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Keith Woolford

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Blog Entries posted by Keith Woolford

  1. Keith Woolford
    Public Ministry Charges 43 Individuals in the Odebrecht Case
    Officials at the Public Ministry have been under terrific pressure from civic groups and the press to move ahead with justice in this case.  It must have taken thousands of work hours by prosecutors and forensic accountants to put these charges together.
    The Brazilian mega constructor is still working for Panama on projects including the Tocumen Airport expansion and the massive Colon redevelopment scheme.
    Odebrecht has worked in a dozen or more countries and paid bribes to government officials in almost every one of them. They even had a separate division set up exclusively to organize and effect laundered payments to whomever, wherever. 
    Organized crime is an understatement in this case.
     
  2. Keith Woolford
    Bids from 20 businesses will be opened this morning and the contract will be awarded for the purchase of 48 new Ambulances for the Caja de Seguro Social or CSS. 
    Some of these ambulances will be equipped with 4WD. The supplier is required to provide maintenance for the vehicles and their specialized equipment. The reference price is $6.2 million.
    Previous administrations of the CSS leased ambulances.

    http://laestrella.com.pa/panama/nacional/sera-licitacion-para-adquirir-48-ambulancias/24014309
     
  3. Keith Woolford
    Our local Deputy in the National Assembly, H.D. Athenas Athanadasias, is proposing legislation which will make jail time mandatory for sexual offenders and perpetrators of child abuse.
    There is action on this topic because a man convicted of molesting a 10-yera old in Santa Fe, Veraguas was set to be released recently to do community service instead of his prison sentence. That situation was reversed on appeal.
     
  4. Keith Woolford
    Expect the Unexpected
    When Police were called away and left behind some traffic cones on the highway to Bocas near Chiriquicito, a couple of guys went into business for themselves. They set up a roadblock and were shaking down motorists while wearing vests from the D.I.J.
    They were  later arrested and found to be members of the 'Kilamanjaro' gang. Two firearms were recovered.
    https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Detectan-falso-reten-Chiriqui-detenidos_0_4809269055.html
  5. Keith Woolford
    Panama to Host Regional Maritime Safety Training Centre

    Panama will host a regional center for training in maritime safety, designed with the support of the UN and seeks to instruct for the realization of "risk profiles of the containers that may pose a threat in the field of drug trafficking and fraud", among other crimes.
    The center, which could be ready in the first few months of 2018, "is the result of the close collaboration that has kept the International Maritime University of Panama, UMIP, and the Regional Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Central America and the Caribbean (UNODC)," said today in Panama.
    According to UN data cited by the university, 90 % of world trade is carried out through maritime containers, of which more than 500 million are annually in the supply chain, but less than 2 % are inspected.
    "The global dependency of maritime trade, interspersed with the sophisticated methods of concealment used by drug traffickers and counterfeiters, pose a serious threat to the international supply and sustainable development," added the UMIP said in a statement.
    The rector of the Maritime University, Aladar Rodriguez, explained that through the courses delivered by the Regional Center for Training in Maritime Safety and Control of Containers (CSMCC), will strengthen the competences in the control of containers.
    This will help to better coordination, analysis and exchange of information to facilitate safe trade and the suppression of illicit goods, he said.
    The uUMIP recalled that the CSMCC is part of the overall Program of Control Containers, developed jointly by the UNODC and the World Customs Organization (WCO), and that Panama is attached.
    The program seeks to assist governments in the creation of sustainable implementation structures in order to reduce the risk of maritime containers are used for the illegal drug trafficking, organized crime, smuggling of goods and other illicit activities, he said the house of studies in Panama.
    "This program, which has a global reach, it seeks to strengthen the structures and processes that enable the implementation of sustainable laws for States and the selected ports, in order to minimize the exploitation of maritime containers for illicit drug trafficking and other criminal activities," he added.
    source: Telemetro
    freetranslation
  7. Keith Woolford
    In 1962, during the JFK administration, the U.S. explored the possibility of widening the Panama Canal by exploding atomic devices. A program called Project Plowshare was looking for peacetime uses of nuclear power.
    National Security Action Memorandum No. 152 (dated April 30, 1962, subject: Panama Canal Policy and Relations with Panama) signed by President Kennedy is still in effect. In particular, this memo states that, "The Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, will establish within the Plowshare Program a research goal to determine within approximately the next five years the feasibility, costs and other factors involved in nuclear methods of excavation," (referring, of course, to the Trans-Isthmian Canal).   
    Another Plowshare proposal was to blow a totally new sea-level waterway through Nicaragua nicknamed the Pan-Atomic Canal
     
