On 7/29/2016 at 6:40 AM, JohnF13 said:

In all likelyhood Keith, that is a fraction of what goes through. 

 

No doubt about that John, but these are still massive quantities of this stuff which is pure and probably has a worth of at least $100 per gram at the end of the chain. The numbers are staggering

32 tonnes = 32,000 kilograms

32,000 kilograms = 32,000,000 grams

32,000,000 grams x $100 = $3,200,000,000

That's in six months.

As with everywhere else, the real damage to Panama is done when drugs get dropped off here on the way through cause violence among the gangs who fight to control the local trade.

The Ministry of Security's PR department was busy Tweeting this afternoon.

On 7/29/2016 at 6:40 AM, JohnF13 said:

In all likelyhood Keith, that is a fraction of what goes through. 

 

Seems that the dog has adopted you.

Have you contacted the folks at ARF?

This guy is a real piece of work

The above story makes it sound like pollution of the ocean is some kind of new revelation.

"Faced with this situation, the Authority of Water Resources has created a marine research center to study the effects of plastic and other substances, such as pesticides, on marine species".

"Study the effects"? Give me a break.  Action is required, not further study.

Garbage Dumping into the Ocean seen as a Problem

Great read, Jim.

It's a jungle out there.

Sounds like you may be staying in Palo Alto.

If a bridge washes out at road level, it's replacement often gets set at a higher elevation.

Well said Dav, thanks.

This is a very cool pic

Immensely appreciated.

Juan Carlos Varela: World Youth Day is a powerful call to young people for the construction of a better world

A few seconds after the Pope Francisco announced that the next venue of the World Youth Day (WYD) will be Panama in 2019, hundreds of young Panamanians broke out in joy and they dramatized a sea of fiesta waving flags of the country.

in the first rows of the Campus of Mercy - the space enabled in the outskirts of Krakow (Poland), where Francisco officiated at the closing mass- were sitting the President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela and the Vice-President, Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado.

After the announcement, Varela and his wife took to the stage to strengthen the hand of the Argentine Pontiff and to thank you for having chosen the country to host this event crowds.

"The people of Panama are proud that the Holy Father has recognized in our country, whose values of peace, dialog and coexistence are similar to those that carries the WYD," said the president of Panama, who is in Krakow, Poland, from Wednesday 27.

Varela recognized that "it is an event of multiple implications for the country" and stressed the availability of the Panamanian Government in support to the archdiocese of Panama "where it considers this necessary".

"WYD is a powerful call to young people for the construction of a better world," he added.

Logistical implications

World Youth Days are events of great proportions, with the participation of 1.5 million to 4 million people, whose development requires a complex organization after that should provide to the host city of all the logistical resources necessary for the multitudinous event.

The current WYD that has developed in Krakow from 26 to 31 of the month of July is an example of the services that should offer the city of Panama in 2019. One of the main challenges that have confronted the Polish city are the services of transport for the pilgrims can move without problems.

The President of Panamá and his wife took to the stage, following the announcement by the Pontífice in Krakow.
 

As reported by the organizers, both the frequency and the number of urban transport is considerably increased : a total of 580 buses and trams 250 transported to an average of 57 thousand passengers per hour.

In addition, were placed extra buses which ran through the main locations where it developed the events linked to the WYD while automobile traffic was reduced.

In some areas of the center of the city was entirely suspended the traffic, making them pedestrian. This, to encourage the use of public transport.

The Government of Poland introduced a special ticket for pilgrims with unlimited travel valid from 26 to 31 for a lower price of $4.

Security

The presence of the pope is a key element that adds an important component of security measures, whose guidelines are issued in the first place by the Vatican.

Agents of the Gendarmerie of the Vatican, in coordination with the Polish police forces, inspected the city of Krakow days before it began the WYD to draw attention to the points which were going to gather the largest number of people because I was going to be the pontiff.

For its part, the Polish Government available during the entire month of July 20 thousand police officers, 8 thousand firemen and thousand 500 border police to ensure security for the event.

The Pope Francisco announced on Sunday that Panama will be in 2019 the headquarters of the next edition of the World Youth Day, in a mass celebrated in Poland in the presence of the Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela.

The 19 thousand volunteers who participated in WYD were trained with safety courses taught by the police and firefighters. Seventeen helicopters and two military aircraft completed the security system with aerial surveillance.

Also, there were medical units of evacuation, equipped with 20 ambulances, in eight air bases close to Krakow airport, which allowed the transfer of 80 people at the same time.

Poland temporarily restored the controls at its borders of the European Community, in ports and airports, with the objective of enhancing security before the visit of the Pope. The arrival and entry of pilgrims to the Schengen area was made through mobile registration points. There were additional lanes, eight in total, in the border between Poland and Ukraine.

In the airports operated additional checkpoints along with diplomatic services of other countries. It also developed specific procedures for cases related to the loss of documentation in order to manage interim documents to facilitate the return home of those who had lost their belongings. Another of the challenges it has faced Krakow was give accommodation to the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who came to the city on the occasion of the WYD.

The Organizing Committee prepared various packages that vary depending on the period of the stay of the pilgrim in the World Youth Day.

