oberosterreich were open.

We started by the Linz Genesis and Zahnheilkunde museum since they were right next to the tourist centre and mostly because they were not yet closed for lunch. The Genesis museum was a trip through the general history of the poeple and architecture of Linz and included a couple artifacts and skeletons. The Zahnheilkunde museum was about destistery and the tools used by dentists through the ages.

After a quick trip to the EuroSpar (supermarket) we went back near to the riverbank in the park between the Lentos and the Bruknerhaus for a picnic.

After ingesting the home-made sandwiches and chewing on the remaining salad, we set off to climb the mountain to the Schloss museum. The schloss museum is a castle set on top of the hill. It contains artworks, painting, artifacts and coins from the 1400's up. It was on renovation so many of the exhibits were closed. Today we did have quite a bit of bad luck museum-wise.

A walk back to the centre, an ice-cream to celebrate today's achievements (and to let Helen keep her "one ice-cream flavour per day" ideal), shopping for our dinner in the EuroSpar and trip back to the hotel. We did take the wrong tram and ended up having to walk back one stop to grab the correct one, but we are now all fine, slightly rested and cooking our dinner in the room.

Tonight we will plan the questions to be asked to the artists and continue planning our upcoming activities.

So far, my personal opinion on Linz is that it is quite a small town with seemingly friendly people. The language barrier is not too strongly ressented so far as most people try to help us by using english. It is true, though, that when they don't know english or don't dare using it, they will behave like any HK'er and speak only their mother tongue. Hopefully i can understand most of the time. I hope we will have better luck on the upcoming days, especially regarding the museums and exhibits but overall I think we are having a good time and a great experience.

Time to sign-off and dine.
More later,

morgan

PS. the blog posts will be written in turns every night but anyone of us might add extra material as we see fit. Tomorrow's blog post will be by Nick.
The photos of today's adventures will be uploaded soon.

The Dark Knight (2008)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/

Regi: Christopher Nolan

Manus: Jonathan Nolan og Christopher Nolan

Med: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman og Morgan Freeman

Spilletid: 152 min

En annen av mine absolutte favorittregissører, Christopher Nolan, kom i år med den andre filmen i rekken om Batman, etter Batman Begins. I tillegg har han en veldig imponerende liste med filmer bak seg, som Memento, Insomnia og The Prestige. Skuespillerne i The Dark Knight er et stjernelag uten like, med Christian Bale (nevnte The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma (tidligere på blogglisten min)), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, I'm Not There), Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking), Michael Caine (også The Prestige, Children of Men), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Stranger Than Fiction), Gary Oldman (Leon, Harry Potter 3-5) og Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en). Disse nye Batman-filmene er om mulig på linje med Ocean's-filmene når det gjelder stjernespekkede cast.

I The Dark Knight fortsetter sagaen om Batman (Bale), Gothams beskytter. Denne gangen er hans store motstander The Joker (Ledger), en tilsynelatende fullstendig gal og anarkistisk skurk. For å sitere Batmans butler Alfred (Caine): "Some people just want to watch the world burn." Batmans kjærlighetsinteresse fra den første filmen, Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal), er blitt sammen med Harvey Dent (Eckhart). Dent er district attorney (en slags hovedadvokat? Fant ikke noen logisk oversettelse), og veldig ambisiøs i tillegg. Sammen med løytnant Gordon (Oldman) fra politiet og med Batmans hjelp vil han renske gatene i Gotham for kriminalitet.

Batman Begins var den beste filmen basert på en tegneserie jeg hadde sett når den kom ut for 3 år siden. The Dark Knight topper den på alle måter. Helt fra første øyeblikk drar den deg inn, med en helt fortreffelig ransscene.  The Joker får intet mindre enn to av de beste introduksjonsscenene jeg har sett, for å ikke å snakke om latteren! Egentlig er hver eneste scene som involver jokeren noe av det beste og mest underholdende jeg har sett. Dette er en fantastisk spennende actionfilm med gode karakterer og en historie som ikke er redd for å snu og vende på ting. Nolan har utvilsomt gjort det igjen.

Skuespillmessig er dette helt perfekt. Heath Ledger spiller en så skremmende Joker at det er vanskelig å blinke med øynene når man ser ham på skjermen. Jeg glemmer helt at dette er en skuespiller, og håper inderlig på en Oscar. Veldig veldig synd at Ledger døde kort etter filmen var ferdig innspilt. Bale spiller Batman med samme sikkerhet som før, umulig å finne noe å klage på der. Aaron Eckhart forsvinner kanskje litt mellom de to store rollene, men dersom en tar seg tid til å legge merke til det, vil jeg si at hans rolleprestasjon er opp i mot like god som Ledgers. Det var også et bra trekk å bytte ut Katie Holmes med Maggie Gyllenhaal i rollen som Rachel Dawes, til tross for at jeg egentlig er i mot å bytte ut skuespillere i oppfølgere. Om Michael Caine, Gary OIdman og Morgan Freeman er det lite å si. Sikre som banken, slik de alltid er.

