Senate approves car seat bill (Miami Herald)

Following years of debate, Senate approves car seat bill; awaits governor’s signature

 

BY MARY ELLEN KLAS

HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU

TALLAHASSEE -- Starting in January, children under age five must ride in a child safety seat in Florida when traveling in an automobile under legislation unanimously by the Senate Tuesday and sent to the governor.

The measure, HB 225, received final approval after legislators had tried for 14 years to get the measure passed. The vote was 36-0.

Under the bill, pushed by members of the Florida Junior League and sponsored by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, children ages 4 and 5, who often outgrow car seats, must have a booster seat.

Drivers who violate the requirement are subject to a $60 fine, court costs and add-ons, and having three points assessed against their driver’s license. To avoid the points, the driver may participate in a child restraint safety program.

There are some exceptions: children between 4 and 5 years of age may use a seat belt if the driver is not a member of the child’s immediate family and the child is being transported as a favor to the family, in the case of an emergency, or when a doctor provides reason for an exception.

“This is a wonderful bill and it’s going to save children’s lives,’’ said Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, who worked on passing the bill for years.

Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, called it a “mom’s issue.” Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami, called it a “father issue too.” And Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, said concerned uncles support it as well.

Read more here: file:///:/Users/Fernando/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/EL4KXTYY/following-years-of-debate-senate1.html#storylink=cpy

Ex ejecutivo de Bank Of America pagará multa por mala conducta (Mercado de Dinero)

Viernes, Abril 25 2014 |                    Escrito por Redacción

La fiscalía de Nueva York confirmó  este viernes que ex ejecutivo de Bank of America, Joe L. Price quedó prohibido por 18 meses  de servir como funcionario o director de cualquier empresa pública. Price, pagará $7,5 millones dólares tras alcanzar un acuerdo que fue anunciado el vierne 25 de abril por el Fiscal General Eric T. Schneiderman  

La investigación tenía relación con la conducta del banco mientras buscó en 2008 fusionarse con Merrill Lynch & Co. A pesar de los conocimientos específicos de los ejecutivos de las crecientes pérdidas de Merrill Lynch que se pronosticaba en más de $9 mil millones, Bank of America no dio a conocer la información a los accionistas antes de su votación sobre el proyecto de fusión.

El Fiscal General también alegó que el ex presidente del banco, Kenneth D. Lewis, y Price tergiversaron ​​las informaciones a los accionistas sobre el impacto que la fusión con Merrill tendría en Bank of America y ganancias futuras.

“Este acuerdo es un paso más en nuestro esfuerzo por hacer rendir cuentas a por sus conductas a los altos ejecutivos financieros”, dijo el Fiscal General Schneiderman. ”Al igual que con nuestro acuerdo el mes pasado con el consejero delegado Ken Lewis, la acción de hoy envía un mensaje de que la conducta que hace daño a los inversionistas, accionistas y el público no va a quedar impune. Estoy satisfecho de cerrar el último capítulo denuestro litigio con Bank of America en torno a la fusión con Merrill, y voy a seguir trabajando para hacer rendir cuentas a las personas - así como las empresas – por la mala conducta.”

Además de pagar $7.5 millones al Estado de Nueva York, Joe L. Price no podrá optar por cargos de un funcionario o director de una empresa pública por 18 meses.

Después de una larga investigación de la conducta del Bank of America y sus principales ejecutivos sobre los esfuerzos del banco para consumar la fusión a finales de 2008 con Merrill Lynch , el banco y dos de sus altos ejecutivos fueron demandados por el entonces fiscal general Andrew Cuomo bajo la Ley Martin. La demanda alega que de ocultación fraudulenta a los inversionistas de información financiera y material que preveía pérdidas rápidamente y de escalada multimillonarias de Merrill para su cuarto trimestre de 2008, mientras que al mismo tiempo pidieron a accionistas la aprobación de una fusión con Merrill.

A pesar de ocultar las pérdidas previstas de los inversionistas como inmateriales, el banco inmediatamente solicitó la ayuda financiera masiva por parte del gobierno federal , alegando que se había producido un “cambio material adverso ” en la situación financiera de Merrill durante los tres meses anteriores. Bank of America continuóocultando los pronósticos de pérdidas de Merrill hasta mediados de enero de 2009, cuando la divulgación de miles de millones de dólares de pérdidas en el cuarto trimestre de Merrill provocó una venta masiva de $50 mil millones en acciones de Bank of America.

