Sunday, June 29, 2014
Orange Is the New Color of Heartbreak for Mexico.
With El Tri just minutes from clinching a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands scored two late goals to flip the scoreline for a 2-1 win in a gripping Round of 16 clash at Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza on Sunday. The Netherlands' rally began in the 88th minute when midfielder Wesley Sneijder scored the equalizer following a corner kick. Soon after Sneijder's right-footed blast beat standout Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, reserve forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in stoppage time. The penalty was awarded by referee Pedro Proenca when Dutch striker Arjen Robben went down after contact from Mexico defender Rafael Marquez.
Once again Mexico suffers heartbreak
Monday, June 23, 2014
Mexico Wins 3-1 Over Croatia
Mexico surged into the World Cup's knockout stage for a sixth straight time Monday with a 3-1 win over Croatia.
Rafael Marquez, Andres Guardado and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez scored in a 10-minute span in the second half, dooming a talented Croatia side to elimination from the group stage.
Rafael Marquez, Andres Guardado and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez scored in a 10-minute span in the second half, dooming a talented Croatia side to elimination from the group stage.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Popocatépetl Explodes On June 19
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): A moderate explosion occurred yesterday morning at 11:10 local time and generated a 2.5 km high ash column drifting NW. Overall, the activity at the volcano has been low during the past weeks. The alert status remains at Yellow Phase 2 (CENAPRED).
Friday, June 20, 2014
Rude Mexican Soccer Fans
The fans of Mexico at the World Cup soccer are being criticized for calling the players on the other side "puto." Even Brazil fans got into trading chants with Mexico.
"Mexico coach Miguel Herrera downplayed a homophobic chant that Mexican fans hurl at opposing goalkeepers during matches, arguing that it’s just a “folksy” part of the game, and is not being used in discriminatory fashion. Herrera told Mexico’s Radio Red on Friday that fans who chant the word “puto” during Mexico games are not attempting to offend homosexuals. “This is something that’s used to pressure the opposing team’s goalie…it’s something that we’re not really worried about,” Herrera said from Mexico’s training camp in Brazil. “FIFA shuold be worried about more serious things,” the Mexican coach added in his interview with Radio Red. Puto translates roughly into faggot, in English, though in Mexico the word is also used to describe someone who is cowardly."
Check your Spanish to English on line and it also could mean male prostitute or f--king. Homophobic is not what I would call this word. Doesn't phobic mean fear of? I doubt many Mexican men are afraid of being homosexual. In most of my reading of Latino writers it often is combined with" madre" and you don't need a Spanish dictionary to understand puta madre.
"Mexico coach Miguel Herrera downplayed a homophobic chant that Mexican fans hurl at opposing goalkeepers during matches, arguing that it’s just a “folksy” part of the game, and is not being used in discriminatory fashion. Herrera told Mexico’s Radio Red on Friday that fans who chant the word “puto” during Mexico games are not attempting to offend homosexuals. “This is something that’s used to pressure the opposing team’s goalie…it’s something that we’re not really worried about,” Herrera said from Mexico’s training camp in Brazil. “FIFA shuold be worried about more serious things,” the Mexican coach added in his interview with Radio Red. Puto translates roughly into faggot, in English, though in Mexico the word is also used to describe someone who is cowardly."
Check your Spanish to English on line and it also could mean male prostitute or f--king. Homophobic is not what I would call this word. Doesn't phobic mean fear of? I doubt many Mexican men are afraid of being homosexual. In most of my reading of Latino writers it often is combined with" madre" and you don't need a Spanish dictionary to understand puta madre.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Brazil hunts for Mexican who fell from cruise ship of World Cup soccer fans
The Brazilian navy is searching for a man who fell from a cruise ship carrying Mexican World Cup soccer fans, Mexico's ambassador to the South American country said Thursday.
Ambassador Beatriz Paredes told the Televisa network that the man was missing from the cruise aboard the MSC Divina, which was carrying about 3,500 Mexican fans between the cities of Fortaleza and Recife when the incident occurred. Officials have not said how the man went overboard, though witnesses interviewed by Televisa said he had apparently jumped.
The company that operates the vessel, MSC Cruises, said in a statement that it notified Brazilian authorities immediately after the incident at 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Ambassador Beatriz Paredes told the Televisa network that the man was missing from the cruise aboard the MSC Divina, which was carrying about 3,500 Mexican fans between the cities of Fortaleza and Recife when the incident occurred. Officials have not said how the man went overboard, though witnesses interviewed by Televisa said he had apparently jumped.
