U.S. election face off in Panama

PANAMA DEBATE. If the battle for the House, and the hot seat in the world economic crisis, is over, Panama expats haven’t been told. A presidential debate will be held next Monday, October 13. In the blue (Democratic) corner, Richard Koster. In the red (Republican), Albert Rojas.

The gloves come off at 7 p.m. in Building 128, Balboa Acadmey, City of Knowledge, Clayton.

Students interested in blood sports get a free pass. Others, who are not punch drunk after the plethora of televised debates, will have to pay $5.

The event will last the standard 90 minutes, and hopefully avoid the sleep inducing format of TV encounters.

ECONOMIC TIMES. While our local leaders have yet to raise no concerns about the global economic crisis and the future of the Canal expansion, which depends on revenue from ships passing through, bad news is mounting. Containership orders at world shipyards have fallen 49 percent this year, according to London-based shipbroker Clarkson. It attributes the fall to a slump in charter rates, freight rates under pressure, and shrinking growth volumes on major trade lanes. Not the kind of thing that supporters of the expansion were forecasting before the referendum.

Clarkson said in its report that the trend has affected all sizes with only 179 ships ordered in the first eight months of 2008, down a near 50 percent year on year. It said this picture contrasts sharply with 566 orders in 2005, 479 in 2006 and 530 in 2007.

MAÑANA. According to the website of a London real estate promoter, Hospitality group Quintessentially met recently with the Panama tourist board, which said that British Airways has expressed a very real interest in launching direct flights from London Heathrow Terminal Five to Panama in the not too distant future.

Great news for Brit expats, and the tourist industry. But don’t hold your breath. Month’s ago the Canadian Embassy announced direct flights from Canada to Panama. No one in the local tourist or airline industry was able to confirm this. The story has long legs. Nearly three years ago direct flights were to start in December. Canadian expats are still waiting (at stop-overs in Miami, Houston and Atlanta.

Meanwhile KLM has increased it twice weekly direct flights to Amsterdam to five. and there is great duty free shopping at Schiphol airport.

QUOTE OF THE DAY. "Rugby is a fiery and physical game and incidents like this happen in training sessions all the time. There is no issue.”?.A spokesman for London rugby team Wasps after a star player had been punched in the teeth and knocked out in the dressing room, by a team mate because he had missed a couple of tackles in a training game.Surely it’s soccer that is “a game for gentlemen played by hooligans”