Panama Investor Blog

Giga yacht sited in Panama

One of the most expensive and luxurious yacht's in the world has been sited in the waters of Panama recently. As I love boats of most any size I wanted to share a little about this one.

Excerpt from the luxury property blog: Introducing “A” – the most recent member of the giga-yacht club, and to put things in perspective, the fuel tank is 757,000 liters. Diesel fuel costs around €1.40 per liter currently, so it would cost just over €1 million to fill the fuel tank. $1.4 million US just to fill the tank. That amount of fuel will last 15.5 days at cruising speed.  So the cost of building the ship becomes a little academic when the running costs are taken into consideration. I am exaggerating slightly as I have no doubt they are not paying retail for the fuel, but you get the idea. Seeing as the owner also owns one of the largest coal companies in the world, I very much doubt the cost of fuel is an issue.

read the rest here....

Lets take a flight of fancy

This is such an awesome HD video of precision flying that I have to share it with you. I know many of my readers are pilots or wannabe's, but everyone should like it. FYI, this is not the Panamanian air-force.

Thanks to Ben for this treat. If your browser does not show the complete view go here.

Solution to airport security

After reading a number of stories about the new onerous air travel security measures being implemented by the U.S. and other governments after this weeks attempt to bring down a plane, I have come up with a perfect low tech solution to the security issue. Just clamp everyone down to their seats. It would not be hard to quickly retrofit aircraft seats to clamp arms and legs such that movement is limited to squirming. For the most part airline seating is so restrictive that this would not be a big change.

Everyone should come to the plane with adult diapers on in the event they just can't hold it.  You can still have TV and other entertainment on seat backs and have the channels changeable with passenger fingers. The flight attendants could charge a fee to scratch a passenger with a variably amount depending on the part of the body needing scratching and length of scratch time.

Flight attendants who feel verbally abused can just slap a complaining customer without fear of immediate  retribution. No need for air marshals and really no need for any security checks or carry-on luggage. Only need to inspect checked baggage for explosives with timers or pressure sensors. Just think, no more humiliating removal of belts and shoes at the security check points.

With the money the airlines saves they can provide free drinks which can be dispensed through a straw coming from the seat in front. Of course this may add to the necessity for extra thick adult diapers which can be dispensed at airport check in for a fee. (Buy stock now in Depend and dump x-ray and metal detectors)

The beauty of this concept is that it requires no technology development or expensive and time consuming implementation. This can be operational in a few weeks at most. Passengers will readily comply as they know it is for their own safety and getting free drinks again will be nostalgic.

Panama #1 on Sore Butt Index

Although this may initially look like a put down of Panama it is actually a very positive aspect of the country. Were not talking about Panama being a pain in the ass, although many would argue that it is, were talking about paved roads from the airports in Central American countries and how it affects life and investment. My friend Kevin Brass has the story on his International Property Journal.

Excerpts: In the paved-road-from-airport metrics, Panama is the leader with 80 percent of airport roads paved, according to the study Gonella’s Reveal Real Estate, which tracks the market. Costa Rica was second, with 70 percent of its roads paved from the international airport (thanks to the road from Liberia, in the north.) Then there’s a huge drop-off to Nicaragua, where only 20 percent of the roads are paved, according to Reveal.

Read the rest at IPJ...

Putting coffee beans into perspective

I have always been fascinated by comparing the relative size of things from the infinitesimal to the universe. Here is a most interesting journey you can take in 10 seconds that puts some things into perspective starting with the humble coffee bean.

Just click here and then use the slider at the bottom. Take a journey into the world of the very small.

Spend some time on the Learn genetics website and see some other very interesting interactive learning tools. Enjoy!

Alien creature found in Panama?

This is a rather unusual post for me to do, especially because it has nothing to do with business in Panama, but it made international news and I did not want to be accused later of missing a major story in my own back yard.

Here is a link to the latest information on the creature.

Besides, with all the heavy stories coming out this week, it's time to lighten up a bit. The story was apparently reported by Telemetro and now picked up by UK's Daily mail. Sounds like a college prank to me. I want to know what the authorities did with the body! See video news report from the U.S. here.