Visuelt er det veldig fint å se på, det virker som om stilen er videreført fra Batman Begins. Og så skader det ikke med de fantastiske kostymene. Spesielt er dressen til The Joker veldig stilig. Batmobilen fra forrige film er fremdeles med, men det er en twist med denne også. I tillegg må jeg si at det så virkelig vondt ut å bli slått av Batman i denne filmen. Utrolig harde slag han ga fra seg, kanskje mye takket være bra lyddesign. Musikken er også veldig bra. Mange ganger er det lite musikk, og så kommer den på akkurat de rette øyeblikkene, og man får en god følelse inni seg. Liker også veldig godt den spenningstonen som blir brukt, uharmoniske toner som barre stiger og stiger.

Filmen får nesten bare skryt overalt. IMDb's brukere gir den 9.1/10 (260 763 stemmer), noe som plasserer den på 3. plass på listen over de beste filmene noensinne. Nå går jo denne faktisk på kino ennå, så ingen Oscarnominasjoner foreløpig. Jeg blir sjokkert hvis ikke denne drar inn en del nominasjoner, men hvor mange får vi vente og se på. Ta og sjekk ut trailerene nedenfor. Jeg klarte ikke velge en, så du får to forskjellige. Så kan du se Batman Begins, og følge opp med å se The Dark Knight på kino mens du ennå har sjansen. Jeg har sett den to ganger allerede.

Why so serious?

Har du sett den? Gi din mening i kommentarene nedenfor!

No grazie, lo vedo anche troppo a X Factor.

Simona Ventura in merito alla presenza di Mara Venier e Luca Giurato come opinionisti all'Isola dei Famosi:

E’ stata una mia grande idea, e loro hanno accettato subito con entusiasmo.

Ecco, qualcuno dovrà spiegarmi (ma pure alla Ventura, eh) perchè Morgan non dovrebbe funzionare, mentre la coppia Venier-Giurato è una grande idea.

The first problem we encountered was that one of the laptops was forgotten in a taxi in HK on our way to the airport. So far there are no news from it. The second issue was that our handwritten plane tickets were not good enough to let us get all the boardng passes through to Linz, so at each airport we would have to re-print boarding passes. What we also learned later through our trip is that the incompetent lady at the checkin counter that promised that the luggage was checked through all the way to Linz only checked them in through to Vienna (as per our Beijing information). The lady took 30 min to check in only our 4 luggages.

After our 4 hour ride up to Beijing, we proceeded to exchange our handwritten tickets for some other handwitten tickets, that, in turn, would enable us to get printed tickets at the boarding gate. We dozed off at the gate, in turns, and waited for our boarding time, 2pm. 2.30 came and we finally boarded the plane. We took off from Beijing at 4.30pm after the staff took care to put tape on one of the emergency doors that had a faulty escape slide.

When arriving in Vienna, we rushed to the gate, where we were told that the plane would be waiting. Nobody was at the counter anymore. They just didn't wait. We then changed our tickets, went for our complementary snacks and flew to Linz in what must be the aircraft equivalent of the HK minibuses. It was a little 30 seat propeller powered plane.

We waited, and waited... and waited some more to finally realise that our luggage would never arrived. The time now is 3pm, Austria time, and our luggage finally arrived to the hotel an hour ago.

This morning we looked around our hotel and found the bus/tram stations as well as supermarkets. We also walked around the centre of Linz. This afternoon will be spent at the Linz Museum of Modern Art.

More when we come back, as well as photos.

morgan

August 29, 2008

Media manipulation is a set of tactics used by certain individuals and groups–especially those who have enough political power or money to control the news media–to discredit those who oppose them. Media manipulators use a variety of schemes to sway public opinion in their favor. Ultimately, most of these schemes are based on logical fallacy, and can be revealed by an astute observer. These tactics are essentially propaganda.

One of the most common methods by which public opinion is manipulated is by creating a “straw figure,”( EX:  a puppet dressed as a man) which is easier to attack than the real opposition.

A similar method is scapegoating or demonisation. In this case, problems are blamed on a small group, vilifying them.

If a scapegoat is not available, then manipulators may engage in ad hominem (A Latin phrase which has come to mean attacking your opponent, as opposed to attacking their arguments) attacks. In this case, criticisms will be ignored entirely, and the person or persons bringing the criticism will be attacked as individuals. An example of an ad hominem attack is to say, “It doesn’t matter what ERAP says about improving the state of education, because he was only a mediocre student himself.”

