For the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the Catechumens (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptized), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the minister who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his or her own forehead and then on those of congregants. The minister recites the words: "Remember (O man) that you are dust, and to dust you shall return", or "Repent, and believe the Gospel." Lent, in Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan. This practice was virtually universal in Christendom until the Protestant Reformation. Some Protestant churches do not observe Lent, but many, such as Lutherans, Methodists, and Anglicans do. (Source: Wikipedia)

Editor's Comment: So, Carnival is five days of "getting it out of your system" so you can be relatively purged by the time Easter and Holy Week come around. Today marks the start of Lent. After awhile you become accustomed to the ebbs and flows of the Panamanian party calendar. Next up - taking a few days off at the beach during Holy Week, and drinking all of the booze you had stashed in the house so that no one can see you... One more thing - the thousands of Panamanian women who are now pregnant thanks to Carnival (although they don't know it yet) will give birth during the last week of November 2010, so it becomes harder to keep your employees at work during that time. Have I been in Panama too long?   

A $10 million exhibit of California Gold Rush sunken treasure, the fabled “Ship of Gold,” will be publicly displayed during the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo on February 4–6. The exhibit includes historic gold coins and huge gold bars—one of them weighing in at more than 50 pounds—recovered from nearly 8,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. “The Central America was carrying tons of California gold when she sank in a hurricane in September 1857 during a voyage from Panama to New York City. About $10 million of that gold will be exhibited in an eye-opening public display housed in a specially-constructed 40-foot long representation of the ship’s hull,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman. The exhibit is courtesy of Monaco Rare Coins of Newport Beach and involved months of work to coordinate the display with collectors who privately own and now have generously loaned many of the items for the exhibit. Robert D. Evans, the chief scientist on the 1980’s mission that located and recovered the fabulous sunken treasure, will be at the exhibit each day during the show to meet with visitors and present educational programs about the Ship of Gold. In addition to seeing gold, a free gold coin will be awarded daily to a lucky, registered visitor. Visitors will also see an exhibit of early American silver half dollars minted from 1794 to 1832. Many of the superb-quality rare coins in the collection are the finest known of their kind. A children’s treasure hunt will be held on Saturday, February 6. Educational programs and collectors’ clubs meetings will be conducted during the show and are open to the public. Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas, the world’s largest collectibles auction house, will hold a public sale of U.S. coins. The public hours of the Long Beach Expo are Thursday and Friday, February 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, February 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $6 (good for all three days); $4 for members of any coin or stamp club who display a valid membership card; and $3 for seniors 65 and older. Free admission for children ages seven and younger. Discount coupons are available online at www.LongBeachExpo.com.   

Today Panamanians are celebrating 46 years of the saga of 9 January 1964, in which 20 Panamanian students were killed and several more injured while trying to fly the Panamanian flag in the former Canal Zone, which at that time was under American rule. The attempted rescue of Panamanian sovereignty, led by students from the National Institute, whose sole intention was to ensure that the national flag fluttered next to the flag of the the United States, as established in an agreement between both nations, was opposed by the so-called "zonians" and U.S. troops. The clash between the two groups began with a scuffle which ended the Panamanian flag being torn and had the outcome the tragic deaths of Panamanians. (Source: Denise Lara for Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Please see this article on Wikipedia about Martyr's Day in Panama. On this day in 1964 violent clashes broke out between rioting students and the US military. This event is recognized as the catalyst eventually resulting in the 1977 signing of the Torrijos-Carter treaty, the return of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control, and the complete withdrawal of the US military bases from Panamanian soil. This event happened 46 years ago today, so the people who were teenagers at that time are in their early sixties now. When I was first stationed in Panama in 1987, the US military would call the road that runs between the former Canal Zone and Panama City "4th of July Avenue" while at the same time the Panamanians would call it the "Via de los Martires" which is what it is called today. I have an original copy of the 24 January 1964 "Life" Magazine featuring students and protesters climbing a light pole to fly the Panamanian flag. This day is the Panamanian equivalent to our Boston Tea Party - a single act of defiance eventually resulting in national sovereignty. Think what you want, hold any opinion you want, but today is a good day to hold your tongue in public out of simple respect for those who were killed.   

