CHICAS PRODUCTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 03:52:00 +0000

OUR NEW CAMPAIGN: HELP US HELP #VENEZUELA.

People, animals, everything alive is dying in #VENEZUELA today. Help Us Get #food, #medicines #shelter for #animals and create #fair trade #jobs for #sustainability. We are now selling #GIFT BOXES to raise funds. Our #giftbox No.1 is our #DOCUMENTARY “Dialogo de Sordos” / “Dialogue of the deaf” shot in 2003 in #Caracas. Chronicles about a #Venezuelan family that is politically divided between #chavistas and #anti-chavistas. My family. Starring @gabbyh_2 @teji2ah

WATCH IT NOW. Go to chicas-productions.com #humanrights #animalrights We need 1000 Youtube subscribers to be able to sell the documentary on Youtube and reach more audience. THANK YOU!!!
More info: http://chicas-productions.com/Chicas_Productions/DOCUMENTARY_BOX_No._1.html

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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 04:29:00 +0000

BLOOMBERG

Venezuela’s President Feasts on Steak, Cigars at Salt Bae Restaurant

By Patricia Laya

September 17, 2018, 4:27 PM PDT

On his way back home from a trip to Asia, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro stopped off in Turkey to dine at one of butcher sensation Nusret Gökçe’s Nusr-Et restaurants where he sampled steaks and smoked cigars from a personalized box.

Maduro visited Nusr-Et, known for its $100 rib-eye, after making an official trip to China in hopes of securing financing for cash-strapped Venezuela. In videos posted by Nusret to Twitter and Instagram, Maduro is seen eating steak next to his wife, Cilia Flores, while also holding a cigar and trying on a t-shirt depicting Nusret, also known as Salt Bae and famous for how he prepares and seasons steaks.

Venezuela is in the throes of a deep humanitarian and economic crisis, following years of misrule that have led to hyperinflation, power blackouts, water outages, as well as dire shortages of food and medicine. A survey by three leading Venezuelan universities estimated 87 percent of households were living in poverty in 2017 while 64 percent of Venezuelans lost weight last year, 11.4 kilograms on average.

Nusret, who has close to 16 million Instagram followers, deleted several videos showing Maduro’s visit to the restaurant from Instagram shortly after posting them.

— With assistance by Noris Soto

More info: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-17/venezuela-s-maduro-feasts-on-steak-cigars-at-nusr-et-restaurant
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 00:51:00 +0000

DINERO

Startup mexicana AirTM le hace competencia a Dólar Today en fijación de paralelo
Hace unos meses, la tasa de AirTM estaba influenciada por Dolartoday, la entonces referencia del mercado.

La startup FinTech mexicana AirTM se deslindó de Dólar Today para fijar el tipo de cambio paralelo en Venezuela, e incluso por encima de la tradicional página de internet. E

l tipo de cambio cerró en 303.938,84 bolívares por dólar.

"TASA EN AIRTM: Debido al incremento de menciones y de dudas referentes a la tasa de cambio en AirTM, creemos importante ser totalmente transparentes en como en como se calcula", dijo la plataforma en su página de internet.

"Tratando de encontrar el precio al que los usuarios sí vendan sus dólares, el precio justo de mercado. En resumen, hemos decidido independizar nuestra tasa de cambio de cualquier agencia externa que pueda tener motivos ocultos y de encontrar nuestra propia tasa de cambio", dijo la startup en su página web.

Hace unos meses, la tasa de AirTM estaba influenciada por Dolartoday, la entonces referencia del mercado.

La meta de AirTM es maximizar las transacciones de depósito y de retiro que se completan en la plataforma. Para hacer eso, las tasas de cambio tienen que estar lo más cercanas posibles a la tasa justa del mercado.

More info: http://www.dinero.com.ve/din/actualidad/startup-mexicana-airtm-le-hace-competencia-d-lar-today-en-fijaci-n-de-paralelo
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 00:06:00 +0000

Chicas'
FOOD BOX ~ GIFT BOX No. F1

As everything is more difficult each day for our families and friends in Venezuela, we (my BBF Vanessa and I) decided to help a little more our loved ones. It started by buying our 1st wholesale bulk of fruits and veggies: 645 kg!!!!!!! We could start a restaurant!!!! The idea is that this way, they could afford to buy at the whole price in smaller quantities, we would just provide the funds. So here we are with 645 kg of fruits and veggies coming soon so my little cousin Adriana with the help of Cesar (Gabby’s ex-husband) is going to prepare 20 boxes with more than 30 kg of fresh products each.

Prices are volatile in Venezuela!!! They change everyday. The dollar at the black market fluctuates in the same way. So as far as today, September 14th 2018, we are able to sell each Box for $18. Your loved ones have to go get it in Las Palmas, Caracas. We are contracting Adriana and Gabby’s brother Arturo to do the delivery so we are paying him one day of work so we can deliver in Caracas only .

In Venezuela today the economy has collapsed. Hunger has gripped the nation for years. Now, it’s killing people and animals that are dying of starvation. The Venezuelan government knows, but won’t admit it!!! Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty. People queue for hours to buy food. Much of the time they go without. People are also dying from a lack of medicines. Inflation is at 82,766% and there are warnings it could exceed one million per cent by the end of this year. Venezuelans are trying to get out. Like mi cousin Gabby who left with her husband and two children 4 months ago to Lima, Peru. No she helped us with all the currency transfers headaches because everyday Maduro’s regime is passing a “new” law to prohibit the Venezuelan people who have left to help their families and loved ones left behind. The UN says 2.3 million people have fled the country - 7% of the population.

DIARIO LAS AMERICAS

Maduro toma medidas para beneficiarse de las remesas a Venezuela

23 de junio de 2018 - 22:06

Analistas advierten que sin una apertura importante y sin permitir que el mercado establezca el precio del dólar, la estrategia tendrá poco impacto.

CARACAS.- La semana pasada Carlos González envió desde España 200 dólares a su madre que vive en Venezuela. Transfirió las divisas a la cuenta en el exterior de un odontólogo que desde enero le compra todos los meses y este odontólogo le depositó los bolívares a su madre. La transacción se hizo a la tasa del mercado negro. A Venezuela no ingresó un solo dólar.

En un intento porque los venezolanos en el exterior dejen de utilizar este mecanismo para enviarle remesas a sus familiares y los dólares comiencen a ingresar al país, prácticamente en bancarrota, Nicolás Maduro, autorizó legalmente a tres casas de cambio (Zoom, Insular e Italcambio) a que reciban remesas desde Western Union y MoneyGram a una tasa que busca ser atractiva.

Desde 2003 el régimen venezolano mantiene un férreo control de cambio para determinar cuántos dólares y a que tasa pueden comprar las empresas y los particulares. No obstante, la gran mayoría de quienes no pueden adquirir divisas por esta vía recurren al mercado negro donde el dólar se cotiza a una tasa muy superior a la que establecen las autoridades (una ley prohíbe divulgarlo).

Para tratar de atraer a las remesas el Gobierno ha colocado una tasa de 2,2 millones de bolívares por dólar que supera ampliamente a la de 80.000 bolívares por dólar que rige para el resto de las transacciones.

No obstante, esta tasa de 2,2 millones de bolívares por dólar aún se encuentra por debajo de la cotización de la moneda estadounidense en el mercado negro y existe una gran desconfianza hacia el Gobierno.

Los temores

Carlos González afirma que “no voy a utilizar ese sistema que han creado con las tres casas de cambio. Seguramente mi madre tendría que registrarse. ¿Y si después lo que hacen es obligarla a que siempre reciba los dólares que le voy a enviar a la tasa que ellos decidan, quién garantiza que no van a dejar esa tasa fija durante meses o años? ¿Le van a cobrar algún impuesto por recibir este dinero desde otro país?”.

Gracias a la emigración no es desdeñable el número de familias que se protegen de la hiperinflación con la ayuda que reciben de familiares en el exterior. De acuerdo con un estudio de la firma Datos, al cierre de enero de este año 14% de los venezolanos mayores de 18 años (alrededor de tres millones de personas) contestó afirmativamente a la pregunta de si le han enviado dinero desde el extranjero y la mitad de éstos señaló que lo recibe una vez al mes.

Los números sugieren que quienes emigraron a Europa y Estados Unidos ya han logrado estabilizarse y por eso han iniciado el envío de remesas de forma constante. En el mediano plazo debería suceder algo similar con la cantidad de venezolanos que se ha marchado a países de Suramérica como Colombia, Ecuador y Perú.

En la última edición de Migration and Development Brief (reseña sobre migración y desarrollo) el Banco Mundial proyecta que en 2017 el envío de remesas a Venezuela se ubicó en orden de 289 millones de dólares, una cifra bastante baja comparada con, por ejemplo, 5.696 millones de República Dominicana pero que cuenta con un gran potencial de crecimiento.

Si bien no es fácil determinar la magnitud de la diáspora porque la doble nacionalidad de venezolanos que se han mudado a países como España o Italia complica los cálculos, el estudio de Datos registra que en enero 63 de cada 100 venezolanos afirmó que en los últimos doce meses un familiar se marchó al extranjero.

Y todo apunta a que la salida seguirá este año. Ante la pregunta: ¿Tienes pensado irte de Venezuela en los próximos 12 meses? El 41% de la población mayor de edad responde afirmativamente.

Cuando los países cuentan con un sistema legal que permite la libre venta de divisas a un tipo de cambio de mercado las personas en el exterior envían la mayoría de las remesas a través de la banca y las entidades financieras utilizan estas divisas para satisfacer la demanda de dólares, por ejemplo, de empresas que necesitan importar materia prima.

De esta forma, las remesas pasan a formar parte de los recursos con que cuenta un país para realizar importaciones, estabilizar el tipo de cambio o incrementar sus reservas internacionales.

Poco efecto

En un reporte sobre la estrategia que está utilizando el Gobierno para tratar de captar las remesas la firma Ecoanalítica señala que la tasa que se ha establecido “es atractiva para segmentos de la población venezolana en el exterior que no están bancarizados en el país de residencia o que no tienen acceso a plataformas digitales como Paypal u otras”.

