It's time to fully utilize the positive energy in us to advance our business and ambition on the Worldwide Web. Connect and be connected through affiliate groups, links, ads and other worthwhile Internet avenues and opportunities. This is the place Online where we provide the ideal marketing and promotion resources, links - and programs for all of the ambitious webmasters, Net advertisers, network marketers, entrepreneurs and business owners around the globe.
Promote Your Stuff
Monday, June 26, 2023
Prigozhin belongs to Putin
Saturday, May 27, 2023
The Bahamas National Trade Policy Instituted
With the launch of the National Trade Policy, The Bahamas now has a comprehensive framework for trade that the government intends to use to lower the trade deficit by empowering more local businesses to tap into export markets.
Speaking at a press conference held on Thursday, 25 May, 2023 to announce the launch of the nation’s first-ever National Trade Policy, Bahamas Trade Commission Chairman, Philip Galanis, said that trade is expected to play a big role in the Bahamian economy as the nation continues its post-pandemic recovery.
“Prior to the pandemic, the export of services, particularly tourism related services, served as a counterbalance to our food and goods trade deficit. However, moving forward we are seeking to expand existing areas of strength and diversify into new areas to create new trade opportunities for local businesses and more resilient national economy.”
With the launch of the National Trade Policy, Chairman Galanis indicated that country finally has a coherent approach to the development of trade in alignment with wider national development plans. He stated that the policy is “comprehensive and with broad impacts on the Bahamian economy.”
“This Policy speaks to more effective management of imports through reviewing our tariff structure, the need for competition laws, domestic preferences, and improved incentive schemes. It addresses how we will expand existing exports through our trade promotion efforts and development programmes, a full review of the existing tax regime, the embracing of digital technology, and the development of free trade zones.”
“Through this Policy, The Bahamas will diversify its exports in target areas within the blue, green, and orange economies, while strengthening our domestic competitiveness through the creation of more service-oriented, faster processes combined with greater education and support for local businesses.”
Chairman Galanis credited the extensive consultation process done over the past two years with local businesses, trade experts, and other stakeholders for the comprehensiveness of the Policy.
“We have held numerous formal and informal sessions with local businesses of all sizes and in all relevant industries, securing vital stakeholder input that played a big role in the crafting of the policy. The document we have today reflects that input, as well as the inclusion of input from top local and international experts. As a result, we have developed a trade framework that addresses local needs and is responsive to global demand.”
Moving forward, Mr. Galanis encouraged all local businesses who are interested in participating in international trade or expanding the extent of their trade activity to reach out to the Trade Commission to learn more about the Policy and upcoming opportunities for enrichment.
He also welcomed all industry stakeholders to continue to work collaboratively with the government as the policy is rolled out, so that all initiatives continue to reflect the needs and input of Bahamian businesses.
“Most trade is conducted by businesses, not the Government, and affects the lives of the Bahamian people, so it will take the joint efforts of both the Government, as well as the private sector, to truly encourage economic diversification in the country. I encourage you all to take an interest in trade and to learn more about the importance of trade to helping us building a stronger economy.”
Those who wish to learn more about the National Trade Policy can download a copy of the policy at https://moea.gov.bs/the-bahamas-national-trade-policy.
Friday, May 19, 2023
There are estimates that 5G technology will have a global impact of US$13.2 trillion by 2035
Digital Connectivity: Oil for the 21st Century
High-capacity data connections may be the oil of the 21st century: a potential source of great wealth for countries that best exploit this resource. A great example of this potential is Paraguay, a landlocked country equidistant from the large economies of South America
By Edgar Cabañas and Benigno López
A great example of this potential is Paraguay. With its strategic location equidistant from the large economies of South America, it’s already home to the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway that connects Brazil with Uruguay as an oceanic exit route and also road routes under the construction – the Bioceanic Corridor, which will connect the ports of Brazil with those of Chile, passing through the Paraguayan Chaco, thanks to public-private alliances.
Paraguay, in terms of digitization and connectivity, is still far from developed countries, as evidenced by its position 58 out of 65 countries in the IDB Broadband Development Index 2018; it doesn’t rank high in the sub-indices either and, if we consider only Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, Paraguay's position is 19 out of 26.
Among the country's main constraints regarding the cost of connectivity, international output is a bottleneck. This is due to the few escape points available (Brazil and Argentina), which makes IP transit prices in Paraguay are much higher than the average, with a value between US$10-20/Mbps, compared to the average price paid in Brazil of US$3-6/Mbps or Europe, where transit costs no more than US$1/Mbps. This extra cost is transferred to the retail price and also limits the ability of small operators to compete or the entry of new competitors and investors into the market.
