Once again, I’m still alive!

Thursday October 11th 2012.

The reason I’m writing this article in English is because I want you to show what’s going on in Venezuela Internationally.

This year we built at my house in Caracas a Suca for the Jewish holiday (Google it). After 10 days we had to take it down. I called my uncle and asked if I can borrow his pick up truck for a couple of hours, so I could load the bamboos and palm tree leaves. My uncle sent me the 1998 Ford 150 truck with the driver Eduardo.

Both of us loaded up all the materials of the Suca to put it in the garbage. Once we reached the dump  we began  taking off all the cargo. It was at 3:30pm in front of a school called “Colegio Patria” and next to an

eldership. Two normal, average looking guys walked up the street where we were offloading the stuff. They saw us and kept walking  towards us. Once we finished our work they came at us aiming two very

powerful  guns at us. When they reached us, both pointed at me even though I wasn’t the driver. I gave them my wallet, watch, and my the phone.  My partner  Eduardo did the same. They took the SUV keys and left.

We hid ourselves behind the school’s door in case the robbers were going to start shooting. Then, a guy that saw everything, offered to take me home. Thankfully my home was only a couple blocks away.

Eduardo was shocked, and I had  to act and think quickly. I called 911 which didn’t work. Then I called my uncle to tell him that I lost his car. I took my other car which was parked at my house and drove to the Police Municipals. From a previous experience I had, I had became  friends with the Police Director. Once in his office he used the  police radio to notify the police in Caracas about the car. After all of this  Eduardo and I drove to other police and army departments. After eight hours, we finally found the car!

Today, Friday October 12th at 4:30pm I am sitting at my computer, reflecting and analyzing what happen. I can say one more time that God wants me here and isn't ready for me yet. But, I'm confused. It  is very sad that what I experienced yesterday thousands of Venezuelans experienced every day. In most of the cases the robbers kill the victims, or kidnap them. I was lucky.

I have met people around the world that says that Chavez, the Venezuela President, is a very good leader. If he is a great president why are there people robbing others to bring food to their house?  Somehow you have to feed your family I guess. Why is Chavez giving to other countries the money our country makes from the oil instead battling the delinquency and creating jobs?

If you know someone that works in your country’s International Relations Department, or in the UN, or in any International Court. Please help! Venezuela is falling down. This country needs international pressure on the government.

Blacksmith and Entrepreneurship Program

From July 25-28 2012, 75 students from 35 different countries were selected to participate in the Blacksmith and Liberty Entrepreneurship Program held in Trakai, Lithuania. The name of the program is derived from the names of its founders, Mr. Simon Black and Mr. Smith, both successful American entrepreneurs who give amazing opportunities to young people that show strong entrepreneurship skills.
This year, Mr. Smith couldn't attend, but instead Mr. Brian Tannura Mr. Sam Wolanik, and Mr. Craig Ballantyne were invited. During the four days, we had the opportunity to ask questions to these mentors, hear their entrepreneurial lectures, and have our own concepts and ideas evaluated in terms of internal business competition.

Brian is a guy from New Jersey that took Spanish in high school and in college for a total of seven years of Spanish. After graduation he decided not to follow his friends to Mexico or Spain, so he took a plane to Japan. Brian has over 25 years of experience of living in Japan and owns more than 5000 gum ball selling machines and more than 2000 sticker selling machines. To our amusement he proudly admitted to being the one who introduced the cartoon Spongebob to Japan. Brian is a very down to earth and an approachable individual who really made himself available to students during the program.

Craig is a Canadian entrepreneur and owner of one of the most successful online health businesses in North America. Craig graduated in 2000 as a researcher and started as a personal trainer. On his website you can find diets, training programs to lose weight and other health tips. He appeared many times in Health Magazine and other TV shows related to being healthy. At the time of the camp, he had on one of his websites more than one hundred thousand followers, real people buying and commenting on his products.

Sam created a company (that he no longer owns) that improved the price of stock in the exchange market in NY. He created one of the first "financial quotes" websites. He shared the following impressive story at the Camp:  One day he visited an American Oil company that was doing very well in business but very bad in the stock market, no one wanted to buy the stock. On the Friday afternoon when the market was almost closing he sent a financial report with his own quotes providing real information "the one that everyone knows but not pay sometimes that much attention", at the end of the quote he talked about the oil company. By Monday the company grew 400%, and on Tuesday grew 500% on top of the Monday result. He did that over several years and is a trading expert- he knows the secret to not ending up as an insider trader. The exciting news is Sam is creating a new currency.