     
  8. Keith Woolford
    "In Panama" is a very fast moving video with some beautiful camera and editing work, imo.
    About the Director
    Vincent Urban is a director / dp / editor who has been to almost every corner on Earth. He and his friends ship their Land Rover to some place on this planet every year to make visually arresting, fast paced films about the beauty of the world’s cultures.
    Over the past 6 years he has pumped out 9 vimeo staff picks chronicling his travels in Asia, Africa, as well as the Americas. He plans, direct, shoots and edits all of his films and has translated his talent seamlessly into advertising for Medair, Mercedes, Land Rover, and Apple.
    Before he decide to run and gun while globetrotting, Vincent cut his teeth making snowboarding films with his first camcorder in the early 2000’s while he was still in school. He quickly turned these snowboard videos into a business when he launched his own snowboarding video company. Next he started editing high-profile commercials to fund his world traveling ambitions. That leap paid off as Vincent’s Vimeo films are highly viewed and critically acclaimed.
    Vincent lives in New York City and hopes to spend most of his time on the road capturing the beauty of this planet and the stories of it’s people.
    source slimpictures.com
     
     
  10. Keith Woolford
    Recently I have noticed that prosecutors from the Ministerio Publico in Chiriqui have been appealing the length of prison sentences bestowed upon gang members, as in this case.
    At the request of the Anti-gang Superior Court Prosecutor, Third Judicial District Overturns Sentencing Ruling
    The Superior Court of the Judicial District of the province of Chiriqui, reformed a sentence for the crime of gang activity that had not been applied to several people in the gang "Niño Divino", then that the Superior Prosecutor specializing in crimes of unlawful association, Nathaniel Murgas, sustain an appeal against the judgment No. 2 of 10 January 2017 issued by the liquidator.
    The judgment of the Court of criminal circuit of Chiriqui, had ordered the conviction of Ronald Orlando Rodríguez González, José Enrique Rivera Arauz, Boniche Pedro González, José Andrés Castro, Ameth Abdiel Sanabria Medina, the penalty of 40 months imprisonment to Elvis Axl Viquez to the penalty of 48 months imprisonment for the crime of gang activity.
    After the prosecution's appeal, the Superior Court amended the judgment of 10 January and increased the sentence to 120 months imprisonment to all these accused as perpetrators of the crime of gang activity.
    In addition, convicted as perpetrators of the crime of gang activity to eight persons who were acquitted at first instance by the trial judge
    In that judgment the Court of first instance had been acquitted: Gatian Odilio Mendoza, Guillermo Anfernee Samundio Horacio González, Manuel Alejandro Reyes, Jospeh Anthony Rovira, Eduardys Clemente Rivers Quintero, Carlos Alberto Lezcano, José Camilo Rivera Arauz and Randy Luis Arosemena Villarreal, of the gang charges for which they had been called to trial.
    The prosecutor Murgas said in his stall the discrepancy in this judgment, indicating that there were legal and evidentiary elements that evidence linking the defendants, making it clear that it did not agree with the penalty imposed, because the defendants belong to the gang "Niño Divino" of Chiriqui.
    Support the prosecutor in his notice of appeal, that there is evidence of the identification of the members of the gang, on-site inspections, police reports, inspections to social networks that give account of the link that exists between them and the tattoos that have each of the defendants, as well as the declaration of protected witnesses.
    Murgas argued that this gang is dedicated to collective security offenses, possession and trafficking of arms and explosives and sale of drugs, facts for which the Court accepted their request and amended the judgment with the signing of the Judges Carlos Humberto Slopes, Carmen Luz de Gracia and Asuncion Castillo.
    source Ministerio Publico
  11. Keith Woolford
    Hilton to Open Hampton Inn & Suites in Central David