Pero añade que “al menos en el corto plazo, estimamos que el mercado cambiario no oficial continuará siendo el mecanismo más relevante para las transacciones de ayuda financiera en divisas por parte de los venezolanos en el exterior a sus familiares y allegados”.

Ecoanalítica considera que “el Ejecutivo debe ir a un esquema de legalización plena del mercado paralelo de divisas (no oficial), esto en el marco de una estrategia consistente y creíble para reducir y mantener la brecha entre la tasa oficial y paralela”.

La firma Síntesis Financiera indica que “el flujo de pequeñas remesas que transita por el sistema bancario nacional público y privado ha venido creciendo, y prevemos que este año se ubicará entre 1.000 y 1.500 millones de dólares. Esas remesas buscan el mejor precio del dólar, los flujos de dinero encuentran el cauce al segmento de mercado que resulte más atractivo”.

La urgencia

La necesidad de la administración de Nicolás Maduro por comenzar a captar parte de las remesas es comprensible. Tras no ahorrar en los tiempos de los altos precios del petróleo, multiplicar por cinco la deuda en divisas y despilfarrar buena parte del dinero el país se ha quedado sin suficientes dólares para importar y cancelar el vencimiento de la deuda.

Las reservas internacionales, el tanque de dólares que tiene el Banco Central para que el país pague a tiempo la deuda externa y cubrir importaciones se ubicó al cierre del 14 de junio en 8.849 millones de dólares, un nivel históricamente bajo y que es igual al de junio de 1994 cuando el país estaba inmerso en una fuerte crisis bancaria.

More info: https://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/maduro-toma-medidas-beneficiarse-las-remesas-venezuela-n4155078
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In order to avoid all the SCAMS, we decide not to publish all the info of the recruter in the job postings. You'll find the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A.

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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 23:43:00 +0000

DOLAR TODAY

¡CACERIA DE BRUJAS! Intercash, RapidCambio y AirTM: Tercera fase de Operación “Manos de Papel” va contra casas de remesas

@DolarToday / Apr 26, 2018 @ 7:00 am

El Fiscal General de la Reública, Tarek William Saab, informó este miércoles que fueron desmanteladas tres casas de remesas en el país identificadas como Intercash, RapidCambio y AirTM las cuales operan con páginas web registradas en el exterior, especialmente en Estados Unidos y Panamá, y que actuaban a través de cuentas en Twitter, Instagram y Facebook; por lo que la Operación Manos de Papel enfocará su tercera fase en desmontarlas todas.

Saab “En esas cuentas recibían depósitos en efectivo o transferencias, para luego hacer la conversión a un tipo de cambio elevado e irreal (…) la tercera fase va a buscar desmontar las casas de remesas porque lo que hicieron fue de tal magnitud que lograron tener sus casas de remesas normales como si usted estuviese yendo a una casa de remesa en un aeropuerto, pero éstas forman parte de esta trama (de corrupción)”, explicó.

La información fue dada a conocer por Saab durante un balance sobre las acciones de la Operación Manos de Papel y en las que además resaltó que este miércoles el Ministerio Público solicitó a las instituciones competentes el bloqueo de 247 cuentas bancarias, así como 40 nuevas órdenes de aprehensión y 104 allanamientos.
“He hablado con el Presidente de la República para crear nuevos centros de reclusión para estos delincuentes que terminan siendo asesinos seriales porque están matando de hambre a la gente”, dijo.

En este contexto, destacó que hasta la fecha el Ministerio Público en conjunto con los entes de seguridad e inteligencia del país han logrado capturar a 112 personas de las cuales 107 han sido presentadas ante los tribunales de la República.

Sabb mencionó que debido a la magnitud de la operación, se han designados tres fiscales con competencia nacional expertos en legitimación de capitales y corrupción; y que están activados todos los fiscales regionales anticorrupción en Venezuela.

More info: https://dolartoday.com/caceria-de-brujas-intercash-rapidcambio-y-airtm-tercera-fase-de-operacion-manos-de-papel-va-contra-casas-de-remesas/?new=1
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 23:03:00 +0000

Como Enviar Dinero a Venezuela al Precio del Dolar Paralelo

Enviar dinero a Venezuela (dolares) y que te los cambien a un buen precio se ha hecho una necesidad muy real para muchos venezolanos que les urge mantener a sus familiares que todavía siguen en el país caribeño.

Esto se podría hacer vía western unión u otro medio tradicional como transferencia bancaria en dolares a Venezuela, pero debido a la distorsión en la economía venezolana, el tipo de cambio por el que pagarían cada dolar estas instituciones seria al cambio oficial y por lo tanto nada rentable (por no decir que vas a perder dinero).

Aquí es donde entra AirTM: Una plataforma que te permite enviar dinero (dolares en este caso) vía transferencia y recibirlos en bolívares al tipo de cambio del dolar paralelo o dolar negro.

Esta plataforma se ha vuelto tan popular y usada por los venezolanos que el gobierno Venezolano ha bloqueado su acceso, con la excusa de que publican una tasa Bolivar/Dolar muy por encima del “dolar oficial” (por lo que para ellos es ilegal).

Se ha vuelto tan mediática que ya muchos venezolanos la utilizan como referencia para vender sus dolares, incluso el economista Steve Hanke usa su tasa (Bolívar/Dolar) para estimar la inflación en Venezuela.

No puedo Entrar en AirTM

Si intentas entrar desde Venezuela a AirTM.io vas a ver un mensaje que te dice “No se puede acceder a este sitio web” y no es que tengas problemas con tu Internet, es gracias al “gobierno revolucionario” (si, con sarcasmo y todo).

Para poder acceder a AirTM puedes intentar 3 maneras diferentes de hacerlo:

1. Cambiar la red DNS de tu ordenador.

Los DNS o Domain Name System por sus siglas en ingles es el protocolo que asigna los nombres a las direcciones IP para poder acceder a diferentes sitios, controlando a cual servidor de la empresa (proveedor del servicio ISP) se dirigen.

Leer mas: 〉〉〉 ¿Como cambiar los DNS de mi ordenador a los de Google? 〈〈〈

En algunas ocasiones a las personas no les funciona cambiar los DNS de su red, por lo que conviene instalar una red privada.

2. Instalar un VPN o Red Privada Virtual.

Una VPN (Virtual Private Network) es un programa que te permite navegar de forma segura y anónima a través de una red privada virtual, cambiando tu IP residencial por otra (así es como burlas el bloqueo).

Existen muchas empresas que ofrecen este tipo de servicios, y uno de los que yo recomiendo es Hotspot Shield por que ofrece un plan gratuito y ademas es fácil de instalar y de usar.

Pero si no quieres “instalar” nada y quieres algo rápido puedes descargar una extensión de Google Chrome llamada Touch VPN.

Simplemente la descargas, escoges el país de donde te quieres conectar y listo, ya puedes ingresar en airtm.io

Una tercera y ultima opción para los que no les funciono ninguna de las dos anteriores es intentar entrar con otro navegador.

3. Navegador con encriptacion en la nube

Pero no cualquier navegador sino con Puffin Browser, que te ofrece una conexión encriptada en la nube por lo que te permite burlar el bloqueo de la pagina.

Desde que uso este navegador puedo entrar en todas las paginas que ha bloqueado el gobierno sin necesidad de cambiar los DNS, sin embargo si necesitas tener activo el VPN.

Puedes también bajar su aplicación por Android y funciona muy bien, mucho mas rápido que su competencia y ademas es seguro.

El proceso para enviar dinero a Venezuela es simple:

Te creas una cuenta en AirTM y la verificas.

Depositas los dolares (o cualquier otra moneda) que vayas a cambiar a través de transferencia bancaria o si prefieres desde Paypal, Payza, Payoneer, Neteller, BTC y otras plataformas mas.

Al tener los dolares dentro de AirTM ahora procedes a retirarlos vía transferencia bancaria en Venezuela (el banco de tu preferencia).

Y lo mejor de todo es que es al cambio del dolar paralelo y totalmente seguro y confiable porque AirTM protegerá en todo momento tu dinero.

Es necesario que domines el funcionamiento de esta aplicacion, aunque no es “Ciencia de cohetes” puede ser algo confuso al principio.

Por ello he creado para ti este post:

〉〉〉 ¿Que es? y ¿Como Funciona AirTM? 〈〈〈

Como Enviar Dinero a Venezuela Usando Airtm

Cuando ya hayas creado tu cuenta en AirTM y la hayas verificado puedes empezar a realizar transacciones en esta plataforma.

Asumiendo que estas en el extranjero y no tienes cuenta bancaria en este país, un residente de este pais de tu plena confianza te puede hacer el favor creándose una cuenta AirTM.

Este depositaria desde su cuenta bancaria en moneda local(pesos, soles, etc..) a su cuenta AirTM el cual haría la conversión a dolares. Luego solo tendría que enviar el dinero a la cuenta AirTM de la persona destino en el apartado “Enviar” y esta solo tendría que retirarlo a su cuenta bancaria.

Puedes ver como es el proceso mas adelante en este post.

Depositar Dinero En AirTM

Como AirTM no es una entidad bancaria como tal es casi imposible que tenga fondos en todas esas plataformas con las que trabaja y bancos, por lo que utiliza a terceros llamados Cajeros autorizados por AirTM para que hagan efectivo tu deposito.

Estas son personas que enviaron sus credenciales a AirTM para convertirse en los que hacen el cambio (Envian/reciben el dinero) y tras una rigurosa evaluación de la empresa estos sean aprobados para que puedan ser las personas que te faciliten el dinero a la cuenta bancaria o pasarela de pago que necesites..

AirTM funciona como un intermediario entre tu(cliente) y el cajero(persona que facilitara los dolares para la plataforma elegida) para que la transacción sea lo mas transparente y rápida posible. Si alguna de las partes no cumple AirTM bloquea el dinero hasta que el problema sea resuelto.

