O-Dark-Thirty

FBAR (not to be confused with FUBAR, but the one can lead to the other) is a government required Foreign Bank Account Reporting that you must file if you have one or more foreign bank accounts that total more than $10,000 in assets. It is another of the methods the USA uses to track illegal drug trafficking money. I won't comment on how effective it all is, but there is a sort-of scam you need to be aware of. Yeah, you didn't want to read all that. Here's the scam. If you google FBAR, the very first link reads: Fbar Filing - FinCEN Foreign Bank Accounts Form - eFileFBAR.com and links to www.efilefbar.com. Don't click it! It's a legitimate link and they ask you all the correct FBAR questions. When you finish, they want you to pay them $350 to file for you ! Go to the FREE Government Link The government web site asks exactly the same questions, in exactly the same order and then lets you file for  FREE  with the USA. So what the "efilefbar...

Honestly, the best part about writing is having people read your work. Otherwise, what's the point? I had such a good time knowing that people might be reading Hunting August Moon , that I think I'll post my other fiction novel here, starting next Wednesday. It will take me a little time to do the formatting and posting, and, of course, I'll have a link to Author Comments when I have something to say about a chapter. So look forward to Safari in the Mist, A Von Crapp Brothers Tale . It's a fun read - and it's yours, one chapter at a time starting next Wednesday!

A bit over a year ago I started publishing each chapter of Hunting August Moon , one chapter each Wednesday. Now we're finished! I hope that all of you who logged on to read the story enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed my other posts as well. Feel free to chime in - that's what comments are for. And, yes, I'm working on a few other books, including the sequel to Hunting August Moon . So thank you to everyone. Now that all the chapters are posted, feel free to point your friends to the posts and have them read the book. If you really liked it, please post a review on Amazon.

A lot of US citizens expatriate to Latin American countries. On-line sources and magazines which specialize in advice for would-be expats point toward countries like Costa Rica, Panama and others as ideal locations for US people to relocate. Maybe, but I think they exaggerate. They used to extol the economic virtues of Panama, how we from the USA could live for less, or live a much better life for the same amount as here in the USA. That's no longer the case in Panama. Enough ex-pats have moved into Panama that the entire economic system there, at least for land and houses, is skewed toward the rich. Some of the local people we spoke to feel the pain of that shift. The web sites will tell you that most people in Panama speak some English . WRONG . In the cities, some people speak excellent English. Let me tell you of our foray into the country. We arrived in Panama City and took a cab (for $40, and without negotiation) to the Saba Hotel. I don't mind a small hotel, but...

You'll have to imagine the scene. Young men and women stand chatting with each other in a training yard, the hard-packed dirt beneath their feet barely raising any dust as they move from person to person. Each holds a sword of bright, shining metal, and the way they hold these swords show they know how to use them. Their eager faces shine in anticipation of today's lesson. Silence descends on the group as the Elder Paladin moves down the stairs. They expected him to be dressed in his silver armor, yet he is simply dressed in casual clothes. He doesn't even have his sword, though there is a dagger belted to his waist. His once dark hair is now almost completely grey, though his face shows few lines. His dark eyes survey the children before him - yes, they are trained soldiers, but to him they are children. "You've learned your lessons well, and are about to embark on your first great adventure. Great trials await each of you," he says, his voice quie...