Panama is a prime example of how what one person does will inadvertently affect everyone else that lives with him in a society. Since the place is so small, the ripples someone’s action makes can be felt in practically every level of life here, and I’ll give you an example of this right now: I [...]
The Armed Forces Network is the television branch of the Armed Forces Radio, which is the U.S military’s official radio channel. The organization’s origins date as far back as the 1940’s, a few years prior to World War II; this wasn’t a government initiative but rather local bases in different parts of Europe trying to [...]
People have their own beliefs on how life unwraps itself to them, with as many ways to explain the tapestry of the universe as there are people on this planet. I obviously can’t speak for anyone else, but what I can do is talk about the way I make sense of it all, for the sake of communicating as well as the hope that, in speaking my mind, you will want to reflect and make your own conclusions as to what exactly is going on in this crazy mess we like to call “life.”
Over the past few weeks I have found myself in a rather introspective mood; the bloody remains of 2009 already becoming the birthplace of one “twenty ten,” I felt nostalgia’s hand slap me from both palm and back… both a year’s and decade’s end. As it is with every end of every journey, most of us look back at the road traveled with the hope of feeling like it was worth trekking despite its ups and downs and this year it was no different. In fact, for me it held double importance as the last year of this decade was, in many forms, a trial by fire for me. Once I had come to terms to that I unexpectedly went back to how things were ten years prior exercising my Eagle Eye and, lo and behold, the changes from how things were to how things are now are absolutely drastic.
I live in a country without borders. A place where I can’t tell where one boundary ends and the other one begins. A land beyond belief, not only for its beauty but also the people living in it. A small pearl; a newly-discovered gem that, despite it being within a hard shell of intolerance toward the outside, has been brought to the limelight for all to see, admire and enjoy. Like every other diamond in the rough, though, there are very hard edges. Smudges, marks that denote a sense of character and a path traveled. There is still much to walk, I think. I live in a country where its people are so culturally diverse that it runs from the constant risk of losing its identity. I live in a country where being proud of your heritage is an excuse to go out and get drunk without really knowing what is being celebrated.
This inaugural Slip is very special not only because it doubles as the release party of Porto Diao v3.0, but it also marks what will go down in Panamanian history as a once-in-a-lifetime performance by three bands that complement each other in ways no degree of wizardry could’ve crafted. Why do I say this? Because somehow the universe conspired to allow us the privilege of setting up this event with some of the most talented individuals in Panama’s music scene, who are part of bands that are the hotness at the moment.
Hi! Since my life has, for better or worse, created a symbiosis with the Internet, I get to find a lot of interesting stuff in the unlikeliest of places. Of course, you might be wondering why I’m so special when millions of people find all sorts of interesting stuff all the time anyway; I suppose the reason why I would post this list and subsequent lists like this one is because it’s all a matter of taste. Maybe we share the same tastes, and maybe you trust that I have a good eye (thank you!). In any case, here goes the list.
Happiness joins the Extraordinary League of Emotions, sharing the round table with such greats as Love, Hate, Devotion, Lust, Faith, Destiny, et al. Be that as it may, the notion still doesn’t tell me a pip about what it really means. Since happiness is intangible it is also subjective; since there are as many definitions for subjective things as there are people on Earth, I came to the conclusion that a zeitgeist was in order. My discoveries, I’m happy to report, revealed the closest thing to “meaning” as I’m going to get to, despite my best knuckle-headed efforts.
People love music. It’s one of the first and most important means of expression known to man. People fall in love, find a cause, discover friendships and cure their ills every day thanks to the power of song. As it is with our current societies, though, sometimes being a musician (or an artist, for that matter) must come with a degree of corporate compromise: money. Virtuosos or not, an artist has to eat, and sometimes he/she has to adapt to what’s popular at the moment. In the end, the people rule even though sometimes it would seem otherwise.
In recent years measures were taken by the government and dubiously necessary Carnival Office to ensure that carnivals in the nation’s capital, Panama City, lived up to the hype garnered in no small part by the country’s dashing strides in tourism and real estate, and whoever lives near this murder scene can grab their complaints and shove them up their sour-trout asses… myself included.
Love. In very few other instances does a word cause such immeasurable amounts of change. Some of the greatest events in the history of civilization have begun thanks to the power of love. Love for a person, a place, an idea, and by proxy the ideals of one and many. Such a transcending concept has fueled our world for as far as we can remember, and as it is with every other concept that we, as a society, value above most things, love was given a holiday… and its name is St. Valentine’s Day.
The first cases of express kidnappings in Panama started coming up on news outlets around 2005, but who knows for how long they’ve been happening. Still, I believe it’s good to get the word out on accounts like these, so I’ve taken the liberty to translate the girl’s account for you to read.
Boquete is one of Chiriquí´s most famous districts, located up north of the province and west of Panama. With almost 20,000 residents, Boquete is popular amongst the tourist and expat communities mostly because of its template weather, a huge contrast to the rest of the country which enjoys the best in tropical climate.
With an extremely proud sense of heritage and some of the most impressive vistas in the country, the province of Chiriquí is widely regarded as a place with autonomy of its own… and for a while, that assumption might’ve been a reality. With its capital in David, the province of Chiriquí is divided into 13 districts: Alanje, Barú, Boquerón, Boquete, Bugaba, David, Dolega, Gualaca, Remedios, Renacimiento, San Félix, San Lorenzo, and Tolé. It’s located on the west side of the republic of Panama, limiting north with the province of Bocas del Toro and the Ngobe-Buglé native reserve, west with the republic of Costa Rica, east with the province of Veraguas and south with the Pacific Ocean.
The capital and commercial center for the Herrera province, Las Tablas is located 282km (175 miles) from Panama City (capital of the Republic of Panama) and expands throughout approximately 12km along the Pacific coast, which houses the Mensabé Marina. There is no official story regarding the foundation of the city, but legend has it that Las Tablas was founded by Captain Jacinto Barahona on July 19th, 1671. 51 years later in 1721 construction of the Santa Librada church, national monument and epicenter of the city, was completed. In present day, the Santa Librada church is very popular tourist attraction along with the city itself, particularly during the Carnival and Easter holidays.