Just click HERE to access link.

Much of it is outdated, so we make it available here for free: Panama Money Secrets. Download part 1, 2 and 3 plus a map. You have to be a member of the "Real Estate" community to access the files.

 Not a member of the Panama Sphere yet? Sign up here!

Well, the Democrats in Panama is a group to take into account! Big players in the international scheme of things! Here are the results:

 

Hillary Clinton: 48 votes (37.2%)
Barack Obama: 79 votes (61.2%)
John Edwards: 1 vote (0.8%)
Dennis Kucinich: 1 vote (0.8%)

A total of.... 129 votes!

More global results here.

This sunday 17 february SUNTRACS organized a wake in Panama City for Airomi Smith, the member who was assassinated last week in Colon. Only a handful of people attended, maybe 25. Here are some B&W pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due to the possibility of violent protests throughout Panama City 
during morning rush hour, the Consular section, will delay its 
opening on Thursday, February 14 to 9:00 a.m. The demonstrations are 
in response to the killing of a member of Suntracs, a construction 
worker's union in the city of Colon.

For personal security and safety reason U.S. Citizens are therefore 
urged to avoid Punta Pacifica/Paitilla neighborhoods of Panama City 
and the area around the University of Panama where the demonstrations 
will occur.  By avoiding these areas you minimize risk and avoid 
turning yourself into a potential target as an innocent bystander.  
U.S. Citizens should also exercise additional caution at all times 
when moving around city.

For updated information on the security situation in Panama, please 
contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy at 
207-7000.  The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy is located in 
Building 783 (besides the Colegio de las Esclavas), in the Clayton 
section of Panama.   The Consular Section fax is 207-7278.   The 
Embassy web site is http://usembassy.state.gov/panama and e-mails 
should be address to Panama-ACS@state.gov.   

From 6 o'clock this morning angry SUNTRACS members have barricaded streets all over Panama City after one of their members was shot in the back and killed by a policeman yesterday in Colon.

 The police was unable to stop the protesters. Students of the University of Panama took to the streets as well, blocking the Transistmica, and again the police could do nothing.

 President Torrijos has ordered a full scale investigation into the assasination  of the union member yesterday. However, SUNTRACS wants an independent commission to investigate instead of the police investigating the police. Union leaders pointed out that two killings last year, one at the new highway to Colon and another who was working for the controversial Isla Viveros project who was also killed by a policeman, have not been investigated in a satisfactory manner.

Similarly, SUNTRACS denounces the fact that its construction workers work in projects without required safety measures being in place, which caused tens of workers to die last year. But nobody is in jail or even investigated.

The riots in Panama City are expected to continue tomorrow and probably the days thereafter. If you have news or pictures, please sign up and post them here! 

 

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK IN BOCAS!

March, 2007: Pictures of the nearly dry

reservoir when Bocastown ran completely

out of municipal water for a couple weeks. 

Decemebr, 2007: Pictures of the coastal road

past Big Creek towards Bluff Beach. 

http://tinyurl.com/2qthqn

There is something about this picture that, well, we can't quite put our finger in on.

Okke Ornstein - I wrote Sam Taliaferro over at the PrimaPanama blog last week after I had found a new video on YouTube from Ruben Blades' IPAT promoting Panama. After watching it a couple of times, I wrote to Sam:

"I don't know what you think but I don't see anything in these spots that could not have been shot ANYWHERE in the region/Caribbean. There's nothing specifically Panamanian in them. It's just a bunch of almost random steadicam shots jammed together on - whatever that music is they used."

(The SteadiCam, by the way, is a camera mount with a gyroscope fixed to your body that allows you to make smooth walking shots. In Panama they aren't available to the best of my knowledge, you need to rent one in the US plus a good operator and it takes FOREVER to get these shots done.) Well, before we continue, let's watch the video:

 Am I right or am I right? This could, for all practical purposes, have been shot in the Ardennes and Antwerp, in Belgium! Some You Name It, We Frame It outfit has obviously been paid a scandalous amount of money for this monstrum.

 I suggested Sam T. that we get together and figure out a way to do this better, get the tourism industry lined up and do a real campaign. I haven't heard from him about it other than that he's talking on his blog about the ads, but eventually the tourism sector in Panama will need to do something to offset the ineffective wasting of money by IPAT. Any ideas?

Instant update: Maybe they can ask the James Bond crew to shoot some decent promotion footage? 

US visa restrictions in particular and hostility to foreigners in general are again making it easier to travel to and from Europe without dealing with the Americans. There is now Air Caraibes air service between Panama and France that consists of Wednesday and Friday Panama to Guadeloupe flights, connecting to flights from that French Caribbean island to Paris.