Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Three Skills Americans Need to Prosper in Latin America - 05 APR 2013

* Don't Culturally Isolate yourself!
* Don't be an Ugly American!!
1..Reach out to locals, believing they can teach you.
2...Leverage the power of your own cultural assets.
3..Build trust based networks throughout sectors.

* Don't Judge or become frustrated & impatient over perceived corruption & bureaucracy.
* Don't be arrogant. * Don't be culturally insensitive.
* Don't be Culturally Isolated.-(repetition)

"Wow this excellent Speaker Mr. Bruce Cudworth is such a Nice Gentleman and a Wealth of Information on Latin American Culture!: Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Colombia before settling in Chile for 20 yrs. where he founded an ESL language institute.






I find what Mr. Cudworth has to say rings true in Ecuador as well.


Published on Apr 5, 2013
Maxwell School, Peer to Peer
Three Skills Americans Need to Prosper in Latin America
Bruce Cudworth, EMPA/EMIR candidate

As the world globalizes, Americans increasingly find themselves living and working in countries around the world. Creating a business and building a life in foreign country presents unique challenges and lessons. Four years ago Bruce Cudworth came back to the US after 20 years in Latin America. He is the founder of an ESL language institute in Chile, where he created bylaws, gained tax-deductible status for his nonprofit and navigated Latin American bureaucracy- including successfully dealing with the Chilean judicial system. He also organized a property owners' committee in a high-crime neighborhood, successfully petitioned City Hall for a zoning change, and chased a car thief. Bruce insists that there are three vital skills needed to succeed as an American expat in Chile: reaching out to authorities, building on-going rapport, and building networks across sectors.

Mr. Bruce Cudworth undertook university studies in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Colombia before settling in Chile where he founded an ESL language institute. He is interested in improving Latin American-focused NGO programs through better program design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and leadership. He intends to use his skills pioneer new and better ways to address market failures in education, health and housing.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Volcano Tungurahua Erupts, Caution Advised when Traveling in the Area

Volcano Tungurahua Erupts, Caution Advised when Traveling in the Area
February 3, 2014
Department of State: USA

The U.S. Mission in Ecuador advises U.S. citizens living or traveling in Ecuador that the Tungurahua volcano, located near the tourist community of Baños in Tungurahua Province, central Ecuador, has reactivated with a period of high activity that includes emissions of ash and pyroclastic flows (fast-moving currents of hot gas and rock).



Ash has fallen over a wide area of central Ecuador, temporarily closing the airport in Cuenca, reaching as far south as Loja, and dusting the southern section of Quito. Past eruptions have affected air travel throughout Ecuador. Some airlines have already canceled individual flights as a precautionary measure. Quito airport remains open for all flights except those going to Cuenca. U.S. citizens planning to fly to, from, or within Ecuador should monitor news outlets, check their flight status, and have a plan in the event of flight cancellations.

Because Ecuador is in a region of frequent volcano eruptions and earthquakes, U.S. citizens residing in Ecuador should keep extra food and water at home and consider purchasing dust masks and heavy gloves to protect hands during ash clean-up.

For more information on current activity, visit the Spanish-language website of the Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute, which monitors volcanoes and earthquakes.

Americans living or traveling in Ecuador are encouraged to enroll with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate in order to obtain updated information on travel and security within Ecuador through the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

U.S. citizens should consult the Country Specific Information for Ecuador and the latest Travel Alerts and Warnings and Worldwide Caution at the Department's website. Updated information on travel and security in Ecuador may also be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States or by calling 1-202-501-4444 outside the United States.

The U.S. Embassy in Quito is located at Avigiras E12-170 y Eloy Alfaro. The telephone number for American Citizen Service (ACS) inquiries is (011 593-2) 398-5000. Within the same city use the last seven digits. Add the city code for intercity telephone calls. Email contact is available during business hours at ACSQuito@state.gov.

Public call-in hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and Friday 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

For after-hours emergencies, contact the Embassy at (011 593-2) 398-5200. Appointments for ACS are available through our website.

The U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil is located at Avenida Jose Rodriguez Bonin and Calle Santa Ana in the San Eduardo neighborhood. The telephone number for U.S. citizen inquiries is (011-593-4) 371-7000 from the United States, or (04) 371-7000 from within Ecuador, available 24 hours a day. Email contact is available during business hours at ACSGuayaquil@state.gov.

Anyone can follow the activities of the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador through the Embassy website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube-

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Moving to Ecuador in 2014

Gold and Silver… Why did I buy it before moving to Ecuador?

Moving to Ecuador


Do you have any doomsayer friends? You know the type. “The end is
near or the sky is falling” types. “9-11 was an inside job”.  All they
talk about is how we are being manipulated and that our government is a
cesspool of corruption… I used to be guilty of this.


I am always reading that the interest we pay on our national debt is
accruing so fast that money can’t be printed fast enough to keep up and
soon the dollar won’t be worth the paper it is written on. Is this true?
Are we building a house of cards that will crash and burn in our
lifetimes???