Distractions

There are two major ways in which distraction can be used to manipulate the media. The first, as exemplified by the 1997 film, Wag the Dog, is a created by way of a conveniently timed major event. A political leader will start a war or create another large incident to divert the public attention from certain issues that threaten the regime or leadership. In the case of Wag the Dog, a president creates a fake war to draw attention away from a sex scandal with a teenage girl.

USUALLY THE GOVERNMENT USES THESE MEDIA WHORES TO CREATE PROPAGANDA AND DISTRACT THE ATTENTION OF THE UNSUSPICIOUS MASSES TO WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.

AS ONE BLOGGER MSG I FOUND NOT TOO LONG AGO, THIS IS BEFORE I FINISHED MY THEORY ABOUT THE MEDIA AND THE DUMBING OF THE MASSES. HERE IT IS.

ith all the shows set on the TV nowadays I can honestly say that there is a media conspiracy to make people stupid. Just today my sister insisted on watching a so-called Filipino reality show just because they called it 'Pinoy' and we ended up watching all these youngsters eat breakfast, exercise to the tune of 'Mag-exercise Tayo' in the Visayan dialect and over all be goofy. I mean if that's not your idea of wasting electricity then I guess it's just plain old stupidity. This show is honestly like watching that teenage entertainment show of the 80's on another network, only this time we also get to see them bathe, brush their teeth and sleep.

How do we end their reign? Two options: 1) Get cable and watch the true prime shows 2) turn off the TV and read a book

[gallery]youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1oF-6DFcrA&feature=related]

We live in Panama with a child, therefore I often get questions from readers coming to visit Panama on vacation, and even expats living in Panama about what to do with their kids on vacation. Here are my suggestions for both the younger set and teens; some great ideas for adults as well.

DON YOUR PIRATE HATS AND SET OFF ON A MEMORABLE FAMILY VACATION
Panama offers a new world and a wealth of natural, fun, experiences--and what an education for both the kids and the adults (but don´t tell them that part). From the engineering man-made wonder of the Panama Canal to an abundance of nature´s treasures. Many destinations are within a couple of hours from the bustling capital city, so there is no shortage of excursions and activities. Panama was key in the history and development of Latin America and took center stage as the location for numerous pirate vs. conquistador battles, as well as the land route for transfer of Spanish treasure from the Pacific coast bound for Spain.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND THE CITY

WALK CASCO VIEJO: The most historic neighborhood in Panama City, many elegant buildings are now being restored. It is a World Heritage site. Around and within the old Union Club in Casco Viejo, check out where the latest James Bond movie (Quantum of Solace) was filmed, showing in theaters November 2008. After touring savor some of the best ice creams in Panama from GrandClement. French owned and run, wonderfully unique and traditional flavours! Location: Central Avenue and 4th street. Not in the mood for ice cream, try a traditional Panamanian Raspado near the boardwalk (grated ice with flavorings). Or taste both! Note: The wonderful museum in Casco Viejo is very nice for the adults but not too interesting for most children.
PANAMA VIEJO: Visit the site of the first Panama City, its interesting ruins, museum and go souvenir shopping at their Artisans handicraft market. A World Heritage Site.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE MARINE EXHIBITIONS CENTER (Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas): On Isla Naos, connected to Panama City by the Amador Causeway. The center has a museum with marine exhibits, two aquariums, and a nature trail through a small forest harboring sloths and iguanas. Open Tuesday to Friday 1 pm to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Nearby is the future site of the long awaited Museum of Biodiversity (2010).
RENT BIKES ON AMADOR CAUSEWAY: While you are out by Amador Causeway enjoy bike riding with your family. Rentals available from several locations where you can rent all types of cycles, from basic 5 speed bikes to lowriders to bicycles for 2 or 3, to pedal driven carts with a roof… From $2 per hour.
PARQUE OMAR: Once a private golf course, now the city´s largest park. Walk or jog around the some 5 km of paths shaded by large tropical trees. Parque Omar also has a simple gym, playground, tennis court, swimming pool, basketball court, soccer field, baseball field, outdoor halls, and a library. Various sports clubs meet there offering American Football and soccer, plus it offers a number of public events during the year. Located on Via Porras near the city center in San Fransisco. NOTE: Most city neighborhood parks have playgrounds.
PARQUE METROPOLITANO: A 655-acre wilderness park within the limits of Panama City. Offering trails, more than 250 species of birds and 40 types of mammals, it is also the site of a tropical research center. The visitors’ center is open 8 am to 4 pm daily.
ANCON HILL: The hill is a steep 654-foot hike but the reward is spectacular Panama City views; it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area with its giant Panamanian flag flying atop. When Henry Morgan sacked Panama City, his scouts used Ancon Hill to spy on the Spaniards.
It was under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone for much of the 20th Century, and was never developed like most of the city. It is possible to see sloths, coatimundi, armadillos, Geoffroy's Tamarins or deer on Ancon Hill which is now protected. It takes about 45 minutes, by foot, to reach the top from the parking area in Quarry Heights. Along the path you can see numerous species of vegetation and birds, including large number of orchids.
BOWLING: Enjoy bowling with a view at Sky Bowling, serving food and drinks by Bennigans on Avenida Balboa (in the Extreme Planet Building) or Bowling at Allbrook Mall.
EXPLORA PANAMA: A fun, science related, hands on, indoor learning experience for kids. http://www.explorapanama.org/ Tel: 230-3066 Area: Condado del Rey.
SHOPPING: An all time favorite, while MultiPlaza is a fabulous Mall with numerous high end and mid range shops you can also check out the more economical Allbrook Mall.
MOVIES: Although Hollywood movies offered in Panama arrive a bit later than North America it is a fun and inexpensive way to spend the evening. Price for a child and one adult is about $6 (not including the popcorn which will put you back the same or more). Many places offer kids animated movies in English only once a day if at all, so ask beforehand. There are plenty of cinemas in Panama, check the papers or ask at your hotel. Our favorite in the city is Extreme Planet, there are also cinemas at all the malls.
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKETS: Check out tropical varieties of fruit and vegetables. Delicious and very economical. The market on the way to Casco Viejo is new. Located a couple of buildings from the fish market on Avenida Balboa. There is another older, large wholesale market but it is located in a rough area so we cannot recommend it for visitors.
LEARN SPANISH: Short-term, half days, and intensive Spanish-language courses are offered by a number of Spanish language schools in Panama City and also several locations in rural areas. Homestay programs are also available.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE CITY

