Expat Files – 12.04.15

– How to determine if gringos have invaded or permanently spoiled yours or some other expat’s Latin Paradise

-Bad first- world trends that are slowly forcing their way into Latin America

-When clueless gringos (joiners) find comfort in mush-brained, pin-headed organizations like Democrats or Republicans abroad, it’s time to pack your bags and find another more sane Latin Paradise. Why people like that listen to this show I’ll never know. I get emails form them so I know that some do!

-Guess what? Under-educated, brain-washed gringos on the tourist trail in Latin America(and their wired, AD kids) can now get their multiple flu vaccines and Ritalin down here too.

-Some tips and suggestions regarding medical tourism in Latin America

-New, fresh expats are known for gathering good info well before they come down, but some are stubborn and just don’t follow good advice. Often excessively frugal gringos (former backpackers and do-gooders?) come down and make really stupid, life-altering, mistakes. Today we have some stark examples…

-Latin Restaurants: the Good, the Bad, and the moderately Filthy

Expat Files – 11.29.15

– Some things you never knew regarding Latin American beaches and beachfront properties…

-An update on the Latin real estate bubble. Looks like the first place it’s going to pop in is Panama so get ready to scout out the deals..

-A discussion of Latin Airport departure fees. There seems to be a frantic race by Latin government pin-heads to gouge foreign air travellers

-In Latin Countries virtually no one has clean municipal tap water. 50% of the population has water pressure only part of the day and another 15% of Latins have no running water in their houses at all(they bathe and pull water from a river or lake). So what does all that mean for Expats living down here expecting flawless first-world water delivery systems? Should we be worried?

For example: Panama is #5 in the world for total yearly rainfall (out of 200 countries) yet half the population doesn’t have 24/7 access to water. Why? It’s just normal Latin lazy-ass corrupt government again: what else is new?
-Is Costa Rica the next Greece? Sure looks like…

-Ecuador has decided it wants to be a Big Brother state just like the USA.
You won’t believe what kind tough of BB surveillance laws they have been passing lately. But can or will they be enforced?
Well… this is Latin America, and technology and cameras do need maintenance. And the “M” word is not yet in the Latin vocabulary. So at first maybe there’ll be a kind of crack down while everything works, but after some months it may just revert to Latin business as usual. We’ll see…

Expat Files – 11.22.15

-The scoop on how lazy, corrupt, fat-ass Latin politicians and their malignant Latin Governments are now trying to levy a new kind of tax on high earners. It’s meant to finance a new “public security” bureaucracy that “promises” to make citizens more secure and safer.
Such a law has just been passed in El Salvador. Its a 5% tax on high earners ostensibly to shore up the country’s failed law enforcement branch and broken judicial system. Well now…even an idiot could predict where those new tax dollars will end up… in SUV’s, private planes, yachts, beach houses, mistresses and trips to Mijami.
But don’t worry, as you’ll see, Expats will not be paying that tax.

-Though fluoride’s being touted by pinheads and clueless government talking heads, it has not been added to Latin water supplies. True, have been a few failed experiments and they were abandoned.
But look out! Certain clueless food companies have stepped up to the plate. They’re not only putting fluoride in table salt, they’re spiking milk and dairy products with it too…buyer beware!

-More on doing business and the high cost of opening bank accounts in Chile

-Today an email from a Canadian expat (non-US citizen) explaining how the long sweaty arm of the USA tax system and the IRS is making his life miserable even though he has no US bank or brokerage accounts and has nothing to do with the USA at all.

Expat Files – 11.20.15

-Police road blocks with cops stopping certain vehicles are a common site in Latin America. Today we have a roadblock story you just won’t believe. In this story those pesky first-world “do gooders”are at it again.

-By the way, don’t be afraid or be worried if you get pulled over at a roadblock. The cops are generally nice… nice and lazy and nonthreatening, especially “off the tourist trail”. Cops really do like to bond and talk to gringos. You might even get asked nicely to a buy them coke or a gallon or two of gas. Note: none of that niceness is certain if you’re stopped in Mexico.

-A road trip story and some driving tips for gringos and expats who chance driving their car through Mexico and/or parts further south.

-The nuances of the famous “altiplano” areas explained. Yes, there are many more altiplano regions than you might think- and some are much better suited for Expat living than others. You really need to know these details…

-Today an email from a Canadian expat explaining why he can no longer live in his own corrupt first-world country… and why he much prefers the ever so predictable small-time corruption of Mexico to the big time corruption of first-world states like his.

Expat Files – 11.13.15

-Thinking of exploring or travelling long-term through Latin America? If you’re moving around, how can you get your snail- mail and packages from friends, family delivered as well as stuff from outfits like Amazon.com? Can you get that stuff shipped from up north? Yes, and it’s easy secure and inexpensive, that is, if you know the ropes ahead of time.