The price for the accommodation, food, transport, medical insurance and kit of the pilgrim minimum during a week in Krakow was about $220. Offered two types of accommodation: with families and community housing (for example, in schools, gymnasiums, small areas of camping).

The percentage of pilgrims who chose the package of stay in family home was 60%, while the other 40% is composed of pilgrims who chose community accommodations.

The organization of the WYD requested all pilgrims, beyond the type of stay selected, to bring a sleeping bag and a mat.

Finally, were launched works aimed at the creation of telecommunications infrastructure and the creation of channels of communication between the staff and volunteers. One of the most important channels of communication for the participants of the World Youth Day was the free phone information for those who come from the outside and the Pilgrim application for mobile phones.

http://www.prensa.com/mundo/Juan-Carlos-Varela-JMJ-construccion_0_4541545804.html

Updating the Map of Panama starts August 1st

The National Institute of Statistics of Census (INEC) of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic will start from Monday 1 August the cartographic updating of Panama, which will serve as a reference for planning, organization and implementation of the national censuses, surveys and other special studies".

The activity, which will take place in several points of the country, includes tasks "designed to capture recent information of the natural and/or artificial elements that make up a particular territorial scope", reported a press release of the institution.

The data obtained will be reflected in the updating of maps of Panama and the collection of information will be developed in a period of four years (2016-2019).

For this year, the process will be extended until 15 December and as underscored in the INEC "The cartographers who carried out this task will be duly identified".

http://www.prensa.com/sociedad/inec-panama-mapas-actualizacion-contraloria_0_4540795891.html

Next World Youth Day in Panama in 2019 - Pope

Pope Francis has announced that the next World Youth Day, the Catholic youth festival, will be held in Panama in 2019.

"I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in 2019 in Panama," he said at the end of a mass attended by over 2.5 million pilgrims near the city of Krakow in Poland.

It will be the first time a pope visits the Central American country since Pope John Paul II's trip there in 1983.

Pope Francis was speaking on the final day of his official five-day visit to Poland which included a trip to the concentration camp, Auschwitz.

Yesterday the Pontiff made an unscheduled stop at the church of St Francis of Assisi in Krakow to recite a prayer for peace.

He condemned the "devastating wave of terrorism" and war that has hit the world and urged a huge crowd of young people not to be indifferent to the suffering of others.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0731/806076-pope-francis-poland/

Chiriqui Producers Demand Resignation of ACODECO Administrator

The producers of the highlands Chiricanas are demanding the resignation of the administrator of the Authority of consumer protection and defense of the competition (Acodeco), Oscar Garcia.

The request of the producers arises because Garcia stated that was going to sue them to lower the price of the onion.

The President of the association of producers in the Highlands, Augusto Jimenez, said that are calling for the resignation or dismissal of Garcia because they believe that he has displayed total ignorance in the field of agriculture .

Jimenez said that the common good must prevail and considered that by keeping the price of onion in 65 cents and not in 80 cents has not committed any crime.

He added that Garcia lied to indicate that in a meeting the producers had applied for importation.

"We are hoping that we demand because we want to know who or what interests García truly responds," said.

In both the Minister of Agricultural Development, Eduardo Enrique Carles, said that will talk with Garcia for that do not demand to producers.

Carles indicated that it sees the need to do so because it is a topic that is of a regulation and of supply and that must not be reaching out to those ends.

"I do not believe that we have to get to monopolistic demands of prices to agricultural products", he added.

http://www.prensa.com/provincias/Productores-chiricanos-renuncie-Administrador-Acodeco_0_4540046027.html

New Prison in David 60% Complete

The comptroller general of the Republic, Federico Humbert, inspected on Thursday 28 July 2016, several projects in the province of Chiriqui, among them, the new public prison of David, which has registered 60% progress towards completion.

The inspection was made following the request of an addendum of $4.5 million for additional arrangements in that place, a request that was made by the Ministry of Public Security.

It is going to make changes to the design of the pavilions, as well as chapels that were not covered.

Humbert said that it was necessary to check that the work has been done with a fair price and at a correct tempo.

The official said that the work is late, but that there is an interest in expediting the work, due to overcrowding in the prison of David.

The director of the public prison of David, Enzo Polo, indicated that the transfer of prisoners is expected to start in the month of January 2017 .

The comptroller also visited the renovations at the stadium Kenny Serracín, which has registered a 16% completion and the hospital of Bugaba, as well as other works that are paralyzed as the Ciudad Deportivo and the new building for the Public Registry.

http://www.prensa.com/provincias/Nueva-publica-David-registra-avance_0_4540046002.html

Prostitution is not illegal in general and wouldn't merit a news report.

Many folks here make payments to the national Social Security system, or CSS, for their employees or themselves. I read through the first two paragraphs before realizing this post was about U.S. Social Security. Maybe the title can be amended.

This is a very sad story but perhaps it leads to a better understanding of the challenges that are faced by the young people of Panama (and elsewhere)

Violence and AIDS are the Leading Causes of Death among Youths

The information was compiled by the government and the United Nations.  It covered young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Violence and AIDS are the main causes of death among young people, reveals a report from the Ministry of Social Development and the UN Development Program (UNDP).

