The Dominican Republic and Guatemala are the only two countries in DR-CAFTA that have not been able to access money from the Millennium Account because of internal issues. This is based on some 20 indicators, according to Jose E. Signoret, the director of the Office for Strengthening Commercial Capacity, part of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Chief among these indicators are issues concerning corruption, governance, and improving the general population’s quality of life. According to Signoret, “a country does not have to score high on all 20 indicators, but there are some that are critical for the Dominican Republic”. Because the DR has a higher per capita income than Honduras and Nicaragua, there are stricter rules to follow, according to an article in Listin Diario. In light of the latest report that covered October and November 2007, the official was asked how the 2007 numbers compared to the 2005 numbers. Signoret said that “the indicators have not moved much and the problem is that they have stayed more or less the same”. Duty Greene, USAID/Dominican Republic’s Economic Policy Advisor, told reporters that the three main criteria are governance, the economy and the social sectors (education and health). The economist said that the reduction in the time needed to start a business was encouraging, but the major problem was in the indicators on corruption.
Business
29
Jun 07
The iPhone launch, today…
I’m anxious about what is going to happen later 6 PM, I believe CNET saying that is a madhouse in 5th Ave. Apple store in Manhattan as AT&T hires 2,000 extra workers for iPhone launch, they knew that will need the extra work force.
“Apple store employees are currently at the front of the line leading people in cheers. “When I say ‘i,’ you say ‘phone’!” I’m not kidding.”
Anyone who thinks they can sneak into an AT&T store hours ahead of the 6 PM iPhone launch has another thing coming, according to new rumors reported by (you guessed it) AppleInsider’s sources.
There’s something about the iPhone launch that interests me and this is usability, Apple already change the way we hear music with the iPod, so they certainly can change the way we use the cellphone.
10
Jun 07
John Paul DeJoria
Watching one of my favorite shows on CNBC The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch I was amazed about this history “Rags to Riches” about John Paul Dejoria.
John Paul DeJoria has come a long way from the early days of growing up in the concrete jungles of East Los Angeles, to overcoming homelessness, to building from scratch his own true life version of the American Dream.
“Jean Paul’s “Rags to Riches” story is an inspiration for anyone out there thinking they just can’t overcome the odds. What’s most inspiring about his story is not simply his words, but his work ethic — no matter if it’s hair products, repairing bicycles or making tequila, he has always strived to be the best. He’s even turned down extremely lucrative offers to sell Paul Mitchell in order to stand by the professional beauty industry and to continue making high-quality products. He’s a great guy and an encouragement to us all.”
Through hard work and persistence, DeJoria, CEO and co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, has built the company into a hair care empire with sales approaching $200 million per year.
Today, John Paul Mitchell Systems products are in more than 70,000 salons and are distributed in 70 countries.
Enjoy the read… http://www.cnbc.com/id/19076094
10
Jun 07
Hot Google, Apple May Partner
Now rumors out there about Apple and Google partnership to give .Mac a cloud computing boost.
“Cloud computing is all about companies getting as many computers as they need to get as much work done as possible. Cloud computing is the hot new thing in the world of technology right now; Apple is a complete laggard; and it knows it needs to fix it. So maybe Google and Apple are destined for ‘strategic alliance’. Google appears to have attained one of the holy grails of computer science: a scalable massively parallel architecture that can readily accommodate diverse software.
“Cloud computing is the hot new thing in the world of technology right now,” writes Wired’s Fred Vogelstein. “Apple makes beautiful hardware, but it hasn’t improved on .Mac, its cloud based storage offering, in years. You get 1GB of storage on .Mac for $100. That’s laughable in an era where you can get double that for nothing.”
A later post I said about iPhone may impact, well another blog says “Will Bomb”; is the exact quote from the blog post title. Also Yahoo’s Buzz Log shows that searchers are really curious about the price, let see what will happen but I think that all this rumors and prognostication may come true and we better watch AAPL.
8
Jun 07
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at D5
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are two of the Americans I have great respect for. But I missed this big event! Sharing the same physical space! So if you haven’t already (like me) read about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates sharing the stage at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital then you should read this post about that historic event.
Here the video:
Here the post on D5: http://d5.allthingsd.com/20070530/d5-gates-jobs-interview/
6
Jun 07
What is WiMAX and what to expect
WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to wired broadband like cable and DSL. WiMAX is the only wireless standard today that has the ability to deliver true broadband speeds and help make the vision of pervasive connectivity a reality. WiMAX is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, and it also goes by the IEEE name 802.16e.
This new technology would provide: The high speed of broadband service Wireless rather than wired access, so it would be a lot less expensive than cable or DSL and much easier to extend to suburban and rural areas Broad coverage like the cell phone network instead of small WiFi hotspots this system is actually coming into being right now. WiMAX networks are optimized for high-speed data and should help spur innovation in services, content and new mobile devices.
In the same way that many people have given up their “land lines” in favor of cell phones, WiMAX could replace cable and DSL services, providing universal Internet access just about anywhere you go. Data rates of 100 Mbit/s for mobile applications and 1 Gbit/s for fixed applications, cellular, macro and micro cell coverage, with currently no restrictions on the RF bandwidth (which is expected to be 20 MHz or higher). In a typical cell radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, WiMAX Forum Certified systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access applications.
There are two main applications of WiMAX today: fixed WiMAX applications are point-to-multipoint enabling broadband access to homes and businesses, whereas mobile WiMAX offers the full mobility of cellular networks at true broadband speeds. Both fixed and mobile applications of WiMAX are engineered to help deliver ubiquitous, high-throughput broadband wireless services at a low cost. The network will allow both homes and business to access the network at data rates between 1 and 3 Mbps, and will support a variety of applications for users of all types.
With all this advantages a the capacity of wireless broadband access operators and service providers may focus con value added services to deliver in benefit of final customers, like VoIP, Video on Demand and Content delivery related services.
WiMAX in Dominican Republic
I can say we are be getting the service soon as two companies are deploying the technology in the island, and traditional Telco companies will have competition in a variety of services at competitive prices and much better quality. Be ready.
Here a WiMAX Presentation by gplink