The company that operates the vessel, MSC Cruises, said in a statement that it notified Brazilian authorities immediately after the incident at 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
World Cup
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Mexico & Brazil Play to 0-0 Tie
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made a series of outstanding saves to help Mexico hold Brazil to a thrilling 0-0 draw at the World Cup on Tuesday.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Brazil vs Mexico
The two teams have met in 38 previous matches, including three times in the FIFA World Cup group stage, all won by Brazil (1950: 4–0; 1954: 5–0; 1962: 2–0) Their most recent meeting was in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup group stage, won by Brazil 2–0 on goals by Neymar and Jô.
Friday, June 13, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup: Peralta goal gives Mexico 1-0 win over Cameroon
GOALLLLLLLL!
Mexico wins the first game with luck.
"Dos Santos capped a terrific, inventive display by finding space at the top of the Cameroonian penalty area in the 61st minute and firing at goalkeeper Charles Itandje. The shot was saved, but Peralta swept the rebound into the net to give Mexico a one-goal lead they would not relinquish."
Mexico triumphed in the rain despite officiating mistakes. (Getty Images)
Mexico wins the first game with luck.
"Dos Santos capped a terrific, inventive display by finding space at the top of the Cameroonian penalty area in the 61st minute and firing at goalkeeper Charles Itandje. The shot was saved, but Peralta swept the rebound into the net to give Mexico a one-goal lead they would not relinquish."
Thursday, June 12, 2014
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Wednesday, June 11, 2014
How Safe is Mexico? A Traveler's Guide to Safety Over Sensationalism
How Safe is Mexico? A Traveler's Guide to Safety Over Sensationalism
Baja, California - Mexico, one of the world's great travel destinations, is often singled out for violent crime without telling the whole story. While there is sporadic violence along parts of the U.S. border, the majority of Mexico's key tourism areas are not only safe, but safer than many other popular tourism areas.
While the media often portrays Mexico as the most dangerous place on earth, it is statistically quite safe. According to NationMaster.com which uses U.N.-based data, Mexico doesn't even make the list of the 36 nations with the highest murder rates. Mild-mannered nations like Sweden and Switzerland top Mexico for murders on NationMaster.com. The assault rate in the U.S. is nearly 5 times greater than that of Mexico in the independent Prominix report adjusted for under-reported crime.
Even when we add on independent estimates for unreported homicides, Mexico ranks 21st behind many popular vacation destinations. Places we think of as idyllic Caribbean retreats have double, triple, even quadruple the murder rates of Mexico. Mexico's famous vacation areas are even safer than the averaged statistics, and even safer still for tourists.
The Yucatan is as safe as rural U.S. states.
The magnificent beaches and ancient ruins of the Mexican State of Yucatan are among the safest and most spectacular resort beaches in the world. Yucatan's low homicide rate is slightly lower than the rural U.S. States of Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Maine. Mexico is safer than many cities in the U.S. More than 150,000 Americans safely visit Mexico every day. And while the media sensationalizes stories of violence in Mexico,
Mexico is safer than many major U.S. cities.
Travelers feel relatively safe visiting popular U.S. cities like Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C, or Atlanta. Visitors from around the world enjoy these vibrant cities in relative, reasonable safety. Yet each of these cities is statistically less safe than Mexico.
Mexico and politically charged Media Bias
In the debate on immigration reform in the US, the facts on safety in Mexico have become a casualty of politics. To change public opinion and policy, politicians sometimes throw fuel on the fire. If you make up an exciting story about "severed heads in the desert", it gets a lot of attention and people believe it. The governor of Arizona admitted this story was baseless, but only after months of damage was successfully inflicted to the image of Mexico. The homicide rates above are facts from the FBI, not political fabrications.
Media Favoritism versus Facts
New Orleans is beloved and its renaissance is showcased in the news. The FBI reports the murder rate of New Orleans is declining, but it is nearly 4 times higher than all of Mexico and over 5 times higher than Mexico City. New Orleans is still an amazing place to visit and the Media is right to champion this inspirational city. But Mexico is at least as remarkable and there is a clear difference in how each of these storied destinations is portrayed in contemporary news. Every city and country has places that are safe and dangerous. Mexico is no exception. The areas that are dangerous should be avoided. And those that are safe should be enjoyed and celebrated.