By Jonathan Ellowitz - The call rang around the world: Gold in California! Of the 300,000 fortune-seekers who flocked to America's West Coast, at least 4,000 were Jews. The majority hailed from Prussia and other German-speaking lands, though others came from France, Spain, England, Poland, and America's East Coast. These Jews proved crucial to the establishment of American civilization in the Far West. Levi Strauss and the Capitalists - Unlike other forty-niners (a reference to 1849, the year the Gold Rush peaked), most Jews in the Gold Rush avoided the down-and-dirty work of mining. They typically were single men who wanted to take their chances with the alleged riches California promised, but they also wanted economic stability and the possibility of family growth in the future. Miners moved from town to town chasing gold discoveries; their intransient work was hardly family-friendly. So the Jews who went west, many of whom were already trained in business, became prodigious commercialists. They seized the opportunity to establish reliable lines of supply to meet miners' demands for boots, clothing, hats, and equipment. Some Jews worked as prospectors or engineers in mines, but most started supply businesses. Levi Strauss was the most famous German Jewish entrepreneur to exploit Gold Rush fever. Born in Bavaria in 1829, Strauss immigrated to New York City in 1847 to help run his two older brothers' dry goods business there. In 1853, he journeyed to California via the notorious Panama route. He sailed to the Isthmus of Panama (decades before its canal was opened), disembarked, and journeyed via mule and canoe through 60 miles of malarial swampland. At Panama's Pacific coast, he boarded a ship for San Francisco--the city that had become the hub of the Gold Rush.    Click Here To Read The Full Article (689 words)

David, Chiriqui - After having served a prison sentence of 19 years, 11 months, and four days, Julio César Miranda (a.k.a. "Muñecón"), one of those convicted in the murder of Hugo Spadafora, was released from prison. Miranda was released Sunday morning, 3 January 2010. He was imprisoned for almost twenty years in the public jail in David in the province of Chiriqui. 26 days of Miranda's sentence were commuted for studies he did while incarcerated, said Orlando Guerra, the director of the prison. Guerra said Miranda was the last of those involved in the Spadafora case who was still imprisoned in Chiriqui. The prison director simply said "he served his sentence." (Editor's Comment: From Wikipedia - "Spadafora was detained by Noriega's forces when entering Panama from Costa Rica in September 1985, and his decapitated body was later found stuffed in a post office bag. The autopsy later found Spadafora's stomach full of the blood he had ingested during the slow severing of his head. He had also endured hours of unspeakable torture. President Nicolás Ardito Barletta tried to set up a commission to investigate the murder but was forced to resign by Noriega, which increased suspicions that the military ordered the beheading. It was not until the administration of President Guillermo Endara that a court found Noriega (in absentia) and other followers guilty of a conspiracy to murder Spadafora.") (Source: Boris Gómez for La Prensa)   