La investigación realizada por la Fiscalía General y el enjuiciamiento del banco y de sus altos ejecutivos contribuyó directamente a al acuerdo del año pasado por una demanda colectiva que surgió de los mismos hechos, con los inversores recuperando $2.425 mil millones en daños. Los abogados de los inversionistas demandantes reconocieron específicamente las contribuciones cruciales de la Fiscalía General en el logro de este gran resultado para los inversores.

Los litigios y resolución de este caso han sido manejados por Karla G. Sánchez, Fiscal General Ejecutiva Adjunta para la Justicia Económica, y Philip G. Barber, Asesor Superior de Cumplimiento de la Fiscalía General.

Even Without Sanctions, Russia's Economy Is Looking Sicklier Than Ever (BusinessWeek)

By Carol Matlack                   April 25, 2014

Safety deposit boxes inside an OAO Rosbank bank in Moscow on April 22

Signs of Russia’s growing economic distress became even clearer today, as the central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates for the second time since March, while Standard & Poor’s cut the country’s debt rating to one notch above junk.

In lifting the benchmark borrowing rate from 7 percent to 7.5 percent, the bank said it was acting to cool inflation that’s now running above 7 percent. But, says economist Tim Ash of Standard Bank in London, “it has nothing to do with inflation. It’s all about signaling that the central bank is shoring up its defenses” to strengthen the ruble and stem the flight of capital from the country.

Whether the bank can achieve those goals looks doubtful. The ruble, the second-worst-performing currency among developing countries this year, continued to lose ground today, trading above 36.01 against the dollar. And, as S&P noted in its downgrade announcement, the standoff over Ukraine could spur capital outflows, which already exceeded $50 billion during the first three months of the year. Ash predicts the total could reach as much as $200 billion by yearend.

STORY: Russia's Growth Was Already Slowing—Then Came Crimea

With Russian companies and consumers facing higher borrowing costs, the rate hike will depress an economy that’s already in danger of tipping into recession. And continuing political uncertainty over Ukraine means that foreign companies “will not invest in Russia’s real economy, they’ll just stall their investment,” Ash says.

Moreover, “inflation is likely to remain relatively high,” above 7 percent this year, emerging-markets economist Liza Ermolenko of Capital Economics in London wrote in a note to clients. “This is the result of Russia’s deep-seated economic problems—in particular, the fact that wages have been growing well ahead of productivity.”

All this while the West is still mulling tougher economic sanctions on Russia. President Obama, traveling in Asia, is planning a conference call with European leaders to discuss whether to expand the limited sanctions now in place. Secretary of State John Kerry warned in Washington on April 24 that Russia was running out of time to avoid sanctions. “If Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake,” he said.

STORY: Inflation Isn't Too High; It's Too Low

“What we’re seeing now is a pretty permanent exodus from Russia, and it will be very difficult for the Russian central bank to fight it,” Lars Christensen, chief emerging-markets analyst at Danske Bank in Copenhagen, tells Bloomberg News. “The central bank is very much between a rock and a hard place. They frankly seem quite desperate in their actions.”

VIDEO: ECB Keeps Rates Unchanged Even After Inflation

Matlack is a Paris correspondent for Bloomberg Businessweek.

A new Smartphone? Six steps to avoid problems...(About.com)

Cell Phones used to be oh-so-simple to set up and use. There was little you had to customize aside from setting your preferred ringtone and message alert, and perhaps adding a wallpaper to the low resolution screen. These days, however, there are numerous things you need to think about, set up and customize before your smartphone is able to perform at its best. Whilst the exact setup steps may vary between different devices, this checklist should at least ensure that the essentials are taken care of.

1. Wait for a Full Charge

This may seem like basic advice to some, but many people do not seem to understand the importance of correctly charging their phone. Smartphone battery life is notoriously short, with many devices needing to be charged at least once a day even with light use. It makes sense to try to give the battery the best chance of holding on to its charge.

Charge the battery fully when you first get the phone. You will surely be keen to start exploring your new phone, but this step should always be completed. Incomplete charges, either now or during the future use of your phone will certainly shorten the battery life, so whenever possible, allow the battery to almost completely drain and then give it a full charge.

2. Install Software Updates

If you buy your phone new, rather than second hand, the system software at least is likely to be up to date to the latest version available for your device (remember that not all phones can run all versions of Android, etc.,) yet it is still well worth checking when you first unbox the device. It is also worth checking that pre-installed apps are up to date. For most of the smartphone operating systems, this is achieved through the app store app (Google Play, Windows App Store).

System updates, and even some app updates, can alter the setup process, so it is certainly better to get this task out of the way before you start changing settings.