THE PANAMA CANAL: and its Museum at Miraflores Locks. The Museum is quite child friendly and the big ships are impressive to watch as they travel through the locks. About a 30 minute taxi ride from downtown Panama City.
TRAIN RIDE ALONG THE CANAL TO THE COLON: http://www.panarail.com Prearrange a bus or Taxi to take you back by road or first on a tour to historic Portobelo Town on the Caribbean.
BOAT TRIP ON THE PANAMA CANAL: Take a day trip on the Panama Canal by boat. See my "Activities" page in this blog.
TABOGA ISLAND: take the scenic ferry ride along the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal from Amador to Taboga (under 1 hour) for a few days to relax; spend the days at the beach and overnight at B&B Cerrito Tropical (oceanview beside the rainforest) – other activities that can be organized at Cerrito include fishing with a local from Taboga (reserve excursions in advance please), take a boat ride around the island to see the Brown Pelican Reserve, go snorkeling on a wreck, hand painted manicure and pedicure designs, hiking on trails that pirates and conquistadors used, practice Spanish with a tutor (advance notice required) and swimming at Playa Honda (which has very little current and nice for building sandcastles and beachcombing).
MONKEY ISLAND AT GAMBOA RAINFOREST: spend a couple of hours in a boat around protected islands beside the Panama Canal teeming with wildlife and monkeys that come to the boat for snacks.
RAINFOREST EXPERIENCE: The Panama Rainforest Discovery Center; http://www.pipelineroad.org/index.php?lang=en
SUMMIT BOTANICAL GARDENS AND ZOO: About 20 minutes from Panama City, six miles (10 km) past the Miraflores Locks. The gardens contain 15,000 plant species and nature trails. The zoo’s main attraction is the compound housing Panama´s national bird, the Harpy Eagle (endangered). Hours are 8 am to 4 pm on week days and 8 am to 6 pm on weekends.
PARQUE AQUATICO, AVALON RESORT: Water Park, 30-40 minutes from Panama City on the way to Colon in Las Cumbres. Open 2 days a week Saturday and Sunday only. $8.50 pp. (507) 268-4499
PARQUE SOBERANIA: This large park borders the Panama Canal and has several hiking trails through the rainforest, including the 11-mile Camino del Oleoducto (Pipeline Road), which attracts bird-watchers from around the world.
ISLA BARRO COLORADO: Barro Colorado Island in the middle of Gatún Lake was formed when areas were flooded during the building of the Panama Canal. The island is home to numerous plants and animals and is used as an outdoor laboratory by Smithsonian tropical research scientists. Barro Colorado can be visited on small-group tours given by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Tel: 507-227-6021/6022 in Panama City for information.
CANOPY RIDE AND HORSEBACK RIDES IN EL VALLE: The mountain town just 77 miles (124 km) from Panama City El Valle is famous for its Sunday market, gardens, nature walks, and pre-Columbian petroglyphs. The Canopy Ride takes adventurers on an exciting experience through the rainforest canopy. The Canopy Adventure is in El Valle near Chorro el Macho, a 195-foot-high (60 m) waterfall. http://adventure.panamabirding.com/#top, horseback riding can be found on the town streets, just ask when you arrive for directions. El Valle also has a small zoo and botanical garden with an amazing bird collection. Near the zoo there is a small family run serpentarium.
ISLA GRANDE EXCURSION: Located on the Caribbean Coast, 1-2 nights is perfect. Try Bananas Resort for a family get away. They offer a bus service from the city as well. We recommend that you take the bus because the drive is difficult on bad roads.
PORTOBELO: An interesting historical day trip from Panama City to the Caribbean coast. Visit the market that was center of trade in the America's has been restored and there is and its small museum. There is also a visitor's center in the town and a small artisan market.The Portobelo church has the black Christ statue. Lots of ruins and cannons and a beautiful harbor. You can rent pangas from there to take you out to private beaches and there are also, a couple of nearby dive places. A very, very quiet town.
FORT SAN LORENZO: Visit this historic fort on the Caribbbean side: http://www.sanlorenzo.org.pa/
SAN BLAS ISLANDS: Kuna indigenous people experience; 1-2 nights recommended. Archipelago of about 350 islands off Panama’s Caribbean coast. The San Blas Islands are home to the Kuna Indians, a unique indigenous people who retain many of their ancient traditions. The islands can be reached on a short airplane ride from Panama City.
EMBERA INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: Visit the Embera peoples´ village for the day. Boat ride up the river, swimming at a waterfall, hand painted tattoos (temporary), visit their village and learn about their traditions.
ISLA COIBA: Take a trip to Isla Coiba, one of Panama´s best underwater areas for diving or snorkeling, spot sharks, turtles, rays, numerous species of beautiful tropical fish. It is quite far from Panama City so allow several days for the excursion. Isla Coiba was once the site for a large prison and there is simple accommodation available, as well on the coast in the nearby towns you can find several offerings.
VOLCAN AND BOQUETE: Mountainous areas offering a complete ranges of options as well such as touring a coffee plantation or hiking in the mountains or river rafting on the Chiriquí River.
WILDLIFE RESCUE CENTER PARADISE GARDENS: BOQUETE. Enclosures for birds and animals set in 4 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens. Visitors have the opportunity to interact with some animals, especially monkeys. They also have kinkajous, several big cats, lots of parrots etc. etc. They concentrate on rehabilitation of animals with a view to returning them to the wild. Open every day except Monday from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is by a donation of $5 per adult. Children, no charge but they must be accompanied by an adult. Tel: 6615 6618, email; junglefotos@yahoo.com
SURFING: El Palmar in San Carlos (rentals available as well as lessons from a couple of locations): http://www.elpalmarsurf.com/?gclid=CMKX-snBuZUCFQukHgod2FJBQg, http://www.nomadsurfers.com/English/Panama/panama_sancarlos.htm
FISHING: Panama offers some of the best deep sea fishing in the world. A number of deep sea fishing companies offer tours out of the city plus there are several others along the Pacific Coast. If you don´t want to spend a lot, buy inexpensive rods at Do It Center or Abernathy (there are other locations in Panama City as well which sell gear) and head out to Amador Causeway where there is a public fishing pier. Or head for Taboga Island and fish off the pier or beach. There are also several small operators offering fresh water fishing in Lake Gatun, near Gamboa.
PACIFIC BEACHES: Dozens of idyllic white sand beaches line the Pacific Coast. Be very careful when swimming. There are very few lifeguards in Panama and currents can be strong, on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides. The drop offs on the Pacific side can be quite steep.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: Panama has 1800 miles (2850 km) of Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, there are numerous outdoor activities possible. Panama offers thousands of islands and coral reefs and 12 national parks. Many activities can be done independently, contacting a local guide or tour operator may make arrangements simpler. But some guides and operators will not work with businesses who will not pay them commission.
Suggestions for additional activities include: Swimming, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Surfing and Windsurfing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Sea Kayaking, Bird Watching, River Rafting, Cycling, Deep-Sea Fishing, Golf.

HOLIDAYS AND EVENTS
Carnival: The biggest event of the year in Panama is Carnival, celebrated during the four days leading up to Ash Wednesday. Music, costumes, dancing, and a large parade in Panama City all form part of the festivities. Many visitors escape the craziness and head for the interior or Taboga Island. All main villages and towns have their own celebrations but much more subdued than the city.
Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week): An important time for religious processions and events. Taboga Island has its own walking processions and event at the second oldest church in the western hemisphere.
Black Christ Ceremony: On October 21, thousands of religious pilgrims descend upon Portobelo for the Black Christ ceremony.
Boquete Fair: There is a 10-day flower and coffee fair (Feria de las Flores y del Café) in Boquete every January.
November Holidays: November is a month full of National Independence Holidays and parades, if you are traveling during November be sure to check your dates and what holiday is happening.
December: The month of December often has a Santa Claus parade for the kids which is quite nice, and many large companies put up gorgeous lighted displays for the holidays. Malls will often have a Santa as well as special events. December 8th is Mother´s Day in Panama, restaurants can be very busy. Christmas is a family time in Panama , traditional turkey can be found in major hotel restaurants and a few independent restaurants. New Years Eve offers numerous events which change annually. On Taboga there are family groups and couples coming to the island to enjoy the holidays at the beach on a toned down scale. There are some fireworks and fisherman set off noisy “tuna bombs” to scare away the evil spirits.
Jewish Holidays: Although Panama is mainly a Christian country there are many Jewish Panamanians who own businesses. Jewish holidays are celebrated and on the major holidays some businesses and offices may be closed.