Understanding the size and scope of Mexico
Mexico is huge, ranking 14th in the world, and spanning over 2,000 miles from end to end. Mexico is a nation of 31 states as diverse as those in the U.S. and is larger than the states from Texas to Maine. Canceling a vacation to Mexico because of isolated border violence would be like canceling a vacation to Orlando because of the Boston Bombings. People didn't cancel trips to Dallas or New Orleans in the aftermath of mass shootings in Arizona, Colorado or Connecticut, because they simply aren't related. Yet Dallas and New Orleans are closer to border violence than many of Mexico's peaceful tourist areas.
Mexico City is 4 times safer than Washington D.C.
The U.S. State Department in Washington issues warnings about Mexico, yet Washington D.C. is four times more deadly than Mexico City. Washington's murder rate has been cut almost in half in the last 10 years, but it still averages 24 per 100,000 vs. only 8-9 per 100,000 in Mexico City. How do you suppose the U.S. State department would feel if the Mexican government posted travel warnings for the U.S. capital? Mexico City is a cultural treasure that is larger than New York, London or Paris. In fact, it is about the same size as London and Paris combined.
"Mexico's violence not as widespread as it seems."
After months of sensationalized stories about Mexico's border violence, USA Today published a story about the media hype. While the story itself became an opportunity to re-tell some sensational tales, it did set the record straight by finally comparing U.S. and Mexican homocide figures.
Mexico has very low violent crime rates.
The U.S. Assault rate is 5 times higher than Mexico's. Mexico's violent crime rates for Assault, Kidnapping and Rape are substantially lower than Canada's and yet the U.S. State Department issues no such warnings for Canada. The rate for Rape in the U.S. is more than double the rate in Mexico. The numbers in the charts below have been adjusted for unreported crime from the respected 2012 Prominix report and are the most accurate statistics available on this subject.
Unless you are involved in the drug trade, you are statistically safer in Mexico than anywhere else in North America. Even though the U.S. murder rate of 4 per 100,000 is lower than Mexico's, tourists and visitors are statistically safer in Mexico and much less likely to be a victim of violent crime than in the U.S., Canada and many other countries regarded as safe. Asociacion Mexicana de Asistencia en el Retiro (AMAR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and helping people from outside Mexico to retire in this country. Its mission is based on freedom, trust, well-being, and security for retirees making their future home in Mexico.
For more information, visit the website.
Asociacion Mexicana de Asistencia en el Retiro (AMAR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and helping people from outside Mexico to retire in this country. Its mission is based on freedom, trust, well-being, and security for retirees making their future home in Mexico. For more information, visit the website.
Baja, California - Mexico, one of the world's great travel destinations, is often singled out for violent crime without telling the whole story. While there is sporadic violence along parts of the U.S. border, the majority of Mexico's key tourism areas are not only safe, but safer than many other popular tourism areas.
While the media often portrays Mexico as the most dangerous place on earth, it is statistically quite safe. According to NationMaster.com which uses U.N.-based data, Mexico doesn't even make the list of the 36 nations with the highest murder rates. Mild-mannered nations like Sweden and Switzerland top Mexico for murders on NationMaster.com. The assault rate in the U.S. is nearly 5 times greater than that of Mexico in the independent Prominix report adjusted for under-reported crime.
Even when we add on independent estimates for unreported homicides, Mexico ranks 21st behind many popular vacation destinations. Places we think of as idyllic Caribbean retreats have double, triple, even quadruple the murder rates of Mexico. Mexico's famous vacation areas are even safer than the averaged statistics, and even safer still for tourists.
The Yucatan is as safe as rural U.S. states.
The magnificent beaches and ancient ruins of the Mexican State of Yucatan are among the safest and most spectacular resort beaches in the world. Yucatan's low homicide rate is slightly lower than the rural U.S. States of Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Maine. Mexico is safer than many cities in the U.S. More than 150,000 Americans safely visit Mexico every day. And while the media sensationalizes stories of violence in Mexico,
Mexico is safer than many major U.S. cities.
Travelers feel relatively safe visiting popular U.S. cities like Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C, or Atlanta. Visitors from around the world enjoy these vibrant cities in relative, reasonable safety. Yet each of these cities is statistically less safe than Mexico.