Aquí les dejo una infografía que les explica brevemente como funciona los Depósitos en AirTM.

Recuerda que tu cuenta AirTM debe estar verificada antes de hacer cualquier transacción.

No te pedirán un montón de documentos como acostumbran otras plataformas, ellos solo necesitan saber que eres una persona real.

Así que con una selfie monstrando tu Identificación Nacional(Cedula, pasaporte) bastara para verificar tu cuenta AirTM(la imagen no se puede ver borrosa y se tienen que ver todos los datos de tu documento).

More info: https://aprendeaganarya.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/transferir-dolares-venezuela-cambio-paralelo/

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In order to avoid all the SCAMS, we decide not to publish all the info of the recruter in the job postings. You'll find the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A.

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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 22:50:00 +0000

LA REPUBLICA

¿Cómo hacen los venezolanos en el exterior para enviar dinero a su país?

21 Feb 2018 | 12:09 h

La mayoría del dinero que mandan es para abastecer la alacena de sus familias en Venezuela. Sin embargo, también compran inmuebles como carros o departamentos para tener una inversión en su país.

Días tras días miles de venezolanos esperan, en Cúcuta, las remesas que les envían sus familiares desde otras partes de Colombia o mucho más allá (Ecuador, Perú, Chile, Argentina, entre otro), para irse de nuevo a su país y poder ayudar a otros familiares.

Actualmente, más de 3 millones de venezolanos han huido de su país por la gran crisis económica impuesta por el presidente Nicolás Maduro y el 80% de las familias al subsistido gracias al dinero enviado por familiares desde el extranjero, sobre todo desde el Norte de Santander.

“La prohibición que existe en el país para recibir encomiendas y envíos de dinero desde el exterior, ha convertido a Cúcuta en el centro de los envíos de remesas de los venezolanos en el exterior; la mayoría de estos envíos no superan los 200 dólares y tienen una media de 100 dólares, que aunque en la mayoría de los países no representan una gran suma de dinero, para los venezolanos, al convertirlos en bolívares les representan unos 29 salarios integrales, una cifra que ninguna persona podría obtener trabajando en Venezuela”, reseñó Globovisión.

Se estima que para el año 2017 entró por Norte de Santander entre 1.200 a 1.500 millones dólares, producto de los envíos por parte de familiares en el extranjero.

El gobierno venezolano habilitó un sistema cambiario llamado Dicom, pero; "no reconoce el tipo de cambio real del mercado, sino que se maneja aún como una divisa controlada, no resulta atractivo, pues nadie va a enviar remesas para ser cambiadas a una tasa Dicom de 25 mil bolívares por dólar o 30 mil bolívares por euro, mientras en el mercado paralelo estas divisas se pagan por diez veces ese valor”, dijo el experto Jesús Contreras.

¿Qué hacen los venezolanos?

La mayoría del dinero que se manda es para cubrir la comida. Sin embargo, también se manda dinero para inmuebles como carros o departamentos. Pues muchos de los venezolanos piensan retornar al país luego de esta grave crisis.

More info: https://larepublica.pe/mundo/1200858-esto-es-lo-hacen-los-venezolanos-para-enviarle-dinero-a-sus-familiares
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Thank you for reading us,
Thank you for your time,
Hope you'll found the information you expected,
Don't hesitate contacting us,
Have a great day ☼
Chicas Team ❤
--------------------------------------------------------> Submit to: Show contact info
In order to avoid all the SCAMS, we decide not to publish all the info of the recruter in the job postings. You'll find the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A.

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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 22:34:00 +0000

finder.com > International Money Transfers

How to

11 September 2018

From cash pickup to online transfers, there are affordable ways to send money to Venezuela.

Getting money from your account in the US to someone in Venezuela might seem difficult at first, but our guide to money transfer services and exchange rates will help you get a good deal when it comes to converting your US dollars to Venezuelan bolívars.

Our pick: XE Money Transfer: https://www.xe.com/

How do I compare money transfer companies?

Exchange rate. Venezuelan bolívars are considered an exotic currency. Because of this, many banks and money transfer companies don’t trade it, but there are some that do. This will be one of the most important parts of your decision.

Transfer time. How quickly do you need the money to get to Venezuela? If the answer is minutes, then go for a provider like Western Union. If you have time, it can be worth looking for a slower, cheaper option. The transfer time is based on a couple of things, including the payment and delivery method.

Transfer fee. Transfer fees can vary greatly between providers. Some providers waive the fee if you transfer a certain amount. For example, transactions greater than $10,000 might not incur a transfer fee. Other providers may waive the fee if you transfer money multiple times, so check if there are deals before you choose a provider.

Delivery method. If your recipient doesn’t have a bank account, you’ll want to find a service that allows your recipient to pick up cash. Otherwise, one that transfers directly to a bank account should be a safer option.

Payment method. Some companies let you pay for a transfer using your credit card or debit card, but bank deposit is the preferred payment method for most money transfer companies.

Transfer options. Can you lock in an ideal exchange rate now and transfer the money later? Does the institution offer limit orders that allows you to take advantage of changing market conditions by executing the money transfer when a certain exchange rate is met? Can you schedule recurring payments? Consider these based on your needs when finding a provider.

Customer service. Is there a US-based customer service team on hand to take your call?

Transfer limits. How much do you want to send? Different providers have different minimum and maximum limits.

More info: https://www.finder.com/international-money-transfers/send-money-to-venezuela
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 22:20:00 +0000

THE WASHINGTON POST

It’s time for a coordinated financial response to the Venezuelan exodus

By Luis Alberto Moreno
September 11

Luis Alberto Moreno is president of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington.

They are known as “los caminantes,” or the walkers.

They are Venezuelan men, women and children who have left their country in search of work and opportunity. Some can’t afford airfare or even a bus ticket, so they walk for hundreds of miles to reach the borders of neighboring nations.

In recent months, tens of thousands of these migrants have been slowly making their way along highways, camping by the roadside and relying on the kindness of strangers. They are a small subset in a much larger exodus, the likes of which our hemisphere has never seen before.

While much has been said about the political and economic problems inside Venezuela that have led to this moment, I believe the scale and impact of this migration crisis are still not understood outside of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Consider this:

While the United Nations estimates that 1.8 million immigrants have arrived in Europe by sea since 2014, up to 2.5 million Venezuelans have left their homeland during the same period. Roughly one-fifth of them have gone to Europe, the United States and Canada. Nearly all the rest — around 2 million individuals — have gone to Latin American and Caribbean countries. Colombia alone has received close to 1 million, while Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil and Argentina, in descending order, have taken in most of the rest.

But while average per capita income in the six European countries that have received the most immigrants during this period (Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Austria and Britain) is around $46,500, measured in purchasing power, in the six Latin American countries listed above, the figure is less than $17,000.

Europe can rely on modern civil services and well-staffed clinics and schools to process and care for immigrants. In Latin America, despite considerable progress in reducing poverty in recent decades, public services are underfunded and ill equipped to cope with local demand, much less to deal with this emergency.

In Colombia, an economist with the Inter-American Development Bank has estimated that the government will need around $1.6 billion per year to fully respond to the emergency, a sum equal to 0.5 percent of GDP. This amounts to a negative shock to the economy at a time when Colombia urgently needs to accelerate growth.

Venezuela’s neighbors have so far been sympathetic and generous toward the immigrants, not least because they remember how Venezuela welcomed millions of political exiles and economic refugees during the 20th century.

In addition to waiving many traditional visa requirements, the region’s governments have used scarce public resources to provide food and shelter for the Venezuelans, while reassigning thousands of security and health officials to deal with the surge.

Unfortunately, the situation has reached a breaking point. In recent weeks, we have seen incidents of violence and public protests against the immigrants, as overwhelmed officials struggle to prevent lawlessness and meet the needs of local residents who, in many cases, are also very poor.

It is time for the international community to recognize the sacrifices that Venezuela’s neighbors are making, and to offer coordinated support that can prevent further conflict and instability.

Last week in Quito, the government of Ecuador hosted ministers from 11 nations, including the six receiving most Venezuelan immigrants, to craft an integrated approach to the crisis. In their concluding declaration, delegates urged donors, the United Nations and multilateral banks to provide financial support.

The United States and the European Union have already pledged emergency aid. Now we need a substantial source of grants and low-interest loans that governments can use to expand services, speed up processing and gather reliable data on arriving immigrants. Since most Venezuelans are unlikely to return home in the near future, funds will also be required to ensure their legal and orderly integration into local schools and job markets.

The Inter-American Development Bank, which has offices in every affected country and decades of experience financing development programs with the region’s governments, is ideally positioned to create and administer a regional fund for this purpose.

We are prepared to contribute initial grants and provide guarantees that, with pledges from other parties, could generate as much as $1 billion in concessional loans over the next two years. By contributing to the fund, donor nations could channel aid to where it is most needed, while avoiding the inefficiency of fragmented contributions.

Despite the obvious political sensitivities surrounding this issue, I am certain this fund could quickly be made operational. In 2016, the World Bank partnered with the U.N. and the Islamic Development Bank Group to launch a similar effort in less than three months. That fund raised hundreds of millions of dollars to help communities in Jordan and Lebanon cope with the arrival of Syrian refugees.

Migration, regardless of its motives, has long been a defining experience for people in the Americas. History has taught us that those in search of hope and refuge may someday be the ones who offer it. Venezuelans did not hesitate to extend a helping hand in the past. Let’s make sure we do the same for them now.