3. Explore Smartphone Settings

Speaking of settings, this is where you should head next. A modern smartphone will allow you to change or customize almost every element, from the ringtone and vibration pattern, to which cloud storage service is associated with the device. Even if you prefer to see how you get on with the phone before tweaking the settings to suit, it is worth at least going through the settings sections and making sure that you understand what can be changed and what cannot.

At the least, change the sound settings to suit your needs/preferences, and take some steps to protect the battery life of the phone, such as changing the screen brightness and timeout settings, and checking the sync or fetch options for email and other messaging apps.

4. Secure Your Phone

You can obviously decide for yourself whether the information contained on your phone needs to be protected with a lock screen, but I would recommend that everyone enables at least some sort of security passcode on their device. Not only will it prevent nosy family members or friends poking around in your private messages or photos, but it will stop personal or sensitive data falling in to the wrong hands if your phone is lost or stolen.

You should also set up or activate the Find My Phone feature that almost all smartphone operating systems now offer (it may be called something else, e.g. BlackBerry Protect), which will allow you to more easily retrieve your phone if it is lost.

5. Buy a Protective Case

Not everyone likes to hide their new phone away in a protective case, but you really should consider it. Like any piece of electronics equipment, your phone is just one fumbled grab away from becoming about as useful as a brick (or at the very least, having the screen smashed). The amount of people I know who have to put up with an iPhone with a badly cracked screen until their contract runs out is astounding. A simple gel case could have saved them months of annoyance or some expensive repair bills.

As well as helping to keep your phone in working condition while you are using it, by using a case and perhaps a screen protector from the start, you also ensure that it is in the best possible condition for resale. With resale in mind, it is always a good idea to keep the box your phone comes in, as well as any accessories you don't use (earphones, etc.,) to further help keep the price up when it comes to selling.

6. Configure Your Accounts

My Galaxy S4 is currently set up with several different accounts, from the main Google and Samsung accounts, to Dropbox, Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Check that the accounts you need on your phone, from BlackBerry to iCloud, are set up and configured (sync options, etc.,) properly. Some apps, including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, will add and configure the account information when the app is downloaded and installed on the phone. Although there are always additional account options to customize.  

Las 5 cosas que interesan a un comprador de tecnología...(ZDNet)

Summary: One of the biggest mistakes companies make is not realizing that times have moved on. We're no longer in the 1990s and it isn't PCs that people want. But I still see modern products being marketed as though we're still partying like it's 1999.

There are two ways to go about making and selling a product. One way is to come up with a bunch of features and incorporate those into a product and try to sell it, and the other way is to find out what customers want and build a product that matches their needs. Unfortunately, most companies choose the former over the latter, and as a result history is littered with the remains of technology that just never made it.

Stop making this basic mistake!

While more and more people are now buying technology, both for home use and business/work/BYOD, competition is also at an all time high, and so are the chances that people won't care about whatever new product hits the market.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is not realizing that times have moved on. We're no longer in the 1990s and it isn't PCs that people want. But I still see modern products being marketed as though we're still partying like it's 1999.

Here are five things that tech buyers just don't care about any more. OK, I accept that this might not apply to you (or me) but as far as the keyboard tapping, screen-swiping masses are concerned, these things are irrelevant.

Upgradeability

People just aren't cracking open PCs to install new RAM, CUs, GPUs, or hard drives like we once did.

Part of the reason is that devices are powerful enough to do everything that users want from them, partly it's down to price and the fact that it's cheaper to replace then it is to upgrade, and partly it's down to upgrade cycles being aggressively short.

In fact, upgradeability is a negative for a lot of buyers because it means devices that are unnecessarily big and have parts like screws that can fall off.

Repairability

Hand-in-hand with not caring about upgradeability, consumers are also unmoved by repairability.

While sites such as iFixit should be commended for the work they do, repairing gadgets is not for the masses. Even with fantastic instructions repairs are far from easy, and when you factor in the parts and tools (plus the risk of the repair not working) then it's usually cheaper to replace then it is to repair.

Optional extras

Does your gizmo come with an optional keyboard/cover/solar charger/death-ray attachment that differentiates your gizmo from all the competition?

I have bad news for you. Unless that killer bit of kit is in the box then the majority of customers (or potential customers) won't care because they'll never buy it (about the only exception here is for Apple products, but most of the accessories sold for those are third-party).

Replaceable battery

Were you the sort of person who when they bought a new device you also bought a spare battery, and maybe even a desk charger? Yeah, me too. But I have news for you. We're extinct.