The document details, for example, that in 2013, 720 young people between 15 to 24 died, of which 433 due to violence (accidents, injuries and assaults, among others).

In addition, the report details that 2,236 members of that same age group have died of AIDS since 1984, when the first case of the disease was reported in the country.

The study was prepared with statistics from the Comptroller and other entities. It has prompted calls by government officials, international organizations and civil societies to improve the conditions of the young population, which is estimated to include 980,000 people.

There will be a public meeting at the Salon Arco Iris at the Feria on Tuesday August 2nd at 10:00 a.m. to further the discussions in favor of discontinuing the 'water works' project.

This meeting is scheduled for the same time and in the same general area as the BCP market.

Meetings such as this are usually organized by lay people who weren't paying attention during the design or tender process of a project, but who become engineers overnight after the work starts.

Panama already busts a lot of drugs 'going through', over 32 metric tonnes in the first half of 2016.

http://elsiglo.com/panama/32-toneladas-drogas-decomisadas-400-detenidos-panama-este/23949429

It's a design bid project, Doug. There are plans of course, but there are also plenty of people who operate by rumour and who mistrust any government initiative.

The Mayor's staff posted this report of the meeting on their Facebook page.

freetranslation.com

EVERYONE WANTS THE WATER PROJECT IN BOQUETE TO BENEFIT BOQUETEÑOS

From the ability to the handle the flow of wastewater, up to studies of the future population that has to use the future sewage system that APROCOSA is building in the district of Boquete for an amount of $22.5 million, were part of the topics that were discussed yesterday in the Municipal Council in the presence of municipal authorities in the district of Boquete.

A group of residents appeared in the morning hours of yesterday looking for explanations on the design and construction, as well as on the basis of which was being installed a 6 inch PVC tube in the new sanitary system in a district that is growing by leaps and bounds.

The honorable Marcial Suárez at this meeting took the concerns of those people in relation to sewage and the aqueduct and assured that things will be done well and if the community has reason then will be carried out in accordance with the request of the inhabitants.

For its part the mayor added that is healthy that the community has requested such explanations because this helps to prove the transparency with which the authorities work in respect to the project, and that it is not true that there is benefit to direct officials by the company as has been speculated by some.

Manuel Soriano, National Director of the National Council of Social Development (CONADES), stated that the district must be quiet because at the next meeting they be clarifying questions such as why? are you using this type and capacity of pipes? and coincided with the Governor of the province of the Lic. Hugo Mendez when the only thing you are looking for is to benefit the district of Boquete with a good draft of an aqueduct and sewage sysytem.

For its part the Governor of the province reiterated that "for administration of Juan Carlos Varela this project is important because it was the launching of the project of Basic Sanitation and that has as main objective to be able to deal with the problem which for many years had caused concern to the community as was the lack of an aqueduct and sewage system in Boquete and the Government shall ensure that they comply with what said the statement of charge for the benefit of the district boqueteño".

Public Relations Department

Some members of the community appeared today at the Boquete council meeting to complain about the design of the work.

Residents of Boquete request Suspension of Sewage System

Calling the construction of the system of municipal water and sewerage network in Boquete, Chiriqui, unsuitable for the near 20 thousand inhabitants of this tourist region, (some of it's) inhabitants are calling for a temporary suspension of the project until more details are known.

The Environmentalist Carmencita Tedman said that they request a suspension of the work because they have knowledge that two large water tanks that will be chlorinated are to be installed inside the river Caldera, so they feared that during a possible flood could they be destroyed.

She added that the lines used for the sewerage system are six inches. In her view, they should be 24 inches because "they must think ahead several years."

"We ask Conades to suspend and explain what they are going to do because the president Juan Carlos Varela speaks of a water treatment plant for Boquete, not some water tanks", added the spokesperson of (some) of the residents.

Elisha Miranda, representative of the company in charge of the construction of the work, said that in design is only 98% complete because they are still held back by the acquisition of land for the second water treatment plant in Alto Boquete.

He explained that the project consists of a sanitary waste system, a sewage network and a wastewater treatment plant; improvements in deposits of two existing fresh water sources in Los Ladrillos, Finca Los Mercedes and Valle Escondido, and two water purification plants or potabilizacion systems.

"We are trying to explain in order for people to understand that the design of a plant is a function of the water which is going to be treated and as Boquete has good water it does not require a sedimenter because there is no murky water," said.

Last January the President Juan Carlos Varela gave the order to proceed to the Asociación Accidental Aguas de Boquete company for the "study, design, construction, maintenance and operation of the system of municipal water and sewerage network in the district of Boquete, work that amounts to $22.5 million.

http://www.prensa.com/provincias/Residentes-Boquete-suspender-colocacion-alcantarillado_0_4537796215.html

This vehicle has been SOLD.

Perhaps someone will eventually invent a higher-tech solution using air or electromagnetic force to keep a ship centered.

Coincidentally enough, we were staying on the Amador causeway this week and noticed an interruption in the flow of ships entering the Canal at one point on Thursday, possibly caused by this scrape.