More info: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/09/11/its-time-for-a-coordinated-financial-response-to-the-venezuelan-exodus/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b697319c9a9e

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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 22:07:00 +0000

Bloomberg

Venezuela Raises Minimum Wage 3,000% and Lots of Workers Get Fired

Fabiola Zerpa

September 14, 2018, 2:00 AM PDT
Venezuelan workers who earned a pittance are now earning a slightly larger pittance, thanks to a big increase in the minimum wage. What they may not have are jobs.
Starting this week, 7 million employees are guaranteed 1,800 bolivars a month -- worth about $20 at the black-market rate. President Nicolas Maduro intended the mandate as political boost, but it’s having the opposite effect as companies, already hit by Venezuela’s epic economic contraction, tell workers they can’t afford to keep them.
While there have been many similar moves in the past, never has one been so disruptive, arriving amid hyperinflation, depression and devaluation. Some employers are restructuring costs, rejiggering pay scales and negotiating settlements with workers. Others are simply dismissing people. Much of the action happens secretively as companies try to avoid punishment by the government, which has been jailing those it believes are flouting the rules.
Caracas garage owner Marcos Vizcaino, 56, said the increase was the final blow for the family business of two generations. He said the scarcity of spare parts, a sclerotic tax bureaucracy and hyperinflation had already complicated matters and resulted in less than a customer a day.
“I already told my four employees to go find other jobs,” he said. “I’ve decided to close. There’s no need for me to keep to losing money for a third year in a row.”
No Customers
In two industrial and wholesale districts in Caracas, La Trinidad and Boleita, about half the businesses were closed last week, including several restaurants that depend on local workers. Weekday traffic resembled the leisurely flow of a Sunday.
“I have four salesmen; all have come in this morning,” said Manuel Rosas, 55, who owns a shop that sells spare parts for Chryslers. By 11 a.m., he had sent them all home because they had nothing to do.
The higher minimum wage, which Maduro announced last month, was among several bids to steady the rapidly failing state’s economy and stanch hyperinflation. The socialist autocrat also devalued the currency and lopped five zeroes off denominations of the bolivar bill, which has been rendered almost valueless.
Difficult Meetings
Sine the new minimum wage was announced, business and industry groups in Caracas held a flurry of meetings. Lawyers have been holding advisory sessions with clients, and there have been difficult sit-downs among owners, employees and unions, all players in the nation’s heavily regulated employment economy.
Vizcaíno says he can’t let go of workers easily. If they believe they have been fired wrongly, they can complain to a Labor Ministry court, setting off a lengthy bureaucratic process akin to a trial.
Not far from Vizcaíno’s auto shop, dozens of workers fired after Maduro’s wage announcement gathered at the Labor Ministry’s doorstep. Many arrived as early as 7 a.m. seeking legal guidance on their dismissals but were prevented from entering after appointment times ran out. Many inspectors had been dispatched to see whether pharmacies, shops and factories closed without permission. Workers anxiously posed questions to officials who told them to come again the next day. Disappointed and confused, many left.
Emergency Plan
“In a situation like this, the government should have an emergency plan to advise workers,” said Edwin Lumar, a 29-year-old shopping-mall security guard. His employer fired three out of six workers without providing legal paperwork. “How many times have new wages been put in place with no results to end hyperinflation?"
In fact, since Maduro took office in 2013, he has boosted the minimum wage 24 times. But inflation keeps galloping and businesses keep shutting down. Some 20,000 have closed since 1996, three years before Maduro’s mentor, Hugo Chavez, took power, according to Fedecamaras, the nation’s largest business organization. Only about 3,600 remain open. In June, more than half of companies surveyed reported they worked at less than a quarter of capacity, according to Conindustria, a trade organization.
“Closing is an individual dilemma,” said Rodrigo Agudo, Dairy and Meat Institute director and food industry expert.
Apart from the astronomical rise in wages, companies have limited ability to adapt, thanks to restrictive controls. Food operations are closely monitored as the government provides them imported raw materials. More than 500 supermarkets and stores have been fined and 200 managers and workers detained since Maduro’s announcements, according to Cedice, a private-property watchdog group.
On Sept. 3, the government seized a pharmaceutical company in Maracaibo that planned to shut; it was previously fined for hoarding products. In August, the government seized a Smurfit Kappa plant that made cardboard after it closed several production lines and sent workers on early vacation. Demand had fallen as the food packagers it supplied closed.
Banking, commerce, education and construction companies, which often have large and stable payrolls, are expected to be buffeted. Benefits pegged to wages -- which depend on an employee’s tenure -- also will increase, and large firms have collective-bargaining agreements subject to government scrutiny.
“The impact can be devastating; it can consume a whole company’s capital,” said Aurelio Concheso, a labor expert at Fedecamaras.ve closed since last year, said Wael Raal, a shop owner who is also president of the community’s commerce association.
“We are crossing a desert,” he said.
— With assistance by Noris Soto

More info: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-14/after-getting-3-000-wage-hike-workers-are-fired-in-venezuela
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:53:00 +0000

MY SAN ANTONIO,

Impoverished Venezuelans are abandoning their pets

by Rachelle Krygier,

The Washington Post Published 5:28 am CDT, Thursday, September 13, 2018

CARACAS, Venezuela - It was Sheldon's 6th birthday, and Mary Cruz Lema realized she had to give him up.

As Venezuela's economic crisis had deepened, she and her husband had been struggling to feed their beloved black and white schnauzer. Their collective salaries - hers as a schoolteacher and his as a nurse - equaled no more than $10 a month, barely enough to cover meals for themselves and their two children.

The last time Sheldon had had a dog treat was in November. By January, their budget was so tight that Lema stopped buying pet shampoo and begin limiting his meals to one a day. By June, his only sustenance was a few leftover vegetables from the family table. Once playful, Sheldon became lethargic - sitting in a corner in distress.

"I looked at the dog and couldn't sleep," Lema said. "It felt urgent."

So she took a step that is becoming increasingly common in this collapsing nation: giving up the family pet.

If life in Venezuela has become hard for humans, it has become even harder for many pets. With inflation soaring toward 1 million percent, dog food and veterinary care have spiraled out of reach for millions of people. One kilo - or 2.2 pounds - of dog food, for instance, now costs nearly the equivalent of three weeks' salary for a minimum-wage worker.

The result, animal specialists say, has been an exploding population of abandoned dogs on the streets and rising numbers in underfunded shelters. Although there are no reliable national figures on the phenomenon, officials from eight shelters in the capital, Caracas, said they had seen a roughly 50 percent rise in the number of pets left at their facilities this year. At the same time, pet adoptions have a dropped by as much as a third, they said.

"People are being forced to choose their priorities, and dogs for the most part aren't one of them," said Esmeralda Larrosa, owner of the Kauna Animal Foundation, a Caracas shelter. Her facility, she said, is now struggling to feed its 125 dogs - including 15 that arrived within the previous two weeks. "The rise in abandonment we are seeing is simply crazy."

On one recent morning, dozens of dogs, many of them emaciated, languished inside Evelia's Shelter in eastern Caracas. The smell of dog urine filled the air - a scent hard to wash away in a city where businesses and homes have running water only intermittently. A tiny, skeletal black poodle - brought in a week earlier - sat in one corner. A 1-year-old golden retriever, recently surrendered by a man unable to feed him, roamed the yard.

"Every day is incredibly sad," said Aida Lopez Mendez, 53, one of the shelter's owners. "We never thought the situation could get so tragic."

As prices of goods and services surge, Larrosa said, she has been forced to cease most vaccinations and medical treatments for the animals. Anesthesia injections for animal operations, for instance, can cost the equivalent of $50.

At the same time, donations to shelters have fallen drastically. To get by, Larrosa is feeding her dogs discarded pieces of meat from a nearby restaurant. And new animals are arriving in ever-worse conditions.

"We mostly get malnourished dogs now," she said. Three such canines were left at her door last month; two died within weeks.

For pets as well as people, the crisis here is likely to get worse. This petroleum-rich country's woes are the result of a combination of factors - including lower oil prices, corruption and failed socialist policies. In an attempt to stabilize the economy, President Nicolás Maduro - the successor of Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013 - announced a 3,000 percent minimum-wage hike last month.
So far, though, that measure and others have seemed to backfire, with prices for basic goods almost doubling.

Some shelters are considering closing once they're able to place all their dogs.

"It's a critical situation because we have to spend three times as much as we used to to maintain each animal," said Mariant Lameda, owner of the Network of Canine Support, which has 270 dogs. Only one has been adopted this year, compared with 13 last year, and more than 200 in 2015.

The crisis is forcing people such as Johnny Godoy, a 40-year old businessman, to make desperate decisions about their pets. Unable to get by on the money he makes selling paper products, Godoy is planning to move to Peru, a journey of more than 2,000 miles. He has spent months trying to find a family with whom he can leave his 6-year-old miniature pinscher.

"Because of the country's situation, it's hard to find someone who wants to keep her. But I can't take her; I'm leaving by bus, and we still don't know how long it will take for us to get settled," he said. "We're going to miss her horribly."

For Lema, the teacher, saying goodbye to her dog was one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. On that late June morning, she recalled, she walked out of the house holding Sheldon,
accompanied by her two children, as representatives of an animal aid group arrived in a car to pick up the dog. The three of them were crying. Her boy, who is autistic, was especially distraught.
She gave the aid workers Sheldon's purple pillow, his little red quilt with polka dots, and the dog. As their vehicle started to pull away, her 13-year-old son started hitting the car window, shouting for his pet.

Lema said she kept Sheldon's dog tag.
"We miss him every single day," she said.

- - -
The Washington Post's Anthony Faiola in Miami contributed to this report.

More info: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Impoverished-Venezuelans-are-abandoning-their-pets-13226063.php
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:34:00 +0000

FINANCIAL POST

Everyone realizes too late that Stephen Harper was right about Venezuela

by Terence Corcoran

Published: September 13, 2018 9:33 AM EDT

As beleaguered Venezuela lies in socialist ruins and its people plunge deeper into economic chaos, the country’s president announced Wednesday that he was flying off to China in search of another financial rescue. It is not unreasonable to ask: Will he ever return? Are Chinese leaders crazy?

According to Reuters, Nicolas Maduro made the announcement over state media from Caracas airport just before boarding a plane. His parting words could be interpreted: “I am going with great expectations and we will see each other again in a few days with big achievements.” Was that a promise or a hope?