No one wants to bother carrying spare batteries with them these days because batteries last longer and USB charging is ubiquitous. Replaceable batteries mean bigger devices, parts to fall off, and parts to lose.

Future features

Your device better come with a raft of cool features out of the box, because consumers have no time or patience to wait for things to happen.

Take something like the Binauric speaker. Cool idea that is has features that might be activated in the future, but what are the chances of these features coming to life, especially if the product isn't a roaring success? I've seen too many products come to market with promises of "jam tomorrow" where the product died a death from being ignored and the jam never came.

Programa Preliminar/ Preliminary Program

                                                                                

 Preliminary Program/ Programa Preliminar.

35^th Hemispheric Congress of Latin Chambers of Commerce and Industry in conjunction with AICO, the Ibero American Chambers of Commerce Association’s XLIII Executive Council Meeting/ 

El 35to Congreso Hemisférico de Cámaras de Comercio e Industria Latinas, conjuntamente con la reunión del XLIII Consejo Directivo de AICO, Asociación Iberoamericana de Cámaras de Comercio.

Meeting between two (2) great institutions/Encuentro de dos grandes Instituciones.

35^th Hemispheric Congress and AICO, a Winning Combination for Your Business Success/ 35to Congreso Hemisférico y AICO, una Combinación Ganadora para Su Éxito Empresarial.

June 1st to 5th, 2014/1 al 5 de junio, 2014.

Biltmore Hotel

Coral Gables, Florida.

Monday June 2nd, 2014/Lunes 2 de Junio, 2014

10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Registration /Inscripciones                           
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
International Directors Meeting (private Meeting)/Reunión de Directores Internacionales (Reunión privada).

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Round Table get acquainted meeting between Polish and Chinese participants/ Mesa redonda reunión para conocimientos entre los participantes Polacos y Chinos

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Welcome Reception/Recepción de Bienvenida

Presentation: CAMACOL Order of Merit to the presidents of AICO and CIAC /Imposición de la Orden al Mérito CAMACOL a los presidentes de AICO y CIAC.        

AWARD 4^th Annual Miami Media and Film Market.

ExpoCAMACOL 2014 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony / 35to Congreso Hemisférico y 4to Aniversario del Miami Media y Film Market/ Corte de Cinta Expo CAMACOL 2013.

Welcoming Remarks: Hon. James Cason, Mayor, City of Coral Gables

Mr. Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Miami-Dade County Commissioner

Mrs. Bozena Lublinska-Kasprzak, President of PARP

Biltmore Center Courtyard & CC Ballroom 

Business Attire

Tuesday June 3^rd, 2014/ Martes 3 de Junio, 2014.

7:30 am to 8:30 am
Breakfast / Desayuno.

CAMACOL Expo 2014 /Exposición Comercial                                      

Biltmore Conference Center

Country Club Ballroom

2:00 pm-8:00 pm

Business Matchmaking / Reuniones de Negocios                                    

10:00 am-5:00 pm.

Plenary Sessions, Discussions and Workshops/ Sesión Plenaria, Participación Interactiva y Talleres de Trabajo           

Merrick Amphitheater/Conference Center of the Americas

8:30 am-1:00 pm

Plenary Session/Sesión Plenaria

8:30 am a 9:00 am

OPENING ACT OF THE 35^TH HEMISPHERIC CONGRESS OF THE LATIN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY AND XLIII EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF AICO/ INAUGURACIÓN DEL 35to CONGRESO HEMISFÉRICO DE CÁMARAS DE COMERCIO E INDUSTRIA LATINAS Y DEL XLIII CONSEJO DIRECTIVO DE AICO/ Welcoming remarks of the Presidents of CAMACOL, HEMISPHERIC CONGRESS, AICO and CIAC / Palabras de los  Presidentes de  CAMACOL, del  35to CONGRESO HEMISFÉRICO, de la Asociación Iberoamericana de Cámaras de Comercio (AICO) y de la Comisión Interamericana de Arbitraje Comercial (CIAC).

9:00 am to 11:00 am

Free Trade / Libre Comercio: The Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (ATCI) and the Trans Pacific Alliance (TTP) / La Alianza Trans-Atlántica y la Alianza Trans-Pacifica. Panel on Near East and Far East Alliances; Asia and Far East with Latin America / Panel sobre las Alianzas del Cercano y Lejano Oriente; Asia y Lejano Oriente con America Latina.

Vision and Position of the United States of America in connection with these alliances / Visión y Posición de los Estados Unidos de América acerca de estas Alianzas.