Mexico and politically charged Media Bias
In the debate on immigration reform in the US, the facts on safety in Mexico have become a casualty of politics. To change public opinion and policy, politicians sometimes throw fuel on the fire. If you make up an exciting story about "severed heads in the desert", it gets a lot of attention and people believe it. The governor of Arizona admitted this story was baseless, but only after months of damage was successfully inflicted to the image of Mexico. The homicide rates above are facts from the FBI, not political fabrications.
Media Favoritism versus Facts
New Orleans is beloved and its renaissance is showcased in the news. The FBI reports the murder rate of New Orleans is declining, but it is nearly 4 times higher than all of Mexico and over 5 times higher than Mexico City. New Orleans is still an amazing place to visit and the Media is right to champion this inspirational city. But Mexico is at least as remarkable and there is a clear difference in how each of these storied destinations is portrayed in contemporary news. Every city and country has places that are safe and dangerous. Mexico is no exception. The areas that are dangerous should be avoided. And those that are safe should be enjoyed and celebrated.
Understanding the size and scope of Mexico
Mexico is huge, ranking 14th in the world, and spanning over 2,000 miles from end to end. Mexico is a nation of 31 states as diverse as those in the U.S. and is larger than the states from Texas to Maine. Canceling a vacation to Mexico because of isolated border violence would be like canceling a vacation to Orlando because of the Boston Bombings. People didn't cancel trips to Dallas or New Orleans in the aftermath of mass shootings in Arizona, Colorado or Connecticut, because they simply aren't related. Yet Dallas and New Orleans are closer to border violence than many of Mexico's peaceful tourist areas.
Mexico City is 4 times safer than Washington D.C.
The U.S. State Department in Washington issues warnings about Mexico, yet Washington D.C. is four times more deadly than Mexico City. Washington's murder rate has been cut almost in half in the last 10 years, but it still averages 24 per 100,000 vs. only 8-9 per 100,000 in Mexico City. How do you suppose the U.S. State department would feel if the Mexican government posted travel warnings for the U.S. capital? Mexico City is a cultural treasure that is larger than New York, London or Paris. In fact, it is about the same size as London and Paris combined.
"Mexico's violence not as widespread as it seems."
After months of sensationalized stories about Mexico's border violence, USA Today published a story about the media hype. While the story itself became an opportunity to re-tell some sensational tales, it did set the record straight by finally comparing U.S. and Mexican homocide figures.
Mexico has very low violent crime rates.
The U.S. Assault rate is 5 times higher than Mexico's. Mexico's violent crime rates for Assault, Kidnapping and Rape are substantially lower than Canada's and yet the U.S. State Department issues no such warnings for Canada. The rate for Rape in the U.S. is more than double the rate in Mexico. The numbers in the charts below have been adjusted for unreported crime from the respected 2012 Prominix report and are the most accurate statistics available on this subject.
Unless you are involved in the drug trade, you are statistically safer in Mexico than anywhere else in North America. Even though the U.S. murder rate of 4 per 100,000 is lower than Mexico's, tourists and visitors are statistically safer in Mexico and much less likely to be a victim of violent crime than in the U.S., Canada and many other countries regarded as safe. Asociacion Mexicana de Asistencia en el Retiro (AMAR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and helping people from outside Mexico to retire in this country. Its mission is based on freedom, trust, well-being, and security for retirees making their future home in Mexico.
For more information, visit the website.
Asociacion Mexicana de Asistencia en el Retiro (AMAR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and helping people from outside Mexico to retire in this country. Its mission is based on freedom, trust, well-being, and security for retirees making their future home in Mexico. For more information, visit the website.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
BREAKING NEWS: US EXPATS IN MEXICO LEFT STRANDED IN LATEST FATCA ESCALATION
As the first set of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) compliance issues for banks worldwide is set to come into effect on July 1 we have seen a flurry of banks around the world advising US citizens that they will be immediately closing their accounts.
None has been so far reaching as this notice sent to US citizens who have accounts at Banamex USA in Mexico this week, however.
Banamex USA's parent, Banamex, is the second largest bank in Mexico and there are over 1 million US citizens living in Mexico, by far the largest amount of any country, and so this news will be felt over a very widespread area.
Notices have begun to be sent by Banamex USA, a bank operating in Mexico and used by many American expats in Mexico, to all US citizens notifying them that their accounts will be closed within 30 days.
