The unofficial web page of the greater Cuenca expat community

Looks like Ecuador might take another shot at giving the finger to the United States.

This time with Snowden:

http://www.eldiario.ec/noticias-manabi- … gle+Reader

What does it mean, offering political asylum?

mugtech wrote:

What does it mean, offering political asylum?

EcuadorŽs foreign minister stated that Ecuador would consider assylum for Bowden if he requests it.

I have often wondered how the Political Asylum deal works. This latest clown has absolutely no skill set. What does he have to offer Ecuador? Will the government support this riff-raff?
Are they so pissed at the US that they would burden them selves with supporting a non contributing member?
Perhaps we'll see him walking the streets with a dustpan and broom, pushing a cart.

EE.UU. está “preocupado” por la Ley de Comunicación de Ecuador

Translation: The United States is worried about the new media law in Ecuador.

Me: For all the reasons previously discussed.

By the way, the person who issued that press release was none other than Jen Psaki, from the U.S state department.

I donŽt think it is premature to claim a scalp:



I noticed something unusual in todayŽs Cuenca Highlife article: a photo credit to Reuters at the bottom of the article.

I also havenŽt seen recently on CuencaHighlife a copy an paste of an entire article from some English-only news website.

Looks like the student schooled the professor (Dan)...

Watch out Cuenca H....   Nards is watching you !!!

hey ZenSpike the phone is workings great. we are in Canoa. heading to Pedernales and inland today. the Lonely Planet has left this are a off the books. we are traveling blind now but hope to get to Quito in a day or two. weather, people and roads are Great!

I have to laugh. Julian Assange is earning his keep by participating via teleconference in "the summit for a responsible journalism" as organized by the government, in part to promote the new media bill.

Assange is all for transparency in government, unless of course it is with respect to the Ecuadorian government.

aterosin wrote:

hey ZenSpike the phone is workings great. we are in Canoa. heading to Pedernales and inland today. the Lonely Planet has left this are a off the books. we are traveling blind now but hope to get to Quito in a day or two. weather, people and roads are Great!

Aterosin,

Did you get the gig?

No, the gig feel through for some reason. So, they are traveling the country. I had an opportunity to meet them both just before they shuttled off. Nice Folks.

I think this was one of those cultural things where the conductor offered but either did not intend to follow thru or didn't think we would accept his offer.  The "can't say no"  thing. I ran into that in Italy with my Orchestra where a conductor invited us to play a a concert, we showed up with everything and to save face he invited us to ANother concert.... Gad, Just say no, will you??
any way we heard the concert, they could have used us...all humbleness aside...We went back stage and met the conductor.Now we are in Mindo, on our way to Otavalo. our map and the lonely planet are quite lacking from Pedernales to La Concordia. We were on a dirt road for ninety minutes, recommended as a shortcut by many people in the town of Monterey. Not so much.
We saw a lot of back country that we would have missed unless we were on an ILiving tour. Hahahahah!!

Speaking Spanish, having an engaging personality, loving and embracing the locals, desiring to get to know and learn all about the Ecuadorian people and their beautiful country and culture, and remembering that we are living in their country as guests will often open a door for you to go "behind the curtain."  This is the recipe for making the best and continued memories while living here in Ecuador.

I think that paragraph from the longgoods warrants our discussion.

There is a recurring theme repeated from CuencaŽs bloggers that we (expats) are "guests" and that we better start acting that way.

First of all, I do not consider myself a guest, and I do not act like a guest. I am a permanent resident of this country and I conduct myself the same as I did when I lived in the U.S. So let me kick that talking point to the curbside like I did with the "ugly American" B.S. that we were constantly subjected to.

Second, we all understand the benefits of being able to communicate in the local language. In the case of the Longoods, I think I read that Mrs. Longood is of Puerto Rican descent, and that she grew up with some Spanish in the home, while in the case of Mr. Longood, he is starting from zero. Since Mrs. Longood learned Spanish as a youth, I think it is her husbandŽs Spanish that we need to be evaluating and comparing against the rest of the expat community. I would like to know what he has done since arriving in Cuenca to work on his Spanish.

There seems to be the assumption that your ability to speak Spanish conversationally around the dinner table with native Ecuadorians, is entirely in your control--you simply have to want it and work at it. And once you have it, you will have the key to the "back-door" of Ecuadorian culture.

IMO, this "back-door" they speak of is a fantasy for most expats, even if they work on their Spanish each day--we are simply too old to learn a new language at high level. After 6 months of full-time Spanish study in Guatemala and living with a host family, I still didnŽt have a clue what they were bantering on about around the dinner table. 

Finally, the Longoods believe they know the "recipe  for making the best and continued memories in Ecuador". Maybe they do know the recipe, but I personally do not think someone living about one year in a country has enough experience to credibly weigh in on certain topics, and that is one of many. That said, I certainly appreciate hearing about their experiences and the information that they have to share.

aterosin wrote:

We saw a lot of back country that we would have missed unless we were on an ILiving tour. Hahahahah!!

Our buddy SAID isnŽt going to like hearing that.