GETTING AROUND: Panama has good roads and a well-developed intercity/regional bus system. However, Panama City’s public transportation is poor and often unsafe. We cannot recommend it for visitors traveling to Panama City. Taxis are inexpensive and the best way to get around town, for under $5 you can get almost anywhere in the city and outskirts. Ask your concierge how much should you pay and they will give you an idea. All the major rental car agencies operate in Panama City. There are a number of small airlines offering numerous flights to outlying areas from Allbrook Airport.

WEATHER: Located only nine degrees north of the equator, Panama has a tropical climate with a green and a dry season. The tourist season is year-round. The dry season, from December through April is the most comfortable time to visit is the busiest. Panamanian school children have their summer holidays during those months. The green season is also nice and the temperature can be cooler because of the cloud cover, expect some afternoon rain and humidity during the green season. The islands offshore experience a slightly different climate for example Taboga Island where we receive less rain than the mainland during every season and often have cooling sea breezes.
Temperatures in Panama City rarely go below 75º F (25º C) and highs can exceed 90º F (32 ºC). Mountain towns such as El Valle and Boquete are considerably cooler than lowland areas. Panama’s Caribbean coast receives much more rain than its Pacific side. Panama lies below the main path of hurricanes.

HEALTH AND SAFETY: Panama is a relatively healthy and safe country to travel in. However, malaria, dengue fever, hepatitis A, rabies, and yellow fever do present some risk for visitors. Discuss vaccinations with your doctor before leaving home. Tap water is potable in Panama City. Drink bottled water outside the capital. If you or the kids get sick during your stay, don´t hesitate to go to one of the major clinics. Medical services are very reasonable here and excellent. The pharmacies will also be quite helpful and a number of medications are available for sale over the counter. Bring any medicines you or your kids are accustomed to because some familiar brands cannot be found here.

Panama has created a special tourism police force to help protect visitors. Rural areas are generally safe, but there are several areas within Panama City which you should be cautious of: robberies have occurred in the Casco Viejo and Panama Viejo areas of Panama City. The entire Chorrillo area of Panama City should be completely avoided. The port city of Colón (1 hour from Panama City on the Caribbean coast) is dangerous for tourists (except for the Zona Libre).
TIP: Look for a taxi driver who is recommended by your hotel or someone you know, ask him what he will charge by the hour and have him stay with you for the day (about $10 per hour). It can be well worth it, especially if you are in Casco Viejo where there are few taxis to be found.

Use common sense and do not travel or walk alone wearing a lot of jewelery, large expensive bags, obvious cameras and electronics (cell phone and Ipods). When in public areas keep purses on your knee or over your shoulder. Jeans and pants with pockets are the favorite street wear in Panama.

PACK YOUR DAY BAG: travel everyday with sunscreen, mosquito spray, hats, packable rainjacket and bottled water. If you will be spending a lot of time in the water at beaches, pack a small bottle of vinegar; it is often helpful with jellyfish stings. In even in the smallest Chinese minimarket you can find snacks, but maybe add some granola bars to your day bag so you are not dependent on street food.
KEEPING KIDS ENTERTAINED: Things in Panama tend to move slower so include something to do for today´s kids who are used to being entertained all the time--it really depends on the age but a general list for ages 5 and up could start with: inexpensive digital camera, binoculars, sketch pad or journal with colored pencils, deck of cards, Spanish beginners dictionary and so on.
An excellent suggestion just came in, in fact my son´s teacher in Japan once asked him to write a story about Panama and keep a journal. Contact your children´s teachers before you leave to find out if there is anything they will be studying that would have a connection with your destination, for example: rainforest, biodiversity, animals, climate, oceans, indigenous people, Caribbean slave history, Spanish history, pirates and so on.