American media have been abuzz with speculation about a coup d’état in recent days at a time when the Venezuelan economy — in collapse for at least a year — seems beyond rescue. The New York Times reported over the weekend that Trump officials met with Venezuelans plotting the overthrow of Maduro’s dictatorship. Trump rejected the idea, but the news has generated new fever about foreign intervention or of a possible internal coup.

A peaceful overthrow of the Maduro regime would be the best outcome for a country that has been in a socialist tailspin for more than two decades — a reign of economic error that might have ended sooner had it not been for the soft-headed support of the world’s leftists, a collection of ideologues that ranged from Canadian mainstream socialists to international economists and a global media all too willing to downplay the scale and causes of Venezuela’s decline.

National income has cratered. The country’s currency is worthless paper with its estimated annual inflation rate of one million per cent. Disease is spreading, corruption is rampant, rule of law non-existent, crime everywhere. It is estimated that 2.3-million Venezuelan refugees have fled the failed state for better lives in Colombia and other South American nations.

Even CBC’s The National has glommed on to Venezuela’s economic disaster, having dispatched star anchor Adrienne Arsenault to the border between Colombia and Venezuela to file reports this week on the human toll of the refugee flood. It’s a big move for The National, which over two decades has rarely raised a concerned eyebrow as Venezuela slid under the tyranny of leftist populism, first under Hugo Chavez, hero of the Canadian left, and then under Maduro, who took power when Chavez died in 2013.

At the time, left-wingers criticized then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper for issuing a statement on Chavez’s death that rightly offered no sympathy: “I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.”

At Rabble.ca, official home of leftist Canadian commentary, a writer implied that Harper could learn a lesson from Chavez, who — among other things — was said to be more representative of democracy since he won elections with big majorities that Harper never matched. In 2014, a Rabble headline read: “NDP should use Venezuelan revolution as inspiration for Canada’s labour struggles.”

The list of Canadian enthusiasts for Chavez-style socialism ranged from journalist Linda McQuaig to celebrity author Naomi Klein. McQuaig devoted 20 pages of her 2004 book “It’s the Crude, Dude: War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet,” to Chavez as the hero of nationalization after he took over control of Venezuela’s national oil company, PDVAA — a classic socialist takeover that became the single-largest cause for the country’s decline. Chavez used nationalized revenue from the country’s massive oil reserves to set up social redistribution to buy support among the poor and the masses: free housing, virtually free gasoline, payoffs to supporters. As oil hit US$100 a barrel, the ideology seemed to be paying off. But when the commodity-price bubble burst, it all came crashing down.

McQuaig, Klein and other squishy Canadians were not alone in cheering Venezuela’s Chavez/Maduro takeover. Nobel economist and former Clinton adviser Joseph Stiglitz praised Chavez, claiming he “appears to have had success in bringing health and education to the people in the poor neighbourhoods of Caracas, to those who previously saw few benefits of the country’s oil wealth.”

International support for Venezuelan socialism continued over two decades and up till recently. British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn hailed Venezuela as a socialist model and Chavez for showing the world there is a better way of doing things. “It’s called socialism,” Corbyn said.

In a commentary last week, Harvard Economist Kenneth Rogoff spread the net of complicity wide:

“Altogether too many left-leaning economists (including some who ultimately worked on the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders in the US) were diehard supporters of the Venezuelan regime. There were also opportunistic enablers, including Goldman Sachs (with its ill-considered purchase that propped up Venezuelan bond prices), and some on the right, such as the inauguration committee for US President Donald Trump, which accepted a large donation from Citgo, the US-based subsidiary of Venezuelan oil company Petróleos de Venezuela.”

Are the Chinese crazy enough that they will sink more cash into a destitute and failed economy?

All through the Chavez/Maduro regime, Venezuela has been forming military and financial ties with Russia and China. Russia has supplied billions of dollars to Venezuela while pressuring the country to nationalize industries and mines, including Chrystellex, the Canadian gold operator that last month won another U.S. court case seeking US$1.2-billion compensation for the government takeover.

Russia’s involvement in Venezuela runs deep, leading some to speculate that a new clash with the United States in taking shape over the future of South America. China has also funded Venezuela, based on the assumption that there will in future be cash to extract from the country’s massive oil reserves.

Can Maduro, if he is indeed off to China, secure more stopgap funding from Chinese leaders? Are the Chinese crazy enough that they will sink more cash into a destitute and failed economy in the hope that the investment will be returned once some form of stability is achieved?

Venezuela has a lot of oil, but its current government has so many growing liabilities tied to that oil, sorting out the debts in future will not be easy, especially given the failed nation’s current state of law and monetary policy. It is possible that China and Russia might find themselves coexisting as the backers of a regime that neither would claim is an economic success, even by the miserable standards of Latin America.

Meanwhile, Maduro recently launched a farcical reform of the valueless Venezuelan Bolivar, including the launch of a cryptocurrency called the Petro — described by Johns Hopkins University economist Steve Hanke as a scam.

Whether or not Maduro ever returns from China with his “great expectations” fulfilled may not matter. From what we know of Venezuela’s economic plight, there is more than a good chance that the end is near for the glorious socialist model that never existed.

More info: https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/terence-corcoran-everyone-realizes-too-late-that-stephen-harper-was-right-about-venezuela
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 20:51:00 +0000

China says promise of more money for Venezuela part of ‘mutually beneficial cooperation’

Premier Li Keqiang says Beijing will support South American country’s efforts to develop its economy, improve people’s livelihoods

PUBLISHED : Friday, 14 September, 2018, 10:03pm

UPDATED : Friday, 14 September, 2018, 11:08pm

by Teddy Ng

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beijing promises financial support for Venezuela

China on Friday extended its offer of financial support to Venezuela as the South American nation’s President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders.

Developing relations with Venezuela was a strategic decision for China, Xi said during the meeting, extracts of which were shown by state broadcaster CCTV.

“China and Venezuela have to enhance friendly mutual trust and push for mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.

Maduro was in Beijing mainly to seek economic cooperation for his country, which is mired in debt and battling hyperinflation.

Over the past decade, China has loaned US$50 billion to Venezuela, and while Caracas has been gradually paying off that debt with oil shipments, it still owes Beijing about US$20 billion.

Earlier in the day, Maduro visited Mao Zedong’s mausoleum in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, where he bowed three times before laying a wreath and hailing the founder of the People’s Republic of China as a “giant of the homeland of humanity”.

“We are beginning this state visit in the best way because we have come to pay tribute to the great helmsman Mao Zedong,” Maduro said in comments broadcast by Venezuela’s official VTV network.

“I was very moved because it really reminds me of one of the great founders of a multipolar 21st century,” he said, adding that Mao had been a “giant of revolutionary ideas”.

In a separate meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said bilateral relations between Beijing and Caracas had good momentum.

“China will provide assistance to Venezuela within its capacity,” he said in the CCTV footage. “China will support Venezuela’s efforts to develop its economy and improve people’s livelihoods.”

But Li also called on Caracas to improve its policies and legal protection for Chinese businesses operating in Venezuela.

During the talks, the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding with regards to cooperation on China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” – a massive development programme Beijing initiated to boost infrastructure and trade links with more than 65 countries and regions.

Maduro also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and National Development and Reform Commission chairman He Lifeng.

While no information was released about the deals the two nations reached, Venezuelan consultancy Ecoanalitica said Maduro may return home with a new US$5 billion loan and a six-month extension to the grace period to service Venezuela’s existing debts.

The Venezuelan government has been desperately trying to curb soaring inflation, with a series of measures including devaluing its currency, which shaved five zeros off the value of the bolívar, and raising the minimum wage by 3,500 per cent.

The International Monetary Fund projects Venezuela’s inflation rate will reach 1 million per cent by the end of the year.

Maduro’s trip comes as China is seeking to extend its presence in Latin America, with investment pledges totalling US$500 billion. The United States has expressed its concern at Beijing’s moves, with former secretary of state Rex Tillerson warning of China’s “imperial ambitions” in the region.

But Xi told Maduro that China’s relationship with Latin America was based on the principle of equality.

Maduro’s trip to China is his first outside the country since he was allegedly targeted by exploding drones while watching a military parade in Caracas on August 4.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

More info: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2164321/china-says-promise-more-money-venezuela-part-mutually
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 20:38:00 +0000

MIAMI HERALD - Desperate for cash, Venezuela threatens to sue its neighbors
BY JIM WYSS

September 14, 2018 02:30 PM

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

As Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro spends the weekend in China nailing down a $5 billion emergency loan, his cash-strapped administration is floating another money-making scheme: suing its neighbors.

In recent days, Maduro and his cabinet have said they might sue Colombia, Ecuador and Perú for their “xenophobic” treatment of Venezuelan migrants. And on Tuesday, Maduro ordered his justice department to sue Colombia to claw back money he says his administration has spent providing social services to millions of Colombians living in Venezuela.

The legal threats come as Venezuela seems increasingly desperate for cash. Once wealthy, the country is being slammed with chronic food and medicine shortages. Its foreign cash reserves are at their lowest levels since the 1980s. And oil output, the country’s lifeblood, is down to levels not seen since a 2002 oil-worker strike. In addition, U.S. sanctions have been keeping the country from finding fresh funds.

That could change this weekend, with Maduro in Beijing finalizing a $5 billion loan the government says it will use to boost crude production.

More info: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article218324270.html
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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 04:20:00 +0000

FUTURISM

Venezuela’s Oil-Backed Cryptocurrency Is Giving Blockchain A Bad Name

by Victor Tangermann - published on Aug. 24 2018

Venezuelans are faced with a terrible choice:

Continue making purchases using the country’s almost-worthless local currency, the bolivar.
Go to the black market and buy U.S. dollars.
Flee the country.

It got this way because the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, made some pretty terrible economic decisions. For one thing, he put all of Venezuela’s (economic) eggs in one notoriously bumpy basket: oil. The country’s always had a lot of it, but for a long time, it was just one of many resources the country exported, along with heavy industry products (steel, aluminum, cement) and agricultural products like rice and corn. By 2017, though, oil had taken over, accounting for 98 percent of the country’s export revenue. And when the price of oil took a nosedive in 2014 (from $115 to just $35 a barrel), the Venezuelan economy plummeted, too.

Basically all domestic businesses took a big hit — imported goods cost more, so local businesses were forced to charge higher prices, even for basic necessities. People could afford less, so they spent less money, which meant the government made less money in tax revenue. And instead of increasing interest rates or cutting back its own spending, the government took exactly the wrong tack: printing more money.

And so the process of inflation began. Hyperinflation — an extreme form of inflation where a currency’s value jumps erratically — has gripped the country since the beginning of 2018. And it’s only predicted to get worse — by the end of the year, inflation is predicted to hit a staggering 1,000,000 percent.

In 2017, a bag of rice cost 8,000 bolivars. Just last week, it’s price would’ve been well over 9 million bolivars.

About 15 percent of the population is desperately fleeing from an economic crisis. Crime rules the streets, while critics of president Maduro’s authoritarian regime are threatened with political persecution.

It is, unfortunately, a situation characteristic of a rapidly collapsing economy. The bolivar is rapidly becoming worthless. It’s only logical, then, that people turn to more stable alternatives like US dollars traded on the black market, or even bartering for goods and services.

In a desperate attempt to stop the spiral of hyperinflation, Maduro recently introduced a new currency called the “sovereign bolivar.” To be clear, the “sovereign bolivar” is simply a rebranding of Venezuela’s previous currency. The only real difference is that its value simply had five zeros lobbed off the end — in other words, something previously worth 1,000,000 bolivars is now worth just 10 sovereign bolivars. But its value will also be tied to the petro, a state-funded cryptocurrency that launched back in February (the previous bolivar was loosely tied to the U.S. dollar).

This change won’t do much to help Venezuelans, Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University and a leading expert on hyperinflation and exchange rate regimes, tells Futurism. “The removal of zeros and the introduction of a new currency with a new name does absolutely nothing. It’s a cosmetic kind of change.” Just days after the devaluation, thousands of businesses closed temporarily to figure out how to adapt to the “sovereign bolivar,” according to the BBC.

The petro (the cryptocurrency the sovereign bolivar is tied to) is doing something groundbreaking, however — it’s one of the first attempts to introduce a state-backed cryptocurrency. If the situation were different, Venezuela could provide a promising model for other nations looking to shift to a blockchain-based currency. But that’s not what’s going to happen in Venezuela. Instead, the petro might become a cautionary tale that could discourage other nations from introducing similar state-backed cryptocurrencies.

The Petro

The whole point of introducing the petro was to boost an ailing economy. It probably won’t achieve that goal. That’s in part because, as a cryptocurrency, the petro lacks many of the elements that make cryptocurrencies work: transparency, and decentralization with no central authority fixing prices.

Most cryptocurrencies are volatile because their value is tied to how many coins of that type there are, and how popular that coin is — in other words, a classic case of supply and demand. That’s the reason Bitcoin’s value has yo-yoed an awful lot over the last year — people bought it, then worried its value would tank thanks to bad press, and sold some of it off.

The Venezuelan government, however, decided to peg the value of the petro to the cost of a barrel of oil (about $60). On the plus side, that makes the petro more stable than your average cryptocurrency (even though the Venezuelan government can change the value anytime because it controls so much oil). But it also means that a decentralized market of investors, should any decide to buy the petro, wouldn’t have any effect on the petro’s value.

The government’s scheme displays a fundamental misunderstanding of how the blockchain works.

The government’s scheme displays a fundamental misunderstanding of how the blockchain works. The currency’s white paper, released by the Venezuelan government in February, didn’t offer much clarity. Typically, a white paper details the structure and backing of a given cryptocurrency, but the petro’s paper is too convoluted to actually spell any of that out. According to the paper, the petro is a “sovereign crypto asset backed by oil assets and issued by the Venezuelan State” to “spearhead for [sic] the development of an independent, transparent and open digital economy” for all of its citizens.

What it doesn’t tell us, as hackernoon points out: how a petro could actually be redeemed for a barrel of oil — a glaring omission that ultimately makes the coin look pretty darn sketchy.

And that’s what international experts saw when they read the paper, immediately calling the petro out for being a “scam” that was purely meant to circumvent international sanctions and access foreign markets.

“If you read the white paper, it’s internally inconsistent. Smoke and mirrors, vague and so forth,” says Hanke.

Who’s Buying It?

The initial coin offering (ICO) for the petro was as mysterious as the coin’s announcement – no transparency or investor confidence here. Hoping to sell some 38.4 million petro tokens (worth about US$6 billion) to support the rapidly devaluing bolivar, Maduro gave early investors a whopping 60 percent discount to incentivize trade. That, however, ended up making the whole launch look even more fishy. The government announced it made US$3.3 billion in the pre-sale, but this number was never verified by any independent organization, and the Venezuelan government has been (characteristically) tight-lipped about the petro since its ICO.

In its first day on sale, the petro raised US$375 million as part of a “private sale,” Reuters reports. But even now, six months later, we have no idea who bought so much petro. Some suspect the buyer is Russia. After finding evidence of shady business ties between Venezuela and Russia, TIME called the petro a “half-hidden joint venture.”

The rest of the world isn’t exactly rooting for the petro. U.S. president Donald Trump banned any U.S. citizens from buying any Venezuelan petros, calling the endeavor “another attempt to prop up the Maduro regime, while further looting the resources of the Venezuelan people,” a spokesperson from the Treasury Department told Reuters in January. Without official backing by the international community, it won’t stand much of a chance of ever becoming legitimate legal tender (if it even exists beyond some shady business deals in the first place).

No blockchain expert in the world could make an accurate guess as to how the petro is doing right now, or if it’s even being used.

“[The petro] is going to be another one of these things that gives the whole notion of cryptocurrency a bad name,” says Hanke. “There’s enough of these frauds already out there in the cryptocurrency sphere. And the petro is just going to be another one.”

“[The petro] is going to be another one of these things that gives the whole notion of cryptocurrency a bad name.”

Frankly, it doesn’t even really matter, because no Venezuelans are actually using the petro. “We have not seen a single Petro circulating, nor its smart contracts, or rules of the token, and much less its blockchain,” Jorge Farias, the CEO of Venezuelan startup Cryptobuyer, a Latin American crypto exchange, tells Wired.

“It doesn’t trade. It’s a fiction. No one’s using it, so the whole thing is a scam,” Hanke says.

And nor does anyone seem likely to start using it. Despite Maduro’s attempts to use the petro to stabilize an economy in free fall, hyperinflation hasn’t slowed at all. But Venezuela isn’t out of options yet.

Dollar For Escape

If history is any indication, there’s really only one way out of the spiral: the U.S. dollar. In fact, despite what the government wants the international community to believe, Venezuelan citizens have already turned away from the bolivar. “The dollar has replaced the bolivar for all practical purposes already. But not officially — [Venezuela] is not officially dollarized,” says Hanke.

“Dollarization” (or “currency substitution”) is the process of replacing the current local currency with a far more stable anchor, like the U.S. dollar, the Euro, or even gold. Lots of experts outside the country are all for dollarizing the Venezuelan economy because it’s been the only thing to stop other countries as they’ve suffered an economic free fall.

“Dollarization is the only way to stop the hyperinflation immediately,” says Hanke. For instance, he advised the president of Yugoslavia in 1999 to replace the Yugoslav dinar with the Deutschmark. And his dollarization plan had an immediate effect. “Everything settled down literally within hours.”

Could the petro ever become a functional currency? Hanke doubts it. “You’re talking about something in theory and not in the real world. The petro doesn’t exist. That’s why the whole thing is a scam. You’re just talking about a theoretical idea that is so poorly written and conceived.” And that fact shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. “This is pretty much par for the course for the Venezuelan government.”

“You’re talking about something in theory and not in the real world. The petro doesn’t exist. That’s why the whole thing is a scam.

For blockchain-based cryptocurrencies like the petro to even stand a chance at a national level, they need a central authority that holds enough of the anchor reserves (U.S. dollar, Euro or otherwise) to back it up. “The cryptocurrency world will only succeed in the long-run if they are organized as currency boards,” says Hanke. A currency board acts as a central authority (in the place of a central bank) that makes decisions about the exchange rate — it allows for unlimited exchange of the local currency and can only add more local currency if it has equal amounts of foreign currencies. “Until then, these cryptocurrencies are just not currencies. They are highly speculative assets but they are so volatile that they are not stable units of account,” Hanke says.

Who knows, the world might just not be ready yet for a national blockchain-based currency. But Maduro’s petro isn’t a good assessment of how ready we are. It’s effectively a cautionary tale of misunderstanding a very powerful technology. Instead, Maduro’s government is using the petro to distract the international community from the nation’s economic instability, diaspora, and political unrest. The doomed petro experiment shouldn’t prevent other nations from taking a gamble on a national cryptocurrency, but it very well might.

More on Venezuelan cryptocurrency: Trump’s Shady Ban of Venezuela’s Shady Cryptocurrency, the Petro: Pretty Shady

More info: https://futurism.com/venezuela-cryptocurrency-petro-blockchain/

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Thank you for reading us,
Thank you for your time,
Hope you'll found the information you expected,
Don't hesitate contacting us,
Have a great day ☼
Chicas Team ❤
--------------------------------------------------------> Submit to: Show contact info
In order to avoid all the SCAMS, we decide not to publish all the info of the recruter in the job postings. You'll find the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A.

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noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 20:32:00 +0000

THE VERGE

No one is using or selling Venezuela’s alleged oil-backed cryptocurrency

By Shannon Liao@Shannon_Liao Sep 4, 2018, 12:42pm EDT

Venezuela’s oil-backed cryptocurrency is hardly used, and the government has made no move to tap into its oil reserves as promised, a report from Reuters found last week.

The petro can’t be found on any major bitcoin exchange, including Coinbase or Bitfinex, and it isn’t accepted by retailers. Reuters found few buyers through online forums. Transactions of petro are kept anonymous, but their frequency and volume look low when matched up with the government’s claims.

Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro said that by the end of its initial coin offering on March 20th, petro sales raked in $5 billion, and the funds are paying for imported goods. But a cabinet minister involved in the project told Reuters that the coin’s technology was still in development, and nobody has been able to use the petro. The government agency in charge of the petro, the Superintendence of Cryptoassets, doesn’t have a physical office, and its website is also down.

The petro launched in February, and it was billed as the world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency. It’s built on the Ethereum blockchain and intended to save the country from wild inflation and foreign sanctions. After the petro launched and raised funds through an initial coin offering, the bolívar’s value continued to drop at quintuple-figure rates. Currently, one bolívar is worth 0.000004 USD (down from 0.00004 USD). Each petro was supposedly backed by one barrel of oil, which is worth about $70.

Immediately after the petro was launched, it faced criticism from experts and was regarded with suspicion by US Treasury officials and Venezuela’s opposition party. One of the main concerns was whether oil reserves were really backing up petro, as claimed by the Venezuelan government, and how that would work logistically.

While hard asset-backed tokens are becoming more popular and are seen as a more stable investment than more speculative cryptocurrencies, typically, it is possible to obtain the hard asset. In the case of the petro, however, the oil reserves remain untouched and underground within a small town in Venezuela. The government claims there are 5.3 billion oil reserves in Atapirire, but even so, there are no tools and infrastructure nearby to extract those resources.

On March 19th, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning Americans and anyone inside a US territory from purchasing petro, saying it’s “actions taken by the Maduro regime to attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions.”

Time reported on March 20th that petro was a joint venture between Venezuela and Russia, whose senior advisers recommended the project as a way to dodge US sanctions, adding another wrinkle to an already suspiciously-regarded cryptocurrency.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17818518/venezuela-petro-oil-backed-cryptocurrency-used-buy-sell-scam

More info:
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Great Caterer/Chef recommendation in L.A. and N.Y.

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 02:23:00 +0000

Hi everybody,

Hope you are enjoying your sunny sunday.

I wanted to rec a good friend that i have not seen for so long and I just ran into her yesterday.

Colleen Stewart is a great private Chef and Film Caterer that have been working in L.A. and N.Y. for several years now.

She is very film friendly and will do her best to adapt to your budget.

She is a cutting edge artist, her food is 100% organic, non-GMO, gluten-free and can be holistic oriented.

Colleen Stewart, chef, owner, and operator of On Location Catering since 1984, is a prolific caterer with an impeccable reputation in Hollywood. Stewart specializes in healthy and delicious Californian cuisine with an Asian flair and always offers a vegetarian option. She is equally comfortable catering huge productions as well as the most intimate events.

Her contact info is:

Colleen Stewart

On Location Catering

310-346-8000 cell

colleenastewart@aol.com

colleen@onlocationcatering.com

www.onlocationcatering.com

EDUCATION

Kent State University, Ohio – Music

Food Training – Josephine Pujol, Chef to Orson Wells

Trained in Spanish and Argentinean Cooking

Trained with Robie Sierra Farm to Table California Asian Fusion

Optimum Health Institute – Organic, Raw and Macro Biotic Food We Care Spa Palm Springs Ca, Juicing and food combining

CLIENT LIST

David La Chapelle Private Chef... for Shoots, LA, CA

Ashlee Simpson, Mariah Carey, Carmen Electra, Nicky Hilton, Dennis Hopper, Paris Hilton, Gwen Stefani, Thora Birch, Kelly Clarkston, Macy Gray, Britney Spears, Muhammad Ali, Dave Navarro, Pam Anderson, Elton John, Steven Tyler, Jamie Foxx, Zach Braff, Ben Affleck, Mila Jovovich, Christina Aguilera, Owen Wilson, Dwight Yoakam, Rize Documentary, Hillary Swank, Vince Vaughn, Lindsay Lohan ...

FCC eases rules on foreign ownership of TV and radio stations ..

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 02:07:00 +0000

FCC eases rules on foreign ownership of TV and radio stations ...

The Federal Communications Commission wants to encourage more foreign ownership of television and radio stations.

Currently, there is a 25% cap on a foreign company or individual when it comes to owning a stake in a broadcast property. While the cap is not being loosened per se, the FCC said on Thursday that if an investment exceeded 25%, it could still be approved.

"The ruling potentially removes obstacles to new capital investment, which will support small business, minority, and female broadcast ownership, and spur innovation," the FCC said in announcing that it was clarifying its foreign ownership policy.

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes of movies and TV

The agency said the tweak "does not alter the FCC's obligation to protect the public interest, including national security, localism and media diversity, in case-by-case reviews of each transition."

The move is one of the first signed off on by new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who was sworn in last week.

"The infusion of additional foreign capital has the potential to enhance the ability of broadcasters to use their spectrum to serve the needs and interests of their communities," Wheeler said.

However, he stressed that the agency is not going to "rubber stamp" every proposal that comes in.

The National Assn. of Broadcasters, a lobbying arm for the television industry, said it applauded the FCC's action.

"Today's vote provides broadcasters greater access to capital that will allow local stations to continue our indispensable role as the primary purveyor of news, entertainment and lifeline information to the American people," the NAB said.

Among the media companies urging for an easing of the foreign ownership cap were CBS Corp., Hearst Television Inc., Walt Disney Co. and Univision Communications Inc. They were part of a recently formed organization called the Coalition of Broadcast Investment.

An FCC spokeswoman was unable to provide any details on the current levels of foreign ownership of broadcast properties.

Thank you Los Angles Times

Film Subsidies Safe as Europe Backs Co-Production Friendly Regulations...

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:37:00 +0000

New regulations will allow for more state funding of cross-border productions and increased support for distribution costs.
Producers across Europe are rejoicing following new regulations, published Thursday (Nov. 14) by the European Commission, that will allow for greater state subsidies for European co-productions, multimedia projects and film distribution across Europe.

AFM: Why Germany Still MattersState Cash, Co-Productions Boost Ukrainian Film Output Private Film Fund Launches in Russia to Finance Co-ProductionsThe new Cinema Communication, which replaces rules set down in 2001, will allow producers of multi-territory co-productions to tap cross-border subsidies for up to 60 percent of the film's budget, up from 50 percent previously. State support for cinema distribution has also gotten the rubber stamp of approval from the Commission and co-productions can receive up to 60 percent of EU distribution costs from state coffers. So-called "difficult works" including short films, documentaries and films from first- or second-time directors, will be excluded from these upper limits.

In another concession to co-producers and the realities of making cross-border productions, the Commission clarified the rules regarding support for post-production, stating that, in principle, state aid "must not be reserved for specific parts of the production value chain" but that producers should be free to choose how and where they spend state film subsidies. This means a European country can not, for example, force a producer to do post production in their territory as a condition for receiving state subsidies.

The one glaring omission amongst the new regulations is subsidies for video games.

The Commission ruled that it had insufficient experience and data regarding European states' support of the local gaming industries to properly determine whether video games can be considered culture under EU law in the way that cinema is and thus allow similar forms of state subsidies for games.

STORY: European Commission Begins Final Consultation on Film Subsidies

"Although games represent a fast-growing sector, not all games necessarily qualify as audio-visual works or cultural products," the Commission said. "It would therefore be premature to integrate this sector...state aid measures supporting games will therefore continue to be assessed by the Commission on a case-by-case basis."

The new regulations were welcomed by national film industries across Europe. The British government and the British Film Institute said in a joint statement that in the U.K. alone, the film sector provides some 117,000 jobs and contributes over $7.3 billion (￡4.6 billion) to the national GDP annually.

"The UK film industry makes a valuable cultural contribution and is an important part of our diverse and dynamic economy," said Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. "Through the film tax relief we have been able to support this highly skilled, innovative and creative sector and the European Commission's Cinema Communication will mean we can continue to provide that support."

In total, European governments spend around $2.8 billion (€2.1 billion) a year in various forms of direct cash support for European productions and a further $1.3 billion (€1 billion) in the form of targeted tax incentives.

Details of the new film regulations can be found on the European Commission website.

Thank you Variety

E.U. Commission Re-ups And Expands Film Subsidies...

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:14:00 +0000

E.U. Commission Re-ups And Expands Film Subsidies...

The E.U. has renewed its Communication Cinema policy comprising regulations for film subsidies

PARIS— European industry players have gotten their happy ending: The European Commission has finally reupped film subsidies and preserved territorial obligations following 18 months of intense lobbying from film boards and guilds.

Regrouped under the Communication Cinema policy, the regulations were first created in 2011 to level out state aids across Europe and prevent the subsidy race between countries.

The new policy still allows producers to raise up to 50% of their film budgets via subsidies, and it now considers eligible spendings related to script-writing, development, film distribution and film promotion (including film festivals). The previous text was only taking production costs into account.

"Aid to production alone risks stimulating the supply of audiovisual content without ensuring that the resulting audiovisual work is properly distributed and promoted," stated the E.U.. "It is therefore appropriate that aid may cover all aspects of film creation, from story concept to delivery to the audience. "

Another positive change, the aid is upped to 60% of the budgets for pan-European co-productions. Meanwhile, producers of smaller-budgeted films will be able to raise up to 80% of their budgets via subsidies.

A major victory for European industryites, the E.U. Commission opted to maintain territorial spending obligations – capped at 80% of the production budget — after initially claiming its intention to bent restrictions on the origin of goods, services or workers used by a production.

Member states will be able to require that producers spend the equivalent of 160% of the aid in their territory.

Led by France, the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, E.U. states inject an estimated 3 billion Euros ($4 million) per year in film support, including $2.7 billion in grants and soft loans, and $1.3 billion in tax incentives. Film productions draw approximately $2.7 billion per year in state aid.

The stakes were high for the Euro film industry : At present, Europe's tax rebate programs generate an estimated $939 million every year ; and 80% of that amount is injected in European films, according to Patrick Lamassoure at Film France Commission.

