By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I was 14 years old in 1976 when this poster came out, and like every other young man in the United States at the time I was completely and totally smitten. Farrah Fawcett - Majors (at the time) was the icon of a generation. The family would regularly gather around the tube to watch "Charlie's Angels" of course. And today I was saddened to learn of her passing after a long bout with cancer. "Que En Paz Descansa" (May She Rest In Peace) as they would say here in Panama. I will always remember her as she appeared on this poster - an image ingrained indelibly - as only this kind of an image can be on the brain of a young and healthy 14 year-old male. I think this poster might have caused me to take up photography but I'm not really sure about that... Anyway, thanks for everything, Farrah. I was one of your biggest fans.

Copyright 2009 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: This article first appeared on 17 June 2009. I pulled it when I first learned the "William Smartlee" character was actually Steven Rich. Now that I have a much better grasp of the actual situation, I wanted to put it back up, with a re-write for accuracy.) That's it - I made the switch. I'm now going to start filing anything having to do with Eric Jackson under "entertainment." He's as crazy as a fruitcake. Allow me to restate that - I'm not calling him crazy, on several occasions in the the past he has described himself as having been diagnosed as a bipolar, but he refuses to take the medications prescribed for him. He regularly and routinely displays obsessive and compulsive behavior. He has been literally obsessed with me and my website since i launched the Panama-Guide, mostly because he didn't want any competition. And in fact since I launched his website has been withering while mine has been growing steadily. Now this whack-job has gotten a gig working at the "La Estrella" newspaper here in Panama City. And today, in a very unwise editorial decision by the owners of that newspaper, they allowed Jackson, under the guise of one of their writers named MARIJULIA PUJOL LLOYD, to try to paint me as being connected to Fabian (snip) and the porno industry in Panama, through my relationship with Mona Sutherland. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story - just so long as we can get Don Winner's name in the article as being related to the porno industry, then we have met our objective. Good. Now, it's my turn. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - My friends, there are some times when it's just my duty to publish a public service announcement. In this case, the fine young folks at Surfline.com, "celebrating 25 years of taking the focus off our team riders," is hosting a "Bottoms Up" contest. You can vote for your all time favorite winners of the Miss Reef contest, and register to win a trip to Panama to be a guest Miss Reef judge at the upcoming contest. No kidding. I mean, I'm a big fan. This is the 25th year of the contest, and you can also download wallpaper for your computer from the Reef.com website. That's Diana, by the way. How can you not like a contest with the delightfully tacky objective of searching the world to find the most perfect butt. In a bikini. That's right, turn around, back to the crowd, and stand, just like that. No, we don't care about world peace. No, we don't care if you can juggle on a unicycle while playing "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on a clarinet with your nose. We don't want to see you in an evening gown. We really (really) don't give a flying crap about your opinions on gay marriage. And finally, Miss Congeniality should be backstage somewhere pounding tequila shooters with the crew. No, this is a completely different kind of contest, and by golly, I think they all should be just like this one. Different body parts, maybe. Best hooters. Most amazing camel toe. Stuff like that. Hey guys, anything I can do to help. Carry some luggage, maybe?...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

- By CHRIS SCHULZ - Stuff.co.nz - EXCLUSIVE Carolina Eastwood says she is struggling to cope with the number of male admirers she has gained since becoming the first person eliminated from the new season of Survivor. Eastwood, a 26-year-old bartender who was born in Panama but lives in California, became the first person eliminated from Survivor: Tocantins, the new season of the reality television show based in Brazil. She was blindsided by her Jalapao tribemates when her bossy personality and verbal outbursts annoyed the rest of her team. Eastwood told Stuff.co.nz she had "very little control" over the skimpy red dress she wore on the show, but was still surprised by all the attention she was getting from men. "I find it so funny because I'm such a tomboy in so many ways," she said. "I gained weight for the show so I was like, 'Why are they all looking at me?' I'm like the little fat Spanish girl on the show. I wasn't trying to go on the show to look pretty. I wanted to kick some butt." (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Diana Patricia Broce was crowned as the new Miss Panama last night. She will be representing Panama in the upcoming Miss Universe beauty pageant. The event was held under the "big top" of the Tihany Spectacular circus in front of the Albrook shopping center. Here's a link to a photo gallery of Diana Patrica Broce - Miss Panama 2009.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Manuel Vega Loo for La Prensa - 2:19 p.m. - Panama's Health Minister Rosario Turner confirmed to the press this afternoon that the company organizing the Monster Truck Jam have informed her they would postpone the event. "They have accepted the instructions given to them by the Ministry of Health and they have seen it as a form of social responsibility, which is why they will postpone the event," said Turner. She added that the company has made a "very socially responsible" decision. The Monster Truck Jam was programmed to take place on Saturday 16 May and Sunday 17 May at the Rod Carew stadium.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - According to a reliable inside source (Russell Bean, if it's wrong you can beat him up...) the Monster Truck event has been postponed until at least 6 June 2009 due to the threat of H1N1 virus infection. Event organizers reportedly just held a press conference at the El Panama hotel (which I missed) where they announced the postponement. Chances are good this event will eventually be canceled completely, since there's little chance the H1N1 virus will no longer be a threat in Panama by 6 June. Anyway, as they say, snot happens...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Jason Biffis for Panama-Guide.com - Last Sunday produced an awesome turnout for the Sunday 2k Social, and the tournament finished with a bang, with Fulo taking out the third and second place finishers with a flush on the river in both cases – first with a club flush, then a spade flush minutes later to take the first prize of $1000. The next chance to show your mettle is Wednesday, at the Poker Panama VIP Invitational. This is open to all players that have played before, and if you are new, just give us a call and reserve your seat. Your buyin of $60 puts you at the table with some of the finest poker players Panama has to offer – and with this small intimate setting, your chances of hitting the final table and cashing part of the $3000 guarantee is greatly improved. The player points are close to being finished, and you will be able to track your ranking on www.allinlatino.com and www.pokerpanama.com the day after each tourney. Hot tourneys, great cash games, satellites and sit n go’s, Poker Panama is the place to be for poker.