These four mentors and young entrepreneurs had the opportunity to relate and exchange stories and experiences. This was time well-spent and much valuable information was shared. I will cite some of the conclusions, discussions, quotes, relevant notes that I jotted down during the Camp.

•    It is not true that 90% of the work is a great idea
•    There are always opportunities, all around, step back and see the market
•    When starting a business you do everything you can to identify the key tasks
•    Who is your customer? How you reach him? What do you do to maintain a relationship with your costumer?
•    Find a way to differentiate what makes you unique from your competition
•    To find an investor, don't show it as a brainer investment
•    Always be really specific when answering questions: What business are you in? Who are your customers?
•    In online business, communicate with your customers, but that communication has to be perfect, make videos.
•    On websites, customers like sale deadlines
•    Do something you really love, something you are passionate about.
•    As most of you English is not your mother language so always write in simple sentences. Business is about simple and specific sentences.
•    I found a government distortion in the market place, if the stock is less than 5 Dollars nobody can talk about it. There were many companies that wanted to raise prices.
•    While raising investing capital, make sure you really need it and answer easily, tell me about your business. Always avoid family and friends. Be specific in numbers and not in future projections.
•    Never say "I need between half million and one million Dollars", be specific.
•    Everybody thinks that they need more capital than what he/she really needs.  Ask for the minimum amount.
•    What is your opportunity? What is your growth plan? Find credibility.
•    Create a board of advisers; their credibility is your credibility.
•    To raise money check: crowd founding, kick starter, micro landings, etc.
•    Yes it is possible to raise money from your competitor, they understand you.
•    DO YOUR HOMEWORK = study the market
•    The whole business exists because of you
•    For your investors, write them monthly reports and be transparent. If things are bad, tell him/her don't hide things, anything, from them.
•    "When you point someone with your finger, there are three fingers pointing towards you"
•    In order to do the marketing, go to online forums to hear the problems that your prospect costumers have. What kind of phrases do they use? Then, determine what product/service you will sell and how you will sell it.
•    95% of the businesses fail because they force a solution in a market place.
•    You guys know that you don't have to pass through the scan at the airport
•    Think about how to add value
•    The older you get, the more difficult life gets
•    Learn valuable skills, spend time learning: languages, check other places around the world, seek a mentor find someone you can help and make yourself absolutely indispensable for this person, socialize and network, "if you can sell shit, you’ll always be valuable", learn to program, introduce one friend to another.
•    Find an open door

Congratulations to the hydroponics on the roofs of Hong Kong team that won the first place in the competition. Also, congratulations to the umbrella vending machines at the exits of the underground in London team and the cafe with the parking concept at Moscow team for the mention.

I want to mention www.froam.com, the phone international services company that made possible my attendance at the entrepreneurship program. Special thanks to Mr. Hershberg and Mr. Warman, CEO's of Froam, thank you for being my mentors and for giving me this opportunity. The experience has had a positive influence on me and I hope to share it with the Froamtm community.
I'm proud to say that Froam has helped me to save funds by not having to pay for international roaming in my device. As a business prospect, Froamtm is also the perfect company from which to learn about any aspect of international connections.
I encourage you to check online how much it costs to call from Germany to Chile for example, then ask to yourselves how this amazing price is possible. Froam is also available to answer any questions; they are always there for their customers and wider community. Once again, thank you Froam!
I would also like to thank the organizers and sponsors of Blacksmith and Entrepreneurship program for accepting me. It has been my pleasure to get to know each of the participants of the program and I had the chance to meet some amazing and impressive individuals. I wish them all well in their projects.

Daniel Simkin

Info:
www.froam.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6d-A1Wu7lk&list=HL1346058822&feature=mh_lolz

The Economic View: London Olympics 2012

    Besides promoting excitement and bringing the opportunity to be the center of the world, Summer Olympics 2012 in London will be one of the biggest financial projects of modern time. Many people think that during the recession and with economy issues the world is facing that hosting an event of such caliber will cost a lot of money. Well, it will, but the revenues for the city and the hosts will be even bigger. After 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, it was reported that a record breaking number was spent on the games, making it the most expensive Olympics so far. The number, however, was not revealed but it is rumored to be around $40 billion. It has big chances to be matched or surpassed by London Olympics. Summer Olympics and Paralympics’ main sponsors include McDonald’s, Visa, Coca-Cola and Adidas. 

