IMPORTANT NOTICE

Be advised that there are two (2) separate events involving the US Social Security Administration. This event is located in Panama City. The other event, essentially going on simultaneously is at the Biblioteca de Boquete.

Two separate events. Please do not confuse them.

Some of our CL readers will find it more convenient to attend the meeting in Boquete rather than in Panama City. Your choice.

For the other event, please see http://www.chiriqui.life/calendar/event/1321-us-embassy-citizen-outreach/

Marcleyn and I attended this classical guitar concert at Biblioteca de Boquete yesterday afternoon. It was a full house, and a wonderful performance. Here are the printed program materials and several pictures taken during the event.

If you do not attend these classical performances at the library, then you really don't know what you are missing. We suggest you contact Elsa at the library for more information about the upcoming performances. You can also purchase an annual "pass" that guarantees you won't miss out on getting a seat.

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20,000 in Panama reforestation drive

Posted on June 3, 2018 in Panama, Panama

Post Views: 74

 

While illegal logging among indigenous communities in Darien  and other areas continues over 20,000 volunteers turned out across the country on Saturday, June 2  to plant tens of thousands of saplings of timber, fruit and ornamental species.

The initiative,  in its fourth year, took place in 40 different locations and is part of the Alianza por el Millón, which involves public and private entities is aiming to repopulate one million hectares by 2035.

President Juan Carlos Varela highlighted the ecological and touristic value of the days, launched in 2015  with “over  5 million trees” already planted.

“On these days, full of good vibes, family atmosphere and teamwork, we do not regret putting environmental needs as a priority,” said Varela.

According to official data, in the four years of the initiative, “we have advanced by 15 percent in the goals of reforestation in degradation points”.

“40,000 hectares have been reforested with species such as oak, laurel, teak, pine, cashew curacao, espave, avocado, cedar, guayacan, Panama and jacaranda. On average it is reforested with more than 60 species considered the most appropriate by scientific studies for the restoration,” said the Presidency in a public statement.

The Alianza por el Millón reforestation initiative seeks to strengthen the commitments assumed by Panama in the Paris Agreement, through the increase in reforestation in critical points and the increase in forest cover, which in turn has an impact on the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The program of the Alianza por el Millón implies actions in the restoration of forest land; commercial reforestation; conservation of natural forests, and restoration of gallery forests.

The National Association for the Conservation of Nature (ANCON) estimates that each year about 20,000 hectares of land are lost due to deforestation in Panama, and that in total 2 million hectares are degraded, of which only 14 percent have been recovered. .

According to a report published by the UN in 2014, the reduction of forest masses between 1992 and 2012 resulted in a loss of 3.7 billion dollars for the Panamanian economy.

The report explains that the contribution of forests to the economy of a country can be measured through the gross domestic product (GDP), since the forest sector is part of a production chain that directly or indirectly affects the agricultural, industrial, construction and manufacturing sector.

The jungle province of Darién, on the border with Colombia, and the indigenous Ngäbé Buglé region, in the Panamanian Caribbean, are the most affected areas by deforestation.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/20000-in-panama-reforestation-drive

11 hours ago, Judith Tovar said:

Hi!  Can you please include me in your mailing list.

Normally this kind of response would be done via a PM (private message), but given the possibility of helping many people, we are opting to comment here.

If someone (must be a CL member and logged in) wishes to be notified anytime someone posts some content of interest on CL, then there is a fairly simple-to-use tool that makes that goal very easy. The concept is that of “following” something, where the something can be a topic, a forum, or a member. The ability to “follow” is not exactly what Judith is asking for, but maybe “following” would suffice in some scenarios.

To “follow” (a stronger, slightly pejorative word would be to “stalk”) means that you will get a notification anytime there is activity in or by whatever it is that you are following. Notification is a configurable option by either an email (immediate or a digest version) or an on-screen pop-up display, or both.

• To follow a topic (or calendar event or blog posting, etc.), click on the “Follow” box in the upper right of the topic of interest.
• To follow a forum, go to the forum of interest and click on the “Follow” box in the upper right of the forum of interest.
• To follow a person, go to their profile (click on their Display Name) and then click on the “Follow member” link slightly to the right of their Display Name.

If you need help, please contact @Moderator_02 by PM.

2 hours ago, Jim and Judi said:

It's definitely 4-7. I think it was posted with the wrong time zone.

The event has been edited to show 4 to 7 PM times. Wrong time zone was the issue.

For more information, see http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/8896-sunrise-“hallelujah”/.