P.S.
Sorry about the gig. I guess that means you wonŽt be joining the Cuenca expat community anytime soon.

Hey Nards  The Longoods met a guy with 50 caged roosters, evidently used for fighting.  Is this legal, are bets made on the outcomes, and how prevalent is this in and around Cuenca?  How good do you have to be in with the locals to be invited to a cock fight?

I ask this because the referendum passed in 2011 seemed to make it illegal, but then there was a "clarification" that said it is only illegal if there is a death involved.  Saw a photo of a fighter, with a caption that said the owner won $500 betting on the bird, which won in 5 minutes of a scheduled 12 rounds  er 12 minutes.  I cannot imagine the police showing up and hanging around to arrest participants if there are any fatalities.  Saw a figure of 10% fatalities, PETA claims that be low, plus PTSD involved.

Never did get the guest idea either.  As a tourist, yes, observe and enjoy but don't try to change things,  but as a perm res, no way. We have guests at our house all the time, and we feed them, give them a place to wash and sleep, and do it all for free.  Anyone who thinks expats are guests in Ecuador certainly has a different idea of how guests should be treated.

mugtech wrote:

Hey Nards  The Longoods met a guy with 50 caged roosters, evidently used for fighting.  Is this legal, are bets made on the outcomes, and how prevalent is this in and around Cuenca?  How good do you have to be in with the locals to be invited to a cock fight?

I ask this because the referendum passed in 2011 seemed to make it illegal, but then there was a "clarification" that said it is only illegal if there is a death involved.  Saw a photo of a fighter, with a caption that said the owner won $500 betting on the bird, which won in 5 minutes of a scheduled 12 rounds  er 12 minutes.

Nice research.  I was wondering the same thing. I saw some articles that talked about outlawing cock fighting along with Bull fighting, but I think they decided to outlaw only bullfighting. Probably because many of CorreaŽs constituents enjoy cock fighting.

I was going to express my disapproval of the Longoods for associating with violators of the law, but I will limit myself to disapproving of the Longoods for associating with people who treat animals inhumanely.

Shame on you Longoods! You are bad expats!

The decision on whether the U.S. renews EcuadorŽs trade preferences is coming soon.

I think this article makes a pretty good case for not renewing them. 

However, Correa has stated publicly he isnŽt concerned about the effect it will have on certain export instrustries, since he believes it only amounts to around 25 million.

Besides, he is looking forward to joining his buddies in the Mercosur.

Cuenca highlife decided to do a copy and paste of this article from the Huffington Post to their website. 

Who better to weigh in on Cuenca than a past publisher and editor for International Living who is now runs the website Live and Invest Overseas.

Besides, the current or part-owner of CuencaHighlife probably knows this person question well.

However, if I was to do a copy and paste of an article, I would use this one from yesterday titled "Moving to Cuenca, Ecuador: What You're Not Being Told!"

However, considering that the primary purpose of CuencaHiglife is to promote the real estate services of CuencaRealestate.com, rather than to inform the public, it doesnŽt surpise me that they chose the former article rather than the later.

P.S. I wouldnŽt copy and paste an entire article without authorization, so the point is moot.

Not joining the symphony until we move here which is contingent on finding two to five acres of suitable farmland at fair prices. I suppose we could phone in our audition and performances like Liciano Pavorratti threatened to do at one opera company....We did see some properties when we were here a week but we felt they were very inflated and we were charged by the hour to look at me. Three properties in two days, two of which were up dirt roads for 45 minutes, had no prices to go on, and were on steep grades. we need to find a decent, fair realtor who knows farmland. any recommendations anyone?

I've been following a thread called Banned from International Living which has been very interesting and this morning my email said the thread has been pulled from the forum...Does ILiving have their fingers in this forum as well?

Edward Snowden asks Ecuador for asylum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23023576

It's still active. Must been a glitch!
Travel Safe,
Neil
Ps. sorry to hear you are having issues finding a decent rep., you'll find one though, I'm sure.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Well,
I'm semi unpacked Gerry. I was hoping to live out of my carry on, and not to have to unpack all my crap until I could get it over to the new condo. Bad news. Condo waaaay behind schedule, and they won't allow me to put anything in there until the inspectors have all signed off on the building. My rental only goes through the end of June, and then I'm out on the Cuenca streets! I'll be one of those guys on the street corner trying to sell you a tiny box of Chicklets, with forlorn look on my face. 
How are you and the husband doing?
Stay Well,
Neil

Not a problem to ask the restaurant to pack what is left.  Don't think it would work at cheaper restaurants..

Nards Barley wrote:

[img align=C]http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Jobs_and_People/Police/Siren.gif[/url]

Edward Snowden asks Ecuador for asylum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23023576

WOW Now I do have a good reason to go to Ecuador.

I'm curious about how the spanish ap worked for you. I'd like to work on my pronunciation but there aren't any courses near me that I want to sign up for. I'd prefer something I could work on at home.

Hi, I think that app you are referring to does not have an audio portion to it, so it is probably not best for working on pronunciation.

