Expat Files – 10.23.15

-Looking for a few very low cost Expat business ideas? Here’s an idea one Latin Expat has taken and marketed successfully on Amazon. He’s in a beautiful rural surrounding, works about 3 hours a week, has one full time employee and makes about $20k a year (on an initial $5k investment plus the land). He could make much more but likes his life and doesn’t want to put in another 3 hours a week.. would be too much like real work.

-Today we have a few more good reasons why socialist leaning Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay may not be the best places for Expats to consider living- in the long term. These are countries that have established price controls on basic commodities and are thus setting themselves up for disruptive economic problems. Price controls NEVER work. Do you want to be there when the system is no longer tenable?

-There’s a new car theft scam making the rounds in Latin America. Today we have the play-by-play action as to how the bad guys pull it off. It’s pretty slick. Don’t let it happen to you!

-Visit me Johnny (and Expat super-blogger John Galt) at our new joint website www.TheNewExpat.com . Its where you’ll get real “boots on the ground” info, experienced expat blogs and reports. It’s a work in progress so please be patient. We’re continually improving and expanding the format.

Expat Files – 10.16.15

-Oh what fun! This week Expat Eddie drags me to see an amazing Latin neighborhood dog- a scarred, tattered and beat up old mutt with very special pyrotechnic skills. For my money, a surefire winner if ever filmed and submitted to America’s Funniest Videos (if it’s still on the air- its a big lag time hit in Latin America ) .

-If you like coffee, it’s not enough to live in the world’s best coffee region. You must also use the right coffee making technique(s) for the best results. As a an amateur coffee aficionado, it just blows my mind that ninty-five percent of Latins homes and restaurants use the worst method:percolators. They can’t help but brew indifferent to bad coffee- out of otherwise very excellent beans. That said here’s what you should look out for…

-Another culinary misadventure, this time in an upper middle-class Latin home

Expat Files – 10.11.15

-So many gonnabees and wannabees want desperately to become Expats you’d think there would be a big gringo stampede south of the border. But there isn’t. Because its such a big leap it usually takes some kind of first-world trauma or a “straw that broke the camel’s back” moment to set the plan in motion.
Today we have such a story and more… a wannabee/gonnabee describing the particular traumatic moment that sent him over the edge.

-For those of you wondering how to transport your gold and silver down to Latin America: did you know there are certain secure ATM machines in Colombia and Peru that actually dispense gold and silver ingots?

-You may have heard of the recent landslide in Guatemala that buried 500 or so people, and their homes. They were squatters: the poorest of the poor. Tragedy and disaster for them, yes. But as for us, not to worry. That kind of stuff just doesn’t happen to Expat gringos. Here’s the rest of the story…

-Just when you think nothing much will surprise you, something happens that makes you stop and wish for a camera. Even long term expats in Latin America get fun and weird surprises most every day.

Expat Files – 10.02.15

-A discussion on how over the years things in Latin American have changed so much for the better regarding Expat gringos. But still there are so many new Expats that just don’t listen to good advice. Many continue to spin their wheels for a year or two (or five). They keep making the same mistakes I did when I first came down 25 years ago.

-Not only is there a lot of bad advice out there: lots of it is coming from part-time expats and bloggers with little “boots on the ground” experience and almost none have explored much “off the gringo tourist trail”. Much of the bad stuff is coming from people who are just trying to sell you stuff. That’s why today I’m suggesting you check out a valuable expat website www.thenewexpat.com
Its run by John Galt? Who is John (Juan )Galt? I know him personally. He’s the gringo Expat running, blogging and posting on that site (among others). John was one of my original Latin American seminar attendees who ended up moving down permanently a few years ago and since has become an absolute wealth of practical expat information. Do check it out. Note the site is not glitzy or polished but for content comes highly recommended. In fact, its popular enough to have been hacked recently by Russians, Ovomitoids, or who knows?