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kurt Muse received the Army’s Freedom Team Salute Commendation for helping to overthrow Panamanian General Manuel Noriega. In the 1980s, Muse, an Army Veteran, operated a bandit radio station in Panama that broadcast messages of freedom to the Panamanian people. He was arrested and imprisoned for nine months. The radio station, called Voice of Liberty, encouraged Panamanians to vote Noriega out of office. “We beseech you to vote,” one broadcast explained. “Together we can bury General Noriega’s dictatorship under a mountain of ballots.” Twenty years ago on December 20, 1989, the U.S. Military launched Operation Just Cause, the liberation of Panama, involving the largest parachute combat jump since WWII and the largest military action following Vietnam. One of the initial actions involved freeing Muse. Army Delta Force Soldiers landed by helicopter on the roof of Muse's prison and neutralized the guards. Next they blew the lock off Muse's cell and escorted him to the helicopter. Upon their departure, their aircraft took fire and eventually crashed. Soon an armored vehicle arrived and whisked Muse and his rescuers to safety. Muse was back in the United States in time to celebrate Christmas with his family. “Kurt Muse is a patriot,” said Colonel David Griffith, the Director of Freedom Team Salute. “It is a privilege to be able to honor him for the sacrifices he made in the name of freedom.” Freedom Team Salute is a Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff program that gives anyone the opportunity to say “Thank You” to discharged Army Veterans or civilians who provide support to Soldiers. It also gives Soldiers the opportunity to honor their parents, spouse and other family members for their sacrifice and support. Further, National Guard and Reserve Soldiers can honor their employers. The Freedom Team Salute Commendation consists of Certificate of Appreciation and Letter of Thanks signed by the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff and a customized Army Lapel pin.   

By CINDY HORSWELL for the HOUSTON CHRONICLE - As Christmas approaches, 85-year-old former President George H.W. Bush reflects back to a long dark December night 20 years ago today when he ordered the military invasion of Panama. “Lot of people don't realize that it ever happened,” Bush said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle last week. “But I remember the importance of bringing military dictator Manuel Noriega to justice and bringing democracy back to Panama.” In the annals of U.S. military and war history, the Panama invasion doesn't get much notice. The decisive conflict nicknamed Operation Just Cause lasted less than a month and was quickly overshadowed by the Persian Gulf War. Today, its scope in terms of duration and numbers of lives lost doesn't compare to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But nonetheless, for those who served a role in Operation Just Cause the 20th anniversary of the invasion brings back personal and powerful memories. The invasion order came after critics had called Bush a “wimp” for not protecting American citizens in Panama and the 51-mile canal built under President Theodore Roosevelt's leadership that was then still under U.S. control. “I don't think the canal was in danger but it could have been,” Bush said. “Yet that was never the main thing that motivated my decision.” 23 U.S. troops died. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (812 words)

By ARISTIDES CAJAR PÁEZ for La Prensa - The sounds of helicopters shook the dawn of July 27, 1987. Then later explosions and the rattle of automatic weapons announced the start of a military assault. Something was happening in that house in Altos del Golf where Colonel Roberto Díaz Herrera lived, who until just a month ago was the Chief of Staff of the Panamanian Defense Forces. After being forced to retire by General Manuel Antonio Norega in early June 1987, Díaz Herrera had decided to speak out. He said things that until then had only been rumors about the outrages that were being committed by the Panamanian military, who held the real power in Panama. He talked about the electoral fraud of 1984, and about the assassination of former Vice Minister of Health Hugo Spadafora, who had denounced Noriega for having participated in drug trafficking, corruption, and the sale of visas, among other things. During that month Díaz Herrera's house in Altos del Golf became the center of a kind of pilgrimage, an oasis of rebellion in the middle of a city and a country, besieged by forces loyal to Noriega. Opposition leaders, foreign correspondents, and former adversaries met there under the watchful gaze of Noriega's agents, precariously defended by a few poorly armed loyalists, defectors from the security forces, drawn the the recent and growing charisma of the rebel military chief. That is when the world learned about everything that had been happening in Panama. But on that July morning Noriega had decided to tell his former comrade in arms: "Enough!"    Click Here To Read The Full Article (787 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - When people ask me about Operation Just Cause and the invasion of Panama on 20 December 1989, one of my favorite lines is "I didn't have to invade because I was already here..." Actually, I arrived in the summer of 1987 and my arrival coincided with the first significant anti-Noriega demonstration by the "civilista" movement which was just getting on its feet at that time. Here in Panama every time the anniversary of the start of the invasion rolls around, the Panamanian people spend a considerable amount of time engaged in reflective psychological hand-wringing - discussing and debating all kinds of themes and issues surrounding Just Cause - Noriega, what things were like before the invasion, should we call it an "invasion" or a "liberation," how many Panamanians died, the social and economical costs of the invasion, stuff like that. Some still see the United States, and especially the US military, as some kind of a huge demon to be feared. Many others say things in public that are more politically correct (for consumption among their Panamanian friends) but secretly they feel thankful for the invasion and the levels of freedom and democracy the Panamanian people have been enjoying as a result. With the anniversary fast approaching, I felt compelled to write a few paragraphs from the point of view of a foreigner who has been here to witness some amazing degrees of change in this country. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,926 words)