Trans Atlantic Alliance (ATCI) / La Alianza Trans-Atlántica

Session Moderator – Facilitador: Jorge Eduardo Briz

Participating Panelist:

Jorge Eduardo Briz, President of The Guatemala Chamber of Commerce

Trans-Pacific Alliance (TTP)/ La Alianza Trans-Pacífica

Ricardo Mewes Schnaidt, President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Tourism of Chile

Poland Representative Panelist:

Pawel Pietrasienski, Minister Counselor, Trade and Investment Section of the Embassy of Poland in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Representative Panelist:

Eduardo Torres, Director, U.S. Export Assistance Center

11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Agricultural Development / El desarrollo de la Agricultura.

El "Modelo Armería". Panelist; Rafael Ubeda, VP Cámara de Almería, España.

Luis Cardenal Debayle, President of El Salvador Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Pedro Omodeo, President of Federación Empresarial de Tucumán 

Honorable Adam H. Putnam, Commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

“Countdown for the Canal 2015” /“Cuenta regresiva para el Canal 2015”

Port of Miami presentation on developments towards the opening of The Panama Canal in 2015/ Presentación del Puerto de Miami sobre los preparativos de la apertura del Canal de Panamá en el 2015.

Juan Kuryla, Port Director, Miami-Dade County Port of Miami

1:00 pm -1:30 pm
Signing of Agreements / Firma de Convenios.

International Sister Seaport Agreement between the Port Miami-Dade and the Port of Gdynia /  Acuerdo de Hermandad de Puertos Navieros Internacionales entre el Puerto Miami-Dade y el Puerto de Gdynia

Merrick Amphitheater/Conference Center of the America

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Luncheon Session / Sesión Almuerzo.

Danielson Gallery

Main Speakers:

Honorable Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Mayor

Honorable Ryszard Schnepf, Poland’s Ambassador in Washington, DC

“Sanchez to Sanchez to Smith” Award to Rosendo Mayorge President of the / CAMARA DE COMERCIO DE NICARAGUA  Entrega del Galardón De Sánchez a Sánchez a Smith al Presidente de la Cámara de Comercio de Nicaragua.

3:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Plenary Session / Sesión Plenaria

Poland’s Plenary Session – Poland-US-Latin America Business Cooperation

Merrick Amphitheater

Key-note speech: Mrs. Bozena Lublinska-Kaspzrak, President of PARP

Presentation of Polish companies participating in ExpoCAMACOL

Discussions and Q/A

3:15 pm to 5:30 pm

XLIII EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AICO (FIRST SESSION) / XLIII CONSEJO DIRECTIVO DE AICO (PRIMERA SESIÓN)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Regional Cocktail / Coctel Regional

8:00 pm/ Miami Media and Film Market Nightly Screenings/ Proyecciones Nocturnas del Miami Media and Film Market

Wednesday, June 4^th, 2014 / Miércoles 4 de Mayo de 2014

7:30 am to 8:30 am
Breakfast / Desayuno.

CAMACOL Expo 2013 / Exposición Comercial                                     

Biltmore Conference Center

Country Club Ballroom

2:00 pm-8:00 pm – Booth take down from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Business Matchmaking / Reuniones de Negocios                                                    

10:00 am-5:00 pm

Investments Matchmaking / Reuniones de Inversiones

8:30 am-12:30 pm

Plenary Session / Sesión Plenaria

8:30 am - 10:30 am

9^TH  Renewable Energy Panel/ 9^NO Panel de Energías Renovable

Chaired by: Mr. Rafael Calleja, CAMACOL V. President of Wind-Solar Energy Consultants, Inc.

Session Moderator – Facilitador: Horacio Medina Herrera. President Entorno Energético 

Panelists:

Dr. Luis A. Pacheco, Executive Vice President of Planifications and IT of Corporación de Energías Renovables del Pacifico.

Ing. Gerardo Salgado, Department of Planning Director, Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica de Honduras.

Ing. Diego J. González Cruz, President of the Guidance Center for Energy Matters-COENER, Venezuela/  Presidente del Centro de Orientación en Energía-COENER, Venezuela

Mr. Eduardo Wallentin, Sr. Manager, Latin America & Caribbean, IFC. Washington, DC

Mr. Buck Martinez, FPL Sr. Director Office of Clean Energy, Florida

Mr. Jan Rentowski, Head of Project Development, Proxy, Juwi Energia Odnawialna, Krakow, Poland

10:30 am - 11:30 am

The relationships between governments and Chambers of Commerce, relaying of information, results, achievements and negotiations carried out based on experience and services rendered. Institutional strengthening, synergy between the public and private sectors /Las relaciones entre Gobiernos y Cámaras de Comercio, la transmisión o divulgación de la  información, resultados, logros y negociaciones llevadas a cabo para trabajar basados en las experiencias y servicios realizados. El fortalecimiento institucional, la sinergia entre sectores públicos y privados.