-More tips, tales and crazy stories that can only happen in Latin America

Eric Zuesse – “Iraqis Are The Saddest And One Of The Angriest Populations In The World”

The 2015 Global Emotions survey from Gallup finds that, “Iraqis Are Among the Saddest and One of the Angriest Populations in the World.” They explain: “Iraq’s high Negative Experience Index score is largely attributable to the relatively high percentages of Iraqis who report experiencing each of these negative emotions. Majorities of Iraqis experienced worry (62%), physical pain (57%), sadness (57%) and stress …

Goldman Strikes Again: Did A Probe Into “Global Warming” Fraud Cost A Prime Minister’s Job

When Tony Abbott became Australia’s prime minister in September 2013, the chain of events that would prematurely end his tenure may already have been in motion: just a few months later China would order its out of control shadow banking system to put on hold its debt issuance machinery, which as we reported a year ago, ground to a complete …

Expat Files – 09.27.15

Announcing Johnny’s January 2016 LATIN AMERICAN “Boots on the ground” SEMINAR:
-More on the sensitive and controversial subject of bringing your young kids down to Latin America to live.

-Some amazing private “helicopter school” stories direct from the expat gringo teacher’s mouth … along with some advice for gringos whose kids may soon be enrolling in such places

-It can only happen in Latin America: tips, tales and crazy stories

CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Would you like a 1 on 1 personal Skype or phone consult with me? We can set up time to talk and sort out your own specific Latin American plans. Just put the word “CONSULT” in the subject line and send a short list of your questions and talking points to: theexpatfiles@gmail.com

Expat Files – 09.25.15

-Living in the land of ultra-premium coffee can offer many unique opportunities for gringo business ventures. Note there are many gigantic coffee plantations and mega processing plants but the vast majority of Latin coffee farmers are small mom and pop outfits with perhaps only a few acres or more. Since most small outfits sell locally- and the farmers are not internet savvy, or just want to sell the product by the bag or sack- there are many opportunities for gringos to market their very own “boutique” coffee brands. Think Amazon and EBay.

-More advice for gringos on cars and driving in Latin America

-Shopping in the big, chaotic markets: more tips, tales and crazy stories.

Expat Files – 09.18.15

-Did you know that there are so-called 100% bilingual Latins and there are 100% bilingual Latins? There are big differences! That said, don’t think just any so-called bilingual Latin person might fit your needs- for example as a top-notch secretary or girl Friday in your new Latin-based business. Note that just because a Latin person has passed that all-important TOFEL international English competency exam and has the diplomas to prove it, doesn’t mean he or she had the instant capacity to handle any or all of your needs. Such persons will undoubtedly have some bad habits. You must from the start be as vigilant as a hawk and set first-world standards.. or disappointments will surely follow.

-You can easily put an ad in the classifieds or on the internet looking for just such a bilingual person to hire as a guide or as a translator or whatever. Some young college-aged Latins are 80% to 100% bilingual and really can help you immensely. But note that the vast majority of said persons will not be able to write an email or business letter any better than a stateside 4th grader. There are two reasons for this: one is that 95% of these bilingual people went to crappy public universities and were taught English by non-native English speakers with bad accents who in turn learned their English from non-native English speakers with bad accents (i.e., non-gringos) etc., etc. The second reason most can’t write a decent letter is that many bilingual types have no one to talk to so they are always out of practice. To be nimble one must stay in the game!.

-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:

Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans.

Meryl Nass, M.D. – The Real Afghanistan Surge is in Heroin Production and Tripled Opium Cultivation since the US military arrived/ UN and US Government documents

Recently I worked in another Maine city and was astonished at the number of patients I encountered who were using heroin.  I had never seen anything like it, during a lifetime practicing medicine. In New Hampshire, it was said, deaths from heroin now exceed deaths from car accidents.  Nationwide, CDC noted, “Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths nearly quadrupled, and more than …