NOTE ON TRAVEL WITH STROLLERS: City sidewalks are not well maintained and mostly have no stroller/handicapped, so travel with the most portable stroller you have or opt for a baby carrier.

NOTE ON TRAVEL WITH BABYSITTERS:Panamanians love kids and most hotels can arrange to have one of their staff to babysit, and some exclusive hotels have Nannies.

If you have any questions or ideas to be added to this article please feel free to add a comment at the bottom of this article. For more information on Taboga Island, please visit my other website: www.cerritotropicalpanama.com, or contact me at info@cerritotropicalpanama.com

Morgan is getting so close to crawling. She tries and works so hard at it all day. I'm sure by the time daddy is home in a couple weeks she will be crawling all over! She is getting good at sitting herself up from laying down and has taken a step or two while in the crawling position. She just can't get the coordination yet on keeping it going. Soon though she will get it, and then I will wish she wasn't crawling still lol.

[caption id="attachment_121" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="She does pushups better than I can lol"][/caption]

I think we may just take crawling straight into walking. Then I'm in trouble!

En este caso presentan unas imágenes de Dexter en una especie de parodia de algunas de las revistas americanas más conocidas (Rolling Stone, Esquire, Wired o el suplemento del New Yorker).

En ellas aparece el asesino más conocido y carismático en la portada, siguiendo el clásico estilo de cada revista y anunciando el estreno de la temporada (que recordemos es el día 28 de Septiembre).

Sin más os dejo con la imágenes:

New Yorker

Esquire

Rolling Stone

Wired

Hay que reconocer como se la han currado los chicos de Showtime.

Vía: series adictos.

Morgan: booooooo.

Drew: heyy

Morgan: how was class!?

Drew: it was okay

Drew: I pretty much sat in 2 different rooms for 2 hours and talked

Drew: and I get to go do it again at 2

Drew: and then at 4

Drew: and then at 7

-

Drew: ok I seriously think perry is avoiding me now or something

Morgan: why!??

Drew: yeahhh

Drew: but idk what the deal is, he hasn't responded to anything I've sent him and he hasn't called me in forever

Morgan: wow.

Morgan: aaaaaand me either.

Drew: I'm just gonna be like whatever till he decides to talk to me

Drew: have you talked to him at all?

Morgan: nopee

Morgan: i texted him yesterday but NOTHING.

Morgan: i haven't heard a word from him.

Morgan: its kinda disheartening.

Drew: it's like he died

Drew: maybe we should have a funeral

Morgan: Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today...to mourn the loss of an individual, and celebrate the joining of two to become one.

Morgan: oh wait, wrong funeral.

Drew: ha

Drew: sounds more like a marriage

Morgan: i mourn at weddings.

Morgan: i wore all black to my cousins.

Morgan: because i hated her fiance

Morgan: and then BOOM he left her.

Drew: lol

Drew: wait wait wait

Morgan: waiting........

Drew: for a gay wedding

Drew: do they have best men or best women?

Drew: I mean, I could fill that cathedral with my hags

Morgan: hmm...probably best women, real butch dyke-esque looking women.

Drew: lol

Drew: well I don't have any of those

Drew: except you

Drew: but that doesn't count

Drew: :]

Morgan: aw, you ALMOST made a funny.

Drew: yeah I try

Drew: I mean...

Morgan: yeah i know.

Morgan: so i'll give you a B- for the effort

Drew: ok

Drew: well I still have a 3.0

Drew: change of plan

Drew: I'm just going to start spamming perry till he responds

Morgan: spamming?

Drew: yeah

Morgan: wow. he's a shitty boyfriend.

Morgan: like shitttttyy

Drew: yeah I had that thought this morning

Morgan: he goes through all this trouble and drama to get you back dragging ME out to va beach aaaaaaaand now the does this?

Morgan: where is my gratitude!?!

Morgan: bitch ;/.

Drew: yeah this is an obvious smack in the face to you

Drew: I would be insulted

Drew: let's drive to bridgewater and pimpslap him

Drew: and then just leave

Morgan: deal.

Morgan: i mean seriously. after EVERYTHING i went through to get you back together, and he doesn't even TRY anymore? I'm gonna beat him over the head with a broom.

Drew: like, his away message says he's watching house

Morgan: BITCH

Drew: I seriously doubt he's not sitting behind his computer

Drew: and let's face it

Drew: for as much as he used to call me this is really weird

Morgan: no i don't think so because he has Zz's.

Drew: it's all a lie

Morgan: whats a lie?

Drew: his Zz's

Morgan: how does aim lie?!

Drew: idk it just does

Drew: omg some ugly ass queen is trying to get a date with me!

