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.

Nafeez Ahmed – ISIS Wants to Destroy the ‘Grey Zone’. Here’s How We Defend It

After the Paris attacks, it is imperative that we safeguard this arena of co-existence, where people of all faith and none remain unified on the principles of common humanity. All this calls for a complete re-think of our approach to terrorism,” Ahmed writes. “We require, urgently, an international public inquiry into the colossal failure of the strategies deployed in the …

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.

Sam Pizzigati – Have We Finally Moved Beyond GDP?

To help overcome inequality, the latest global gathering of economic statisticians agrees, we need to do much more than total up an economy’s goods and services. Organizers of last week’s fifth OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy could barely contain their sense of satisfaction when the three-day event opened in Guadalajara, Mexico. Why all the good cheer? Officials …

Resistance Radio – George Wuerthner – 09.20.15

George Wuerthner is the Ecological Projects Director for the Foundation for Deep Ecology. He is an ecologist and wildlands activist. He has published 38 books on environmental issues and natural history including such environmentally focused books as Welfare Ranching, Wildfire, Thrillcraft, Energy and most recently Keeping the Wild. Today we talk about fire.

Tina Vasquez – I’ve Experienced a New Level of Racism Since Donald Trump Went After Latinos

Donald Trump’s hate speech against Latinos seems to be emboldening white Americans’ racism. For many, it may be hard to wrap their minds around the fact that that a reality TV star and failed businessman [3] who characterized Mexican immigrants as the “most unwanted people,” calling them “criminals, drug dealers,” and “rapists”, was not only running for president, but is …

Harmeet Sooden – The US-led Coalition’s Human Rights Record in Iraq

Human rights violations committed by ISIS are condemned the world over – rightly so – whereas those committed by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS are under-reported, particularly in the West. What follows is a selection of the latter – a selection that strongly suggests the coalition’s military strategy is compounding the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. 13 September 2010 – Amnesty International …