    2012 Summer Olympics will feature the longest Olympics sponsor: the American fast food restaurant McDonalds. It will be the main sponsor of the event and has already opened several new restaurants for the event, including the record-breaking 1500-seated restaurant in the east of London, in Stanford. McDonalds will have four big restaurants and only two for public use: the rest will go to the Athletes Village and Media Centre. It just shows how much the American giant has invested in this year’s Olympics. What also may worry the hosts and the guests, is that McDonald’s sponsorship deal features a highly unusual request and something most of the hosts won’t agree. McDonalds has purchased exclusive rights to sell fries during the Olympics, popularly known as chips. But the British can relax, because their favorite food fish and chips are not bannedm. However, they can only be bought in a combo. If you only want chips, you have to go to the nearest McDonald’s. Funny what money can do, right?

    Many are already predicting a financial catastrophe by the hosts, but there have been several optimistic predictions as well. More than £800 million were invested for the infrastructure, including the building of the new Olympic stadium in London.  Research has shown, that the most expensive games so far were in Barcelona 1992 and the country ended the games in a large debt. The situation is a bit tricky, but the concerns for the London 2012 are not that big. When London first bided for the hosts, their budget was £5 billion but  since 2005 it has risen to £9 billion. Nevertheless, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron assures that UK will gain more than £16.5 billion and the London 2012 will boost UK’s economy in the next four years. Unfortunately, there will be no lasting benefit for the economy and the UK will eventually return to the recession. There have been many controversies, because it is expected that only the city of London will benefit from the games while the rest of the UK will “chip in” with the investment.

    Most of the income from the Olympics will also come from the tickets, as tourists are expected to arrive from all over the world. There are predictions that only 83% of the 9 million released tickets will be sold, boosting the income for the Olympics for £400 million.

    There is no doubt that the 2012 Olympics will be remembered by sporting activities and some new heroes and records. But the Olympics will end, and whether Britain will get their expected profit, is still a question to be seen.


Daniel Simkin

Un serveur, ma petite amie et moi au restaurant.

Moi: comment ça va?
Becky: ça va, et toi ?
Moi: je vais bien
Becky: C’est un bon restaurant
Moi: Oui, c'est  mon ami Brian Brik qui m'a conseillé de venir ici.
Becky: c'est ton meilleur ami?
Moi: Oui, c'est un bon ami
Becky: comment s'appelle  ce restaurant?
Moi: le restaurant s’apelle “Buono Café”
Moi: Garçon! Garçon !

Hôte: Bonjour, bienvenue au Buono Cafe
Voici notre menu.
Becky & moi : Merci
Becky: Quelle est la spécialité dans votre restaurant ? Sinon auriez-vous un plat du jour ?
Hôte: Nous avons comme plat du jour un hamburger accompagné de patates douces.
Becky: Je déteste les hamburgers, y aurait-il de la salade?
Hôte: Oui, la salade de la "montanga" c'est également notre spécialité.
Becky: Que contient cette salade ?
Hôte: La salade de la montanga contient : des carottes, des champignons, du concombre, des oignons, des petit-pois, et des condiments,
Son assaisonnement : un peu de vinaigre et de l’huile.
Becky: mmmmm, ça m'a l'air très bon.
Hôte: OK, je reviens dans trois minutes.

Becky: Dani, que vas-tu manger?
Daniel: Mon ami David Kaufman, m'a conseillé de commander leur viande, mais je ne suis pas encore sur. Et toi?
Becky: Mon ami, Shirley Abecasis, m'a recommandé de demander la salade capresse, mais je ne sais pas..
Daniel: Shirley est un peu folle! Mais c' est une bonne amie.

Raul Brik: Daniellll, comment ça va? Comment ça se passe à New York?
Daniel: mon pote!!! Je vais bien, très bien, j'étudie beaucoup. Et toi?
Raul Brik: Je vais bien aussi, je travaille aussi beaucoup.
Daniel: Tu as des nouvelles d'Anita, de Kenny et de  Jenny?
Raul Brik: Ils vont bien, Jenny étudie le français, Kenny apprends à jouer de la guitare et Anita travaille à la maison.
Daniel : C’est une bonn famille!
Raul Brik: Et toi Becky?
Becky: ça va bien, les cours sont un peu durs, mais ça va  !
Raul Brik: super! C'était sympa de vous revoir. Je dois encore aller voir ma cousine!
Daniel et Becky: Ok partenaire!

