We continue with the final installment of our interview with well-known, local Panamanian, Roberto
Eisenmann.  In this final portion of the interview we discuss his thoughts regardingthe education system in Panama, and the Coronado area.

We ask Mr. Eisenmann to touch on an issue that is close to his heart. Panama's education system.  Eisenmann comments, “That's a major item we have to work on. The Ministry of Education is probably the worst bureaucracy we have in government.”

“As a result of this, people are left with the private school system as the only choice, and many cannot afford it,” he says. Eisenmann talked about setting up experimental public schools and following their lead in improving education. In his proposed project, schools would be set up in each province to help improve the education system. The leaders of each project would come together each month, compare notes and then implement what works. He cites as a precedent the fact that the Instituto Nacional, which was a public school, was always considered the best in Panama.

The U.S. Embassy in Panama City alerts U.S. citizens that large-scale protests may take place in Panama City, Panama, from July 12 to July 13.  These protests may become violent in some instances.

Following violent civil disturbances in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro Province, on July 9 and July 10, some labor leaders and others have called for protest marches on July12 and a General Strike on July 13 throughout the country (beginning just after midnight on July 12).  Transportation may be disrupted, schools and other establishments may be closed and many basic services may be affected.  The airport in Changuinola is still closed.

The Embassy cautions its employees and all U.S. citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during this week.  All should exercise heightened security awareness and avoid crowds and any areas where there are demonstrations or where confrontations could occur.  During previous periods of unrest, there have been isolated incidents where disgruntled construction workers threw bricks and other objects from structures under construction.  Therefore, special caution is urged when transiting through urban areas or when driving near any high buildings.

This lovely little lady is so much more than just a 'hound dog', she is between one and 2 years old, spayed and healthy. She walked up the driveway of an Expat who cared for her while he was here but he had to return to the States. She is now being fostered and is learning how to live indoors with 2 dogs and a cat. Named Elsa is a loving, sweet dog and an excellent guard dog used to sleeping outside. She does needs a fenced yard, as she loves to chase cats. Elsa hasn't accepted her new name yet so if you can give this lovely dog a good home you could give her a 'forever' name.  Please help, contact Linda Murdock 6948-0799

 

What’s up with Panamanian Beef? I hear English-speaking visitors and expatriates bemoaning the flavor and toughness of the local product and they’re absolutely right but why? The history of beef in Central America is distinctly different from that of the rest of the continent because of the area’s tropical environment.  Columbus, on his second voyage to Hispaniola now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti,  brought live stock, including pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, pigeons and beefs to the new world. On his third and fourth trips, as was the custom, he dropped livestock on most of the visited islands for future provisioning before he finally reached Panama 10 years after his first landfall. The original beefs from Europe were Bos Taurus, or humpless cows, the genetic bases for our modern Western breeds. Later African slaves, along with their cattle breed called Bos Indicus, were imported as a labor force to the newly developed European agricultural holdings.  This humped variety, also called Cebu or Zebu, eventually evolved into the Brahman in the US and the Criollo or Indo-Brazil in South and Central America.  These criollo cattle of Latin America evolved into their own archetypes mainly because they were better suited to the tropical climate having evolved in the like environments of Africa and India and soon replaced the European stock.

The world’s only town, city or village built within and surrounded by the intact walls of a volcano.  I use those three descriptive terms because El Valle is a city with its own police and fire stations. It also serves as a satellite town center for the provincial governments while some might consider it a village since it has  only 3,000 full-time residents who actually live inside the caldera of the El Valle Volcano number 1406-03. El Valle is the world’s second largest intact and un-flooded singular volcanic caldera surpassed only by the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania, Africa. El Valle also has the distinction of being the earth’s oldest continually occupied volcanic site with a history that reaches back at least 10,000 years.

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The first ever quiz night in Coronado happened, Wednesday, June 30 at the Coronado Bay Hotel. Quiz master Bobby Henderson led a rowdy crowd of approximately 28 people to an evening of challenging questions covering a variety of topics. The categories ranged from Sports to Entertainment, Science and Nature, General knowledge as well as a Picture round. Teams consisted of 4 players each and the first event drew a total of 7 teams.

Liz Larroquete, Administration Manager of Coronado Bay Hotel graciously donated the space for the event as well as coordinated a pasta dinner prior to the quiz for all those who wished to eat at the hotel.