Session Moderator –Facilitador: Natalio Mario Grinman, Pro-Secretary, Argentinean Chamber of Commerce

Panelists:

MauricioTancredi, President of (CONSECOMERCIO) Consejo Nacional de Comercio y Servicios.

Rosendo Mayorga, President of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Manny Medina, Founding and Managing Partner, eMerge Americas Plan

11:30 am to 12:30 pm

Good business ethics and practices. Education, environment and relationship with employees, Corporative Labor Responsibilities (CLR) go beyond the (RSE) / Negocios buenos, éticas y prácticos. Educación, medio ambiente y relación con los empleados, Responsabilidades Laborales Corporativas (RLC)

Session Moderator – Facilitador: Ambrosio Bertolotti, VP Federación Mundial de Comercio

Panelist:

Ambrosio Bertolotti, VP, Federación Mundial de Comercio

Fernando Cáseres, President, Bolivian National Chamber of Commerce and,

Francisco Llobet, President of the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce

12:30 pm -1:00 pm
Signing of Agreements / Firma de Convenios.
Merrick Amphitheater /  Conference Center of the Americas.

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Luncheon Session/Sesión Almuerzo.

Danielson Gallery

Main Speakers:

Manuel “Manny” Mencia, Sr. Vice President, Enterprise Florida, Inc.,

Peter Hill, President, Asociación Iberoamericana de Cámaras de Comercio (AICO)

 MM

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

XLIII EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AICO (SECOND SESSION) /XLIII CONCEJO DIRECTIVO DE AICO (SEGUNDA SESIÓN)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cocktail / Coctel

8:00 pm Miami Media and Film Market Nightly Screenings / Proyecciones Nocturnas del Miami Media and Film Market

Thursday, June 5^th, 2014 / Jueves 5 de Mayo de 2014
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Breakfast / Desayuno

CAMACOL Expo 2013 / Exposición Comercial                     

Biltmore Conference Center

Country Club Ballroom 

9:00 am-12:00 pm 

8:30 am to 12:00 pm

Permanent Secretariat Directors Meeting / Reunión de los Directores de la Secretaría Permanente del Congreso Hemisférico

Special Recognition to the President of the Permanent Secretariat /Reconocimiento al Presidente saliente de la Secretaría Permanente.

5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Merrick Amphitheater

Round table with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy. Mr. Janusz Piechocinski, Deputy Minister Ms. Ilona Antoniszyn-Klik and Ambassador of Poland to the U.S., Mr. Ryszard Schnepf, hosted together with CAMACOL authorities (reporting Camacol’s achievements During the Congress, possible signage of agreements in the presence of Polish governmental delegation, presentation of Polish promotional and support programs for the US and Latin American markets. 

Thursday Night Gala Dinner /Cena de Gala

7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

COCKTAIL & CLOSING DINNER / COCTEL Y CENA DE CLAUSURA

Master of Ceremony /Maestro de Ceremonia:
Welcoming Remarks / Palabras de Bienvenida:
 (Invited Guest Speaker/ Orador Invitado)

Hon. Rick Scott, Governor, State of Florida - Invited
“Sanchez to Sanchez to Smith” Award to the President of the Polish American Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America / Entrega del Galardón De Sánchez a Sánchez a Smith al Presidente de la Cámara Polaco Americana de los Estados Unidos de América.
Special Recognition to the important personalities from the Permanent Secretariat of the 35th Hemispheric Congress/Entrega de Reconocimientos a las Personalidades Destacadas por parte de Secretaria Permanente del 35 Congreso Hemisférico.
Entrepreneurial Excellence / Excelencia Empresarial: Mr. Antonio (Tony) Argiz, Chairman and CEO of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLC (MBAF)
Excellence in Public Service / Excelencia al Servicio en el Sector Publico: Mr. Marcos Rubio, U.S. Senator for Florida
Excellence in Social Media / Excelencia en Medios de Comunicación Social: Mr. Manuel Aguilera, Director, Diario Las Américas
Excellence in Production & Development / Excelencia en Producción y Desarrollo: ¿
Awards FROM AICO/Entrega de los Premios AICO.
AICO MEDAL / Medalla AICO: Mr. Frank Unanue, President, Goya Foods
Awards FROM CIAC/ Entrega de los Premios CIAC.
Closing Remarks: Mario O. Gutiérrez, President of CAMACOL/ Mario O. Gutiérrez, Presidente de CAMACOL