Hôte: Avez vous fait votre  choix, Madame?
Becky: Je vais prendre de la soupe à l’oignon.
Hôte: Monsieur?
Daniel: Je prendrai du paté de champagne
Hôte: désirez-vous boire quelque chose ?
Becky: un citron pressé
Daniel: pour moi, un jus d’orange. s'il vous plaît
Hôte: et pour la plat principal Madame?
Becky: je veux prendre la salade de la montagna
Daniel: Je vais prendre du boeuf bourguignon.
Hôte: Bon! Je reviens dans quelques minutes.
Daniel et Becky: Merci!

Daniel: C’est un bon plat
Becky: Il est délicieux !
Hôte: cela vous plaît?
Becky: oui, oui c'est parfait..
Daniel: j'aimerais commander  une bouteille de vin?
Hôte: quel vin?
Daniel: un vin français bien sur..
Hôte: pas de problème, je vous apporte notre carte.

Dans Le Noir, a blind restaurant experience...

The other day I went to a restaurant in NYC called Dans Le Noir. Its a place in where there aren't any lights at all. So, you make your reservation online a couple days ahead. Then, you go to the
place and once you arrive they show you the menu and give you a key for a locker in which you have to put everything that's may produce light (watch, cell phones, etc). Becky and I chose our plates, then we sit next to a curtain waiting for our waiter. A few minutes later a blind woman came out stretching out her arm asking "Where are my next costumers?", Becky said " Here we are". Maria, the waiter, told us "You don't have to be weary... welcome to my world".

We enter to a small tunnel and the light gets dimmer and immer with each step until it disappears completely. I enter and my other 4 senses activate. I started to hear the voices of people from other tables, the sound of cubists and people laughing. Also, I felt the temperature much more, colder. We
Sat in a row with other couples entering the restaurant. Somehow Maria remembered the name of each of us and she led each one in the right and correct seating place.

Well, Becky and I were seating in front of each other, at the end of the table with other couples and
we started to talk about the environment. In a second, Maria was very close to our table asking for beverages. A few minutes later she came with a cart serving beverages to each of us. I knew it was a cart because I touch it. I didn't know how to drink, and I didn't even know if it was the beverage I ordered because my mind used to see the color and the recognize the beverage.

We spoke with the guys next to us and the only way you can identify them is by their voice. You don't know their appearance and in this city the guy could sound as a woman, but its a man...you know.
In this case he wasn't.

The dinner continued, the conversation with my girlfriend was very good and deep. When the first plate came I just didn't have any idea how to start to eat. Sincerely, the knife wasn't useful, only the fork and the left hand I used. I didn't have idea what I was eating; I tried to identify the flavors. The experience inside the place was simply amazing. Maria moved from one side to the other side of the table in a second, she was there for you. It was the first restaurant I went to where they called me by my name and the first one I was truly having dinner with Becky without thinking in my phone and emails. I was really with her eating and hearing her voice. You don't even know what time is it, but you don't have to care about the time because you are with the person you want to be with. That dinner was a discovery path.

When we were done with the food we decided to stay and have some wine at the bar just outside the dark room. Its just that your not in love with someone because of the way she looks, you use the other senses. Then, we went out of the dark room with Marias help and we talked with other waiters. One of them named Collin. He told us a little bit about his life, how he lost his sight, and what he was working on before working in the restaurant. Collin told us that sometimes as a pedestrian before crossing a street he stands next to the traffic light listening waiting for the beep that tells him to cross. Well, a person comes to help him cross and the person helps him, whether he needs the help or not because its the same path he does everyday he lets other people help him so they can feel that they did a good thing. Collin also likes the fact people go to the restaurant and a that a blind person helps them, so we feel what he lives everyday. Instead of him "needing" our help, its us that need his inside Dans le Noir. Collin is very happy in his life and has developed other skills that someone else might not have.

For me its admirable to see people like Maria and Collin continuing and having fun with their lives. If you step in NYC and you are with someone speacial for you, you mother, father, a close friend, your girlfriend, or a friend you haven't seen for a while I'd recommend you to go to Dans le Noir 
Restaurant.