Colombian Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas and the Minister of Commerce Maria Claudia Lacouture announced Sunday, July 31 they will be maintaining tariffs on footwear and textiles imported from Panama to Colombia. The decision reportedly goes against World Trade Organization (WTO) policy. According to a WTO ruling, Colombia should have eliminated tariffs imposed against Panamanian products […]

This is a cute story and a  video. On the papal flight back to Rome, Pope Francis did not hesitate to put on this hat, the same model used by farmers in Panama. Panamanians will host the Pope at WYD in 2019. Panama will be the first Central American country to host this youth encounter. […]

Public officials from Houston and Texas are embarking on a trade mission to see the expanded Panama Canal and discuss its prospects for business opportunities. The trade mission, beginning Sunday, will be led by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Ambassador Juan B. Sosa, consul general of Panama in Houston. It was organized by the […]

Carolyn Lamm, Partner, White & Case. A hearing by an international arbitral tribunal in Miami concluded last week on the first claim in the billion-dollar Panama Canal expansion dispute between the agency that operates the canal and the consortium of construction companies that built it. And although those promoting Miami’s growth as an international arbitration […]

As the middle class grows in Panama, malls are popping up in new areas.  We have one coming that is a $180 M monster coming to David. In Panama an environmental impact study has been submitted for construction of a shopping center measuring 129 thousand square meters in Penonomé, Cocle province. The Environmental Impact Assessment […]

This post and the story Jason Motlagh writes reads like a novel and it will be coming out as a movie in September put out by Dateline.  The Darién Gap is a lawless wilderness on the border of Colombia and Panama, teeming with everything from deadly snakes to anti government guerrillas. The region also sees […]

Thanks and a hat tip to Tim Ferris for this card. I would rather like one that said “Time is an illusion, but Love is an eternity” ~ Christian Lombardo

Ouch, I would hate to be a French business man in Panama and I am not sure that this is such a good idea. A new bill aimed at France will be in place to take trade, tax and migration measures on companies who put Panama on a blacklist. The government of Panama on Tuesday […]

A Conundrum – as sent to me by a friend who is another thinker!  Thanks Skip Makes you think…and, makes you wonder —- “Will we as a nation have to HURT before we witness a change for the better?” Example of a Conundrum: “A gun is like a parachute.  If you need one, and don’t […]

Here it is – rainy season – but when I woke up last Saturday, I had to get out to enjoy the beautiful weather. I decided to strap on my old GoPro to the hood of my Amarok truck and film the ride up the mountain that we so often enjoy doing.  With that I […]