Copyright 2009 by Jason Biffis 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 - Thank God for stupid crap like this. I mean it - this kind of dumb stuff just drives people to the website in droves. Yesterday someone posted some heavily photo-shopped and fake pictures that were supposed to be of the Panama Women's Cricket Team. Whoever modified the photos made them look like the girls had tremendous butts, and since they hit the Internet people from all over the world have been scrambling to see what they fuss is about. Now today I see TMZ picked up on a YouTube Video from a Miss Panama beauty pageant in which the contestant is asked to give her thoughts on the quote from Confucius; "Learning without thought is labor lost." Her answer was "Good evening Panama. Confucius, was one of those who invented confusion, and that's why ... one of the most ancient... one of the Chinese ... Japanese ... that was the most ancient. Thank you."

Thank God for Giosue Cozzarelli - I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I think she's probably a very smart and brilliant young woman. I think anyone caught in the moment under the stare of the cameras and the bright spotlight can simply stumble and say something as immortally stupid as this. But, part of being a beauty queen is that you're supposed to be at least smart enough to tie your shoes, and in the case of this answer it might be time for some slippers. Anyway, like I said - I'm not calling her dumb - just the answer she gave in this contest.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Jason Biffis for Panama-Guide.com - Come and join us on Wednesday evenings for a serious night of poker fun. Serious because here you will find the more serious players in this tournament with a $3ooo guarantee, and fun, because, well poker is just fun. The slight drop in the buyin after polling some players will fill this tourney up, and as always, the buffet will be exquisite. Your buyin of $60 will get you in the race – and with rebuys and an addon, your chances to hit the final table and ultimately cash will be better than ever. This weekly tournament forms part of the Poker Panama - Allinlatino.com Poker League Player of the Year. The ratings will be back shortly, revamped and retooled, and you will be able to see them on www.pokerpanama.com and www.allinlatino.com. At the end of the year, there will be a great prize for the Player of the Year, and lots of other stuff for the rest of the field as well. With the hottest tournaments and great cash games as well, Poker Panama is where it’s at for all your poker needs and desires.

Copyright 2009 by Jason Biffis 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 - There will be a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament tonight at the Royal Casino's new Las Vegas style poker room in the upstairs level (the Royal Casino is the one next to the Marriott hotel in Panama City.) The tournament starts at 7:30 pm and the $80 buy-in entitles you to a $50 Free CASH acct. with Cards Online Poker. $5,000 in cash prizes will go to the top six finishers. In addition there will be a free raffle with a $1,000 first prize, $250 second prize, $100 cash acct. with Action Sports Book plus $100 cash acct. with Cards Online Poker for 3rd Prize, and $50 in match play and $80 for future poker tournament is the 4th Prize. Plus, the Food & Booze feast as well as free hats, t-shirts, and pens for the players.