Here, here and here you will find three separate online discussions surrounding Banamex USA's summary closure of American's accounts.
In most of the forums people know the reason why - FATCA - but in one of the forums in particular the people are not even aware of FATCA and its implications. This action by Banamex USA is, of course, because of FATCA, which has forced 77,000 banks in 70 countries to surrender all information on American customers to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or be extorted and possibly put out of business altogether.
Banamex USA, a subsidary of Citibank with its headquarters in Los Angeles, has sent letters to many US customers informing them that their accounts will be closed June 30. As one online commenter wrote:
"No more SS check deposits: no more linking of accounts to Banamex Mexico, no more credit card, no more ATM for free, no more nada."
One customer was told that it was a "bank decision" with no reason given why. This move has left former account holders scrambling to find a bank that will let them open an account without their presence in Mexico, something likely impossible to find.
It does not appear that all accounts will be closed, but nobody knows Banamex USA's strategy here, even banking insiders in the US who we have contacted who are confused about what is going on.
What's for sure is this: Are you an American expatriate living abroad or an American currently thinking of moving abroad? This could and likely will happen to you.
OPTIONS FOR US EXPATS IN MEXICO
There are many ways to protect yourself and to sidestep many of the issues that FATCA will be bringing upon US citizens trying to transact in the financial system worldwide.
In the case of Americans who live and/or spend a large amount of time each year in Mexico one solution is to attain Mexican citizenship (this is a process that TDV Passports can help with). By doing this you can still have bank accounts in Mexico if you so chose as you can open the account as a Mexican citizen, not as a US citizen, thereby not being restricted by banks that do wish to deal with US citizens due to the egregious nature and expense of filing with the US government all transactions of US citizens.
Having a second citizenship, especially for US citizens, is a very prudent move as it has become very difficult to do anything financially, worldwide, as a US citizen. It also has a tremendous amount of side-benefits including large tax breaks (up to nearly $200,000 per year, tax free, for a married couple if they live outside of the US)... and if you choose to renounce your US citizenship the benefits can be massive for those with a high net worth or income as this would unchain US citizens from the worldwide taxation imposed on them by the US government.
Other options that are still available to US citizens is to re-organize their affairs internationally using things like offshore trusts which are specifically set-up in a way that FATCA regulations do not apply to it. This is a service, for high net worth (over $1 million) US citizens that is offered exclusively by TDV Wealth Management (TDVWM). TDVWM has recently held two Crisis Conferences in Panama and in Mexico helping US citizens stay ahead of the curve and to organize their affairs prior to events, which we predicted, such as more banks worldwide closing accounts for Americans.
We also predict that more countries in the West will begin to enact FATCA like controls as the economy in the West continues to fall and governments begin to enact more egregious worldwide taxation laws. In the case of Canadians, for example, many "snowbirds" (those that are retired and usually spend six months or more per year in the US) are beginning to be deemed "US resident" even without their knowledge and will soon find themselves under attack by the IRS for tax liabilities. As well, the Canadian and US governments have reached all manner of agreements tying the sharing of financial information between the two countries.
As we've researched and written here and at TDV Wealth Management Crisis Conferences (which we will be holding another one soon, likely in Mexico due to recent events), FATCA is very real and Americans abroad will be forced to adapt and quickly. Many might simply end up without a bank account altogether and unable to open one abroad when they get this now all-too-common letter that your bank no longer wants to serve you.
We hate to constantly be the bearer of bad news but those who have been following TDV know that we have been warning of these events for a number of years. And we expect things to go nowhere but downhill from here as governments in the West implement nefarious capital controls such as FATCA.
Stay tuned at The Dollar Vigilante blog as we continue to cover FATCA and its consequences and offer insights, news, analysis and solutions to protect yourself at The Dollar Vigilante newsletter. And pass along this particular news to US citizens who are Mexican expats to inform them to prepare for more bank account closures for US citizens and what they can be doing about it to protect themselves.
Anarcho-Capitalist. Libertarian. Freedom fighter against mankind’s two biggest enemies, the State and the Central Banks. Jeff Berwick is the founder of The Dollar Vigilante, CEO of TDV Media & Services and host of the popular video podcast, Anarchast. Jeff is a prominent speaker at many of the world’s freedom, investment and gold conferences as well as regularly in the media including CNBC, CNN and Fox Business.