Panama Investor Blog

Ministers to hold Law 71 forum on 29th

Public service announcement from the U.S. Embassy:
 
Have you had problems with your right of possession, land titling, or CATASTRO?  Do you want to influence the process how you buy rights of possession and title land in Panama?  Now is the time for your voice to be heard by the Government of Panama!

The Government of Panama wants to provide you information and receive feedback from you on Proposed Law 71 ? Possessory Rights and Land Titling in Coastal Lands and Islands.  All expatriates including Americans are invited on Thursday, October 29 from 9 to 12 a.m. in the Salon Bolivar of the Hotel Continental to listen to the following Government officials:
 Minister of Economy and Finance, Alberto Vallarino
 Vice-Minister of Economy and Finance, Dulcidio de la Guardia
 A representative from Catastro

The U.S. Embassy in Panama encourages you to take advantage of this important opportunity to influence legislation that affects your property rights in Panama.

Will the U.S. Embassy help you in Panama if you need it? Depends...

I found this article on Eric Jackson's Panama news informative about what the U.S. Embassy can and cannot do for its citizens living or visiting Panama. Every U.S. citizen should be aware of this information. I get countless emails asking about help from the U.S. government regarding legal disputes. Forget it!

Excerpt: So, if you are a US citizen and you run into some legal trouble in Panama, will the American Embassy go to bat for you? When Americans are treated unfairly or are subject to discrimination, Kellee Farmer of the US Consulate's American Citizens Services Unit explained, "it's a concern in the US-Panamanian relationship," but "we won't get involved in your individual dispute," be it civil or criminal.

More beer for Panama!

One of Panama's favorite pass times will soon have more to cheer about with Heineken  putting its regional headquarters in Panama. Of course we already have Heineken beer in the country, but we can cheer the fact that another company has chosen Panama for its business operations.

From Hora Cero

The company Heineken America Regional Services, LTD., A subsidiary of Heineken International BV Amsterdam, Netherlands, decided to establish its regional office in Panama to manage the group's operations in the region, announced the Minister of Trade and Industry Minister Roberto Henriquez.

Henriquez, said Regional Heineken generate new jobs for Panamanians.

 "The Heineken Group is one of the largest brewing groups in the world, and if you chose to invoke the Law of multinational companies, not just by the benefits of incentives, but by the geographical and logistical advantages offered by Panama to coordinate their operations from the headquarters located in Holland, "he said.

 With assets of more than 28 billion dollars, Heineken has five operating regions: Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific. Each region is headed by a Regional President.

Heineken America Regional Services, will offer from Panama, Financial Management Services for business and economic group Heineken, global operations management and regional economic groups and corporate services, including control of operations, logistics and personnel training, among other .

New battery may change the world

This is really big news and and  a huge breakthrough that could radically change the way we use energy. Although they talk about the storage capacity being used for homes, it would think it would apply to car batteries as well. This really could be the next big thing to change our entire society and do it in only a few years, not decades or lifetimes as other technology promise. And to think, we owe it all to a great beer!

From the Daily Herald;

In a modest building on the west side of Salt Lake City, a team of specialists in advanced materials and electrochemistry has produced what could be the single most important breakthrough for clean, alternative energy since Socrates first noted solar heating 2,400 years ago.

The prize is the culmination of 10 years of research and testing -- a new generation of deep-storage battery that's small enough, and safe enough, to sit in your basement and power your home.

It promises to nudge the world to a paradigm shift as big as the switch from centralized mainframe computers in the 1980s to personal laptops. But this time the mainframe is America's antiquated electrical grid; and the switch is to personal power stations in millions of individual homes.

read more about this incredible breakthrough here...

What Panama needs to do to become the best place in the world to do business

That is the title given to me for a speech I will make September 10th at the American Chamber of Commerce, International Tourism Forum. It has been several years since I have spoken at this conference and I especially look forward to being able to share ideas on what Panama can do to attract more business. On a recent post I made about younger people moving to Panama and opening business, there were a number of interesting comments and ideas about the subject.