....read more: Moving to Ecuador in 2014

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Ecuador - Beachfront Property Buyers Need to Know ...Gringo Tree-

Saturday, February 1, 2014 
 Excerpted from the forthcoming GringoTree Book,
   

Beachfront Property Buyers Need to Know ...

An important consideration for those purchasing beachfront property in Ecuador is beach stability. Ecuador has the highest rate of coastal erosion in South America and hundreds of residential and commercial properties have been washed into the ocean in recent decades. Unfortunately, buyers will hear little about this from developers, real estate agents and individual property sellers.



A 2010 report to the World Conference on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico, showed that while Ecuador's beaches are eroding at an average rate of two to three meters per decade, some of the country's most popular beaches are eroding at a much faster rate. Among these are Atacames, Montañita and Salinas. The Montañita and Salinas areas have lost more than 300 buildings and seen more than 100 meters of beach disappear since the mid-1980s.



A factor contributing to the erosion is the tectnonic subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, just off shore of Ecuador. The subduction not only means that the coast experiences the country's strongest earthquakes but that there is constant movement of the sea floor which, in turn, affects the shoreline.

Not all beaches in Ecuador are eroding. In fact, many have been stable for centuries and others have actually grown. Before putting down money on a lot, house or condominium, however, a buyer is well advised to check historical and geologic records. Talking to old-timers (who, most likely, will be locals) in the area isn't a bad idea either.

Excerpted from the forthcoming GringoTree Book, Ecuador Real Estate Buyer's Guide by David Morrill and Deke Castleman.

Jour-Ja Comments: at this time there is a major Crisis on the coast of Ecuador In Jama / El Matal at Coco Beach Village, they are having a meeting today to take action & save their homes: Stand together: I want to hold your hand - Saturday, February 1, 2014
Please join hands for El Matal and Coco Beach
Stand together at 3:30 p.m. hand in hand between La Esquina Del Cheo and El Punto de Víctor — See b4 photos from NOV 2012: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.432003030200191.101674.112919505441880&type=1&l=90d4a282dd 


Waves have also been pounding the malecón in Mompiche. There has been flooding and damage in several areas near the beach. The strongest waves were Friday around 16:00 when some of them hit buildings. ...See b4 photos from JUL 2012: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.403205069746654.94100.112919505441880&type=1&l=02ece6120a 
Jack Abercrombie --This could be a contributing factor to what is happening on the Ecuador shoreline as well as throughout the planet.-- How many supermoons in 2014? Therefore, the year 2014 gives us a total of five supermoons: two January new moons, and the full moons of July, August and September.

Spring tides accompany January 2014′s supermoons. Will the
tides be larger than usual at the January 1 and 30 new moons? Yes, all new moons (and full moons) combine with the sun to create larger-than-usual tides, but perigee new moons (or perigee full moons) elevate the tides even more.

Each month, on the day of the new moon, the Earth, moon and sun are aligned, with the moon in between. This line-up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low.

The January 1 and 30 extra-close new moons will accentuate the spring tide, giving rise to what’s called a perigean spring tide. If you live along an ocean coastline, watch for high tides caused by the two January 2014 new moons – or supermoons.: http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-supermoon
 

Friday, January 31, 2014

Ecuador former police chief Edgar Vaca arrested in the US


Ecuador former police chief Edgar Vaca arrested in the US

Ecuadorean police in Quito demo, 27 Aug 13  
 
Nine army officers and one police general were charged in the landmark case

Related Stories

Police in the United States have arrested former Ecuadorean police commander Edgar Vaca, who is accused of human rights abuses.
The interior minister in Quito issued a statement saying that the retired general was arrested in Washington and will be extradited to Ecuador.
Mr Vaca and nine other officers have been accused of kidnapping and torturing three left-wing rebels in 1985.
He denies all the charges.
An international arrest order had been issued for Mr Vaca.
He was detained on Monday at the request of Interpol, but the news was only confirmed by the Ecuadorean government on Wednesday.
The alleged violations were committed under the government of late President Leon Febres Cordero, who was in power from 1984 to 1988.
The three victims - Susana Cajas, Javier Jarrin and Luis Vaca - were detained in November 1985 for alleged links to an underground opposition group, the Eloy Alfaro Popular Armed Forces.
"They were tortured, beaten, and submitted to particularly sadistic forms of torture, including electric shocks to their genitals," said chief prosecutor Galo Chiriboga.

Rafael Correa, 22 Jan 2014  
 
President Rafael Correa set up a truth commission to investigate human rights abuses...read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25956631

Life at Latitude Zero: High Stakes for Us--and Ecuador

Life at Latitude Zero: High Stakes for Us--and Ecuador: Our personal world is teetering on the edge. So are the worlds of our neighbors, friends and villagers. The sand is going out from unde...

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Welcome to Vilcabamba, land of conspiracy theorists....

Welcome to Vilcabamba, land of conspiracy theorists
bridgesandballoons.com
 
  The beautiful valley town of Vilcabamba in Ecuador is famed for the longevity of its residents – and now it's plethora of conspiracy theorists...read more: http://www.bridgesandballoons.com/vilcabamba-ecuador-conspiracy-theorists/