***Come and experience the brand new look of the Royal Casino's Poker Room*** Located on the Mezzanine Level adjacent to Actions Sportsbook and the Marriott Hotel - $80 Buy-In with Guaranteed Cash Prizes of $5000 - Open Bar and Food catered by the upscale Union Club - Open Cash Games throughout the Tournament - RSVP NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT AND YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE ENTRY INTO CASH MEGA-RAFFLES AND $50 CASH BONUS ON CARDSALLDAY.COM ACCOUNTS - $15 Open Bar and Food for all Non-Poker Players

By Jason Biffis for Panama-Guide.com - Up the stairs and behind the bar in the Fiesta Casino sits a well known room – well known to Panama’s poker elite, at least – called Poker Panama. The newest poker room in town, here you will find the hottest poker action in the city each and every night of the week. Whether tournaments, cash games, or even poker school for the novices out there, this room boasts something for everyone. Two adjoining rooms separated by a small vestibule with access to an open air smoking lounge just steps from the tables host four very private tables. Here you will be greeted by name each time after the first, as the host of this room knows how important you are and more importantly, how you like to play. Make sure to leave contact information so that you can be kept up to date with the goings on of the week, either by SMS text message or email, or both. Weekly events here include a Wednesday night tournament, The Poker Panama VIP Invitational, a $5k guarantee tournament that draws the best players in town, and the Sunday Poker $2k Social, a fun and laid back tournament that will provide you with one last chance to relax before the weekday grind becomes reality again on Monday morning. In addition to these, there are also nightly cash games – Texas, Omaha or even Chinese poker – and also freerolls and satellites to other tournaments in Panama and around the world.

Copyright 2009 by Jason Biffis 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 - The Brazilian Andressa Ferreira was crowned on Saturday night, 25 April 2009, as the new Miss Reef, demonstrating the "Best Butt" of the year. Second place went to Argentinean Luly Oliveto and third place went to Panamanian Wendy Sagel. And as usual, the guys at dealante.com had it covered...

By Jason Biffis for Panama-Guide.com - Allinlatino.com teams up with Poker Panama to bring you the Sunday Poker 2k Social, hosted at the exclusive Poker Panama room at the Fiesta Casino, Hotel El Panama. This tournament got its start 8 weeks ago, and will continue to grow and prosper in its new home. The buffet will be hosted by one or two of our many restaurant sponsors each week, making sure to bring you the comfort and ambiance that you have come to know and expect from everything Allinlatino.com related. Our Sunday tournament will continue on its regular run - $30 buyin, the opportunity for 3 $30 rebuys, and one $30 addon, to ensure plentitudes of enjoyment for all of our players. Also keep in mind that each time you participate in an Allinlatino.com tournament, you will be receiving player points for the prestigious player of the year award that will be given at the end of this year. The day after each ranked tournament, the cumulative results will be posted for all to appreciate, both on www.allinlatino.com and www.pokerpanama.com. One last thing – each time you participate in the Sunday game, you are eligible to request your $25 credit into your Doyle’s room online account! Continue to join us at the Poker Panama room in Fiesta Casino this Sunday at 6pm. There will now be a $500 chip bonus for punctuality, so make sure you are seated and ready to play by 6pm to receive it. This adds 25% to your beginning chipstack, so take advantage and play to win!

Copyright 2009 by Jason Biffis for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Jason Biffis for Panama-Guide.com - Allinlatino.com presents the weekly PokerPanama.com VIP Invitational at the Fiesta Casino, Hotel El Panama, Wednesday April 22nd at 7:30 pm. This tournament is by invitation only for the Who's Who in Panama Poker. This invitational tournament will be THE weekly tournament for the serious tournament poker players in town. The exclusive Poker room, Poker Panama, and Director Alberto Gamba will provide the top notch service and atmosphere that our players have come to expect. The buyin is $100, for 5k in chips, followed by 2 discounted rebuys, for $60 and $50, each buying you 5k in chips. At the end of the rebuy period, an addon will be available for $40, which will give you an additional 8k. A 1000 chip punctuality bonus will be awarded to all players that arrive and register to start on time at 7pm. The tournament has a $5000 guaranteed prize pool. This week our buffet will be provided by Dolce Coffee House, on Via Argentina, and Habibi’s on Calle Uruguay. If you would like an invitation to this event, please email Jason@allinlatino.com, or call 6603-7077, or contact Alberto at 6512-5008. Hope to see you there! Jason

La Critica - Tremendous surprise! One of the participants in the Miss USA contest is a Panamanian, and that's why we should all unite to support her. Nicole White, 20 years old, is the daughter of Panamanians Dalys and Aurelio White, and she needs for us to vote for her on the web page www.missusa.com. Our beautiful representative is one of the contestants with the fewest votes, and through this online voting the most photogenic contestant will be determined. The Miss USA contest will take place on 19 April 2009. (Comment: Dual Citizen? Hmmm... She's representing the District of Columbia. Check out the videos - when asked "What superpower would you like to have and why" she said she would like to have the power of invisibility so she could steal candy and not get caught. Really. Could I make something like that up? Hilarious... Most of her answers had something to do with food and her ability to fit into her bikini - so maybe she thinks better when she gets fed. Whatever. Go Panama!)