This event has been rescheduled to April 8^th (from April 1^st) so as not to conflict with Easter Sunday.

22 hours ago, Brundageba said:

I went down on the elevator with a very nice young man and his parents.  He looked at me and said:  "I want to buy a cello and learn how to play".   I looked at him an said:: "Me too.  I bought one in Panama City, used after I heard my first concert of Dr Casal here.  "  He smiled and asked me for more information on how I found my cello. We both left enthusiastic hoping to one day be half as good as these players"  These concerts not only bring enjoyment but as well encouragement to try something new.

A bonus we never anticipated moving here ! 

Alison

Alison,

Thank you for sharing this story, and also that you are learning the cello. Every time we talk I learn something new.

Larry Wilkinson has made available a few of his photographs from the concert last night.

Don't we have some really great people here in our community!

For additional information, see:

For more information, see:

For more information, see:

For more information see:

The following feedback was provided by event organizers:
 

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Thank You Friends of Boquete! You made the 1^st annual Oktoberfest a success. We are thankful for effort of our 30+ volunteers who worked very hard to provide you food and beverage service and may other much needed positions. Thanks to the Police Dept. and Fairgrounds for their support.

A big Thank you to our vendors Chris and Justin at Big Daddy's (for your over the top promotion and support), Ricky at The Brewery, Leslie at Skateworld, Bertie at Mort's Bakery, Tito's Ice cream for the kids, and of course, Frank with Emma's truck for the fabulous food.

Thank you again..... ACCB (Asociación de Caridad de La Comunidad de Boquete)

 

For more info, see:

The organizers of the first annual Oktoberfest have indicated that they are expecting a big turnout and lots of fun family activities. We just received an email from them indicating that several restaurants and breweries are helping sponsor and advertise this event. For instance, there soon will be several 10 second and 20 second radio announcements about the Oktoberfest event that are being scheduled to air the week of the event, which means any time now. Here are the proposed words for the 20 second promotional radio announcements:

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Come to the first annual German Oktoberfest at the Boquete Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 14^th, starting at noon. Fun for the whole family. This is a community event to support non-profit organizations that help our community. Sponsored by the Rotary Club and the Charity Association of the Boquete Community. 

Clear your calendar for next Saturday (October 14^th) and head for the Boquete Fairgrounds starting at noon.

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Panama: "Country's Reputation at Risk"

In the view of the union of private companies the blackout that left the international airport of Tocumen without power for six hours is a wake-up call to make the investments needed to improve the quality of public services.

Monday, September 25, 2017

From a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture:

What happened at Tocumen International Airport last week, beyond the cost of the crisis and the impact on the image of our country, is a call for attention to the urgent need to strengthen state-owned enterprises designed to provide public services in our country, something which, at the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama, we have indicated on countless occasions.

It is unacceptable that only when incidents such as this occur, does it bring to mind the need to attend to entities such as Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica, S.A. (ETESA), the Institute of National Aqueducts and Sewers (IDAAN), Mi Bus, Metro de Panamá, S.A. and now Tocumen, S.A., among others. The problems faced by some of these important companies which have been ignored in the past and can be remedied through genuine dialogue in collaboration with the private sector. 

Read full release (in Spanish).

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Countrys_Reputation_at_Risk

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7-hour Airport blackout caps Black Weekend

Posted on September 18, 2017 in Panama

Frustrated passengere

Post Views: 565

POWER  was restored to Tocumen International airport a t 11.55 am on Monday, September 18, after a seven-hour outage

The shutdown  came only hours after the Tourism Authority (ATP) was celebrating the success of Panama Black Weekend which brought thousands of visitors to the country on shopping expeditions, and filled the city’s hotels.

Tocumen is regarded as the “Hub of the Americas” operating flights to and from more than 90 cities in the Americas and Europe, covering much of Latin America and is the main hub of Copa Airlines, as well as serving as a Star Alliance hub for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Copa Airlines passengers

During the outage, Copa Airlines canceled all flights up to 12.30 p.m.

As hundreds of frustrated passenger stood in lines,    ground personnel with monitors off struggled to process luggage manually.

Although  power was  back on  in the afternoon, airport authorities  warned that work still has to be done to completely normalize operations, affected by serious electrical faults

Meanwhile, passengers are advised to call their airlines to reschedule departures from the country.

A fleet of buses ferried passengers who had missed connecting flights, to local hotels.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/7-hour-airport-blackout-caps-black-weekend