Tag Archives: Latin America

The Private Security Industry In Brazil

Posted on by

“All layers of the Brazilian police force have been fraught with accusations of human rights abuses, torture, and summary executions.  The corrupt and violent nature and subsequent distrust of the police, among other reasons, have led to a thriving private security industry. Starting out as neighborhood watches the industry is now composed of thousands of firms, the vast majority of them being small businesses. Ironically, while the Ministry of Justice is said to be doing a poor job of ensuring only licensed private firms are allowed to compete with the police, a large chunk of the demand for these firms’ services actually stems from the public sector. Banks are the second largest customer.”

http://isil.org/the-private-security-industry-in-brazil/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Why Google’s Waze Is Trading User Data With Local Governments

Posted on by

“Planners in Rio de Janeiro are watching the aggregated data feeds of thousands of smartphones being walked or driven around a city, thanks to two popular travel apps, Waze and Moovit.  The goal is traffic management, and it involves swapping data for data. More cities are lining up to get access, and while the data the apps are sharing is all anonymous for now, identifying details could get more specific if cities like what they see, and people become more comfortable with being monitored through their smartphones in return for incentives.  The app can tell how fast a driver is moving and even get a complete record of their driving history.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/07/07/why-google-waze-helps-local-governments-track-its-users/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Spanish Firm Uses Copyright to Silence Ecuador’s Critics

Posted on by

“A shady law firm in Spain called Ares Rights has found a way to take advantage of US law in order to remove content that originated in Ecuador, sending Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices on behalf of several Ecuadorian state officials, targeting documentaries, tweets, and search results that include images of those officials, alleging copyright infringement. Most of the companies receiving these requests, including Google, Twitter, and Vimeo, have unfortunately responded by automatically removing the content.  Some have re-instated removed works after a successful counter-notice was filed by the uploaders.”

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/state-censorship-copyright-spanish-firm-abuses-DMCA

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Living in: The world’s most affordable cities

Posted on by

“Moving overseas can seem like a costly proposition, at least with all the upfront expenses – but relocating to some cities can actually save you money in the long haul. According to the March 2014 Worldwide Cost of Living Index, affordable cities can be found on almost every continent. The report compares prices of 160 goods and services, from cars to bread to wine, across 131 cities. For reasons of geographical diversity – as well as to include cities whose international communities, career opportunities and levels of safety would particularly appeal to expats – we focused on what it would be like to live in five of the 10 cheapest cities on the Economist’s index.”

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140523-living-in-the-worlds-most-affordable-cities/1

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

The US Imperium, Coming Dollar Difficulties and Investing Abroad

Posted on by

the-daily-bell-top-logo61

“I like gold, foreign securities, unique startup situations and IPOs and even mining stocks, although I’m not convinced mining shares will do well because there are now so many other precious metal alternatives. As I said earlier, I believe big money will likely be made by early investors into the exciting new cannabis startups and IPOs. But diversify any investment in this area among a number of companies because many will fail and only a few will do well. Once again, although there are real medical benefits from cannabis use, the government policy change is primarily because they need the revenue at all levels of government.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/exclusive-interviews/35336/Anthony-Wile-Ron-Holland-on-the-US-Imperium-Coming-Dollar-Difficulties-and-the-Advantages-of-Investing-Abroad/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

David Galland: Lessons from Economic Crises in Argentina

Posted on by

“You would think they would want more US dollars to flow into the country, but the government policy is so balled up they have put up some barriers to bringing money into the country. That said, there are simple mechanisms you can use to get around the restrictions that are completely legal. One of which involves buying Argentine bonds on the international market and selling them back in Argentina. Unlike in the US, where everything is straightforward and the rules generally make sense, in Argentina it’s a very fluid situation. I love the fact that I feel like I’m getting a degree in economic crises and how to operate in one.”

http://www.internationalman.com/articles/lessons-from-economic-crises-in-argentina,-with-david-galland

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Uruguay’s New Regs: Unreasonable on Purpose?

Posted on by

the-daily-bell-top-logo61

“Uruguay is now in the business of fixing prices for an entire industry. In fact, this can only lead to a renewed black market. If Uruguay continues along this path it probably won’t much reduce black-market trafficking because the black market will supply a similar and even better product at a lower price without demanding that people sign some sort of public document attesting to their use of the drug. The whole point of this exercise supposedly was to remove the criminal influence from the production and ingestion of cannabis. After beginning splendidly, Uruguay officials have acted in a way that reverses most of the benefits that could have been expected from ‘legalization.'”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/35290/Uruguays-New-Regs-Unreasonable-on-Purpose/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Ecuador Offers to Buy Back Its Defaulted Bonds — With a 50% Haircut

Posted on by

“Ecuador is approaching holders on a one-by-one basis with offers to pay at least 50 cents on the dollar for the notes, according to two of the people. Ecuador bought back more than 90 percent of its defaulted bonds in 2009 at 35 cents on the dollar, months after defaulting on $3.2 billion of securities.  Faced with a swelling budget deficit, President Rafael Correa said last month that he’s looking to sell bonds to international investors this year, the first time since the default, after relying mostly on China for financing during the past several years.  Correa, a 51-year-old former economics professor, called the bonds “illegitimate” when he halted payments in 2008.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-05/ecuador-said-to-step-up-offers-to-buy-back-defaulted-bonds.html

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Argentina to receive $1 bln loan from Goldman Sachs, says newspaper

Posted on by

“Argentina is closing in on a deal to receive around $1 billion in loans from investment bank Goldman Sachs and is in talks with other international banks about similar deals, local newspaper Pagina/12 reported on Sunday.  The paper, which has close ties with the government of President Cristina Fernandez, said the two-year loan would be announced in the next few days and carry an annual interest rate of 6.5 percent.  It would be the first time in more than a decade the country has received a substantial loan from international creditors and comes as the government seeks cash to avoid a further devaluation of the peso.  The Economy Ministry did not provide immediate comment on the report.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/30/argentina-debt-goldman-idUSL1N0MR09W20140330

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Argentina’s Bond Yields Lure Back Buyers [March 2014]

Posted on by

“Since the beginning of February, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by Argentina’s government and companies have returned 12.7% to investors.  Some investors say they are encouraged by the steps Argentina has taken to shore up its finances, following the government’s decision in January to devalue the peso and raise interest rates amid increasing concern that the nation won’t be able to pay its debts.  ‘There’s a window of opportunity to invest in Argentina,’ said Pierre-Yves Bareau, global head of emerging-market debt at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, which oversees $1.5 trillion and has boosted its holdings of Argentine dollar bonds this year.”

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304026304579449283459471874

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet