Revisited

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Top 9 Ways to Avoid Looking Like a Gringo in Latin America

I realize there are numerous obvious reasons you can think of that would make someone not want to stick out as an obvious tourist in Latin America–safety (criminals are far more likely to target an obvious tourist), social acceptance, not feeling stupid, simply wanting to blend in by dressing in the local fashion, etc.–but the best reason isn’t any of those, and it’s one that requires a bit of explaining and delves right into the culture of Latin America, and it has to do with poverty…

Normal people dress more formally in Latin America than elsewhere, and the reason for this is that a much, much larger proportion of their population is relatively poor than in wealthier developed nations like the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe, and consequently it isn’t, and never has been, considered fashionable to dress down or to dress like you’re poorer than you really are.

No one wants to be mistaken for the lowest lower class (Latin America is also a much more class-centered society), no one wears jeans that are intentionally torn (if your jeans are torn it must be because you’re too poor to afford new ones), no one wears clothes that are baggy and don’t fit (if they don’t fit, it must be because you can’t afford proper clothes that do fit correctly), no one dresses informally because it looks “cool” (because it doesn’t there), etc.

Latin America is an extremely class-conscious society, and the A-number-one way that people communicate to everyone else that they’re respectable, not a criminal, and not a violent delinquent is by dressing as smartly and as nicely as they can possibly afford to.

Even very poor people will still do this, they’ll own just one nice pair of dress pants that they wear every single day and wash and iron every single night if they have to, only the worst of the worst don’t–they’re not being snobs, this isn’t our culture, it’s not the same as if you were to do this here.

When you dress shabbily (shabbily by their standards, normal by ours), you’re associating yourself immediately with some very ‘undesirable’ people that no one else wants to be associated with, people will avoid being seen with you and any friends you might make will not want to be seen out with you but will be too polite to tell you that your dressing habits make you look like a desperate heroin addict.

Please, before you start ranting at me in the comments, understand that I’m not saying you can’t wear what you want, I’m not telling you how to dress, I’m just saying people are going to judge you for it and you really cannot hold that against them since they’re just being normal (you’re in their culture, right?) and you’re the one being weird, I’m just telling you what’s socially acceptable and what’s not and why.

Just as an example of how this can cause problems, having had this same exact experience related to me by several backpackers who have had this happen in several different Latin American countries: you will get turned away at the door at clubs and even bars if you’re wearing sneakers, or shorts, or a t-shirt (without a nice button-up shirt on top of it), and frequently even jeans, and god help you if you’re wearing 3 or 4 of those.

The Top 9 Gringo Giveaways

The following list contains what I’ve found are the most common and obvious things that gringos will tend to do that you would never see a native doing, thereby being the things that are most commonly known by the natives to indicate that someone isn’t from around there (and most of these tend to be associated with the stereotypical white American/Canadian/European tourist).

Follow these tips to avoid looking like a gringo in Latin America:

1. People don’t usually wear just a t-shirt when they go out.

This is something that would be worn around the house after work or perhaps while one was working out or doing some gardening or landscaping at home, though people do wear them underneath a nice button-up shirt, so that’s fine.

2. They don’t wear sneakers unless they’re going running or they’re doing (or on their way to do) some sort of physical or athletic activity that requires them.

And even then, many people would wear their normal clothes on the way over while bringing their running/sports clothes with them that they’ll change into when they get there.

Also, white socks are only worn with sneakers, never with normal dress shoes that people wear day-to-day.

3. They would never wear a tracksuit, exercise shorts, or exercise pants unless they were actually exercising.

Even going to and from the gym they’d wear something nicer and bring their workout clothes back and forth with them and change at the gym (which would almost certainly involve a shower post-workout prior to changing back into their nice clothes).

4. Fanny packs.

No. Never. Not ever. This makes you a walking target as far as muggers are concerned, and with there being plenty of other less obtrusive options such as money belts, backpacks (student-style backpack that is: students are poor, they have no money, don’t bother robbing them, you know?), briefcases/man-purses, etc. there just isn’t a good reason to have one.

5. Generally dressing like a hippy.

You already know if this applies to you: looking like you just rolled out of Woodstock is fine in most places in the U.S., and fine with me personally by the way (I have a bit of a soft spot for hippie chicks, I think they’re cute especially when they have dreadlocks), I have nothing against them, but the problem with it is that Latin Americans will perceive you as dirty, in a heroin-addict-who-might-just-stab-you sort of way.

Sorry, but you’ll get significantly better treatment and service if you take note of the fact that the locals will frequently be dressed in nice trousers/skirts and a starched button-up shirt even in sweltering heat and do what you can to blend in.

6. Very skimpy clothing.

Make no mistake, the women will certainly go to great lengths to show off their “assets” sometimes, especially if they’re going out clubbing or something, and plenty of them are frequently sporting a very respectable amount of cleavage (I’m looking at you, Medellín), but what you won’t ever see is really revealing stuff like shorts that are so short your ass is practically hanging out, a top so small that it’s essentially a bra, itty-bitty mini-skirts (again, with your ass practically hanging out), etc.

This is especially a no-no in a church, and this is one complaint I’ve heard from locals where the reaction goes from “oh that’s slutty”, which is how they would normally see it, to “that’s really f*ing offensive, someone should throw her out”. Be careful what you wear to churches, if you don’t normally bother please just this once make the effort to wear something nice, it’s really a big deal (this isn’t a religion thing–I’m agnostic–it’s a respect thing because it’s their culture you’re in).

7. Cargo pants.

Nope, they don’t do them, they never caught on down there and consequently no one wears them, it’ll immediately peg you as a gringo (whether that’s good or bad or irrelevant is entirely up to you by the way).

8. Flip-flops and sandals.

Sorry girls, outside of the beach or at the swimming pool, they’re never worn and are considered far too casual for everyday wear (kind of like walking around in bedroom slippers here). For guys, this includes sandals, with socks or without, doesn’t matter.

9. I’ve saved the worst offender for last: the men do not wear shorts. Ever.

This is the stereotypical gringo thing to do, it’s the one that everyone jokes about. Exceptions: working out, the beach, walking around the house, swimming pool.

That’s it. I honestly hopes this helps you, and please keep in mind the above list is not some strict “don’t do this unless you’re a jerk” type of thing, it’s just meant to be informative so that you can use it to help youmake a decision about what to wear and when, that’s all.

This is really meant to be only for the people who would actually be concerned about this in the first place, if you’re not really worried about blending in then don’t worry about it, I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with that and even then this should still help you so that you understand part of the culture you’ll be interacting in.

***This does not apply to Black folks.

I'll build you one.

What I  build when I'm bored and I'm nasty with it.

I can tag you from 3 mies away with less than $200 invested.

I  can tag a squriiel from 3 miles away

You'll never know.

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The 12 hottest tech products expected in 2016

We had plenty to get excited about in 2015 with the introduction of nifty new tech toys such as the Apple Watch and the Amazon Echo. 

But 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for tech launches too. Virtual reality, drone and robotic technology, and new smartphone innovations are all under development at big players like Apple and Google, as well as at smaller startup companies. 

 Here are some of the top products on our radar for next year:

Facebook's Oculus Rift will kick off the virtual reality revolution.

For gamers and sci-fi lovers, the long awaited moment will arrive in Q1 of 2016 when Facebook-owned Oculus finally ships the Rift virtual reality headset. The Rift is the product with the best chance of bringing virtual reality to the masses, which explains why Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was willing to pay $2 billion to buy the company in 2014. The headset must be paired with a heavy-duty PC to work its magic, and the final price of the Rift is still unknown, but people who have tried prototypes have been blown away by the experience.

Apple could release a small iPhone for people who liked the old iPhone's size better.

Not everyone wants a giant screen. The rumored Apple iPhone 6c could offer something smaller, and cheaper. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the mini iPhone would feature a 4-inch screen and the same A9 processor that’s currently in the iPhone 6s, though it might not include support for 3D Touch. The iPhone Mini could be unveiled in March, according to many reports.

Google Project Ara would let you snap components onto your phone like Legos.

Imagine being able to snap on components to your phone as easily as playing with Lego toys. That's the promise of Google's Project Ara, which aims to let you customize your device by adding pieces like a better camera, extra memory, and even special sensors to do things like test if drinking water is clean. Making this a reality is not so simple. Google had initially promised a limited "market pilot" of the technology in 2015, but has since pushed the date back to sometime in 2016. 

The Starship Technologies robot will deliver stuff to your doorstep.

It may be some time before Amazon's delivery drones are ready to air-drop packages on your doorstep, but two of the cofounders of Skype have created ground-based robo-vehicles to deliver packages. The six-wheeled electric vehicles can carry the equivalent of two grocery bags (in a locked compartment), traveling on sidewalks to deliver cargo within a 3 mile radius. The droid uses cameras, sensors and maps to navigate autonomously 99% of the time and will launch the first "pilot" services with partners in the U.S. and U.K. in 2016.

Microsoft HoloLens will turn the world into a hallucinatory vision.

Ever since Microsoft showed off a prototype of its augmented reality HoloLens glasses earlier this year, the tech world has been abuzz. The glasses use holographic technology and Microsoft's Windows 10 software to overlay digital images onto the wearer's view of the real world. A user can stare at their living room wall and see digital objects, from video games to video conferencing. More importantly, the user can interact with the digital objects. An early version of HoloLens will be available to developers in 2016 for $3,000. Consumers may have to wait until 2017. 

Full  article > http://www.businessinsider.com/the-12-hottest-tech-products-expected-in-2016-2015-12

China’s economic turmoil sends ripples of anxiety across G20

When China presented the programme for its G20 presidency to top officials from the world’s leading economies last week, Beijing laid out four economically wholesome priorities.

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China, state councillor Yang Jiechi told the “Sherpas” gathered in Beijing, was eager for the G20 to break “a new path for growth” and pursue “more effective” global economic governance, “robust international trade” and “inclusive development”.

But Mr Yang, China’s top foreign policy official, should probably have added a fifth priority: convincing the world’s other leading economies that China’s leaders were still in control.

Tumbling markets and anxieties over the Chinese economy have given President Xi Jinping and his fellow Communist party leaders a more difficult start to Beijing’s stint as the G20’s rotating chair than it had hoped.

But the tricky start to 2016 has also left officials and analysts across the world’s other leading economies scratching their heads and pondering new concerns over the impact of China’s woes on their own economies.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, in a phone conversation with Liu He, China’s director of the office of the central leading group on economic and financial affairs, discussed the importance of China clearly communicating its policies and actions to the market — something the country has come under fire for in the wake of currency and stock market turmoil.

Mr Lew also reiterated the importance of China supporting household income and rebalancing towards consumption-led growth, including through appropriate fiscal policies, and his belief that doing so would enable it to succeed in its planned economy transition to a consumption-led model.

“We consider the Chinese economy the biggest source of uncertainty for the Korean economy this year,” says Chang Min, head of the research department at the Bank of Korea.

That anxiety is repeated across the G20 economies, with China’s economic management overtaking Federal Reserve policy as the biggest immediate concern for the global economy.

In the US, some economists have questioned whether, given the turmoil in China, the Fed acted too soon when it raised rates in December for the first time in almost a decade.

George Osborne, the UK’s chancellor of the exchequer, has become markedly more pessimistic since the start of the new year, warning the British economy is at risk of being buffeted by a “dangerous cocktail of new threats”, including slower China growth and the knock-on fall in commodity prices, recession in Russia and Brazil and the decline in global stock markets.

The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, is facing questions over whether it unwittingly contributed to pressure on China’s renminbi via its decision in November to admit the currency to the elite basket used to value the fund’s special drawing rights.

In public, G20 officials have mostly continued to express support for the Chinese leadership and its efforts to rebalance the economy away from one driven by exports to one more dependent on domestic consumption. They have also played down fears that any weakening of the renminbi should be seen as the first blast of a currency war.

In Paris last week, Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director, praised China for embarking on “an ambitious multiyear rebalancing of its economy, toward slower and more sustainable growth” that “in the long run, will benefit everybody”.

Asked about the swings in China and their impact on the US economy earlier this month, Jack Lew, US treasury secretary, said: “The challenge that I think we have to keep our eye on is: will China stick to the reform programmes that it has committed to? Will it continue to open up its markets?”

But behind closed doors, anxieties remain about the capacity of Chinese officials to communicate with the markets and manage the turmoil.

Full > http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bf9f4a76-bcff-11e5-846f-79b0e3d20eaf.html#axzz422OCIe7j

The Game of Thrones in the South China Sea may have a new player: India

The already hot waters of the South China Sea seem to be heading for boiling point.

The US and India have held talks to conduct joint naval patrols in the Indian Ocean and in the South China Sea by the end of the year, Reuters reported. Joint naval patrols involve two countries working together to secure maritime interests, a manoeuvre that the Indian Navy has so far never undertaken.

A strategically vital and reportedly oil rich 3,500,000-square-kilometre body of water, the South China Sea is ensconced between the Asian mainland and a whole host of east Asian island nations. And almost every country touched by it—China, The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia, among others—claim some right or the other over it, or at least over some part of it.

China, of course, is the most assertive. The dominant military and economic power in the region, Beijing has been building man-made islands to use as bases for supporting air and sea patrols. The idea is also perceived to be part of its strategy to legitimise its claims over the region in the long run.

India’s apparent decision to partner Washington in patrolling the region comes a year after US president Barack Obama and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi agreed to “identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation” and “ensuring freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea. When they met in New Delhi in January 2015, the two leaders had expressed concerns about “rising tensions over maritime territorial disputes” in the region.