BY LILY GORDON for the Ledger-Enquirer - Fort Benning will mark the 20th anniversary of Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama, with a jump at 11 a.m. at Fryar Drop Zone. Col. Charles Durr, Maneuver Center of Excellence chief of staff, was involved in both the operation and the planning of this event. In addition, Armor School Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxell was a tank commander with C Company, 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor Regiment (Airborne) assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade at the time of the invasion. Both will be in attendance at today's jump.   

La Prensa - Torchlight parade - Symbolizing their control over fire, a sea of torches illuminated Vía España last night during the traditional parade held by the "red shirts" of Panama's Fire Department to celebrate of the department on 28 November 1887, 122 years ago. It is an institution composed of brave men and women who enjoy the respect and appreciation of the Panamanian people. (Editor's Comment: Traffic was completely and totally hosed up last night as this parade was getting organized near the intersection of Via Brazil and Vía España. I mean, like cement - no one could go anywhere, in any direction. There were traffic police standing in the middle of the intersections looking perplexed because there was nothing they could do, no open spaces through which to send traffic. It was a total cluster, and it appeared as if no one had spent thirty seconds planning this event from a traffic impact point of view. Typical for Panama. Anyway, happy birthday fire dudes...)   

By WILLIAM S. NIEDERKORN for the NY Times Traveler - An upbeat annual report by the Isthmian Canal Commission was released yesterday by the War Department, and included an explanation for the increase in the project’s estimated cost, to about $375 million from $144 million. “Prosperous conditions in the United States, combined with the unsavory reputation that the Isthmus had regarding its healthfulness, made it necessary, in order to secure labor, to increase the wage scales from 30 to 60 per cent over those paid in the United States for similar classes of work,” the Chief Engineer, George W. Goethals, wrote. “Certain gratuities, as additional inducements, were also offered, which in the main have since been continued. Moreover, the provisions of the eight-hour law were made applicable to the isthmus.” Canal Report Shows Good Progress Made; Col. Goethals’s Summing Up of Year’s Work at Panama Published by War Department; Explains Increase in Cost; Subsistence Department Runs 17 Hotels — 12 Schools for White Children and 17 for Colored Maintained   

