LoveAna - About Panama, Crafts and Panamanian Crafts

It happened at 1:49AM, Saturday, July 4, 2009 according to the USGS. It was about 65 miles northeast of Panama City off the coast of the Kuna Yala province.

This is the first earthquake I've been through. I actually didn't feel it though, but my wife, mother-in-law and son did. My wife woke me up because she felt the trembling and  ordered me to the kids' room because she felt as though the building might fall. Luckily, it didn't! :)

What was strange was that even though it shook things somewhat, nothing in the apartment was displaced. I wish I could have experienced it personally since an earthquake is naturally not something that I wish would happen again.

According to the USGS, there has been no report of human loss or property damage.

Tags: panama, terremoto, earthquake, naturaldisaster

Posted by eMarv at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just came across this excellent article from the Heritage Foundation which provides strong arguments for passing the pending trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Here's an excerpt:

If enacted, the agreements with Colombia and Panama will result in significant new market access and lower tariffs for America's businesses and farmers; most Colombian and Panamanian products already enter the U.S. duty-free under various preference programs. Because these countries already have preferential access to U.S. markets, any impact on U.S. jobs has already occurred. Instead, these agreements will result in new economic opportunity for America's exporters and the U.S. businesses that support them, opportunity that will grow over time as these countries continue to develop through trade and mature into larger, more sophisticated markets more closely integrated with the U.S. economy.

Similarly, America stands to gain more from expanding what is already a rich trade relationship through an FTA with South Korea than without one. The agreement resolves many of the problems currently thwarting the full economic potential of U.S.-South Korea bilateral trade and establishes formal channels through which ongoing trade concerns can be addressed.

read the rest of the article at the Heritage Foundation website

They convinced me at "If..." :) Let's see if President Obama sees it that way.

BTW, kudos, if you know where the first part of the post title came from!

Tags: obamaadministration, panama, trade agreements, south korea, colombia

Posted by eMarv at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just created this Panamanian Colloquialisms, Sayings and Slang page on LoveAna .com for people non-Panamanians visiting or living in Panama. (It could actually be beneficial for Panamanians that have been out of the country for a while or for a laugh. :)

So what makes me such an authority? Well, I'm not necessarily, but my Panamanian wife, Ana, and my kids (who go to school in Panama) are! :)

I hope you enjoy it!

Loneliness - Original Painting by Panamanian artist, Ana Corea

Decorative Plate/Saucer with Hand-painted Panamanian Golden Frog

Tags: DecorativePlate Saucer with Hand-painted Panamanian Golden Frog, Loneliness - Original Painting by Panamanian artist, Ana Corea, panamanian craft, painting, artwork, panama

Posted by eMarv at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)