By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - It looks like the Jet Set Elegancia Spa in Obarrio is back up and running full speed. They had a run-in with their neighbors a few months ago - there are some very rich and politically powerful people living right next door and I was sure they were going to be shut down. But not so fast - I just checked their website and you can see that "Sol" is available 24/7 (pictured here), advertised as a 21 year-old submissive Russian woman, 34C, Chestnut hair and green eyes, 1.6 meters tall and weighing 125 pounds. Of course, whatever happens in the back room during your 60 minute session for $150 bucks is between you and her. Don't forget your raincoat...

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 - Get ready, cuz' here it comes. Carnival 2008 starts next weekend. Panamanians love to celebrate Carnival, and if you've never experienced one your in for a treat. First of all, have a good time. Secondly, be safe. This year the celebrations will start on Friday, 1 February 2008 and run through "Carnival weekend" until Tuesday 5 February. In the United States they use the term "Mardi Gras" for carnival celebrations in New Orleans. In fact, Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" which is always tuesday before Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter. Confused? (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I ran into someone who reads Panama-Guide regularly and they commented "what's the matter, Don? No stories about hookers lately?" Hey, not by choice, you can bet on that. As chance would have it I got a telephone call late yesterday afternoon from Ivan Medina, the Secretary of the company for JetSet Elegancia Intl. If you remember La Prensa and several other local newspapers ran stories about a raid the "corregidora" (Justice of the Peace) from Bella Vista conducted against their business on 2 October 2007. I picked up the story from La Prensa and translated it when it came out. They were calling me to complain, to clarify what had happened, and to ask me to pull down the original article. (more)

By Grisel Bethancourt for the Panama America - The office of Immigration in Panama has granted between 400 to 500 "alternadora" visas in the past few months, and that the girls are currently in the country. Immigration director Ricardo Vargas said that at the next debate over the bill that would regulate immigration activity that the discusison over the issuance of visas should be extensive. With regards to recent complaints from the United States with regards to human trafficking, he said they are working hard and making headway for the state.

Secretary Condoleezza Rice: SECRETARY RICE: Thank you all for coming. I'd like to thank Ambassador Mark Lagon who just twelve days ago assumed his duties as director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. And it's my pleasure to be here today to release that report. Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of society, most often innocent women and children, exploiting and abusing them and profiting from their suffering. The President's dedication to defending human dignity and advancing human freedom worldwide is at the center of our foreign policy and as a result, we have made combating human trafficking a prominent and deeply felt commitment for the United States Government. In my travels, I have noticed a greater desire by our partners to fight this crime and protect its victims. And across the globe, the United States is building new partnerships to rescue and shelter the victims. We are helping to lead a global movement, not just to confront this crime, but to abolish it. More and more countries are coming to see human trafficking for what it is -- a modern-day form of slavery that devastates families and communities around the world. Much of the growing desire to fight this crime is due in no small part to our annual Trafficking in Persons Report. The report's purpose is to raise awareness, to highlight best practices and to inspire governments to take action against trafficking. I am pleased that this year's report covers more countries than ever before -- 164 in total. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - ...The good news or the bad news. I'll give you the bad news first. According to Panamanian law, specifically Article 12 of Law #55 of 10 July 1973, it's illegal to sell alcohol practically anywhere in Panama City. Yup, that's right. According to the law you can't give a license to anyone to sell alcohol if their establishment is within 500 meters of a church, school, or hospital. And before you tell me "there are exceptions" the law specifically states "without exception." So if you do the simple exercise of pulling out a map of Panama and drawing a 500 meter radius circle around all of the churches, there are enough churches spread out over enough of the city that it's illegal to sell beer anywhere. Clubs, bars, chinos, restaurants, cantinas, strip joints, massage parlors, casinos, hotels -- according to the law none of them should have a license to sell booze. It's one of those silly "have it both ways" things. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Here's one for you regarding the issuance of liquor licenses in Panama. According to Article 12 of Law #55 of 10 July 1973, "Without exception, liquor licenses will not be issued for the operation of cantinas located less than 100 meters in the interior of the country and 500 meters in the cities of Panama, Colon, and San Miguelito, from schools, public and private hospitals, and religious temples." This law was just recently updated in Law #5 of 11 January 2007, but that modification did not fundamentally change the "500 meter rule" in Article 12. So what, you might ask? Here's how this works. Say you want to open a bar. In order to apply for a liquor license you have to first go to your local corregiduria and get a "500 meter" certificate. They issue a document which says how far your establishment is from churches and hospitals. You have to go to the Ministry of Education in order to get a certificate from them regarding distances from schools. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - No, I'm not obsessed with hookers, strip clubs, or massage parlors. And, I don't want to see these kinds of places shut down. There is a great issue at stake here. The sex industry in Panama is still dominated by back-room deals, big bribes, and million-dollar back stabs. If you take the sex out of the sex industry you're left with business, just like any other. The problems arise when businessmen and investors come to Panama from other countries and want to invest in this market. Usually they have some kind of experience or background in the sex industry and they know how to make it work. When they try to apply that knowledge and wisdom to the Panamanian scene on the ground they start to run into problems. Buying or opening a strip club in Panama can be a multi-million dollar investment and this entire issue has caught my attention because the owner of the Crystal Moon, and American, has been sentenced to five years for "human trafficking." The Midnight Club, owned by another American, was raided and all 23 girls were deported. So the obvious question is - are the Panamanian authorities picking on the gringos? (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it. Long-time readers will know that I rarely shrink away from the opportunity to write about hookers and the sex trade. Panamanian authorities want it both ways, to be able to say they are doing something to control the sex trade but then again they are not doing a very good job. There are "areas of increased tolerance," whore houses that have been operating for decades, but the government has a cow if someone puts up a website in English promoting Panama as a destination for sex tourism. Finding a hooker in Panama is one of the easiest things to do, but prostitution is illegal in Panama. But if prostitution is illegal then why do they have mandatory clinics for all of the hookers? How can you required a sanctioned hooker to carry a card from the Ministry of Health saying she's good to go if prostitution is illegal? And if they are seeing the girls at the health clinics every week, why don't they make sure they are all registered and working legally? And if you're going to bust someone in the sex trade, how come you only go after foreign owners (specifically, Americans) and not the Panamanians who own the seedier whore houses? As you can see, I still have a lot of quesitons about this whole thing. At least the homework is fun. (more)

Intergame.ltd.uk - Atronic, one of the leading suppliers of casino games, said it is looking forward to replicating the success of 2006 at this year’s SAGSE show in Panama. The exhibition, which is scheduled for June 14-15 will see Atronic present the latest products it has to offer. The German company will showcase for the first time the Eighth Wonder of the World King Kong Cash. “Featuring a four-level progressive jackpot and an exciting merchandising package, King Kong Cash is sure to be as successful as Universal Pictures epic adventure,” Atronic said. Still on the road of linked gaming, visitors to the Atronic booth will also get to experience The Game of Life, which is based on the best-selling board game by Hasbro. Atronic and Atronic Systems will be exhibiting at stand 48, level 4 at the Atlapa Convention Center, Panama City, Panama.