Manuel Solis, 91, who served briefly as Panama's president during Manuel Noriega's military regime, died Friday at his home in Panama City. Mr. Solis was education minister during the military regime dominated by Noriega and then was named acting president in February 1988 after President Eric Arturo Del Valle was fired. Mitchell Doens, the secretary-general of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, said that Mr. Solis fought for Panama's sovereignty and led the movement in the 1940s against the U.S. military presence. His term as president ended with the 1989 U.S. invasion that ousted Noriega. - AP   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Ah yes, it's now just about the "most wonderful time of the year" in Panama. It rains like hell in November which then turns into the Panamanian Summer (dry season) - and during these months nobody wants to work - at all. The holiday season officially starts next week, and now you won't be able to get a damn thing done in this country until after "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) - Easter will be on Sunday 4 April 2010 next year. So mark your calendars accordingly and set your frustration meters to "calm the hell down." In November the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 28th are all official national holidays to celebrate Panama's independence from Spain, Colombia, as well as Flag Day. There will be a lot of celebrations and parades, and most importantly - buttloads and buttloads of beer. Mother's Day is always on the 8th of December, and Mom likes beer (urp). From there we slide right into Christmas, New Year, and lots more beer to celebrate all of that stuff. They typically outlaw sales of beer for Martyr's Day on 9 January, but it's still a holiday so stock up and plan accordingly. Carnival in 2010 falls on Monday Feb 15 and "Fat Tuesday" Feb 16. Of course that means you can get anything done from 12 to 17 February. Few gringos know that the expression "Fat Tuesday" actually comes from the Latin "ego imbibo nimium damno beer per carnival quod iam ego sum pinguis" which means "I drank too much damn beer during Carnival and now I'm fat." The hangover lasts until Holy Week in April. You can expect that anyone who's supposed to be working will only have one thing on their mind - how can I get paid more money right now so I can buy more beer to drink during (fill in the name of extra long holiday weekend here). They are going to tell you that they have some kind of a problem, their dog blew up, dead grandmother, sick aunt, bad hair day, butt boils - whatever. Just smile, hand over the money, document everything, and set your phasers to "chill." April is just around the corner, so enjoy the dry season once it starts. Might as well, because you won't be able to get a damn thing done anyway...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By Delfia Cortez for La Critica - More than 35,000 people are expected to make the pilgrimage today, 21 October 2009, to participate in the festivities of the Black Christ of Portobelo, which started at 7:00 am this morning with mass as the Church of San Felipe. Since last weekend the historic town of Portobelo has been visited by nationals and foreigners who come to celebrate their faith in the Jesus Nazareno de Portobelo, who is considered by followers to be a miraculous saint. For portobeleños and devotees from different parts of the country the festival on 21 October is to remember that over 300 years ago when the image of the Black Christ arrived in Portobelo, the plague of smallpox disappeared from the town. That's why every October 21 in the village there are festivities to honor the saint who arrived at the town in an accidental manner after being abandoned by a ship that preferred to leave it behind and to continue their journey after they were threatened with increasingly heavy seas every time they tried to leave with box carrying the image.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - It occurs to me the vast majority of English speaking expatriates now living in Panama were not here in 1989. Many gringos knew little of Panama or Panamanian politics in the 1980's. Obviously Operation Just Cause and the US invasion of Panama on 20 December 1989 was enough to cause global headlines, but even that was all about the removal of Manuel Antonio Noriega, the brutal, ruthless, drug trafficking military dictator. But today if you took a poll of people in the United States, you would be hard pressed to find anyone familiar with the name Guillermo Endara. Today as Panamanians mourn Endara's passing, I thought it would be appropriate to provide some historical context for our readers - to explain a little about what Endara means to Panamanians, and why today is a special day. When Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the decisive Battle of Gettysburg, he opened with the phrase "Four score and seven years ago." Of course you know a "score" means twenty, so he was making a reference to 4 July 1776 and the birth of the United States as a nation just 87 years before. Interestingly enough, if Guillermo Endara had made a similar speech on the day he was sworn in as the new President of Panama in 1989, he could have started his speech with "four scour and six years ago" - in reference to 3 Nov 1903, the day Panama was created as an independent nation - just 86 years earlier. Endara represents many of the same traits to Panamanians as Abe Lincoln represents to Americans. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,003 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - 1977 - The Panama Canal treaties were signed by U.S. President Carter and General Omar Torrijos Herrera. The treaties called for the U.S. to turn over control of the canal's waterway to Panama in the year 2000. In 1977 the year 2000 seemed like it was a long way away. Now, nine years after the Panama Canal has been returned to Panamanian control, the waterway is being managed safely and efficiently. What most people don't realize is that during the entire time the US was managing the Panama Canal, it was run basically as a not-for-profit enterprise. The US charged just enough tolls to pay for operation and maintenance costs. Once Panama gained control they abandoned that philosophy and they have been sucking every possible dime out of the canal through increased tolls and fees. The Panama Canal is still the cheapest option for shippers, the increased tolls are passed along to consumers, and Panama the country is starting to perceive the economic benefits from the canal for the first time. Of course, Panama has always benefited from the existence of the Panama Canal in the form of jobs, services, and consumption - but now with the Panama Canal in Panamanian control, and especially once the Panama Canal is expanded in 2014, then the real money is going to start pouring into this relatively tiny country of only 3 million inhabitants.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This year we will be celebrating the Independence of the United States of America against the backdrop of the unfolding political crisis in Honduras. This is a great time to reflect on a little history. In 1776, the United States itself was born out of revolution, a passionate desire for individual rights and freedoms, amidst the flames of a crises fanned by the actions of a single man - the ruthless dictator (king) in England. "We The People" simply decided enough was enough. They threw off the yoke of oppression and wrote a Constitution, the first of it's kind in the history of the world, designed to ensure no single man or king would ever rule supreme again, and that the power would remain in the hands of the people forevermore. Now, some 233 years later, the people of Honduras have done basically the same thing. One man, Manuel Zelaya, intended to do anything necessary to remain in power as the President of that country, including breaking the law and violating the very constitution he swore to protect. Knee-jerk leftists, primarily Hugo Chavez and his ilk, are screaming bloody murder over the legal actions taken by the Honduran Supreme Court and Congress to remove Zelaya from power. I say to hell with Hugo Chavez and anyone who agrees with him. In about four months there will be a new election in Honduras. The people there will speak again when they democratically elect a new president, and this entire event will be forgotten, by most. But not by me. In my humble opinion the removal of Zelaya will stand forever as a patriotic act by free Hondurans who moved to ensure the power remained where it should - with the people. They learned this trick from us, and for that they should be resoundingly applauded, by us. Honduras will sail through some choppy waters for the next few months, but who cares? As far as the United States and President Barack Obama is concerned, shame on you! I am absolutely embarrassed by the spineless, knee-jerk response from Washington with regards to this entire evolution, but in fact I am not surprised in the least, all things considered. I assume we can expect more of the same from Washington with regards to Latin America for the remainder of his administation. Remember when Hugo Chavez stood at the podium in the UN saying he could still "smell the sulfur" from where the "devil" of President Bush had stood? Well, now I'm waiting for the administration of Barack Obama to invite him to the White House for a state dinner or something similar. Whatever - 233 years is nothing to sneeze at. Freedom and democracy in the United States has survived this long, and of course it will continue and survive for the long haul, even if the current defender-in-chief of our most prized document, our Constitution, fails to recognize an opportunity to reach out and support a truly democratic act in our own hemisphere, in a part of Latin America where true democracy has been a long time coming. If the US cuts off funds to Honduras, then make a donation to a Honduras-based non governmental organization or charity. If other nations cut off trade with Honduras in an attempt to hurt them economincally, then search for and buy anything "made in Honduras" (whatever that might be.) At the very least get smart about what actually happened there, and then write a "Letter to the Editor" to any publication to voice your support for the Honduran people and condemnation for those who would punish them. Being a free American means you get to stand your ground, state your mind, and call a spade a spade. Literally millions of true patriots have died throughout the last 233 years to give you that right. So while enjoying the freedom that makes us what we are, a single people united in the very essence of freedom of spirit, remember our Honduran brothers who are at this very moment standing firm for their beliefs. They deserve every grain of sand we as individuals can provide by way of support, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it might be. Happy 4th of July folks. May we all live in peace, joy, freedom, and happiness forevermore.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