    The international hotel chain Hilton announced that together with the company Hotel Chiricanas Investments, S.A. will open a new Hampton by Hilton hotel in the city of David, Province of Chiriqui.
    The project will be developed by the Chagres Real Estate Capital and the TASH architecture workshop. Scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019, this new hotel of 120 rooms is located in the main shopping area of the province of Chiriqui, which is considered the second largest urban center and developed in the country.
    "The announcement of Hampton Inn by Hilton David Panama is an excellent addition to our growing portfolio in Panama, where we currently have five hotels," said John Corvinos, executive director of Development at Hilton for Mexico, Central America, the Andean region and the Spanish Caribbean. "The hotel is ideal for both business and leisure travelers, as it is located right in the center of the city," he added.
    Hampton Inn by Hilton David will be located four kilometers from the Enrique Malek International Airport and a few steps away from many restaurants and shops are located in the center of the city. The hotel will provide access to recreational and tourist destinations such as Boquete, a picturesque city and tourist that is popular for its scenic location, temperature, and the natural environment. You'll also find close to the Baru Volcano, still active, which is also the highest point in Panama with its 3.475 meters above the sea level.
    The new infrastructure will offer to its guests value-added amenities such as a complimentary hot breakfast or 'on the run breakfast bags'. The hotel will also have a station with 24-hour service with drinks and snacks, as well as lunch or dinner in the lobby bar. In addition, the hotel will have access to a well-known chain of restaurants and a casino, with meeting rooms, a business center and fitness center.
    The Hampton by Hilton has been recognized for many years for its unique approach to hospitality. Team members proudly show a unique culture of service known as "Hamptonality". This term is defined by the approach of each hotel to what is a friendly customer service, anticipating the needs of the client and establish a culture of authentic and friendly service.
    Hampton Inn by Hilton David will be part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning loyalty program for guests of 14 different brands of Hilton. Hilton Hhonors members who book directly through the preferred channels of Hilton, saving time and money at the same time gain immediate access to the benefits that most interest them, as an exclusive discount for members, free Wi-Fi and a form of flexible payment that allows members to choose almost any combination of points and cash to book your stay.
    In addition, members may also exchange your points for free nights, get access to unique events through the auction platform of Hilton Honors or make purchases at Amazon.com with Amazon Shop With Points, the company said in a statement.
  14. Keith Woolford
    Report Concludes Panama Requires More Skilled Labour
    12 Jul 2017 Catherine Perea 03.38pm
    A progress report on the 'Evolution, Situation and Prospects of Employment in Panama' concluded that the Panamanian economy generated 104,156 jobs between August 2014 and March 2017 and will continue to generate jobs, requiring more trained Panamanian human resource personnel.
    The Ministry of Labor and Social Development, MITRADEL, said that 39,230 people entered the labor market between March 2016 and March 2017, of which 38,269 (98%) found stable employment.
    This figure is 40% higher than the 27,397 jobs created between March 2015 and March 2016, which in turn has had an important impact on the decline in unemployed, 18,392 between 2014 to 2015 and 10,226 between 2015 to 2016, down to only 961 between 2016 to 2017.
    With regard to the evolution of employment by educational level, two out of every three jobs require 12 years of schooling and the trend over the past 10 years is that 81% of new jobs are demanding 12 or more years of schooling, 47% of them university degrees.
    The average age in the new formal jobs 2016-2017 is 53 years, 8 above the average in 2009-2014, as referred to in the report of the United Nations High Commission for Employment (2014), which reiterates the importance of maturity and the "soft skills" as fundamental requirements for the sustainability of youth into the labour market.
    The report was presented on Wednesday at a press conference of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, in which the holder of that portfolio, Luis Ernesto Carles, in addition to representatives of chambers of commerce as APEDE, CONEP, CAPAC, and international bodies such as the International Labor Organization (ILO).
    At the same it was recommended to strengthen programs of the National Institute of Vocational Training for Human Development (INADEH), strengthen and promote entrepreneurship, and productive inclusion through the authority of the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (AMPYME), and, on the other hand, in the initiatives that the Ministry can develop in partnership with the employer sector unions.
    source: Telemetro
  17. Keith Woolford
    Christmas in Kuna Nega. This is a superb photo essay which appeared in today's La Estrella. It provides a glimpse into the stark reality of poverty in some areas of this country.
    Kuna Nega: the other side of Christmas in Panama
    a look at the preparations for Christmas Eve in this community located on the slopes of the  Cerro Patacón landfill
     Daniel M. Alarco  dmolina@laestrella.com.pa with photography by Mauricio Valenzuela | Xinhua









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