 

 

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                Almost forgotten in the aftermath of Beth's murder was the scheduled visit of Barb's best friend from high school Jackie and her husband Hank, all the way from Saginaw, Michigan. Even though they didn't socialize much with the Hanners back in Saginaw-Barb would meet Jackie once or twice a year for lunch-they were the first and so far only people who showed any interest in visiting Panama. "Their visit will give us a chance to become acquainted," Mitch pointed out. It mystified the Multuskys that so few of their friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances seemed to consider Panama a desirable place to visit. "Maybe they don't know what's here," Mitch reasoned. "I mean how interesting can a canal be?" When Barb raised an eyebrow, "I know, an engineering wonder of the world; but I don't think people realize how big and impressive the city is or that the entire country is two beautiful coast lines with a mountain range in the middle or ..."

Jennifer Stumm, a renowned violist, will be in concert at the National Theater in Panama City on Saturday evening,  July 12 at 8 pm. The Washington Post referred to one of Ms. Stumm’s early performances as “smart and engaging” with an “opal like beauty” and “a wonderful way of finding color in a phrase and injecting phosphorescent energy through rhythm.” She will be accompanied by the accomplished pianist, Elizabeth Pridgen, whom the American Record Guide refers to as a “big piano presence.”

The place to have been on Wednesday evening was Rincon del Chef! The Spay the Strays Group had an overflow crowd of participants who enjoyed dinner and then adjourned to the back building for rousing games of Bingo. Lucky winners received donated items from our sponsors: a $20 gift certificate to Picasso Pizza, an overnight stay at a beach house including wine and appetizers from Panama Coast Rentals, a heavy duty drill compliments of HIM Ferreteria, two bottles of wine from Concept Panama, a $15 gift certificate to Rincon del Chef, a DVD player, and gift certificates for homemade desserts!

I have celebrated my birthday in Yellowstone National Park and in Paris, twice. I have gone the pampered route and enjoyed the birthday wishes of friends over campfires in the Montana and Wyoming Rockies. This might explain why this year my wife and I went with friends to the “other end” of Panama for my birthday and a weekend get-a-way.

We drove out from Panama City to the Pacific side of the Azuero Penninsula to a beach called Cambutal. The drive - that folks in Cambutal say takes five hours - took us seven hours. However, part of that had to do with navigating the hilly/mountainous interior of the Azuero Penninsula in a 50 HP car made for puttering around Panama City. Nevertheless, going up the hills at 20 kilometers per hour made it easy to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. (On the way back we took the much better maintained and flatter coastal road from Tonosi to Las Tablas.)

The Future Perfect is another perfect Spanish tense.  As you may recall, sentences in the perfect tenses are compound.  That is to say they have two parts:  The proper conjugation of the verb ‘haber’ (to have or will have done something) and a past participle (done, made, said, closed, seen etc.).   

The Future Perfect is most often used to express something that will have happened by, or at a certain time.   Also, it can be used to express what could have happened or must have happened, like expressing conjecture or probability of something that took place in the recent past.

What does that statement mean to you?  As many of us here know, trying to find this courage is not always an easy thing to do.  Almost everybody is scared of change.  But if you finally do pluck up the courage to make a change, where can you turn to for help?

Several months ago we posted a story written by Dolores Young about a new women's shelter that was opening in Bejuco. Today they are open, and they are calling themselves “Courage to Change.”  And, we thought it was time to check in and see how the local shelter is helping those people who have found that courage to change their lives.

As per La Prensa article written on October, 17, 2009, we are warned to… Be careful what we eat in Panama.  Paradoxically, while the United States restricts the use of carbofuran for its potential to endanger the health of its citizens, in Panama, this pesticide continues to be used in agricultural production for local consumption. 

Chiriqui is the breadbasket for Panama and anyone who has ever visited the area of Cero Punta knows that the first thing you notice is the ever present smell of pesticides.  The U.S. is now restricting the imports from Panama of agricultural products because of the use of certain pesticides which have been determines to cause health issues, yet these same chemicals are readily used and consumed by an unwary Panamanian and foreign consumer.

Everyone is invited to an open house at Cheryl Rubin Joule’s in Altos del Maria to "pick your stone" day for your PET!  Cheryl is a well known jewelry maker who has had great success with her Serenity Stone necklaces. Now, she has found some new stones of Jasper and has made them for any pet collar. They are 5.00 each ! Half the proceeds will be donated. Every Pet deserves one...

For installment three of our interview with Roberto Eisenmann, we return to the time of the US occupancy in Panama and discuss with Mr. Eisenmann how he views the current Panama's future now that the US military no longer occupies his country. 

If you ask Mr. Eisenmann how he looks at Panama now as opposed to twenty years ago, he says, “It is a different country.”