Friday, June 6th, 2014
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Business lunch and official ribbon ceremony opening Polish Trade Center at Miami Free Zone with the participation of the authorities of CAMACOL and representatives of large companies and investment fund from Latin America Invest with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy, Mr. Janusz Piechocinski and Deputy Minister Ms. Ilona Antoniszyn-Klik

Risk and financing Update (Courtesy of Luis Castillo, Global Trade and Financing)

Newsletter/Boletín

A new country risk outlook by global credit insurer Coface notes an upturn in growth for the advanced economies (1.9% forecast for 2014 versus 1.2% in 2013.) As a result, Coface has positively adjusted country risk assessment for the United States to A1 and the United Kingdom to A3 positive watch. The level of risk has increased in the major emerging economies, however. The assessments for Brazil, Ghana, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela have been either downgraded or placed on negative watch.  Coface has also adjusted its Business Environment Assessments for a number of countries. Improved assessments were granted for Algeria, Indonesia, Rwanda and UAE. Madagascar, South Africa, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Venezuela have been downgraded.  United States and United Kingdom: Improvement Based on Solid Fundamentals  The United States joins Japan, Canada and Switzerland in the best risk category (A1). The country is experiencing dynamic and balanced growth (Coface 2014 forecast of 2.7%), benefiting both from sustained household consumption and corporate resiliency. The profitability level of companies is now back at its pre-crisis level with a relatively low debt burden. Another contributory factor in the reassessment of the United States was the settling of the public debt ceiling crisis at the beginning of 2014.  The United Kingdom, after a two year break, has seen a return to its A3-positive watch assessment. Growth (forecast at 2.1% in 2014), driven by household consumption that is based on easier credit access, will be further boosted this year by increased levels of investment. Confidence is improving among companies, even though some sectors, mainly manufacturing, are lagging behind others such as financial services and construction.  A Number of Major Emerging Economies under Pressure  The slowing of growth due to supply issues continues in the major emerging economies. Two BRIC countries, Brazil and Russia, have been particularly hard hit by the dip in investments.  In Brazil, downgraded to A4, growth potential has been impacted by slowing consumption and by structural problems that include inadequate infrastructure, a shortage of qualified labor and bureaucratic barriers.  In Russia, geopolitical tensions are aggravating an already weakened economy, leading Coface to place Russia’s B assessment on negative watch. The Ukrainian crisis as well as the increase in capital outflows will have negative consequences for an already slowing rate of growth (forecast at 1.0% in 2014, compared to 1.3% in 2013) with a decline in investment. Since political fragility is one of the criteria used by Coface, the assessments of A4 for Turkey and C for Venezuela have been placed on negative watch, reflecting the complex political crises in those countries. In Turkey, the risks from political tension cannot be discounted ahead of the upcoming municipal and presidential elections (March and August 2014.) Coface is expecting growth to slow to 2% in 2014, impacted by tighter monetary policy and high inflation. On the corporate side, Coface has recorded a deteriorating payment experience in Turkey since December 2013.  In Venezuela, there is a recession and hyperinflation against a backdrop of social and political problems. The situation will remain fragile until the legislative elections in September 2015, in particular for companies running the risk of nationalization and subject to import rationing and controls on prices and margins. Suppliers to the State and to the oil and gas sectors, both foreign and local, are suffering from long payment delays.  An Extremely Varied Business Climate  Along with the country risk updates, Coface has completed its annual review of business environment assessments.  Among the improvements is Algeria,where the negative watch on its B business environment assessment has been removed. The country is benefitting the business regulations introduced in the 2014 Finance Law, including an easing in the approval process for foreign investment projects.  Among the downgrades, not surprisingly, is the business climate in Ukraine, downgraded to D. The situation in the country has significantly deteriorated in recent years in terms of control of corruption and regulatory quality. The high level of political instability is hindering the likelihood of any implementation of reforms.