An emailed questionnaire to India’s foreign ministry by Quartz remained unanswered while an Indian Navy spokesperson said he wasn’t aware of any decision on the joint patrolling. A Pentagon spokesperson, meanwhile, said that “on the matter of joint patrols, no decisions have been made and we do not have any additional details to provide at this time.”

Kanwal Sibal, a former Indian foreign secretary, expressed skepticism at possibility of the joint patrols.

“So far, India has not faced any problem with its vessel movement in the region and unless there is provocation, there is no need for India to undertake a joint patrol,” Sibal told Quartz. “The implications of such an act can be big.”

Other analysts, however, viewed the possible move as more aggressive posturing by New Delhi.

“I think India has become more candid about its foreign policy now,” Sameer Patil, a fellow at Mumbai-based think tank, Gateway House, told Quartz. “For instance, India had never put its bilateral concerns on paper, which it did when the US president visited India last year. This recent decision is sending a strong message to China.”

“This will signal to the Chinese that they cannot undermine us (India) and expect us not to react,” Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank, Observer Research Foundation, told Quartz.

“This is a signal for a realignment of the Indian foreign policy. Till now, India said it was unaligned, it remains so today. But it has distinctly come closer to the US and Japan. This is also a signal that India does not expect too much from China, either in the settlement of the border dispute or from investments.”

Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has spent much time and effort on foreign policy. Closer home, his trips to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, have been largely aimed at rebuilding India’s influence in the region. Modi has also actively engaged with China, hosting president Xi Jinping in September 2014 before making a trip to Beijing in May 2015.

This pissed me off!

Trust no politician, they're all professional liars!

I ask no one trust me & as a matter of fact, "Don't"!

Trust your common sense.

http://tinyurl.com/hqzmrm9

Test your water.

Care for a non funny funny fact?

During the Gulf Oil Spill there was an oil spill going on in Tuskegee your media hid from you:

The Truth About Texaco and Morphine

Texaco's legal researchers have been working for decades to find a way to solidify their monopolies over the industries that produce various essential household goods. When they succeed, they'll immediately start incorporating dangerous morphine byproducts into the manufacturing process.
Employees of Texaco were seen at both Project Tuskegee and the Gulf oil spill-- despite the fact that they had no good reason to be there.
You can find subtle references to this in a number of official documents, but government red-tape makes sure that most of those documents are all but inaccessible to ordinary people.
Extra volumes of the Dead Sea Scrolls exist-- and they're filled with predictions about Project Tuskegee. Guess what? They turned out to be true! However, Wikileaks have purchased them all, and they're being hidden in deep vaults under the Vatican.
Hikers recently discovered a secret facility operated by the Census Bureau underneath the Vatican. It wasn't on the news-- and you know why? That base was used for researching morphine back in the 60s.
The truth is out there. Find it.

Sources:

1. Pierre, Jon, and Guy B. Peters. "Governance, politics and the state." (2000).
2. Rosenberg, Steven A., James C. Yang, and Nicholas P. Restifo. "Cancer immunotherapy: moving beyond current vaccines." Nature medicine 10.9 (2004): 909-915.
3. Hrebenar, Ronald J. Interest group politics in America. ME Sharpe Inc, 1997.
4. Barnett, Michael L. "STAKEHOLDER INFLUENCE CAPACITY AND THE VARIABILITY OF FINANCIAL RETURNS TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY." Academy of Management Review 32.3 (2007): 794-816.

Hillary could be indicted...

But she won't, her staff may have to take the fall for a Clinton once more

Hillary Clinton faces a range of high and unexpected hurdles to the Democratic nomination which, a year ago, was seen as hers virtually by monarchical right.

She has failed to get beyond the robust challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders, a septuagenarian socialist whose political career has until now been more a curiosity than a powerful force.

Despite her efforts, Clinton has also failed to drum up enthusiasm for the idea of the historic election of America's first female president.

And she can't seem to shake the perception that, as a former first lady, former senator, former secretary of state and current establishment favorite, she is part of an elite against whom the base of both parties are rebelling this election cycle.

But perhaps the biggest challenge to her candidacy is yet to come. As the Federal Bureau of Investigation drills down on Clinton's handling of classified information on an insecure email network, the Democratic front-runner faces the possibility that she and her top aides could be indicted for compromising national security.

Even if the odds are against her being charged, it's a possibility that has become less easily dismissed than it was last spring, when it was confined to hopeful whispers in Republican circles. Back then, even as news emerged that Clinton had handled sensitive government secrets, most people still thought she would cruise to the presidential nomination this summer.