While the E.U. acknowledged the fact that vidgames "may represent one of the fastest-growing form of mass media in the coming years," it didn't include them in the Communication Cinema policy.

"Not all games necessarily qualify as audiovisual works or cultural products. Therefore, the rules designed for film production cannot apply automatically to games," stated the E.U. Commission, adding that games which serve a cultural or educational purpose may be eligible to receive E.U. fundings.

Thank you Variety

Comcast to Enable Movie Purchasing in Early EST Window...

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:07:00 +0000

Comcast to Enable Movie Purchasing in Early EST Window...

Comcast is expanding from renting to selling movies from major studios by the end of the year, sources confirmed.

The nation's largest cable operator will join digital streaming platforms such as Apple's iTunes and Vudu in allowing users to purchase films in an evolving new window leading into the traditional home-video window, known as "early EST" or as studios recently agreed to call high-definition copies, "Digital HD."

Comcast declined to comment, as did reps from several studios. News was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.

Early EST is not to be confused with the controversial premium VOD, which involves movies bowing in tandem with or shortly after the beginning of the theatrical window. Early EST comes after hotels and airlines get films, or several weeks before the traditional three-month separation between theatrical debut and home video.

More and more big movies have launched in that window including "The Heat," "Iron Man 3," "The Great Gatsby" and "Star Trek Into Darkness." Titles are available for approximately $15.

With the major studios recently agreeing to adopt the Digital HD brand for all HD movies available in the early EST window, the addition of a broadly available distributor like Comcast provides yet another shot in the arm for driving the value of ownership to U.S. consumers. While rental transactions outnumber movie purchases, the latter category is of huge importance to the studios because they have a much higher profit margin than the former.

Comcast intends to make movie ownership available through its Xfinity TV platform, which allows access to a huge trove of rental titles regardless of whether they are being accessed on TV, mobile or PC to authenticated subscribers. A cloud-based locker would be built into the Xfinity platform where the content could be accessed.

Comcast has more than 20 million cable subscribers in the U.S. The MSO reported a loss of 129,000 subs in the third quarter.

Currently, Comcast offers its subscribers 36,000 titles through its set-top VOD service and 270,000 videos online. About 70% of digital video subscribers use VOD monthly.

Comcast is currently in talks with Netflix to add the streaming video service to its cable boxes and new X1 product. X1 is a cloud-based service, introduced last year, that Comcast hopes will attract new customers with its user-friendly interface, better search functionality and enhanced DVR.

Overall, Comcast's third-quarter net profit slipped 18% to $1.73 billion, while revenue declined 2.4% to $16.15 billion.

Thank you Variety

Hollywood Backs Antipiracy Curriculum for Elementary Schools...

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:56:00 +0000

Hollywood Backs Antipiracy Curriculum for Elementary Schools...

When it comes to learning about the evils of Internet piracy, Hollywood studios and the major music labels want kids to start young.

A nonprofit group called the Center for Copyright Information has commissioned a school curriculum to teach elementary-age children about the value of copyrights.

The Los Angeles Times reports the nonprofit is backed by the MPAA, the RIAA and others.
The curriculum, still in draft stage, includes lesson plans, videos and activities for teachers and parents to help educate students about the "importance of being creative and protecting creativity."

Some critics say the curriculum would promote a biased agenda. Others contend it would use up valuable classroom time when public schools are already struggling to teach the basics.

Thank you Variety

AFM: Hype, Hope and Business as Usual with China as Part of the New Normal...

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:50:00 +0000

AFM: Hype, Hope and Business as Usual with China as Part of the New Normal...

Deals steady, rather than spectacular. Money flowing into co-prods and property too
AFM Adjusts to Life After Focus Features Int'lThe Great Wall of Chinese money has not exactly washed away the American Film Market this week. Rather, it has seeped into every conversation and every deal permutation.

Chinese companies are attending the AFM in record numbers, according to market organizers. Certainly every restaurant and every Loews elevator seems to be 50% occupied by mainland Chinese.
But instead of making a quick grab for any title that moved, the Chinese are becoming more discerning and more multi-faceted.

"Everyone is here, that's certainly true. A lot of top producers have been in town with all the U.S.-China events this week, but so far the buying action has been nothing unusual," said Leslie Chen, IM Global China executive.

Trade may pick up by Monday, when more deals are expected to close. The deal of reference for several players may be the expected sale of Lionsgate's Johnny Depp project "Mortdecai."

Not only is Depp a big draw for Chinese audiences, Lionsgate has strong China connections and has the option to co-distribute in China if it does not get the price and terms it seeks. However, Lionsgate sources say they expect to complete a "Mortdecai" sales deal by the end of the market.

"Chinese buyers are now talking more about the quality of the project than the number of distribution slots," said Gary Hamilton, CEO of production-sales group Arclight Films. "It is really important to them that this is a global project, rather than something niche. The first three questions they ask are: `Who is in it?' `Who is distributing in the States' and `What's the budget?'"

David U. Lee of independent Chinese distributor Leeding Media says that the boost to the market that some sellers anticipated from last year's change to the import quotas — from 20 to 34 — has now peaked.

"The last market was overhyped. Prices are now flat or up only slightly, the big acceleration may be over," said Lee. "Actually the increase in quotas has made our (independently sourced) films less competitive. That's because we now have 14 more studio-level pictures per year coming into the country against us."

A slowdown or reality check may be a welcome change as the Chinese distribution scene is still very far from being a free market — there's the quota restrictions on the number of revenue-sharing films that can be imported, censorship that is liberalizing only slowly and direct government intervention in the releasing calendar designed to favor local films.

Still, the Chinese theatrical market has become simply too big to ignore. By the end of September, box office had equalled last year's 12-month total of $2.7 billion, putting it on course for a full year total worth $3.2 billion.

"In one significant way things are changing. Many of the Chinese firms here at AFM seem as interested in co-production as they do in outright acquisition," said Ying Ye, Hamilton's partner in Arclight's specialty Asian label, Easternlight. "We have licensed our John Cusack movie `Reclaim' but we will do `Priority Run' as a co-production. It is in pre-production with Donnie Yen set and a U.S. actor yet to be cast."

The Chinese partner is likely to have a say in who gets cast. Arclight/Easternlight already have Nicolas Cage actioner "Outcast" and thriller "The Nest 3D," which is in development, structured as Chinese co-ventures.

Still other insiders point out that filmmaking and buying is only part of the reason the Chinese are in L.A. "It's the money business, not the movie business," says one. "Many Chinese still have strong reasons to want to get money offshore and out of China."
Michael J. Werner, chairman of Fortissimo Films, said, "What are the Chinese buying? Properties in Beverly Hills."

After the show-stopping announcements by Chinese property and film group Wanda — last year it paid $2.3 billion for North American theater chain AMC, and in September this year called up a dozen Hollywood A-listers to celebrate its new studio facility-cum-yacht brokerage — China has become a more frequent port of call for U.S. movie companies.

"Actually we don't expect much buying here at AFM, all the big sales companies now will travel to China and speak directly to the distributors," said another source.

That's true of Lionsgate, Arclight and IM Global, which now all have China offices. They will be joined by Universal Pictures, which this week also announced it would set up permanently in Beijing.

Thank you Variety

French Film Exports Reach a 10-Year Record With $282 Million in 2012...

noreply@blogger.com (Essentials by APA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:40:00 +0000

French Film Exports Reach a 10-Year Record With $282 Million in 2012...

Will Caviar and Champagne Lure Auds to Luxe French Multiplex? Powered by Gaumont's "The Intouchables" (pictured above), EuropaCorp's "Taken 2″ and Wild Bunch's Oscar-winning "The Artist," French film sales scored €211.3 million ($282.2 million) in 2012, a 34.9% year-on hike and a 10-year record.

Figures were compiled by the National Film Board (CNC), in collaboration with the ADEF (Assn. of French Sales Agents) and IFCIC.

While film sales surged, the overseas box office of French pics also skyrocketed by 93.8% to 144.1 million admissions, of which 70.6% were garnered by the top five movies.

Yet, while "Intouchables" and "The Artist" sold a combined 45 million tickets in 2012, a flurry of other French-language films – notably Wild Bunch's "Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia," EuropaCorp's toon "Monster in Paris" and Les Films du Losange's "Amour" — sold 20 million theater admissions. "Taken 2," meanwhile, attracted 47.3 million moviegoers outside France.

Nine pics fared particularly well, selling between half a million and 1 million admissions. These included Pathe's "Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami" and "What's in a Name," SND's "Service Entrance," Studiocanal's "La Delicatesse" and Wild Bunch's "Rust and Bone."
French sales companies thrived with both homegrown and foreign films in 2012. Indeed, revs from foreign pics sales climbed 17.1% to $118.6 million, while deals on Gallic movies rose 43.1% to $248.4 million.

Sales to North America climbed 35.2% to $80 million, repping 28.6% of worldwide deals.
Western Europe remained the No. 1 territory for French films concentrating 42.8% of 2012's worldwide sales revenue, rising 36.8% to $121.3 million. Gallic pics proved particularly attractive to Teuton distribs. Sales to Germany increased by 72.3% to $46.3 million. Even in Italy, sales doubled to $12 million in 2012.

Revenue from Central and Eastern Europe rose 40.9% to $30.7 million, while sales to Asia also increased to $20 million, a 27.6% year-rise.

Hitting such a modern high point in 2012, it will be difficult for so many stars to align again in 2013. French sales outfits have been hit by the collapse of Southern European markets and declining minimum guarantees across most international territories.

So far, Gaumont's tightly budgeted comedy "Paulette," about a retiree-turned-drug dealer, and Other Angle's "On the Other Side of the Tracks," a buddy laffer toplining Omar Sy, are the top two highest-grossing French-language films released overseas in 2013.

This year's list of best-selling French-language movies include Guillaume Gallienne's "Me, Myself and Mum" (Gaumont), Jalil Lespert's "Yves Saint Laurent" (SND) and Abdellatif Kechiche's "Blue Is the Warmest Color" (Wild Bunch).

Thank you Variety

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