ScienceDaily — Rushing to salvage fossils from the Panama Canal earthworks, Aldo Rincon, paleontology intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, unearthed a set of fossil teeth. Bruce J. MacFadden, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida in Gainesville, describes the fossil as Anchitherium clarencei, a three-toed browsing horse, in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Paleontology. By far the most complete fossil of a horse collected at the site in excavations spanning the last century, characteristics such as the shape of the teeth confirm the identity of two earlier finds and indicate that this horse was primarily a forest-dwelling browser living in the area between 15 and 18 million years ago. This evidence supports MacFadden's earlier proposal that the habitat was probably a mosaic of relatively dense forest and open woodlands. The presence of this browsing horse in Panama significantly extends the southern tip of its range from previous finds from roughly the same period in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (183 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Man, Panama City is a great place to drive when no one is here. Today (Thursday) marks the start of Holy Week or Semana Santa celebrations in Panama. Many people head off to the interior on this very long weekend, and already Panama City feels relatively empty. The national police will have safety checkpoints in place all along the highways so make sure your documents are in order, don't drink and drive, all the normal stuff. Pretty much everything will be shut down until next Monday, the day after Easter Sunday. Expect most of the shopping malls and stores to be open, and don't forget the price of gas is going up on Saturday so you might want to tank up today. Have a great long weekend, and be safe out there. Oh, and someone finally explained to me where Easter Eggs come from...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Don't forget next week is "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) in Panama. Everything will be closed starting on either Wednesday, April 8th or Thursday, April 9th. Good Friday is on 10 April and Easter Sunday is 12 April. Being a Catholic country most Panamanians take these celebrations relatively seriously and there are events and processions held at churches throughout the city. They do things very differently than in the United States, so don't expect a whole lot of Easter Egg hunts or Spring Bonnets or any of that kind of stuff. Others who are less religiously devote just head to the interior for another very long weekend off. Expect sales of alcoholic beverages to be restricted during this time. Also, if you need to get anything done in a public office you might want to do it now, or be prepared to wait until after the holy week holidays. Most stores and shopping centers will be open and operating. Pesach will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar: Jewish Year 5769: sunset April 8, 2009 - nightfall April 16, 2009. The good news is that once this holiday is out of the way there's no really significant periods of time off until next November when it starts all over again. Well, the elections will be held next month so there's that as well...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