La Critica - The Brazilian Flight Demonstration Team "Esquadrilha da Fumaca" will be performing in Panama at the Amador Causeway on Friday, April 17th. This is the second time the group will be visiting Panama. The show will last for 45 minutes, and will include 22 team maneuver sequences, with 55 individual acrobatics. The event is organized by the Embassy of Brazil with the support of the Sea and air National Service.

Written by Ace Riley for Sports-Odds.com - The inaugural event of the recently created Latin Series of Poker (LSOP) will be held in the beautiful tropical Panama City, Panama during the month of August 2009. The Majestic Casino will be the destination. The tournament will be the first of various poker events held in Latin American destinations. Cities such as San Jose and Alajuela in Costa Rica, Lima in Peru, Caracas, Venezuela and Cancun in Mexico are part of the circuit of cities to host following events. The LSOP Panama Event will be held from August 3rd through August 9th with a Guaranteed Prize Pool of $500,000 for the Main Event. (more)

The Veneto - A Wyndham Grand Hotel, and the Veneto Casino are proud to present the Hot Hands Sunday Poker Tournament at the exclusive Veneto Poker Room. Allinlatino.com along with Panama-Guide.com and PlayaCommunity.com will be proud sponsors of this event. Come everyone on every Sunday at 5pm (registration) for the beginning of what will be THE Sunday Night tourney for every regular poker player in Panama. The tournament will have a $30 buy in with a $2k guarantee, 3 rebuys and an add on. All participants will have access to the VIP room buffet provided by the 5 star facilities of the Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel. Allinlatino.com will cover the event with photos and videos, and of course no Allinlatino.com event is complete without the AllInLatinoGirl.com girls. Interviews and photos, together with player reviews will be seen on Allinlatino.com and PokerPanama.com. Allinlatino.com will also add to the event with a free $25 poker account at Doyle's Room. So basically your first buy in comes back to you in a free online account. Also you will be eligible to collect Poker Panama player of the Year points for placing in these tourneys. So come on down and take a shot. Good Poker, good food, good drinks.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The regular Sunday night poker tournament at the Veneto casino (every Sunday at 5:00 pm) is drawing more and more players each week. Tonight my friend Joe Fallas from Luzdecor happened to be sitting at the same table and the seat next to mine. All players draw a card at random for seating assignments, so it was cool that we happened to be sitting together. We had a good table, and a couple of guys went (dumb) all-in early, just because they wanted to bail out of the tournament to go downstairs to play craps. Then a few hands later I thought I was going to rake a nice pot... (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Don't forget the Sunday afternoon poker tournament at the Veneto casino tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 pm. The cost is $30 bucks to play, and it's worth it if just for the buffet they put out for the players. This tournament is growing in popularity among the English speaking expatriate community, and every week more and more players are showing up. The management is learning every week and steadily improving, and now it seems they have the bugs all worked out and things are running smooth as silk. In almost every one of these things I've participated in, I've had to make an early departure for some reason or another - I'm going to clear my schedule for tomorrow and see if I can make it to the final table...

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Sacha Howells for film.com - Quantum of Solace picks up immediately where Casino Royale left off, with Daniel Craig's Bond freshly betrayed by Vesper Lynd. His road to revenge or redemption reveals a new worldwide conspiracy called QUANTUM that has infiltrated Her Majesty's Secret Service itself, and takes him outside the law, going rogue against his own government. The trail leads Bond to QUANTUM's plan to overthrow the Bolivian government and install a dictator in exchange for ownership of a vast desert -- for the oil, everyone assumes. Mathieu Amalric is the sleazy eco-entrepreneur Dominic Greene, Olga Kurylenko plays Camille, a former secret agent with her own reasons to take down the new dictator, and Gemma Arterton is barely there as Fields, a British agent. The film careens along between set pieces, delivering lots of action but without the coherence and depth that made Casino Royale more than just another action flick. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Well, that was a lot of fun. I like to play poker, and yesterday I played in the third "Hot Hands Tournament" at the Veneto casino, organized by Scotty King from www.AllinLatino.com. I've played in several tournaments organized by these guys, and I've been able to see the production and quality steadily improve over time. The first one was good, but a little disorganized in some ways. The managers of the poker rooms are accustomed to dealing with Panamanian high-rollers and not so much with a standardized and formal (professionally done) Poker tournament setting. I can say that without a doubt, the tournament yesterday was the best one yet. (more)