In 2018 a project known as “Banda Ancha Paraguay” was launched, initially promoted by the IDB with financing from Itaipú Binacional. The project has looked for alternatives that allow to obtain a Paraguayan fiber optic connection with access to the ocean, which would allow national companies to acquire access at a more competitive cost.
After a feasibility study carried out by Deloitte Spain, it was concluded that the best alternative was the use of the electricity transmission lines shared by Paraguay and Brazil through Itaipu to Sao Paulo.
This connectivity proposal is still limited since the information transfer capacity that this connection would be only 200 Gbps, compared to the capacity that an independent fiber optic network could have, according to the original project, being able to reach at least at 16 Tbps – assuming 40 channels (lambdas) of 100 Gbps each in a pair of optical fibers and four pairs in a 12-fiber cable – which would be 80 times faster.
Now, the question is whether Paraguay needs a fiber optic network. To answer the question, we must visualize the global changes that are taking place rapidly in terms of digitization: there are estimates that 5G technology will have a global impact of US$13.2 trillion by 2035, affecting productivity in all industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, services, governments and others. Taking advantage of these new advances would only be possible if the country has the appropriate digital infrastructure.
A Paraguayan fiber optic network would represent a strategic opportunity to achieve the installation of a large regional data center in the country, serving as a connection route for exits to the Atlantic from Uruguay, by its own route, and to the Pacific, passing through Argentina and Chile. This outlet to both oceans would be the only one in South America and would be of strategic interest not only for the region, but even for Europe and Asia as an alternative connection, since currently its main connections are through conflict zones in the Middle East.
Paraguay has a bi-oceanic outlet, as do Bolivia or Peru, which could be other major stakeholders; however, Paraguay has other factors that differentiate it, especially abundant and cheap electricity, and a location with low risk of natural disasters.
The main challenge for the public sector is the decrease in the cost of international connectivity through its own fiber optic network. An investment of this type could only be made by the government or through a public-private partnership, since it also has a high social component due to the potential benefit for the population.
A data center in the country would generate great interest for the sector or private, being especially attractive for companies that offer "cloud" services (data storage on the Internet) both public (Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Alibaba and Tencent, for example) and private (industry, financial sector, services in general) and even telecommunications and government. This digital infrastructure and its continental reach could even justify investment in new submarine cables for alternative outlets to Asia and Europe.
The range of investments that a data center can attract is almost incalculable, in addition to the advantages in terms of improving the coverage and prices of connectivity in the country and the region, so it will have a transversal effect on the entire economy and the society in general. In LAC, on average, a 10% higher broadband penetration is associated with a 3.19% higher GDP, 2.61% higher productivity, and 67,000 new jobs.
We must resume conversations around the original idea of the "Broadband Paraguay" project, since the proposal to use the Itaipu transmission network will only allow to cover in the short term the demand for connectivity in the country, in addition to limiting any investment that requires a high flow of information. The opportunity cost of not acting now can be incalculable.
Friday, March 17, 2023
Remittances to Cuba from the United States resumed
Beneficiaries of remittances in Cuba have the possibility of receiving them directly in their bank accounts in foreign currency, from Metropolitano, BPA and Bandec banks
By Redaction International - informacion@granmai.cu
U.S. company Western Union reestablished the sending of remittances to Cuba from all over the United States this March 3, 2023
The member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno RodrÃguez Parrilla said on Twitter regarding the news that "the U.S. unilaterally suspended the sending of remittances from the U.S. to Cuba in 2020 to create economic pressure on the Cuban population."
"It was one of the measures to reinforce the blockade adopted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic," the diplomat added.
As made known by the company Orbit S.A., which managed remittances to the Island from Europe and Canada in 2022, this expansion of remittance operations from the U.S. is a legitimate activity that since 1995 operated in Cuban territory, in accordance with international standards and that since 2020 had been stopped for the U.S. market by unilateral decision of the U.S. Government.
Orbit S.A. also informed that the test phase of the service to Cuba that Western Union had started on January 4 of this year, in some offices in Florida, was already completed, so it proceeded to extend the service to all locations of its network on U.S. territory.
The beneficiaries of remittances in Cuba have the possibility of receiving them directly in their bank accounts in foreign currency, from the Metropolitano, BPA and Bandec banks, a service made possible thanks to commercial links subscribed with international financial companies, and which favors both the remittance recipients and senders, as they have access to fast, safe and less costly banking channels for their processing.
