Cell Phone, and housing news

Ecuador increases mobile phone import quota by 18%

The government of Ecuador has increased its annual mobile phone import quota to USD 250 million this year, reports local daily El Comercio. The national scheme allows companies to import phones to meet demand that cannot be met by domestic production, with users allowed to buy one device a year by post on payment of a 15 percent fee plus 12 percent in VAT. 

Ecuador's Housing Social Contract 

Quito, Jan 6 (Prensa Latina) President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, revealed that his government halved the deficit of housing in the country, but still needs to provide 500,000 houses to repay this historic debt. According to the president, the country itself could solve the deficit in a few years with its own resources and profits, therefore he called for a vote of confidence for his political project during the opening ceremony of a complex of 204 homes in Los Rios province, located in the central part of the country's coastline. At the beginning of his government in 2007, the housing shortage was one million, and it has already managed to reduce it by half but the continuity of the Citizen Revolution is needed to ensure the development of works like this one. Correa criticized the fact that being Los Rios one of the most productive provinces in the country, it suffers high levels of poverty, explicable only by the inequality, exploitation and injustice that was submitted in previous decades. But the government is able to ensure a decent shelter for every Ecuadorian family, for their children, that if the others do not come, referring to the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 2017. That's what will be at stake in the upcoming elections, vote for the Citizen Revolution, urged the dignitary.

Could this work in Ecuador

Mexico's soda tax linked to 6 percent drop in sugary drink sales Researchers find significant decline in sales of sugary drinks in the first year, implying the tax is effective Mexico is the first country in the world to tax sugar-sweetened drinks in an effort to curb consumption blamed for obesity and related diseases — and it appears to be working. Analyzing the first release of data on the effects of the tax, researchers found that sales of sugary beverages across the country dropped by an average of 6 percent in the first year after Mexico implemented the 1 peso (about 6 cents) per liter tax on Jan. 1, 2014, according to a study report published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal. The decline reached 12 percent for December 2014, and it was even larger among poorer households, the study showed. “Mexico is a good example that the tax is working, and it can be implemented in other countries,” said Aranxta Colchero, a health economist at Mexico’s National Public Health Institute and lead author of the study. Researchers from Mexico’s National Public Health Institute and the University of North Carolina’s Department of Nutrition used nationally representative data gathered by Nielsen Mexico's Consumer Panel Services on food purchases between January 2012 and December 2014 from more than 6,200 households in 53 Mexican cities with populations of at least 50,000. During 2014, the study found, consumers in Mexico bought an average of 6 percent fewer sugary drinks than would have been expected without the tax, which increased the cost of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages by about 10 percent. They bought an average of 4 percent more untaxed drinks, such as bottled water. While Mexicans across income levels bought fewer sugar-laden beverages, it was the poorer households that seemed most affected by the taxes. Their sugary drink purchases declined by an average of 9 percent in 2014, and by 17 percent by the end of that year. The researchers said that while their study didn’t look at smaller towns or rural areas, it shows the tax has promise in deterring Mexicans from drinking so many sugar-sweetened drinks. They expect the effect to continue in the long term. Based on economic studies and the team’s previous work, Colchero said they could expect an even larger decline in soda sales with a tax of at least 2 pesos (about 12 cents) per liter — about a 20 percent price increase. But she added that the tax should be implemented alongside other policies, such as public health campaigns and labeling on food and drinks containing excessive added sugar. “We need to have potable tap water available for households and in schools,” she said. “People should be aware of what they’re drinking.” In an op-ed that accompanied the paper, Franco Sassi, head of the public health division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), lauded the results for confirming that taxation can be an effective way to encourage healthier behavior. However, he agreed with Colchero that such measures should complement other policies, adding: “Taxes can be part of a public health strategy — and Mexico’s is a great example for other countries — but they cannot be viewed as a magic bullet in the fight against obesity." Mexico is one of the world’s top consumers of sugary beverages. The average Mexican drinks 111 liters of sugar-sweetened drinks per year, while the average American drinks 103 liters a year, according to a 2015 Euromonitor report. Mexico also has the highest prevalence of diabetes among OECD countries, according to the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. In November 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued its first-ever recommendation that Americans limit their sugar intake to no more than 10 percent of their daily calories, or roughly the equivalent of one soda per day. The World Health Organization made the same recommendation in March 2015, but added that cutting sugar to less than 5 percent of daily calories “would provide additional health benefits,” and would help prevent diabetes and heart disease.

International All Dance contest

International All Dance contest

Bringing Ballet, modern dance hip hop and more to Salinas

For all you expats out there moaning that there is no culture in Salinas, where were you when this was showing.

This two day event attracted dance teams from as far away as California, Miami, Brazil Columbia, Peru, and Argentina.

The final of this competition is to be held in Miami July 2016.   

Below is an example of what you could be seen.

Couple in Ecuador

Couple in Ecuador

FERNANDO MACHADO / AP

Fernando Machado, left, taking a selfie with his partner Diane Rodriguez. The transgender couple announced on social media they were having a baby, believed to be the first pregnancy of its kind in South America.

A couple in Ecuador is making history with a unique pregnancy: The father-to-be is carrying the baby of his transgender partner.

Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez announced their pregnancy, believed to be the first of its kind in South America, on social media earlier this month and it’s received widespread attention in a continent that has seen a sudden explosion in the rights and visibility of trans people.

Rodriguez, who was born Luis, is one of Ecuador’s most-prominent LGBT activists and says she and her Venezuelan-born partner, whose birth name was Maria, decided to publicize the pregnancy to help change attitudes in the staunchly Roman Catholic society. Although both take hormones, neither has undergone gender-reassignment surgery, so the child-to-be was conceived the old-fashioned way with no known medical complications to date.

“We’re trying to break the myths about transsexuality,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press.

