Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Socio-economic study looks at boosting Panama Canal reliability.
A recently completed research project led by University of Wyoming researchers allowed novel socio-economic analysis aimed at finding out if ecological infrastructure investments are feasible in various scenarios to improve reliability of the Panama Canal.
Fred Ogden, a professor in UW’s Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, was the principal investigator on the research. He is currently a visiting senior scientist and academic-in-residence at the Office of Water Prediction at the U.S. National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Source: Phys.org
Bony Ear Growths Found in Skeletons From Panama.
Smithsonian Magazine reports that Nicole Smith-Guzmán of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and her colleagues examined 125 skulls from nine pre-Columbian burial sites in Panama, and found bony growths in the ear canals of seven men and one woman.
Three of the men with the growths were buried together. The growths, known as external auditory exostoses, or surfers’ ear, are thought to form as a reaction to long exposure to cold wind and water. And although Panama is a tropical country, water temperatures in the Gulf of Panama drop between January and April, when trade winds from the north blow warm surface water out into the Pacific Ocean, and colder water rises to the surface.
Source: Archaeology
Panama Closes Narcotrafficking Routes.
Panama concluded 2018 dealing a hard blow to narcotrafficking with Operation Shield (Operación Escudo), a joint initiative of Panamanian security branches that kicked off October 1st. In just three months, the Panamanian Public Force seized nearly 25 tons of drugs and arrested more than 120 people in several operations throughout the country.
According to the Public Force, most of the drug seized belonged to Clan del Golfo, a Colombian organized armed group.
“There are large amount of drugs in transit, due to the increase of narcotrafficking and drug production near the Colombian border,” Commissioner Eric Estrada, director of the Panamanian National Border Service (SENAFRONT, in Spanish), told Diálogo. “Clan del Golfo is responsible for 85 percent of the drugs shipped to the international market, and that’s why it’s the main structure to dismantle at this time.”
Source: Dialogo Americas
Planning on retiring to Panama this year? Start here!
If you’re planning on relocating to or retiring in Panama, chances are you’ll need to do some adjusting. This isn’t to say that it’ll be a bad experience; simply that moving to another country, and another culture, involves a lot of changes in a very short time.
Get used to a slower pace of life.
Many people who come to Panama complain that things go a bit slower down here. This is true, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. One of the best aspects of living in Panama is the slow, relaxed pace of life, and low stress culture. We recommend that you accept this, and go with the flow. This will make life much easier, and (even if you don’t realize it now) make you much happier!
Source: International Relocation Firm Blog