But few people other than Clinton's own campaign hands now argue that the former secretary of state's legal situation is entirely secure. Two Obama administration agencies, the Justice Department and the State Department, are pursuing related lines of inquiry about her private email usage. Setting aside the handful of Republican-led congressional probes into her emails, experts say Clinton can no longer credibly make the case that concern about her handling of classified information falls strictly along party lines.

Which leads to certain questions. If accusations against Clinton lead to an indictment, what would follow? Could she continue to run for the White House? What would happen to her delegates? Would the Democrats allow themselves to be represented in the general election by Sanders, or would Vice President Joe Biden or some other champion step in to take her place?

You may want to read this?

Benghazi Commission: Obama Admin Gun-Running Scheme Armed Islamic State

http://tinyurl.com/ph54q6z

Human Trafficking Awareness

 In support of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has resources for mental health professionals, law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, and survivors on the signs of trafficking and services for human trafficking survivors.

The following resources provide information on human trafficking and on how to best serve those affected and their communities.

Page Contents

• The 12 Core Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Children and Families — Adapted for Youth who are Trafficked
• Featured NCTSN Resources
• For Clinicians and Mental Health Professionals 
• For Educators
• For Law Enforcement Personnel
• For Primary Health Care and Other Child Serving Professionals
• For Policy Makers
• For Survivors
• For Family Members
  

The 12 Core Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Children and Families — Adapted for Youth who are Trafficked

Trafficking involves circumstances (such as exploitation and coercion) that youth experience as traumatic (violating or threatening); therefore, youth who have been trafficked may exhibit responses to child traumatic stress.

The 12 Core Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Children and Families provide a rationale for trauma-informed assessment and intervention. The Concepts cover a broad range of points that practitioners and agencies should consider as they strive to assess, understand, and assist trauma-exposed children, families, and communities in trauma-informed ways.

1. Traumatic experiences are inherently complex.—Every traumatic event is made up of different traumatic moments. These moments may include varying degrees of objective life threat, physical violation, and witnessing of injury or death. The moment-to-moment reactions youth have to these individual events are even more complex due to limitations in appraising and responding to danger, safety, and protection. When youth are sold for sex or labor, they constantly receive information that they must weigh and react to quickly. Thoughts come quickly and continuously: “What do I need to do to survive this? What’s worse, if he rapes me or kills me? If I don’t do what they say, what will they do to me? If I don’t do this, will my ‘boyfriend’ will be angry?”

2. Trauma occurs within a broad context that includes youth's personal characteristics, life experiences, and current circumstances.—Early interpersonal trauma may make youth more vulnerable to trafficking, teaching them not to trust others and to survive by any means necessary even if that involves further maltreatment. How they deal with, respond to, and cope with these situations stems from their current experience (e.g., a strong bond with the trafficker), the accumulation of their past experiences (e.g., childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence), and temperament as well as their physical, familial, community, and cultural environments.

3. Traumatic events often generate secondary adversities, life changes, and distressing reminders in youth's daily lives.—Some trafficked youth cannot escape a constant flood of painful and demoralizing reminders of past traumatic events or moments. Reminders can be anything that a youth associates with a traumatic experience (i.e., smell of alcohol, cologne, or sweat, certain locations) whether large or small, obvious or unknown. Reminders occur when least expected and youth may react with avoidance, numbing, hypervigilance, re-experiencing, or other responses. Traumatic events often generate secondary adversities such as social stigma, ongoing treatment for injuries, and legal proceedings. These adversities coupled with trauma reminders and loss reminders may produce significant fluctuations in a youth’s emotional and behavioral functioning.

4. Youth can exhibit a wide range of reactions to trauma and loss.—Due to past or on-going trauma, youth may respond to everyday challenges with rage, aggression, defiance, recklessness, or by bonding with aggressors. Others may withdraw, emotionally shut down, dissociate, self-harm, or self-medicate.

5. Danger and safety are primary concerns in the lives of youth who have had traumatic experiences.—Trafficked youth may believe that no person, relationship, or place can ever be safe or trustworthy. Continual exposure to traumatic experiences can make it more difficult for youth to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations, and may lead to significant changes in their own protective and risk-taking behavior.

6. Traumatic experiences affect the family and broader caregiving system.—Parents, caregivers, family members, and friends may want to help a youth who has been trafficked, but they may not know how to regain the youth’s trust or how to help the youth envision a life that doesn’t involve being trafficked.

7. Protective and promotive factors can reduce the adverse impact of trauma.—Supportive adults and communities, strong social connections, positive mentors, high self-esteem, and good coping skills can buffer the effects of trauma experienced by trafficked youth. When given the opportunity, many trafficked youth demonstrate remarkable resilience and enormous capacity to heal.

Full > http://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/human-trafficking