La Prensa - About 100 pre-Columbian artifacts confiscated by authorities of the United States in 2005, in the state of Oregon, were returned to Panama. The pieces were packed and brought to Panama via ship and were picked up by Customs on 2 March 2009. The Direction of Historical Patrimony of the National Institute of Culture reported, through and official notice, that at the moment those artifacts are under their safekeeping, and will be meticulously audited.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (85 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - On Tuesday, 10 March 2009, the Director of Panama's National Institute of Arts and Culture (INAC), Anel Omar Rodriguez, was shot and killed in a crossfire of bullets between five assailants who were trying to steal money from an armored car in front of Panama's National Lottery building, and the security personnel who were guarding the truck. The assailants were using the ubiquitous AK-47 assault rifles as the heavy weaponry for their attack. Back in the late 1980's as relations between Panama's military dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega and the United States were deteriorating, Noriega decided to use a kind of terror tactic - he went to Cuba and asked Fidel Castro to send him containers full of AK-47's and ammunition to arm Panama's poor. Noriega was convinced the United States would never invade, faced with the threat of thousands of peasants armed with fully automatic assault rifles. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (844 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I received the following today via email. It tells a very interesting story about a Japanese plan to destroy the Panama Canal during WWII. "His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s “Sensuikan Toku” [Special Submarines]. Designed specifically to attack the Panama Canal. JAPAN’S SUBMERSIBLE I-400 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS In many ways HIJMS I-400 was decades ahead of her time. She was the world’s largest submarine with a length of 400-ft and a surface displacement of 3,530 tons. Above her main deck rose a 115-ft. long, 12-ft diameter, hangar housing three torpedo-bombers. These float planes were rolled out through a massive hydraulic door onto an 85-ft pneumatic catapult, where they were rigged for flight, fueled, armed, launched, and after landing alongside, lifted back aboard with a powerful hydraulic crane. The I-400 was equipped with a snorkel, radar, radar detectors, and capacious fuel tanks that gave her a range of 37,500 miles: One and a half times around the world. She was armed with eight torpedo tubes, a 5.5-in 50-cal deck gun, a bridge 25mm antiaircraft gun, and three triple 25 mm A/A mounts atop her hangar. The advent of guided missiles and atomic bombs transformed her from dinosaur to an overspecialized undersea menacing strategic threat. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,434 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - A replica of "La Niña," one of the ships used by Christopher Columbus, will be visiting Panama from 19 to 29 March at the marina on the Amador Causeway at Isla Flamenco. From their website: "To see a near perfect example of a type of sailing ship-the caravel- of such clean, sculptured, honest design that it was produced for upwards of 125 years. with its Scandinavian style bow and midsection and its combination square and lateen rigging it was probably the best open water sailing vessel of its time- that pivotal time referred to as the ' Great Age of Discovery'. To, in some small way, enter that age, to perhaps get a feeling for Columbus himself, that enigmatic and flawed human being, who, admire or despise him, is one of perhaps only three individuals in all of our long past who, by themselves, for good or ill, personally altered the course of Western history. To stand on the sloping deck of the Niña, as true a replica as will probably ever be built. It was Columbus' favorite ship, the one he very nearly died on in 1493, upon which he ultimately logged more than 25,000 miles." (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (2,147 words)