You probably want an app that says words or phrases in Spanish, so you can mimic their pronuciation.  There are a bunch, but here is one that I occasionally use.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-s … 71531?mt=8

At this point, the app I use most is Supermemo which offers a number of courses geared towards building your vocabulary. I like it because the definitions are written and spoken in Spanish.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/superme … 93743?mt=8http://www.supermemo.com/

Lots of interesting facts in this article from Miami Herald, but these quotes are the most provocative:

But that could just be the beginning, said Carl Meacham, the director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Snowden likely had to trade his secrets with the Chinese and the Russians to guarantee his safe passage, Meacham said. And he'll probably have to do the same in Ecuador.

“And what if the Ecuadorans start selling those secrets to Venezuela or whomever?” Meacham asked. “These secrets, if shared, are clearly a threat to U.S. national security.”

Under those circumstances, the United States may be forced to “build a sanctions regime,” he said.

Another copy and paste by Cuenca Highlife today in violation of CBS NewŽs terms of use and the fair use doctrine. Yes, I did contact CBS News.

P.S.
Did you see I am now a "EB member +".  Unfortunately, there are no additional administrative powers conveyed to me.

Nards Barley wrote:

Another copy and paste by Cuenca Highlife today in violation of CBS NewŽs terms of use and the fair use doctrine. Yes, I did contact CBS News.

P.S.
Did you see I am now a "EB member +".  Unfortunately, there are no additional administrative powers conveyed to me.

Does this mean you are a member of the Executive Board?  Perhaps no additional power, but it certainly juices up your resume'  Is this, like Serial Expat, based on a certain number of posts, or does it actually mean something?

mugtech wrote:

Does this mean you are a member of the Executive Board?  Perhaps no additional power, but it certainly juices up your resume'  Is this, like Serial Expat, based on a certain number of posts, or does it actually mean something?

No, I think it means I passed the 500 comment threshold, and I am automatically coveyed such title.  You are well on your way to that title as well.

P.S. EB stands for Expat-Blogs

Trading sanctions would be a small inconvenience, but travel sanctions could hurt some.  Then again, plenty of USA citizens have been traveling to Cuba.

mugtech wrote:

Trading sanctions would be a small inconvenience, but travel sanctions could hurt some.  Then again, plenty of USA citizens have been traveling to Cuba.

Hopefully, toilet paper doesnŽt become scarce, like in Venezuela. That will be the first thing I stock up on if sanctions are imposed.

It strikes me as odd that a website posts a new "Ecuador expat profile" and the very first paragraph is

What is your blog url?

Ecuador Beaches: www.ecuadorbeaches.org

I think it would be more professional to save the promotion of a URL until the end of the article.

Regarding that exapt profile, they state reasons for why they love Ecuador:

Hasn't sold out to US, with mining and oil rights

So tell me Mr. and Mrs. Capaes, what do you think of the new mining law that intends to make mining mor attractive to investors.

Are you happy that the Ecuadorian government is more than happy to sell mining rights to the communist Chinese? 

Last year, Correa signed the nation's first large-scale mining contract, under which Chinese-owned Ecuacorriente is due to invest $1.4 billion in the El Mirador copper project.

Typical capitalist losers who blame the USA for their own failings, think they gonna be fine after they have it all figured out in Ecuador.  Good luck.

I just got an email announcing that the Gringo Tree has a new book titled "Expats in Ecuador: Learning Spanish".

As the email states

Expats in Ecuador: Learning Spanish is not a typical textbook, workbook, or phrasebook. It's a guidebook, written by expats for expats, which examines the relevant and prevalent language issues faced by native English speakers starting a new life in Latin America.

The point of my comment is not to promote this book, but rather to share a comment I enjoyed while reading a free excerpt from the book.

KISS METHOD OF SPEAKING SPANISH

I'm an English teacher who has lived in Armenia, Colombia for almost two years. My suggestion to non-Spanish background folks in attempting to speak Spanish is to use the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) method. Learn the basic verbs and don't worry about the conjugations. The locals will understand you and they will appreciate the fact that you're making a good hearted attempt to speak the local lingo!

That is the first time I have heard someone recommend that you only learn the basic verbs and not worry about learning to conjugate the verbs.

It is probably not bad advise, but my advise would be to learn at least the present tense of the verbs. That may be what he meant.

An excellent editorial from the Washington Post that was the subject of an article in El Universo.

Here is an excerpt:

Taking in Mr. Snowden would allow Mr. Correa to advance his most cherished ambition: replacing the deceased Hugo Chavez as the hemisphere's preeminent anti-U.S. demagogue

I guess if the Ecuadorian government wonŽt let the local media criticize government, the local media can write an article that discusses an article in another country. that so happens to be critizing the Ecuadorian government.

Nards Barley wrote:

Lots of interesting facts in this article from Miami Herald, but these quotes are the most provocative:

But that could just be the beginning, said Carl Meacham, the director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Snowden likely had to trade his secrets with the Chinese and the Russians to guarantee his safe passage, Meacham said.

It's great that we've had a 'reset' in foreign policy in this Administration. If we hadn't done so, countries like Russia and China might be less cooperative.