The population will be updated on the official channels that Orbit S.A. will incorporate to its management, the company indicated.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
The power of ChatGPT in revolutionizing the way we produce and manage knowledge, especially in public policy - from initial ideas to final briefs and project implementation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are at the forefront in our world of advancing technology
Leveraging the power of ChatGPT to produce innovative public policy
The world of technology is advancing rapidly, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are at the forefront. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) strongly believes in the advantages of using cutting-edge technologies such as AI, machine learning, deep learning, and transformers to enhance efficiency and productivity, increase inclusivity, and reduce emissions in infrastructure. In Latin America and the Caribbean, these technologies enable countries to analyze data more effectively and automate manual processes, resulting in better decision-making and services.
The infrastructure sector already applies technologies that reduce water and electricity losses, automate pavement and signage analysis, diagnose road safety features, and automate satellite imagery inspection to estimate solar power generation, detect water and sanitation assets, and create inventories of unpaved roads.
AI can revolutionize the water sector by providing innovative solutions to complex challenges. It can be used to analyze data from multiple sources (sensors, satellites, and social media) to identify water quality issues and predict trends. Thus, water managers can respond to contamination events quickly and accurately. AI can optimize water resource management by predicting demand, identifying leakages, and optimizing treatment processes. It can predict flood and drought events based on weather, soil moisture, and water level data analysis and help managers take preventive measures. Finally, it can even identify wastage in homes and businesses and suggest ways for consumers to conserve water and reduce their bills.
One of the most exciting developments in this field is the rise of OpenAI’s language model: ChatGPT, a cutting-edge technology that can revolutionize the way we produce and manage knowledge, especially in public policy, from initial ideas to final briefs and project implementation. This language model relies on a massive dataset of millions of web pages to generate text that is almost indistinguishable from that written by a human.
With ChatGPT, knowledge producers and organizations looking to create high-quality content can produce policy briefs, reports, and other written materials in a fraction of the time it would take to do so manually. For example, in the case of renewable energy, ChatGPT can quickly generate a list of potential initiatives, as well as outline the pros and cons of each one. Knowledge organizations can quickly and efficiently explore complex issues, provide in-depth analysis, and evaluate different scenarios and ideas from other fields to provide valuable insights and guide decision-makers in the development of more effective policies.
Policy experts could also use ChatGPT to:
- Generate summaries of large amounts of data, making it easier to digest and understand the information.
- Create data visualizations and interactive reports, adding language descriptions and explanations of the data, trends, and patterns, making it easier for stakeholders to understand the information presented.
- Simulate scenarios and assess the impact of different policy options, leading to the creation of better-informed and more effective public policies.
- Produce insightful reports with in-depth analysis of the impact of policy initiatives on the defined field.
- Quickly analyze large datasets and produce concise and actionable insights that can guide decision-makers.
- Understand the needs and perspectives of stakeholders, and provide recommendations and insights based on this information.
- Streamline the policy development process.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Usain Bolt Chose Jamaica - His Home, and Lost!
BOLT CHOSE HOME AND LOST!
Bolt who could live anywhere in earth, and hold his finances anywhere, chose to stick to home and to live and work in retirement from Jamaica; generating a “Jamaica cool” brand based on his global image!
By Gilbert Morris
Usain Bolt and his lady Jamaica teammates kept eyes of the world on them and off the biblical violence in Jamaica for at least 7 yrs!
They promoted Jamaica and carried the flag!
This allowed Jamaican brand to be reborn globally. Bolt who could live anywhere in earth, and hold his finances anywhere, chose to stick to home and to live and work in retirement from Jamaica; generating a “Jamaica cool” brand based on his global image!
Now he has lost $12 million of his income to theft!
But this is not the first sign of trouble: Jamaica is a stratified society in which - like Barbados - some light-skinned (plantation-dwelling) Jamaicans held themselves as superior to Bolt and when he bought his home in a posh neighbourhood, they tried to run him out. (Ca Newry have our light skinned people in check in The Bahamas).
If the Jamaican authorities fail to fix this situation - they should have confiscated/sequestered all company assets by now - Bolt will earn more millions, but during this year’s global track and field season, all the commentary will be about how Jamaica is so corrupt and crooked…they destroy their greatest global icon since Bob Marley and Butch Stewart!
Saturday, December 10, 2022
It Is Time To End The Cuban Embargo And Restore Commerce and Trade!
"THE CUBAN EMBARGO SHOULD BE STOPPED!"
By: Dr. Kevin Turnquest-Alcena