So far, church leaders have remained silent, something that Rodriguez says both surprises and pleases her.

“The church is always criticizing gays and homosexuals for adopting children, so it would be a contradiction to criticize us for giving birth naturally,” she said from her home in Guayaquil.

The trans community has made major advances across South America. About six months ago, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos issued a decree allowing individuals to change their gender on the national ID cards with little more than a trip to a public notary. To date, at least 340 people have made the switch.

Argentina has gone even further with legislation guaranteeing free hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery.

However, trans people still face widespread discrimination in the region. Between 2008 and 2011, 79 per cent of the murders of transgender people reported throughout the world took place in Latin America, with a total of 664 cases, according to a study by the International AIDS Alliance.

Ecuador legislature lifts presidential re-election limit

Ecuador legislature lifts presidential re-election limit

The opposition called for a referendum on the constitutional amendments

Ecuador's National Assembly has approved a constitutional amendment allowing the president and other officials to be re-elected for an indefinite number of terms.

The change is part of a package of reforms backed by President Rafael Correa.

After the vote opposition demonstrators clashed with police outside the assembly building in Quito.

They say the reforms are an attempt by Mr Correa to tighten his grip on power.

But the constitutional change lifting restrictions on the number of re-elections only comes into force in 2021.

Mr Correa says he does not intend to run for re-election in 2017.

'The people will rule'

Other reforms approved include changes to the role of the armed forces, the media and labour relations.

The opposition boycotted the session, but Mr Correa's left-wing coalition had enough votes to secure the approval of the 15 amendments.

Rafael Correa has been in power since 2007

The measures were approved by 100 votes to eight, with one abstention.

"We will continue governing for the common good of the country, with full democratic legitimacy," Mr Correa tweeted from Paris, where he is taking part in the COP21 World Climate Change Conference.

"In Ecuador, the people of Ecuador will rule!" he wrote.

The opposition had asked for the constitutional amendments to be submitted to a referendum.

"More than 85% of the people demanded to have their voice heard [in a referendum]," said opposition politician Guillermo Lasso.

"But we will change that when we win the 2017 election," said Mr Lasso.

Opposition politicians say Mr Correa was inspired by other Latin American left-wing governments, including Venezuela and Nicaragua, which changed their constitutions to allow the indefinite re-election of the president.

Saving water promoting health

Saving water promoting health

As we have seen over the last few months there has beed a shortage of water along the coast.
One of the effects of less water or no water is that the already poor sanitation of these areas, will present greater problems.
Disposable of human waste, as people are spending more money to have water brought in. there use of water to assist in sanitation will be compromised.
Thus we will see a decline in the general health of the community.
Below is a video that can show how by use of tools such as these the need for as much water can be reduced, and the by-product can be helpful to the the user.
This type of product is available for around $150.00 and can be installed with minimum of skill.

This type of investment in communities will have long term benefits and returns on health and the management of a vital resource , water.

911 Ecuador

Chinese technology has helped to reduce crime in Ecuador with an emergency warning and monitoring system called ECU 911, providing residents with a toll-free emergency reporting hotline equipped with surveillance cameras.

The ECU 911 is a network system connecting Ecuador's various security and disaster relief agencies, such as police forces, fire departments and Red Cross to develop their reaction speed.

Crime in this country has dropped significantly since the implementation of ECU 911 in 2012. The homicide rate, for example, has been halved from 2009's 18.74 to 2014's 8.13 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to local authorities.

Other types of crime have also decreased, such as home or business break-ins and robberies.

Designed by China National Electronics Import and Export Corp.(CEIEC), the system is now covering the entire country via 16 command and control centers in Ecuador.

"We are contributing to making Ecuador a safe country," said Wang Fei, manager of CEIEC's Ecuadoran subsidiary.

"The results of the project have been positive...We know that the technology platform has helped safety and rescue agencies react efficiently in emergencies," he added.

ECU 911's deputy director, Andres Sandoval, told Xinhua that the system provides an integrated response to a variety of cases, including fires, assaults and disasters.

CEIEC's contribution "has been essential, because they have been patient with us and had the vision to work closely with us to learn about the reality of Ecuador, to be able to provide us a system tailored to our country and our needs," said Sandoval.

Ecuadoran technical personnel were trained in Beijing in operational procedures, as well as in the use of the hardware and software specially adapted to the country.

Now the system continues to evolve, with an ECU 911 smartphone application under development by local experts to help people report incidents in real time, with the added aid of GPS.

"The outcome of this operation has been confirmed. Ecuador is today one of the safest countries in Latin America," Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said in May.

Sandoval and Wang Fei both agree that video surveillance is one of the system's most novel features, and has generated interest in other South American countries, including Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia.

"There's interest in these countries in having a similar system to improve security," said Wang. "They've called us and we have met with authorities there."

The cameras have helped boost the sense of security in the community.

Housewife Maria Lopez said "This system has been very good, because before cameras were installed, delinquents could commit theft or assault without being captured on video."

Ecuador's residents now enjoy great sense of security, ranking second only to Nicaragua in the region, according to a survey during Aug. 10 and Sept. 2 by Chilean firm Latinobarometro, in which 60 percent of some 1,200 respondents said they felt Ecuador was a safe place to live.

That sense of security contrasts sharply with other countries in Latin America, where violence is a top concern, including Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico.

Another project of China's CEIEC called "Transporte Seguro," or Safe Transport, has also helped to improve safety in Ecuador, with panic buttons and surveillance cameras on urban buses and taxis installed in 2013.

Both passengers and drivers "have the security of being monitored,"

with the images broadcast to ECU 911 centers, "so they can take action in case of an emergency," said Wang.

The first phase of the program has already served 55,000 vehicles, and the second phase aims to serve 17,000 more.