If you have any constructive and practical ideas on what Panama could do to fullfill this goal, I would like to hear about them and possibly share them at this forum. Many of Panama's business and political leaders will be attending, so maybe some of these ideas will gain traction. Feel free to leave your comments and I hope you can attend. Click the image to enlarge the details.

What would Thomas Jefferson say?

Once in a great while I find something that changes my life in a very positive way that I want to share with the world. About 6 months ago I stumbled on a podcast called the Thomas Jefferson hour and everyday since then I listen to one or more of over 150 episodes of  Thomas Jefferson's view on past and current event.
Clay Jenkinson has spent 20 years studying and playing Thomas Jefferson and he does a weekly interview that shows just how incredible a man the writer of the U.S. declaration of Independence was. Now more than ever, we could all use a dose of our founding fathers wisdom. I encourage each of you to take the time to listen to any of the programs and you will probably be hooked like me. Go here to see a list of episodes. Also available on Itunes.

I'm back!

Actually, I have been back for over a week, but things are a bit hectic with much to catch up on in my personal and business life. On top of that my computer hard drive decided to crash upon my return making life just a bit more interesting. A number of readers wrote to ask if I am "OK" and I can assure you that I am, but I need a few more days to catch up before I can begin posting. I am looking forward to a interesting new year of life in Panama.

Merry Christmas to all, and a happy new year

Well dear readers, I am off for a holiday in fantasy land, AKA Disney World. It is appropriate that we spend our Christmas this year in a world where dreams come true and every story has a happy ending. Checking the hotel occupancy rates show we can expect a lot of company. People are still spending on family entertainment, but I bet the spending at the Disney shops at the end of each ride will be down significantly. I will have an opportunity to spend some fun time with my three sons, two daughters and a brother I have not seen in a few years.

2009 promises to be an interesting year as the Chinese like to say. The challenges that lay ahead for us are unprecedented, but not beyond our abilities to endure and maybe even prosper. Although I am pessimistic about the worlds economic future, I am very optimistic about the ability of the individual to to overcome adversity. Most of the adversities we must deal with have to do with the actions or inaction of government. That is the cause for most of the booms and busts that continue to plague us throughout history. With that in mind I leave you with a few of my favorite quotes. Feel free to add your own. Merry Christmas!

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. – John Adams (1814)

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. – James Bovard (1994)

The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. – Thomas Jefferson

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. – Goethe

When the government's boot is on your throat, whether it is a left boot or a right boot is of no consequence. – Gary Lloyd

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.' Edmund Burke

[On ancient Athens]: In the end, more than freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all – security, comfort, and freedom. When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again. – Edward Gibbon

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. – Edward R. Murrow

Can our form of government, our system of justice, survive if one can be denied a freedom because he might abuse it? – Harlon Carter

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. – Voltaire

A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them. – P. J. O'Rourke

The most fundamental purpose of government is defense, not empire. – Joseph Sobran (1995)

The best government is the one that charges you the least blackmail for leaving you alone. – Thomas Rudmose-Brown (1996)

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free. – P.J. O'Rourke (1993)

New Panama opportunities

From time to time I post opportunities for investment, partnership, specials skills and services directed at the land development industry in Panama. Here are the latest entries:

http://primapanama.blogs.com/panama_opportunities

Flood relief project in Panama needs more help

Last week I sent out a request to my readers in Panama for help with flood  victims in Soloy, a region of the Ngobe Buble Comarca, who are displaced after a catastrophic flood occurred on September 3rd. Many responded and I received a letter from the organizers thanking everyone for the help. They are still working on relief efforts and could use additional help, so I'm sending this out to my entire readership in the hope that you may want to participate in this worthy humanitarian effort.

For more information please go to http://boqueteoutdooradventures.com/soloy