Traducción a español Un nuevo estudio  de las perspectivas de riesgo por país de la aseguradora de crédito mundial Coface al observa un repunte en el crecimiento de las economías avanzadas ( la previsión del 1,9% para 2014 en comparación con 1,2 % en 2013 . ) Como resultado la evaluación de riesgo país se ha adaptado de manera positiva para los Estados Unidos a la A1 y el Reino Unido a A3 vigilancia positiva . El nivel de riesgo se ha incrementado en las principales economías emergentes , sin embargo. Las evaluaciones para el Brasil , Ghana , Rusia, Tailandia , Turquía y Venezuela han sido ya sea re­bajada o puesta bajo vigilancia negativa . Coface también ha ajustado sus evaluaciones del ambiente de negocios para un número de países. Se concedieron las evaluaciones mejoradas pa­ra Argelia , Indonesia , Ruanda y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos . Madagascar, Sudáfrica , Túnez , Ucrania y Venezuela se han rebajado. Estados Unidos y Reino Unido: mejora basada en sólidos fundamen­tos Los Estados Unidos se une a Japón, Canadá y Suiza, en la mejor categoría de riesgo ( A1). El país está experimentando un crecimiento dinámico y equilibrado ( Coface 2014 previsión del 2,7 %) , en beneficio tanto de con­sumo de los hogares y la resistencia sostenida de las empresas. El nivel de rentabilidad de las empresas ha vuelto a su nivel anterior a la crisis , con una carga de deuda relativamente bajo. Otro factor que contribuye a la re­valorización de los Estados Unidos fue el asentamiento de la crisis del te­cho de la deuda pública a principios de 2014 . El Reino Unido , después de un descanso de dos años se ha visto un regre­so a su evaluación reloj A3- positivo. Crecimiento (previsión del 2,1% en 2014) , impulsado por el consumo de los hogares que se basa en facilitar el acceso al crédito , se potenciará aún más este año por el aumento de los niveles de inversión . La confianza está mejorando entre las empresas , a pesar de que algunos sectores, fundamentalmente la industria , se están quedando detrás de otros , tales como los servicios financieros y la cons­trucción. Una serie de importantes economías emergentes bajo presión: La desaceleración del crecimiento debido a los problemas de suministro continúa en las principales economías emergentes. Dos países BRIC, Brasil y Rusia , se han visto particularmente afectados por la caída en las inversio­nes . En Brasil, degradado a A4, el potencial de crecimiento se ha visto afectada por la desaceleración del consumo y por los problemas estructurales que incluyen la infraestructura inadecuada , la escasez de mano de obra califi­cada y las barreras burocráticas. En Rusia , las tensiones geopolíticas están agravando una economía ya debilitada , lo que lleva Coface para colocar evaluación de Rusia B bajo vi­gilancia negativa . La crisis de Ucrania , así como el aumento de las salidas de capital tendrán consecuencias negativas para una tasa ya la desacelera­ción del crecimiento ( pronostica en 1,0 % en 2014 , frente al 1,3% en 2013 ), con una disminución de la inversión . Ya que fragilidad política es uno de los criterios utilizados por Coface , las evaluaciones de la A4 para Turquía y C de Venezuela se han colocado bajo vigilancia negativa , lo que refleja las complejas crisis políticas en esos paí­ses. En Turquía, los riesgos de la tensión política no se puede descartar antes de las próximas elecciones municipales y presidenciales ( marzo y agosto de 2014. ) Coface espera un crecimiento se desacelere a un 2 % en 2014 , afectado por endurecimiento de la política monetaria y la inflación alta. Por el lado corporativo, Coface ha registrado una experiencia de pago deterioro en Turquía desde diciembre de 2013.  Venezuela , hay una recesión y la hiperinflación en un contexto de proble­mas sociales y políticos . La situación seguirá siendo frágil hasta las elec­ciones legislativas de septiembre de 2015, en particular para las empresas que ejecutan el riesgo de la nacionalización y someter a importar el raciona­miento y los controles sobre los precios y los márgenes. Proveedores del Estado ya los sectores de petróleo y gas , tanto extranjeros como locales , están sufriendo retrasos en los pagos de largo. Una variadísima Clima de Negocios Junto con los cambios de riesgo país , Coface ha completado su revisión anual de las evaluaciones del entorno empresarial . Entre las mejoras que es Argelia, donde se ha eliminado la vigilancia nega­tiva en la evaluación que el entorno empresarial B . El país se está benefi­ciando de las regulaciones comerciales introducidas en la Ley de Presu­puestos de 2014, incluyendo una flexibilización en el proceso de aprobación de los proyectos de inversión extranjera. Entre los descensos , como es lógico , es el clima de negocios en Ucrania, degradada a D. La situación en el país se ha deteriorado significativamente en los últimos años en términos de control de la corrupción y la calidad re­gulatoria. El alto nivel de inestabilidad política dificulta la posibilidad de que cualquier implementación de las reformas

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