Monthly Archives: January 2011

Can You Trust a Chilean?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Mark

Only 24% of Chilenos responded affirmatively to survey query, “Would your neighbors return your purse or wallet if it were to fall onto their property?” I can see why because my wife Mary misplaced her purse two blocks from our … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Chile, Economics, Government and Law, Society and Culture, United States | 1 Comment

Speaker Announcement for Santiago Infotech Start-Up Feb. 1

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Mark

Dirk Roettges, a former resident of Germany who moved to Chile 4 years ago, will be the featured speaker at the Santiago Infotech Startup meetup on the second floor of the California Cantina on Tues. Feb. 1 at 6:30 PM. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Chile | 1 Comment

Piñera Government Buys Notes from Failing Bank

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Mark

Mahatma Gandhi is famous for clever quotes; one of my favorites is his response to Winston Churchill offering independence to India if they would fight the Japanese in the Second World War: “That’s like accepting a postdated check from a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Chile, Economics, Mexico, United States | 6 Comments

New Meetup Similar to Huevapi and Start-Up Chile

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Mark

I started a new meetup, Santiago Infotech Start-Up, that is a combination of Huevapi and Start-Up Chile. Like Huevapi, there is no government involvement, so participants will be free to eat pizza and drink beer. Like Start-Up Chile, it will … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Chile | Leave a comment

Chilean Government Attitude Towards Alcohol Consumption

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Mark

Last month Vivek Wadhwa delivered a talk to Start-Up Chile (SUC) at the San Francisco Hotel, an event organized and sponsored by the government of Chile, in which no alcohol was served. Wadhwa, who lived most of his life in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Chile, Government and Law, Mexico, Society and Culture, United States | 4 Comments

Why Does Start-Up Chile Want to Mimic Silicon Valley?

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Mark

The goal of Start-Up Chile is to produce the next Silicon Valley, but it’s prudent to be careful what you wish for. The official reported unemployment rate in Silicon Valley is 11%, 4 points higher than their technology competitors in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Chile, Economics, Start-Up Chile, United States | 1 Comment

Casting Aside Myths to Learning Spanish Efficiently

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Mark

The most common mistake I’ve seen with Spanish students is that they don’t make an effort at the beginning to learn how to make the sounds. The double “rr” is the only difficult sound, so you can create the illusion … Continue reading →

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Posted in Education | 1 Comment

Nobel Economist Pans Start-Up Chile Concept

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Mark

The Economist, Business Week, and TechCrunch have recently published optimistic articles about Start-Up Chile. Program proponent Vivek Wadhwa ponders: How do we get the economy to grow at 4 percent, doubling GDP in 18 years, vs. 24 years? …To answer … Continue reading →

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Posted in Chile, Economics, Start-Up Chile | 3 Comments

Ousted from Chile: Renewing Visas via Uruguay

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Mary

We renewed our 90 day Chilean visas with a 3 day jaunt to Montevideo, Uruguay. It was more expensive than we planned; we failed to anticipate the expensive transportation to and from the Santiago and Montevideo airports. It costs almost … Continue reading →

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Posted in Argentina, Travel, Uruguay | 6 Comments

Election Boycotts in Chile and the Brigantine Pilgrim

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Mark

I’m reading Two Years Before the Mast, an 1840 diary of life aboard the brigantine Pilgrim. Old books can transport me to another world, but most are burdened with excessive boring detail because people had too much leisure time and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Books, Chile, Government and Law, Society and Culture | 2 Comments