Excerpts:

A mysterious photograph has become the subject of wild internet speculation after a group of teenagers claimed it was a terrifying creature that they beat to death while playing near a cave in Panama.

The rubbery beast was said to have been spotted by a group of teenagers crawling out of a cave as they played in the town of Cerro Azul north of Panama City on Saturday.

To their horror, they claimed it came towards them. Fearing for their safety, they beat it to death with sticks, throwing its body in a pool of water, they told Panama's Telemetro television station.

Enlarge    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1214182/Remember-Monster-washed-ashore-Terrified-teens-claim-beat-new-mysterious-beast-death-Panama.html#ixzz0RPLadGWm

Just for laughs, The New "Stimulus" Package

This is one of the best (and funniest) explanations on how the new economic stimulus plan will really work.  (Hat tip to http://panamaconnections.blogspot.com).

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House. One is from Chicago, another is from Tennessee, and the third is from Minnesota.

All three go with a White House official to examine the fence. The Minnesota contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me."

The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me."

The Chicago contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700."

The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"

The Chicago contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence."

"Done!" replies the government official.

And that, my friends, is how the new stimulus plan will work.

Provincial fair off to a good start

Each March the capital of our province holds it annual "county fair". It is very much like the state fairs we have back in the U.S. where local farmers bring in their produce, cattle, horses and other livestock for various competitions. But in an agricultural economy like Panama, it carries much more significance, as it represents the productivity of the people and the land. Agriculture is the main economy of this part of the country.  The David fair is probably the largest provincial fair in all of Central America, due to the concentration of agriculture in an area between the Costa Rican border, the mountains and the sea. Over 12,000 people attended the opening and over 100,000 are expected over the next 10 days. The fair brings an estimated $30 million into the local economy as farmers from all over Panama come to attend this important part of life in Panama.

Why I love Panama-Part I

Many people who read my blog may come to the conclusion that I don't like Panama.  I write many posts that point out mistakes or missteps that the casual reader might take as just a  foreigner with an ax to grind or a superiority complex. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I love Panama and her people so much that I pick on her constantly, like a younger brother picks on his big sister.  I have been fortunate throughout my life to be able to live anywhere I want to and yet I chose Panama over all the other countries in the world.

My  rants against the policies of the government and the folly of the governed is because I believe Panama could be a much better place than it is today and I am increasingly concerned that it is drifting more and more the way of my home country, the U.S.A..  Highly in debt, corrupt and well on its way to socialism. Don't get me wrong, I love America. The America of my grandfather and all 8 generations of my family who I can trace back to Virginia of the late 1600's.

I post the negatives because I believe that Panama is such a small country that she could be easily managed and should be the envy of the  entire world? How many democratic republics in the world have a self generating gold mine called the Panama Canal? And although many  here might make the argument that her sovereignty was taken from her during the many years the U.S. owned the canal, most, who truly understand the benefit would gladly trade that loss of temporary sovereignty for the gold mine it is today. She did not have to go into debt to build it, it was "transfered" along with billions of dollars in fully developed real estate with few strings attached. She did not have to pay for the training of her people to manage and operate the resource, they were paid to learn. Panama does not need to waste precious resources on a military to protect the canal because the world will rush to protect her if she were threatened. Panama only needs to spend her revenues in a responsible way and on internal activities for the betterment of her people.

I guess because I have been here for ten years and have seen the significant changes take place that negatively affect the business environment, I forget about the day to day life and just how good it really is. For the many people I have enticed to come and live here, they tell me life could not be much better and when I stop and smell the roses, I quickly come to the same conclusion. I have the people of Panama to thank for this and my family who have suffered through my long hours of work and my sharing of the woes of the world. This afternoon my youngest son and I went out on the golf course and flew a kite. Tomorrow I will go back to ranting, but for now I want to savor the smell the roses.

Why Some People Have A Better Head For Languages

This article from Science news may help some of us not feel so bad about our poor language skills.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2008) — Learning a second language is usually difficult and often when we speak it we cannot disguise our origin or accent. However, there are important differences between individuals with regard to the degree to which a second language is mastered, even for people who have lived in a bilingual environment since childhood.

Read the whole story here.