Do you like Hot Latinas the way most red blooded men do? The people who bought you the "Lifestyle of a Winner" at Allinlatino.com are happy to announce the launch of their newest project www.Allinlatinogirl.com. Allinlatinogirl.com is exactly what the name says. It's all about the Latin girls. It’s a bikini contest/fashion site with 3 monthly winners awarded. The three girls with the highest rating each month win prizes of $500, $300 and $200 dollars for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Each winner is voted on by you, the public. Those 3 winners go into the yearend final pool of 36 girls who will be having an online contest for $5000, $3000, and $2000 dollars. So this site isn’t just any free site for pictures. We pay to see the prettiest girls. Make www.Allinlatino.com your gaming portal of choice, and www.Allinlatinogirl.com your choice for the other great pleasure in life - beautiful women. So go and sign up online men and women and start voting for those beautiful girls today. (more)

The Veneto - A Wyndham Grand Hotel, and the Veneto Casino are proud to present the Hot Hands Sunday Poker Tournament at the exclusive Veneto Poker Room. Allinlatino.com along with Panama-Guide.com (Don Winner will be at the tables) and PlayaCommunity.com will be proud sponsors of this event. Come everyone on every Sunday this week March 8th, at 5pm (registration) for the beginning of what will be THE Sunday Night tourney for every regular poker player in Panama. The tournament will have a $30 buy in with a $2k guarantee, 3 rebuys and an add on. All participants will have access to the VIP room buffet provided by the 5 star facilities of the Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel. Allinlatino.com will cover the event with photos and videos, and of course no Allinlatino.com event is complete without the AllInLatinoGirl.com girls. Interviews and photos, together with player reviews will be seen on Allinlatino.com and PokerPanama.com. Allinlatino.com will also add to the event with a free $25 poker account at Doyle's Room. So basically your first buy in comes back to you in a free online account. Also you will be eligible to collect Poker Panama player of the Year points for placing in these tourneys. So come on down and take a shot. Good Poker, good food, good drinks. Pretty women and fine people all together at a Five star established Hotel and Casino. Who could ask for anything more? Scotty, www.AllinLatino.com

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Today is the third day of Carnival celebrations in Panama, and for the most part the public forces, government, and police are keeping things generally under control. Yesterday the Chief of Police said there have been more than 420 DUI's issued (and cars towed away) so far. They also showed a large pile of weapons, mostly knives and sharp objects, that were taken off of carnival revelers as they tried to enter the area - everyone is being searched on the way in. Of course, as usual, there are always car accidents, fights, etc., but for the most part it's been a relatively uneventful carnival so far. (Photo: La Critica)

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 - Scotty King is the driving force behind the up and coming AllinLatino.com poker website. If you have a television and cable then you've probably noticed the poker craze that's sweeping the world. Scotty is positioning himself to be the primary player for everything having to do with significant poker tournaments in Latin America. I've played in a couple of these events and it's a lot of fun. And, this is the first time that I've really gotten into participating in organized events like this - I've played poker just for fun with friends of course, but playing in these tournaments is like taking a step up to another level or something. And, you can limit the damage going in by just buying in for the minimum if you want, just to get your feet wet. Anyway, maybe you can hone your skills down here and end up playing at the "main event" for a WSOP bracelet or something later down the road. Stranger things have happened. Anyway, come on out and try your luck. I'll see you there. Besides, this time between the end of football season and before the start of spring (hormone) training is kinda dead anyway, so what the heck...

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

(Press Release from allinlatino.com) - The Veneto - A Wyndham Grand Hotel, and the Veneto Casino announce their Weekly Poker Tournament at the exclusive Veneto Poker Room. Allinlatino.com along with Panama-Guide.com (Dont forget to meet and greet Don Winner at the tables) and PlayaCommunity.com will be proud sponsors of this event. Come everyone on Sunday, February the 15th at 5pm for the beginning of what will be the Sunday Night tourney for every regular poker player in Panama.The tournament will have a $30 buy in with a $2k guaranteed, 3 rebuys and an add on. The pot will increase with the number of players. All the participants will have access to the vip room buffet by the 5 star facilities of the Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The following comes from McKenzie Mcaleer: "There will be a special guest at the Crazy Horse. Trisha Uptown will be visiting us in a special show tonight, Directly from USA Check her out: http://mpa.trishauptown.com/preview/4224/big5.jpg Don't miss the opportunity to get a pic or an autograph, never seen before!! http://mpa.trishauptown.com/preview/4242/big4.jpg The Crazy Horse is located in El Dorado above BBQ Sports. See you there."

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