-Coming down to Latin America affords you a second lease on life in more ways than you can imagine. For one, if you plan correctly (and from the beginning) you can start your life in your new Latin country with a very small, nearly anonymous, footprint as well as a clean slate. Yes, you do have a chance to start fresh, so don’t blow it…

-With regular gasoline prices in the states averaging about $2.30 a gallon, how does that translate to local gas prices in Latin America?

-More about the most recent barrage of hotel-salon, one-day seminars promising slick diplomas, guaranteed to make attendees experts in something or other: though really designed to part gullible Latins from their hard-earned pesos.

-Today an email from a former Mormon asking for a few of my own weird Latin American Mormon tales. Of course I will oblige…

Expat Files – 11.08.15

find out certain things that gringos and expats should always be aware of… well before you start interviewing.

-Petty thievery and how it affects us Gringos and Expats.

-More great tips on building your own home in Latin America.

-Discussing Latin lawyers: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Should you worry if your lawyer has signature authority over your S.A. corporations and/or bank accounts?

Expat Files – 11.06.15

-Today we have some eyewitness stories concerning thoroughly BAD gringos who’ve come down to Latin America to practice their perversions. Unfortunately, what makes Latin America good for us freedom lovers-those chaotic, weak, lazy, inefficient governments- also allows the few bad first-world apples that do make it down here to get away with murder.

-A discussion about gringos with good, solid US university degrees of value (no psychology, business, art or drama degrees, please) who hope to use those skills to get jobs in their particular career or field in Latin America. Once they come down, what are the job prospects?

-A few stories to illustrate other aspects of the “gringo advantage”. This time we have examples of how Latins constantly hit on Gringo for jobs. They assume we all must have thriving businesses and are hiring…

-Observing Latin holidays with strange customs like eating “Pan de Muerto” which literally translates to “bread for the dead”. Yes, Latins traditionally eat “dead bread” on Nov 1st and Nov 2nd. What’s that all about… is it safe?

Expat Files – 11.01.15

-Today we discuss the low key artistry of certain very gifted Latins. Many are old timers carrying the final artistic torch. They often seem to be a world apart from us – living as they did in the 1960’s while staunchly preserving their (soon to be lost) art or craft. Today we highlight one particular guy who makes some of the finest custom 100% hand-built electric guitars and wood instruments in the world. When he gets an order, he does all of the woodcraft artistry himself then has a crack young 20 something electronics expert do the pickups and hot wiring.

-If your own expat business ideas involve exporting of rainforest hardwood or hardwood products, be aware that new, stiff, USA and European customs regulations on most all organic products can be so stifling as to make such efforts impossible to accomplish. Today we present an example…

-As more and cheaper Chinese made products enter Latin America, the locals down here are slowly forsaking their own fine local furniture and handicrafts for cheap particleboard junk. Sure it can look decent when new but also might falls apart in record time … sound familiar?

-The trouble with Latin American road construction and why no one down here seems to understand the basics of the problem…

-When first-world franchises first arrive in Latin America, they almost always succeed (the “Gringo Advantage” rides again). However, some of the first-world habits and customs that often tag along for the ride never really catch on down here, yet they still remain as anomalies. When something simple to us doesn’t catch on it’s generally because of a cultural disparity. Here’s a good example…

Expat Files – 10.30.15

-Today we discuss a very special place called the Lake Atitlan district in Guatemala. No one who stays there more than a few days is unaffected by it. Now I’m certainly no romantic sentimentalist, but I have to admit it really does leave an indelible memory.

-Some more talk about how illegals send “remisas” ($) back to their Latin countries of origin in a variety of ways. Because these guys are illegals, under the radar, and don’t want to get caught and deported, they do try to use anonymous ways of sending cash home as much as possible. That said, expats and gringos who might (and should) want to keep a low profile can use many of these same (quite legal) methods to move small amounts of $ around themselves. People are always finding new ways and the possibilities seem to be endless.

-Some tips on different cellphone service providers and the general use of cell phones in Latin America

-Hi tech drones (not those hobby toys) have arrived in Latin America

-The state of consumer product recalls in Latin America and the true meaning of, ”Buyer Beware”.

-A thoughtful Canadian reveals the truth about living with “Big Brother” up in the Great White North. He tells us how Canada is slowly becoming unbearable and how he and his wife hope to make their escape to Latin America soon.

Progressive Commentary Hour – 10.27.15

Prof. Laurence Shoup is a historian who has been researching the background and agendas of the Council on Foreign Relations for 40 years. He has taught history, social science and international relations at the University of Illinois, San Francisco State University and other institutions. For five decades Dr. Shoup has been active in human rights struggles, protesting the Vietnam War, marching with Martin Luther King and participating in the union movement. He holds degrees from California State University and a doctorate from Northwestern. He ran as a Green Party candidate in the city of Oakland and California state and consulted for many nonprofit organizations. Laurence has written five books, his most recent being “Wall Street’s Think Tank: The Council on Foreign Relations and the Empire of Neoliberal Geopolitics 1976-2014” His website is www.LaurenceShoup.com