Radio Netherlands - The government of Panama has acknowledged that civil rights were violated during the country's military regime in the 1970s and 1980s. The Central American country has agreed to pay damages of approximately 250,000 dollars to the family of political activist Heliodoro Portugal, who disappeared in 1970. By so doing, it complies with a ruling by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights. The court also ordered Panama to apologise publicly for the rights' violations, but it has so far failed to do so. Heliodoro Portugal was one of dozens of political activists who disappeared during the rule of General Omar Torrijos. Omar Torrijos was the father of the current Panamanian president, Martín Torrijos.    

Tampa Bay Newspapers - ST. PETERSBURG - Dustin Smith with the Panama Canal Museum will lead a Horticulture Program "The Plants of the Panama Canal Region" at Sunken Gardens on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 11:30 a.m. The program is free for members or with paid admission ($8 adults, $6 seniors 55+, $4 children 2-11). Smith has been working in zoos for nearly 10 years in Tampa, specifically with reptiles and amphibians. With a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Florida, Smith currently serves as the Zoological Supervisor of the Miami Metrozoo. Smith supervises a recently built exhibit called, “Amazon and Beyond.” Professionally, Smith has emphasized the husbandry of reptiles and amphibians. More recently, his attention has been on their conservation, as a result of the current global amphibian decline. Because reptiles and amphibians are some of the most misunderstood animals, Dustin is trying to make their importance understood. Smith has been a frequent visitor to Panama to assist with the conservation of many species of amphibians, including the critically endangered Panamanian Golden Frog. Smith offers talks on his work in Panama with the golden frog and other amphibians and reptiles. His talk includes many pictures of the diverse ecosystem in Panama. For further information on his work, visit projectgoldenfrog.org. Sunken Gardens is located at 535 Fourth Ave. N., St. Petersburg.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The following historical recap of strife and tensions between the government of the United States and the people of the Republic of Panama was taken from Global Security.org and it's a fairly objective, historically accurate, and "middle of the road" description of the events leading up to the Panama Canal Riots that took place from 9-12 January 1964. As a result of those events, today, 9 January, is "Martyr 's Day" in Panama and it's a national holiday. These riots were the spark which led to the eventual signing of the Torrijos-Carter treaty and the return of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,383 words)

By José Edwin Sánchez M. for La Critica - The fate of the former Panamanian military dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega will be decided in January 2009 when the Supreme Court of Tampa decides if he will be extradited to France where he faces pending cases for money laundering, or if he will be returned to Panama. One of his lawyers in Panama, Rolando Rodriguez, said Noriega wants to return to Panama and to face each of the cases pending against him and therefore he stays in contact with his defense team, which also includes the lawyer Julio Berrios, a specialist in International Rights.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (114 words)