Drew:

“1:04pmCorey: ya latin 101 i should have stuck with french lol

1:04pmDrew: I took latin back in high school, it's really easy

1:05pmCorey: then let me take you to lunch sometime and you can help me lol”

Morgan: WOAH

Morgan: oh damn he's friends with will!

Drew: who?

Morgan: wil schindler

Morgan: and thomas fiscella

Drew: omg

Drew: seriously

Morgan: OMG MY PUSSY IS OUT RoAMING THE HOUSE#!

Drew: what the fuck

Drew: he wants me to go to va beach with him sunday

Drew: seriously what the eff

Drew: does he not see that I'm in a relationship!?

Morgan: tell him you have a boyfriend.

Drew: I'll just change my status to something about perry and that will solve everything

Morgan: hahaha there you goo

Drew: fin

Drew: oh my god I need to shave

Drew: crucially

Drew: for reals

Drew: seriously

Drew: omg

Drew: like, I really need to

Drew: inexorably

Drew: without doubt

Drew: GENAU!

Morgan: omg.

Morgan: for really

Morgan: you need

Morgan: to

Morgan: relax

Morgan: right

Morgan: now

Morgan: because your like

Morgan: freaking out.

Morgan: k?

Morgan: thnx.

Drew: is it bad that I hate gay people?

Morgan: no

Drew: like seriously

Morgan: cuas ei hate all people.

Drew: I hate 90% of them

Morgan: i really hate people in general.....so its not bad.

Drew: brb I'm going to take care of this facial hair situation

Morgan: 87% of the population hates gays anyways...why should gays be different?

Morgan: kkkkkk do it.

Morgan: love you <3

Drew: back

Morgan: yay

Morgan: and i'm going to take a shower!

Morgan: haha jk

Morgan: but really

Morgan: in a few

Morgan: cause then

Morgan: i have to go get

Morgan: a job

Morgan: :/.

Drew: ew

Drew: that's disgusting

Morgan: i know.

Morgan: waitressing

Morgan: how laaaame.

Drew: I have class at 2 so wait till then

Drew: at least you can get effing employed up there though

Drew: not like the YC

Morgan: haha how about 130ish.

Morgan: yeah good point

Drew: idkkkkkkk

Morgan: hopefully i can get employed

Drew: just flash a little nip

Drew: you'll be good

Morgan: Oops, i dropped my purse....."benddd and SNAP"

Drew: except don't hit the manager in the face with your head

Morgan: duly noted.

Drew: if all goes well you'll have a job, and maybe some extra on the side!

Morgan: well aren't you just the sweetest little thing there sugar!

Morgan: gotta practice that good o'l southern accent...

Drew: hahaha

Drew: true story

Morgan: i mean, i'm like, exotic up here...they've got asians and new yorkers and californianites and wisconinians and japs and italians and irish...but nooo southerners.

Drew: just drink really sweet tea a lot

Morgan: so, in order to make myself marketable, i must BECOME my boss, shirley, the 70 yr old woman from smithfield that swore like a salior, and you could never understand a word oout of her mouth besides honey and well i'll be darned

Morgan: and of course, god damnit shit fuck and christ.

Drew: hahaha

Drew: oh yes

Drew: how ironic?

Morgan: i must become what i hate in order to save the universe.

Morgan: sounds kinda batman-esque.

Drew: lol very much so

Morgan: speaking of tell me why i still haven't seen that movieeeeee

Drew: I don't know

Drew: it probably has something to do with your garrish spending habits

Morgan: most likely.

Morgan: i spend all my money on booze and rock and roollll

Drew: yeah seriously

Drew: we need another crazy wine night

Drew: you can pee in the street again

-

Morgan: uhg.

Morgan: can i just transport my room, rent free, to richmond? along with my car and my daddys checking account? like, PUHLEASE>!!!?!!?

Drew: we would have SO much fun

Drew: oh my god I can't even imagine

Morgan: i know right?!?!

Morgan: damn

Morgan: i think you should just move up here, and go to julliard with me

Morgan: you can major in english there and have an amazing education

Morgan: and we'll be like

Morgan: running NYC

Drew: I mean, as musically gifted as I am

Drew: oh wait

Drew: I'm not being sarcastic

Morgan: i know

Morgan: continue

Drew: lol

Drew: I'll be going to NYU for grad school though

Drew: maybe we'll meet up there?

Morgan: COOL!

Morgan: cause i'll be at julliard

Morgan: a year or so behind you

Morgan: because i'm an idiot and i flunked out of FPU haha

Morgan: so

Morgan: i'm going to smoke

Morgan: and shower

Morgan: and get a job

Morgan: so i'll talk to you later

Morgan: love youuu

Drew: ok

Drew: