By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Forrest Walker sent me the photo featured in this snopes debunk as a depiction of something similar to what was supposedly found in Bocas del Toro on the beach. He is currently trying to track down the photos taken by the people who found the thing. It's little more than a big silly rumor that's flying around Bocas right now, but don't worry, Forrest is on the trail. He's been hounding the STRI guys for an interview, and mysteriously the Coast Guard won't talk to him either. Further proof of a growing mystery, I bet... I wonder if the government of Panama knows that the US scientific community spirited away the body of a mermaid in the middle of the night aboard a Coast Guard cutter. Kinda makes you wonder.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By FORREST WALKER for Panama-Guide.com - OK folks. First, no I am not on drugs, and I do not drink (both a rarity for anyone who lives here, believe me). With that having been said, here is the story. The creature in this photo (or one like it) was found on the beach at Drago in Bocas del Toro in the Republic of Panama. For those of you who do not live here, Drago is at the end of our Archipelago, the westernmost passage way into the Caribbean Sea, and a route not that much traveled. It was found by some trekkers. Photos were taken with their ubiquitous cell phone cameras They did the right thing and called the local Smithsonian outpost. The story continues this way... (more)

International Herald Tribune - The Associated Press - OCALA, Florida: Action star Wesley Snipes was sentenced by a federal judge Thursday to the maximum three-year sentence on tax charges. Prosecutors had requested the three year sentence, one year for each of Snipes' convictions of willfully failing to file a tax return. Snipes' lawyers offered three dozen letters from family members, friends and even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington attesting to his good character. They argued he should get only probation, because all three convictions were misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal record. (more)

By Zoraida Chong for La Prensa - "You have a little piece of heaven here," "Panama is wonderful," "the people here are very warm and amiable," "they many different types of landscapes: the beach is close by, El Valle de Antón." This is how the new residents of Panama, retirees or pensioners, mainly American, who chose to live their "second youth" here in Panama, see the country. The reasons for coming are very diverse and run from the lower cost of living, to the natural landscapes, and old memories, among others. Robert Askew for example is "Zonian" who always wanted to return to Panama. His grandfather came to Panama in 1907 to work on the construction of the Panama Canal, and his mother was born, as he was, in Gorgas hospital. (more) (Photo Credit: LA PRENSA/David Mesa)

By JODELLE GREINER, Lifestyles Editor for the Gainesville Daily Register - Would you move to another country with a different way of life and language just because you felt that’s what God wanted you to do? Mark and Mary Fuller of Gainesville did. They spent more than 10 years in Central America, working and raising their daughters because they felt God had called them to do mission work. It all started in the late 1980s. They were in their late 20s, living in Arlington. “Just felt God leading us to go overseas as missionaries,” Mark said. They contacted the Baptist Church’s Foreign Mission Board (now known as the International Mission Board) and went through the process of learning what they needed to know. The Fullers wanted to serve in Central America — the catch was, neither one spoke Spanish. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Absolutely un-friggin' believable. Remember Leslie Aldredge, the expatriate from New York City who came to Panama, won over the hearts and minds of many people, and then screwed them over? For all of her fluff and fuzzy language, it turns out under it all she is little more than a two-bit scam artist. She fled from Panama to Ecuador to avoid criminal prosecution for theft, fraud, embezzlement, and mismanagement of funds and assets. Her victim Michael Taylor also filed criminal charges against her for criminal slander and defamation when she started bitching about him after she stole his car, laptop, and about $13,000. Now, she has the flat-out balls to pop back up on line questioning the morals and ethics of people who are doing real estate deals in her newly chosen turf, Ecuador. (more)

From Flight For Life.org - In May of 2008, an international group of Powered Paragliders (PPG) will meet in the Republic of Panama to attempt a world record. They will attempt to cross from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean flying over the Panama Canal. The fact that authorization has been obtained to fly over the Panama Canal is unique, due to the high security restrictions concerning that specific airspace. The reason that authorization has been obtained is due to the fact that besides establishing a world record, the event has a greater good. The proceeds from their sponsors will be donated entirely to a local charity foundation called FANLYC ("Foundation of Friends of the Children with Leukemia and Cancer"). Raising social awareness through sporting events is their vision, hoping that this will have a positive ripple effect. Local support has been overwhelming from all sides. The Ultralight Association will be escorting the PPG pilots and offering air support. Local authorities are offering ground support and onsite rescue teams. Sponsors for the event have already shown their interest and have started donations. All donations received through our organization and its volunteers will be listed on the SPONSORS page. Remy Swaab, Organizer, Panama Paramotor Asociation, www.paramotoresdepanama.com

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Last week Eric Jackson from The Panama News posted a link to what is supposedly an arrest warrant for Mark Boswell (a.k.a. Rex Freeman) in Costa Rica. In response John Carlson said the following in this post to the Americans in Panama Yahoo! email group: "I am happy to report that another of these scumbags is, apparently, about to be suffering his long-overdue day of reckoning, his 'just deserts', as evidenced by a Costa Rican government warrant for his arrest." Then he questioned my position regarding Mark Boswell (Rex Freeman.) I wanted to take the opportunity to both recognize the existence of the Costa Rican arrest warrant for Mark Boswell, as well as open up this entire topic for discussion on a new discussion forum to talk about it. And, I just talked to Rex. (more)

By Joe Holley for the Washington Post - Michael H. Robinson, 79, a ruddy-faced Englishman who led the transformation of the National Zoo from a collection of pens and cages to a park where animals lived in something akin to their natural environments, died March 22 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Alexandria. During his 16-year tenure as director of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Dr. Robinson installed the controversial Think Tank, an exhibit on animal thinking that investigated orangutan language exploration and tool use. He helped open the Amazonia building, at the time the largest exhibit to be added to the zoo in 50 years, and was responsible for opening the Invertebrate House, with its spider exhibit without glass. (He was a spider specialist.) He also directed the development of the Pollinarium, where visitors study plants and the animals that pollinate them. (more)

Military.com - PANAMA - Crew members from the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton took some time out from a recent port call to help a community March 4, 2008. Six crew members from the 378-foot San Diego-based cutter assisted with landscaping and painting projects at the Hospital Nacional Larga Estancia in Vera Cruz, Panama. The hospital was originally built by the United States and was designed as a place to care for lepers. The hospital still has a few residents with leprosy, but also serves as a nursing home for people with other disabilities. The volunteers painted railings and raked the courtyard of the hospital before moving on to the task of felling a tree the hospital needed removed. After finishing, the crew was invited to lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Some volunteers also met and spoke with hospital residents. The crew of the Hamilton left San Diego to patrol the East Pacific Jan. 29, 2008. Their port call in Panama came only a few days after their recovery of $55 million worth of cocaine from the waters south of Costa Rica Feb. 29, 2008.

By Seth Nidever for the Hartford Sentinel - There's a tarantula in the sink, there's a sea of mud outside, and a scorpion is hiding somewhere in the house. It's a tiny village in Panama during the rainy season, and it's a world away from Kings County for Laura Gregory, now almost finished with a two-year stint in the Peace Corps that has taken her far from the comforts of Hanford. Many Americans enjoy U.S. economic advantages without ever seeing life in the Third World. Their international experience might extend as far as a fishing trip in Baja California or a tour of western Europe, but no farther. Gregory wanted more, so she decided to abandon the air conditioning, the carpets, the salaries, the cars, the warm water, and go to a place without electricity, without indoor toilets, without a washing machine. (more)

Sydney Morning Herald - Back-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin has appeared in court to admit a charge of deception. Fifty-seven-year-old Darwin and his wife, 55-year-old Anne, have been accused of a string of fraud charges totaling more than $540,000. The couple have made their first crown court appearance in Leeds for a plea and directions hearing. Darwin disappeared after taking his canoe into the sea near his home in Seaton Carew in Hartlepool in March 2002. He turned up at a London police station in December last year claiming he'd lost his memory, but it turned out he'd been with his wife in Panama City most of the time. A photograph emerged apparently showing the couple in Panama with a property agent. Darwin has pleaded guilty to seven charges of obtaining cash by deception and a passport offense, but denied nine other charges of using criminal property. His wife denied six deception charges and nine of using criminal property.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Back in December I went to the Do-It Center in Multiplaza and spent about $4,500 on a whole set of appliances for our new apartment. Included in that purchase was four Samsung 12,000 BTU split air conditioners. I took delivery and hired a technician to install them. During the installation he discovered that one of the A/C units was defective. I reported this to Do-It Center, who referred me to Samsung. I make a long story short, they took the unit and repaired it, and now they want to give it back. My position is simple - I expected to buy a new air conditioning unit that was in perfect operating condition out of the box - not one that needed repair. Now, they refuse to give me a new one and I refuse to accept the "repaired" unit. (more)

Boca Raton News.com - Matthew Ferner, 24, of Boca Raton, left for Panama March 3 to provide indigenous communities with humanitarian assistance as a Peace Corps Response volunteer. Though Panama City features skyscrapers, shopping malls and expensive restaurants, 95 percent of Panamanians who live in that area suffer profound poverty. Of those citizens, 86 percent live in extreme poverty, earning less than $1 per day. Ferner will work with Winrock International to apply information and communication technologies to the development of eco-tourism in two communities in the Panama Canal Watershed. He will act as a liaison between community members and Winrock staff as well as between other organizations in the area, working on technological development. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just caught the tail end of a news report saying an American was killed in a traffic accident in La Chorrera this afternoon. I did not catch the name of the person who was killed. The person was driving a green SUV and apparently died at the scene of the accident. If you know who this was please let me know. Thanks.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Michael Dorausch for the Planet Chiropractic - A Chiropractic Mission to Panamá has been scheduled for May 24 through May 31, 2008. After weeks of communication, I received an e-mail earlier last week from Lina Guillen, that the humanitarian mission trip has been confirmed. Lina told me that she has met with Juan Carlos Navarro, the mayor of Panama City, and the country will be preparing for the arrival of volunteer chiropractors on May 24th. After nearly 11 years, I continue to receive e-mails every week regarding former trips to Panamá. I hear from people we took care of there, I hear from chiropractors looking to participate in future events, and I hear from people that want to duplicate the model of service in other countries. It pleases me greatly to be announcing a 2008 Chiropractic Mission Trip to Panama. (more)

The Age - A British canoeist who disappeared more than five years ago before reappearing last December says he only came back because he thought his wife was having an affair. John Darwin, 57, disappeared after taking his canoe into the sea near his home in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, in March 2002. But after he turned up at a London police station in December it has been claimed he had been living next door to his wife and with her in an apartment in Panama City for most of the time. Darwin, who along with wife Anne is being held in custody on charges of deception, has now confided to a fellow inmate about his reasons for returning. "People were always asking him why he came back," freed prisoner Stephen Dodds told the Daily Mirror. "One day while playing pool, he told one of the lads he was unhappy with his wife. "He was convinced she was seeing another man and was going to leave him without a penny. "That was the reason for handing himself in after all that time. "So he decided to come back - which meant she had to give herself up as well." Darwin initially told police he was suffering from amnesia. However, a photograph emerged apparently showing Darwin and his wife in Panama with a property agent. The picture is said to have been taken in July 2006 - more than three years after Hartlepool Coroner Malcolm Donnelly recorded an open verdict on John Darwin's death.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I emailed Rex Freeman yesterday, and told him "Please call me now. I have an article on my screen that I’m about to publish. It’s going out if I talk to you or not. Get back to me as soon as humanly possible." Rex replied with the following this morning (published in full, as written, no editing on my part:)

Hi Don, I saw the article. It's old news yes and to understand what it means one has to understand the setting at the time of the arrests. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Eric Jackson and The Panama News obtained criminal records from Colorado on Mark Emery Boswell (aka Rex Freeman) showing four arrests and a felony conviction for (what looks like) impersonation and passing bad checks from 1995. The record from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation reflects primarily arrests as well as what looks like an 18 month prison sentence but it's not clear if that was actually time served. This is a law enforcement record and not a court record, which is usually clearer with regards to things like bail, time served, fines, or probation. In other words Mark Boswell was arrested and charged, but I'm not sure (from the records made available by Eric Jackson) if he was actually convicted or incarcerated. From the records made available, it's impossible to tell. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I try to take it easy, and not to become upset or frustrated at the little speed-bumps life throws your way. There's an expression in Panamanian Spanish - "El primero que se empute, pierde." (The first to get pissed off, loses.) Following that advice I usually try to stay cool and calm no matter what happens. But this morning the fine folks at Cable Onda managed to push my buttons - proving time and time again they are completely, absolutely, and totally inept at "customer service." That's the Reader's Digest version - they suck. A slightly longer version would go something like "there is probably no company in the Republic of Panama with worse customer service than Cable Onda." Now, I'm going to vent my spleen a little... (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This is hilarious. And, it's real. Apparently some Panamanian dude working in a call center flipped out on a customer who was calling to buy a computer. Chances are the customer was not recording the call, but rather the call center was as part of their monitoring and training. Talk about an example of how "not" to close on a sale. Friggin' amazing...

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Note: I did not write this article. This was sent to me by someone who spent most of the afternoon chasing around this scam. They asked me to keep their names out of it because they are embarrassed that they were "taken." And at the same time they want to warn others, so here it goes;

As you read this, you’ll realize quicker than we did that we were being played. Hindsight is 20/20, and having lived through it, we see where we missed it. But we share our story as a reminder to other expats that such scams exist and that its slick. Not reading the local news much, not familiar with current promotional contests, we fell for this trick out of our ignorance. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Holy crap. I don't know what he's smoking, but it's definitely some good shit. Eric Jackson posted the following this morning;

Eric Jackson Writes: "Who was Don Winner's very first advertiser? Tucan, a gated golf course community: - one of whose principals is one Gilbert Straub, who is the man who personally delivered Richard Nixon's hush money to the Watergate burglars; - which adjacent to Howard, a former US Air Force Base that's set up to be used by the US Department of Defense as a "forward operating location" (they have equipment stashed in a hangar there and "civilian contractors" ready to start operations on a moment's notice) under some undisclosed agreement with the Panamanian government; - which was described to me by a MIVI guy as "for foreign contractors." When you look at the Jeff Gannon story (gay hooker to White House press corps until the Washington Post exposed him as a GOP plant) and all the fake "independent news" websites that the Pentagon set up around the world, then what Winner is doing no longer has the look of a mere sleazy business. It has the look of an expendable disinformation operation directed by someone other than Don Winner."

Hey Eric - There Are Pills For That: Eric Jackson should go sit in a corner and suck on a lithium lollipop somewhere. The boy is friggin' certifiable. Amazing shit. Read all about it on ThePanamaNews.com.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Hilary Russ for the Cape Cod Times - ABOARD T.S. ENTERPRISE — At sunset we turned. Unleashed from our anchorage, we faced the Panama Canal. It was a little break in the isthmus, off in the distance under the darkening sky. Already, cadets crowded the railings. Camera flashes erupted across the decks. Soon we neared the first set of locks, blazing with light. An enormous 1950s-diner-style neon arrow pointed us into our lane of the lock, a concrete corral rising from the jungle and the sea. The ship in front of us was already high up in the air. After nearly two weeks of sailing, working and studying, about 500 stir-crazy Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets were just one canal trip away from their first port Wednesday night. But the journey through the engineering marvel was worth the wait. (more)