The heaviest of the year's rains have yet to begin, but the first cruise ships of the 2002-2003 tourist season have come and gone. More and more, it seems, people are coming to Panama to see tropical forests in the rainy season.

Shown above is part of one of the most spectacular outdoor places on the isthmus, the cloud forest on the slopes of Volcan Baru. Environmentalists complain that surveyors were on this very spot the other day, laying out the route for Mireya's latest ill-advised scheme, a road from Cerro Punta to Boquete. It's an especially stupid plan, because were it built just a little bit downhill the road would only disturb deforested scrublands and cow pastures. I'd call the decision to put a road through the forest bird-brained, but that would be an uncalled-for insult to our feathered friends.

But there's probably a reason. Even though it would represent a terrible blow to the environment, to our tourism industry and in the long run to Panama's financial condition, somebody surely stands to profit from this contemplated act of vandalism. Let us hope that the budget squeeze that has forced the postponement or cancellation of many worthy public works projects kills this abomination too.

The politicians haven't destroyed the cloud forest yet. Come see it while you can, folks.

There are several other good reasons to visit Panama coming up in the next few weeks, too. Some of them are annual events, some special occasions.

From October 16 through 20, the under-20 soccer teams of Panama, Cuba, Mexico and Guatemala will have a big showdown at the National Stadium, from which two teams will emerge with passes to the world championships. The conventional wisdom is that the Mexicans will win one of those passes. Gary Stempel's Panamanian squad also has a very good chance to get to the next round, and if you plan to come out to cheer them on when they play on the 16th (against Guatemala), 18th (versus Cuba) or 20th (hosting Mexico), be sure to wear red.

PANAMA WON THE UNDER-20 QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT AND WILL GO TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES NEXT YEAR! The scores were 1-0 against Guatemala, 2-0 against Cuba, and a stunning 2-1 upset over Mexico. Read all about it in the next issue, which will be uploaded thiscoming Sunday night if all goes as planned.

As always, October 21 is the Festival of the Black Christ in Portobelo. It's a Catholic event, centered around an icon that is said to have washed ashore during an epidemic, which ended when the object was found. People of many races, nationalities and denominations join in the celebration.

The Who's New and Artguilders' Christmas Bazaar will be at the Amador Country Inn & Suites on October 26. It's always a good place to pick up arts and crafts, and The Panama News will be represented there.

The marching bands are practicing hard for the season of patriotic parades, which begins on November 3, Panamanian Independence Day. The parades in Panama City and elsewhere continue the next day, Flag Day, and then on the 5th Colon parties to celebrate the 1903 surrender of the Colombian garrison there. On November 10, a Sunday, it's Los Santos's turn to mark that day in 1821 when its citizens made the first call for Panamanian independence from Spain. (The following day is a legal holiday.) The anniversary of the day that Spanish rule over Panama ended and the American holiday of Thanksgiving coincide this year, on November 28.

In our Science section we have some photos taken during one of the Panama Historical Society's outings, this one to see the petroglyphs at Cermeño, north of Capira. These are just one of the many sets of petroglyphs found around Panama. Nobody knows how old these are, and though many people believe that they are maps of some sort, nobody is really sure about that, either. The society will be holding its annual dinner, this year cruising on the Islamorada again, on November 6. Last year's cruise was a great success, in no small part owing to the launch's great chef. For information and reservations, contact the Panama Historical Society by email at Panama_Historical_Society@hotmail.com .

And what about the rest of the "hard news" from Panama this time?

One of the more interesting items is the national debate over legislator Gloria Young's proposal to toughen the laws against sexual harasssment. Young, a San Miguelito Arnulfista who founded Panama's first battered women's shelter, has attracted plenty of criticism and lots of support. In the world of journalism, TVN's Yesibel Bethancourt did a very good television news series about sexual harassment, while on the other hand El Panama America ran a front-page editorial arguing that Young has "cooked up" a proposal to "convert the healthy relationship between man and woman into a battlefield," and claiming that the real problem is provocatively dressed women in the workplace. A University of Panama survey found more than one-third of the working women queried reporting that they had personally been sexually harassed on the job, and when you look at that in economic terms it's an impediment to productivity that a relatively poor country like Panama can ill afford. I think that Young's proposal would be better with a few modifications to tighten its definitions, broaden its scope and guarantee due process to the accused, but it needs to be improved and passed, not shouted down with crude insults like El Panama America's.

The OAS is looking into the slew of criminal charges against Panamanian journalists again, and a proposed new censorship law is before the Legislative Assembly. Our Editorial this time revisits the theme of freedom of the press under the Moscoso administration.

And meanwhile, as our Opinion and Letters sections touch upon the probable US-UK war against Iraq (among other subjects), our Dining page takes you to the front line of another hotly contested conflict --- Panama's burger wars.

¡Buen provecho!

Eric Jackson
the editor

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